Feb202023

Post-Rehab: Can You Reclaim Your Career?

The rehabilitation journey at Sivana Rehab is profound, often leading to a pivotal question: “Post-rehab, is it possible to regain my professional standing?” Here at Sivana Rehab, our approach transcends the confines of mere addiction treatment; it’s about nurturing you for a holistic re-entry into all life spheres, especially your career.

The Intersection of Recovery and Career

Understanding the challenges of reintegrating into a professional environment, post-rehab is at the heart of Sivana Rehab’s philosophy. Our 28-day program is not only to liberate you from the grips of addiction but also to arm you with the essential tools and self-assurance required for a triumphant return to your professional life.

A Chapter from Christina’s Recovery (28-day program) Christina’s time at Sivana Rehab was surrounded by Bali’s serene aura, significantly impacting her healing. “The centre’s serene environment, combined with the staff’s dedication, paved the way for my focused recovery,” she remarks. Interwoven with individualized attention, such a nurturing backdrop set the stage for her to re-approach her professional duties with a refreshed mindset.

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Addiction Recovery, Drug Rehab Program, Workplace Drug Policy
Nov212022
3 Frequently Asked Questions About Drug Testing At Work

3 Frequently Asked Questions About Drug Testing At Work

When you study or research a subject such as drug addiction, you soon realise that it covers a huge array of different areas such as drug laws, drug treatment, drug rehab, drug education in schools, crime, and drug use at work, to name but a few. They may not all seem similar at first glance, but when you dig deeper, you will soon find that they are all linked in some way.

The subject we wish to discuss in this article concerns one of those we listed above: drugs at work, or to be more precise, drug testing at work. Drug testing at work can be a contentious issue with many employees feeling that it impinges on their rights. This belief prevails even if an individual has never taken an illegal drug in their life rather than them simply trying to avoid being tested and subsequently found to have taken drugs at work.

However, such are the drug, health and safety, and employment laws in this country; it is the case that almost all employees could be subject to a drug test while they are employed. For some, it has to be expected due to the position they hold. Obvious examples would be an airline pilot or a crane operator in a port facility. In those cases, and others where absolute clarity of mind and body are essential, zero tolerance is the legal stipulation, and mandatory drug testing is the norm.

So, what if you do not fly a plane, operate a crane, or do any other kind of job that would require mandatory testing? Well, that is where many of the questions surrounding drug testing at work arise, and thus we thought it would be useful to list the three most frequently asked of those questions, and give answers to them as best we could, so here they are.

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Workplace Drug Policy
Mar92022

Soft Drugs Vs Hard Drugs. What’s The Difference?

The subject of drug use has a lexicon of different words and phrases that are used and two phrases that are often heard within the vocabulary of those discussing drug use in whatever context, are “hard drugs” and “soft drugs”. It is safe to say that these two phrases have probably been more misused and created more confusion and misunderstanding than any others concerning drug use.

Firstly, it is the case that there is no hard and fast definition of what constitutes a hard drug or a soft drug. Both of these terms are completely arbitrary and there are no official criteria as to what would identify any drug as hard or soft. Further, no official scientific or medical paper exists that definitively outlines what a hard drug or soft drug is.

Consensus? What Consensus?

Whilst there may not be a definite definition of what a hard or a soft drug is,  you will find that there are general views of what they are. It must be stated that individuals, whether they be doctors, drug recovery specialists, or even drugs users themselves may have specific views that vary slightly from the general view.

Even here there is a misconception that the terms “hard” and “soft” relate solely to the amount of damage that drug can do to someone who takes it, and ultimately becomes addicted to it. By this definition, hard drugs are regarded as being more toxic to the user’s system and some believe that a drug that is more addictive should have the label “hard”.

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Addiction, Cocaine Addiction, Heroin Addiction, Methamphetamine
Feb32021

What is Addiction?

The terms addiction, substance dependence, and substance abuse are on occasion separated by a few characteristics. In the DSM-IV, the American Psychiatric Association has combined the neurological nature of addiction and the withdrawal pattern typical of substance dependence to help define the disorder as a whole.

With a broader understanding and more inclusive terms counselling and medicine may cooperate to understand and treat both the brain and behaviour dysfunctions that comprise Substance Use Disorder.

Professionals currently use very accurate set of criteria to help them determine the presence of an addiction or a Substance Use Disorder:

  • Tolerance: Do you have to use more of the drugs or alcohol over time to maintain a high?
  • Withdrawal: Have you experienced physical or emotional discomfort when you have stopped using? Have you used to avoid feelings of anxiety, sadness, or to prevent shakes, sweats, nausea, or vomiting?
  • Control: Do you find yourself taking larger amounts than you ever thought you would or use for longer than you expected?
  • Desire to quit: Have you thought about cutting down your use? Have you tried to cut down or control your use and been unsuccessful?
  • Time devoted to others: Have you ever cancelled activities with friends, missed important work occasions, or reduced the amount of socializing and recreation in your life because of your use?
  • Time devoted to using: Do you spend the majority of your time obtaining, using, hiding, recovering from your use, and planning the next use? How much time do you spend thinking about using, avoiding getting caught, or ways to get more?
  • Negative consequences: Have you continued to use once you learn about and see the harmful effects of the substance to your health and in your personal life? Do you keep the drug around even when your body and relationships begin deteriorating?

Because addiction does not resemble what we commonly think of when we imagine disease we often blame the addict entirely for choosing their life and for being too weak to walk away. It is true that one of the greatest positive indicators of substance use disorder is a person’s choice to use even when there are clear and immediate negative consequences for doing so. But why?

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Addiction
May272019

How To Overcome Your Fears Of Entering A Drug Rehab Program

For anyone addicted to drugs, the decision to enter a drug rehabilitation program often generates fear. To others it might seem illogical that someone whose life is ruled by drug addiction would have any concerns about recovering from that, but, unless you have experienced drug addiction, you can never understand the thought process that has to be gone through.

Drug users will often rely on the phrase “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t”. This means that whilst fully aware of the harm that drug use is causing them, they are used to it. Conversely, entering a drug rehabilitation program has so many unknowns for them and means multiple changes in their current life, so it can seem less worrisome to continue as they are.

Potential Fears Of Entering Drug Rehab

Here are some of the fears that drug users often cite as the reason they are reticent about entering drug rehab.

Withdrawal Symptoms: Images on movies of people suffering extreme drug withdrawals and hearing the experiences of those who have gone through drug recovery can throw up a reason to be fearful of withdrawal symptoms and reactions.

Confronting Their Addiction: Drug users can take years before they accept they are addicted, and may even be in denial right up to when they are considering recovery. Even then, the fact they will have to face dealing with their addiction can be scary for some.

Losing Their Job: Advising an employer that you are entering drug rehab can be scary, especially if you fear the employer may fire you on the spot. Thankfully, most employers are more enlightened than that and some will even help fund an employee’s recovery program.

Fear Of Failure: Fear of failure can occur in any situation but given the enormity of what it means to an individual’s life, failing is an understandable fear. Bear in mind drug rehab programs have an excellent track record and the drug support specialists do all they can to achieve recovery for their clients.

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Drug Rehab Program
Jul222018
The Alarming Effects Of Drugs Use On Your Physical Appearance

The Alarming Effects Of Drugs Use On Your Physical Appearance

There have been millions of words written and spoken warning everyone about the dangers of drug addiction and that it can lead to premature death. That warning is evidenced by data that shows that in Australia alone almost 2,000 individuals die younger than they should each year. Expand that to the entire world and the number is sadly closer to 500,000 premature deaths annually.

Of course, not every instance of drug dependency results in the person’s death, but that does not mean that are no other negative consequences. One of these is the physical effects and the damage that drug use does to a person’s appearance. Such is the level of harm to their appearance that it might be the tipping point for one of their family or friends to realise that this person has a drugs problem, given that there may not be any other obvious clues.

How Drugs Adversely Affect Appearance

There are five main elements of one’s appearance that drug use can affect negatively. These are skin, teeth, hair, muscles, and bones. Outlined below are the specifics of that harm and how they adversely affect a person’s appearance.

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Addiction