Drug Addiction Treatment to Prevent Suicide
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Drug addiction is one of the top risk factors for suicide. Research shows that people addicted to drugs are six times more likely to attempt suicide than those who are not. Therefore, seeking treatment for drug addiction is a key measure for preventing suicide among substance abusers. BluePrint Health wants you to understand the correlations and the signs that someone you love might be in trouble.
Correlation Between Drug Addiction and Suicide
Although drug addiction is a risk factor for suicide, only a small percentage of substance abusers commit suicide. However, because substance abuse disorder is complex, you cannot tell what kind of response a drug user will have. In most cases, they commit suicide through a drug overdose with only a few cases of suicide attempts through other means. To be on the safe side, if you or a loved one is addicted, you should seek treatment not only as a means of preventing suicide but also to restore your overall health.
Signs of Drug Addiction
The following behaviors may be a sign that you or someone you love is addicted to drugs:
You or your loved one have a hard time controlling the quantity of the drug you take.
You or your loved one have attempted to abstain from using the drug several times and have been unsuccessful.
You or your loved one spend a lot of time thinking about the drug.
You or your loved one experience unpleasant symptoms when the drug wears off.
You or your loved one have lost interest in things you previously enjoyed doing.
You or your loved one steal money or go to great lengths to get money to buy the drug you are addicted to.
You or your loved one are having trouble accomplishing your daily tasks.
You or your loved one hide the drug or its effects from others.
You or your loved one experienced sleep pattern changes to either sleeping too much or too little.
You or your loved one have an unusually high or low appetite.
You or your loved one experienced unexplained weight gain or weight loss.
You or your loved one neglect your personal hygiene.
You or your loved one have lost motivation.
You or your loved one are often irritable and agitated.
Drug Addiction Treatment Options
Drug addiction treatment is a long-term endeavor that can integrate more than one treatment strategy. The most common strategies include medication, therapy, 12-steps process, and support groups, inpatient and outpatient treatment.
In the case of inpatient treatment, you stay at a rehabilitation center for at least 90 days and integrate the various treatment strategies. Inpatient treatment creates a conducive environment that limits triggers. You can stay at such a facility for up to 12 months. Generally, inpatient treatment is the most expensive yet most effective option.
Outpatient treatment works well in the later stages of recovery. You work with a specialist to plan for therapy sessions, medication and support group attendance while living at home and going on with your daily routine. At this point, you may even benefit from finding online therapists to help you through your rehab maintenance. You get to select a therapist from a large list to ensure that you find a good match, and you can check in with that therapist from anywhere, which makes finding support in times of crisis easier.
Signs that a Drug User is Suicidal
Signs and symptoms of suicide are the same whether one is addicted or not. Common signs include:
Suicide ideation: thoughts of wanting to kill or harm yourself.
Feeling trapped, hopeless, anxious, agitated or overtly angry.
Drastic mood changes.
Feeling purposelessness
Engaging in risky behaviors such as driving while drunk and engaging in unsafe sex.
Increased use of drugs
solating yourself.
What to do to Prevent a Suicide Crisis When You are Addicted
Seek treatment for your addiction
Look out for signs of being suicidal and immediately you spot any seek professional help
Incorporate habits and practices that support your recovery into your lifestyle. These include self-care, exercising, and eating nutritious foods.
Establish a support network through support groups, mental illnesses specialists, family and friends.
Avoid using drugs whether for recreation or as a form of escapism from the challenges you are facing.
Educate yourself about both drug addiction recovery and suicide prevention to help you cope with both situations better.
Work with your mental health specialist to come up with a safety plan that you can leverage on in times of crisis.
Talk openly about your emotions and challenges to people you trust.
Get rid of any items that you could use to harm or kill yourself.
Drug addiction is not a suicide sentence. Both drug addiction and being suicidal are treatable. Seek professional help at the earliest onset of signs of either of the disorders.
Sometimes depression leads people to rely on drugs and alcohol, which contributes to a dangerous cycle that can lead to addiction or suicide. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) may help you to change your body’s chemistry and pull you out of your depression. BluePrint Health specializes in this kind of therapy. Visit our website to learn more about how HRT could help you.
Steps for Launching Your Own Health and Wellness Business
The global wellness industry, a $1.5 trillion market, offers many lucrative opportunities for prospective entrepreneurs. If you’re passionate about wellness, consider starting a health-based business of your own. You could offer personal fitness training, sell health food products online, develop a virtual nutrition course, or even start a yoga studio! This is your sign to finally get the ball rolling on a business of your own. Here are a few steps you will need to take to get your wellness business off the ground.
Hormone therapy from BluePrint Health can help you regain your energy and look and feel amazing. Call 800-311-6176 to learn more about our treatments!
Develop Your Business Idea
Still need a business idea? You have all kinds of wellness businesses to choose from. The best business model for you will depend on your skills and interests, as well as the type of entrepreneurial lifestyle you want to lead. Do you want to provide virtual services? Work with clients one on one? Write books? Plan courses? Sell physical products? Knowing what kind of work you want to do will ensure your new business is a good fit.
Acquire Funding
Depending on the kind of business you’re starting, you may need to acquire funding before you can move forward. Virtual service-based businesses tend to cost very little. If, on the other hand, you intend on opening a local yoga studio, you will need money for lease payments as well as basic equipment and decor. Groupon explains that you will also need money for insurance, marketing, staff, and a point-of-sale system. Government grant programs could be great funding solutions. Look for industry-specific grants aimed at wellness startups.
Work With Accounting Software
As a business owner, you need to be able to track your finances carefully in order to make sure that your business is healthy and sustainable. That's where accounting software comes in. Your company's accounting software can help you keep track of your income and expenses so that you always know where your business stands. This information can be vital in making decisions about how to allocate your resources. In addition, accounting software can help you prepare financial statements and tax returns. This can save you a lot of time and hassle come tax season.
Market Your Business
Advertising your wellness business is vital if you want to stand out in this competitive industry. The key to wellness marketing is developing trust with your audience. Try to focus your marketing strategies on building brand awareness and forging relationships with your ideal customers. For example, WellnessLiving suggests using social media to engage with your audience and provide value through informative posts. Facebook advertising is an inexpensive digital marketing avenue offering robust targeting capabilities.
Remember to pay attention to search engine optimization (SEO), especially if your business has a physical location. Good SEO practices will help local customers find your wellness business when searching online. Create a Google My Business page to get started!
Hire Help
At some point, you may need to hire people to help you run your wellness business. If you’re running a remote business, consider outsourcing extra work to freelancers. You can also hire a virtual assistant if you need someone to tackle both repetitive and one-off tasks throughout the day. Make sure you classify contractors properly so you can avoid legal issues in the future. Before hiring employees, ensure your business complies with all local, state, and federal employment laws.
Keep Growing
Once your wellness business is up and running, it’s time to start looking for growth opportunities. Focus on building customer retention by encouraging your existing customers to shop from you again. This is much more affordable than prioritizing your marketing on attracting new shoppers. While you’re at it, try to find ways to offer more value to customers. For example, you could offer membership programs for regulars that include discounts to other local wellness businesses. Collaborating with other health companies is a great way to spread the word about your business without spending a lot of money on marketing.
Running a wellness business is a fantastic career move for those who want to make a positive difference in the lives of health-conscious individuals. Whether you decide to sell supplements online, launch a local gym, or offer virtual nutrition coaching, your work is bound to be fulfilling! Start planning your new venture today by researching business ideas, finding funding, using accounting software, marketing, and hiring qualified help.
Progesterone: Benefits for Women During the Phases of Menopause
Menopause can be a disruptive phase of life for many women. Throughout menopause, many women can experience uncomfortable symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, vaginal dryness, mood disturbances, and hair loss.
While menopause can be unsettling, the good news is there are simple ways to address it. One of the simplest ways to slow hormonal decline during and after menopause is quality hormone therapy.
When hormones are out of balance, women’s health can suffer. Hormone therapy, such as progesterone replacement therapy, can address problematic vasomotor symptoms of menopause while significantly reducing the risk of menopausal bone loss.
Progesterone is often combined with other hormones to support a healthy balance in the body. Balanced hormones support the health of bones, teeth, brain, heart, eyes, skin, metabolism, and overall wellbeing. Additionally, progesterone helps the body equalize estradiol levels and keep them in check at the uterine lining.
Progesterone therapy can benefit menstruating women with low progesterone levels; perimenopausal and menopausal women requiring hormone replacement therapy; men with low hormone levels; or women and men with central nervous system conditions.
Progesterone can be prescribed in different forms including tablets, skin patches, vaginal creams, vaginal suppositories, or intrauterine devices. Studies support oral progesterone as an accessible alternative with limited complications.
If you are interested in learning more about progesterone, reach out to connect with us today!