Surviving a stroke

Growth and recovery

We believe in empowering our Stroke Survivors to master and take control of their health and wellbeing for good, through helping them achieve a clear sense of purpose, autonomy and mastery.
We envision a Personal Training and Physiotherapy service which compliment each other to promote and actively facilitates sustainable behaviour change among the general population and post-traumatic growth among ambulatory chest, heart and stroke survivors in Edinburgh.

Between 12,500 and 15,000 people have a stroke each year in Scotland. One-third of these people will die, one-third will recover well and the remaining a third will survive but with impairments which may affect their physical and psychosocial health and wellbeing.
There are about 110,000 stroke survivors in Scotland, many of whom live in Edinburgh.

According to the Stroke Association (2017), of those that survive their stroke:

• 1 in 4 live alone.
• 43% of stroke survivors wanted more therapy support once discharged home and physiotherapy was cited as the biggest priority with 29% wanting more services.
• 18% have had access to care services reduced or withdrawn, despite their needs increasing or remaining the same.
• 39% of stroke survivors are not offered an assessment – a gateway into community services.

It is well established that exercise after stroke, services should be ongoing, not time-limited, and thus long-term physical activity behaviour change is required.

Furthermore, it should be recognised from the outset that a significant proportion of stroke survivors would not be able to move on to mainstream exercise provision, without a specialised intervention upon discharge from the NHS.

30% of stroke survivors will experience clinical depression and many others will experience anxiety and other mood disorders.

Together these are associated with higher rates of mortality, long-term disability, hospital readmission, suicide and higher utilisation of outpatient services if untreated.

Carers of people with stroke are also more likely to experience serious psychological problems and strain. It is well established that exercise after stroke services should be ongoing, not time-limited, in order to receive the numerous physical and mental benefits of exercise.

Thus long-term physical activity behaviour change is required. Sports massage Edinburgh is one positive step forward.

At this moment in time, we work with two-stroke survivors who are progressing impressively well. In the new year, we will be opening our doors to two more stroke survivors. Due to the high demand of each stroke survivor, we are only able to accept individuals who meet the following criteria:

• A primary clinical diagnosis of stroke
• Able to walk indoors with or without a walking aid but have self-reported difficulty with or require help on stairs, slopes or uneven surfaces.
• Able to attend Anytime Fitness, Canonmills, EH3 5DA.
• Have the cognitive capacity and communication ability sufficient to participate in the sessions and group classes.

Relieving the Symptoms of Withdrawal with Heroin Detox

During the time of recovery, detoxification is considered as a stage where an addict is prepared from the mind and body for the treatment. Percentage of the success depends on the nature of the rehabilitation centre in most occasions.  Complete engagement from the body may be required quite naturally.

Detoxification may not be considered as a treatment method at all. On various occasion, the treatment process is continued even after the drug detox. The combination of therapy is generally tried in due course. Procedures can be performed on an individual or group. Social support is generally offered through these therapeutic methods in most occasions. It is quite natural to observe behavioural and cognitive changes in an addict following to heroin detox. Future temptation related to the consumption of the drug is eliminated in the process quite naturally.

Challenges of Heroin Detox

Through a lot of struggle, an individual may able to recover from a heroin addiction. It may not easy to quit drug addiction at all. Craving for heroin (great article) becomes almost unbearable in certain situations. Pain is experienced with the withdrawal from the drug. The tolerance level of an individual is tested on the occasion. High risk is encountered at the time. Chances of relapse increase without any doubt. It can be considered as a matter of great discomfort to think about the consumption of heroin once again.

Support

Proper assistance from near and dear ones often found beneficial in the detoxification method. Treatment is a combination of medication, detox and medication. By using all the tools of healing in a proper manner, an adequate result can be achieved. Decrease in the symptoms may be noticed. In addition to the social support, medical support is necessary for a stable recovery in the limited amount of time.

Solution called Heroin Detox

Detox is generally considered as a comfortable method to alleviate heroin addiction. Safe nature of heroin detox has enhanced its importance also. In each and every rehabilitation programme, drug detox is added as a technique for recovery. Professional help can be taken to stay away from the drug addiction. It is better not to deal with the situation all alone.

Following to detoxification process, symptoms of addiction may stay with an addict. Therefore, medication is suggested in the rehab to get rid of residual symptoms naturally. Monitoring is done by the professional in the rehab continuously. Therefore, issues may not be seen all.

Inpatient care

Heroin detox method is generally performed on the inpatient. It becomes necessary to stay away from heroin completely at this time. Use of any other opiate must be avoided too. The importance of a drug-free life is understood. Spark of life can be brought back in the process quite naturally.

Patients are administered in the rehab and they are cut from the rest of the world completely. Complete support is given to clean body and mind. The method comes with therapeutic advantages every time. Tips are generally given during this period to manage pressure and withdrawal symptoms in a perfect manner. Therefore, healthier life can be ensured following to detoxification process.

Steps of Drug Detoxification

Read this article for information about gambling addiction

Drug detoxification is an important part of treatment method. The significance of the withdrawal processes must not be forgotten at the same time. Rationalizingpower of the brain is often affected by the consumption of the drug. Therefore, use of the drug must be stopped for some time to avoid its influence on the mind quite naturally. A stable mind can be achieved in due course. Through drug detox, an opportunity is offered to get rid of the habit. However, the requirement of further treatment is felt following the processes of detox as well.

At the time of rehab, an addict is given a chance to think about actions and its reaction. Following to detoxification processes, a treatment plan for future is decided. In the beginning, it is necessary to know about addiction. The difficulty of the lives can be increased further due to alcohol or heroin addiction. Therefore, according to the nature of addiction, a method of treatment must be chosen.

What is Detox?

To handle withdrawal symptoms, detox method offers necessary amount of intervention. It becomes possible to manage acute addictions and addicts in the process. Both the detox and treatment process must not be equated with each other. Detoxification is done to prepare the body for treatment. The method may not serve any help on the psychological, social, emotional or cognition level. Still, it has been recommended by the experts. Treatment of long-term nature can be pursued only afterward.

Steps

Three stages are noticed with the detoxification processes. For the process, a patient is admitted to the rehabilitation facility in some occasion. However, treatment can be performed in an out-patient too. A recovery plan is chalked for the optimum amount of success.

Evaluation

In the beginning, addiction is analyzed properly for diagnosis. The effective program can be obtained in due course. Both the nature of addiction and level of usage are decided in the process.  It is important to know about psychological and medical condition of an addict. Complication from the treatment processes can be eliminated with credible strategy only. Co-occurring of the addiction is often considered as an issue with the treatment method.

Stabilization

Addict starts to stay away from the drugs during the stabilization process. One of the goals is to achieve a mind that is completely free from the drug. Medications are also given during this time. The required amount of assistance can be obtained quite easily. Help is specially offered to the excessive drug user with the detoxification method. By achieving a balanced mind; it becomes possible to speak properly. Also, acknowledgment of an issue is done properly also. Recovery processes become easier as a result.

Starting of Drug Treatment

Following to drug detox, further treatment may not be needed on most occasions. Addicts may not go for substance abuse in future.

However, the reaction of detoxification varies with every individual. If an individual completes the detox programme successfully without any hiccups in between then success can be guaranteed quite naturally. Commitment from the individual is necessary without any doubt. Following the cleansing process, a further decision can be taken on the subject.

Essential Tips To Identify and Overcome Gambling Addictions

Undoubtedly a large number of people choose to play gambling to gain the fun-filled experience. It is true that among those millions of people all across the world who involve with gambling, a small percentage of them find it much more than just a type of entertainment. Sometimes, after playing gambling for a long time, some people cannot restrain their impulse to gamble that leads them to get addicted to gambling. As a result, they accumulate a large amount of debt for themselves, lose their jobs and sometimes strain or run relationships.

If you are afraid that any of your loved ones is suffering from this addiction and needs gambling help, or you are concerned that you may have the problem with gambling, keep on reading to know the specific signs of this serious problem and how to deal the problem of gambling addictions.

How to Identify the Signs of Gambling Addictions

A myth about the gambling addict persons is that those who play it on the regular basis can be the victim of this activity. The fact is that just like alcohol or drugs, people can be addicted to gambling on the sprees. Even when they don’t indulge with it regularly, they are unable to make out the difference between the recreational and addictive gambling and as a result, they sometimes start gambling even when they don’t have money to gamble. People engaged in gambling, have the tendency to hide what they are doing from their close persons. Moreover, they tend to feel extremely depressed from the moment they stop playing for the day.

When you are concerned about your own gambling addiction, along with the above-mentioned signs, there are other signs too. You may feel you immediately need to have a rush that can be got only when you are able to this game. Sometimes you may try to convince yourself that all you need is one hot streak, and all your financial problems will be solved. Even you tend to have a feeling of isolation when you are not getting to play gambling.

How to Overcome the Problem of Gambling Addiction

Another common myth about gambling and other types of addictions is that the addicted people simply need to work on the willpower or their self-control whereas the reality is that when a person is addicted to gambling, they don’t have the self-power to fight against it. If they try to deal with the problem simply by their own regardless of what they do, chances are there that they may push themselves even into a deeper hole. This addiction is not just a simple habit that anyone can kick out; therefore, the first step for gambling help is to seek professional assistance. 

With the alarming rate of increasing the number of gambling addict people, it has become a serious problem all across the world. Now, there are a good number of trained professionals are offering gambling help for the recovery process. Usually, the professional gambling help involves cognitive-behaviour therapy where the addicted person is helped to figure out their problem of gambling addiction and take steps to overcome the issue and group support where the gambling addict persons interact with people who offer their support for the ongoing treatment process.

The Psychology Behind Gambling Addictions

Click here for my first post on gambling addiction

Gambling is the prosperous type of entertainment across the UK, but sometimes, it becomes a form of addiction for some people. From a recent study conducted by Cambridge scientists, it has been revealed that as a game, gambling promotes an ‘illusion of control’ and the advantages of brain imaging techniques facilitate those scientists to figure out the psychology behind it.

The Present Trend in Gambling

Even with the current changes for gambling in the legislation of the UK, its popularity is still continuing. With the emergence of online gambling (excellent Wikipedia article) and electronic gaming machines, building up new casinos, the trend of gambling is flourishing. In fact, gambling as a recreational activity, more than 70% of the British population enjoys it at least annually.

Where Does the Problem Lie?

Unfortunately, all these thriving forms come at a cost – for a certain percentage of people, gambling is a rising habit that they are unable to control. Rather than enjoying the game, they are being addicted to gambling since it is now a recognised psychiatric disorder found among 1% of the entire population. The addiction rate of problem gambling or pathological gambling is even higher in the local community with the gambling facility. In fact, doctors and clinicians are worried that due to the relaxation of the British legislation, the problem of gambling addiction will be more severe in the following years.

Imaging the Gambling Brains

With the progression of brain imaging technology, the scientists are trying to figure out although it is sure that there will be certainly some odds in the game that prevent the gamblers to win a steady profit, what leads the gambling addict person to continue playing even when they will lose money. Here measuring the patterns of brain activity with the functional magnetic resonanceimaging (fMRI), the scientists found that a particular region of the brain called the striatum located near the centre of the brain plays a crucial role to stimulate the brain for gambling addictions.

Hallmarks of Gambling Addictions

Due to the stimulation from the striatum and personal choice, the gambling players tend to play longer and place a larger amount of bets. Those gambling addict persons have the distorted perception of their chances to win that may instigate them to ‘loss chasing’ where they keep on playing with the hope to get back the accumulating debts. Loss chasing is one of the most prominent signs of gambling addiction that has similarity with drug addiction.

Along with several psychological factors, the people who are addicted to gambling may have some significant biological determinants. The brain chemical dopamine plays a key role in problem addiction. Those people tend to face some subtle imbalances in their brain region that lead them towards the transition from regular gambling to the gambling addictions.

Help for Problem Gambling

With the further understanding of the psychology behind the gambling addiction, it is clear that there is the breakdown of self-control occurred among the addicted gamblers. At that point, they need gambling help with the treatments like pharmacological and psychological therapies. It is expected that with the understanding of the subtle psychology of the gambling addiction, future changes in the gambling legislation may be helpful to protect the vulnerable individuals from this addiction.

Gambling Addictions and the Social Repercussions

Win, Draw and Ultimately Lose

Gambling presents a lure of easy money. It creates an illusion of an easy income which can very quickly lead to financial loss. The insidious human vice leads people to a trap that they can never free themselves of. The odds of winning are less, and if the chances were any greater, the gambling industry wouldn’t have survived so many decades.

Gambling is an obsessive compulsive disorder in some people. Gambling may present itself in various forms. Even betting with a friend is a form of gambling. When a person repeatedly seeks to earn money by engaging in some form of gambling with the hope of earning money that may solve his financial problems and instead ends up in financial distress, it is called gambling addiction.

In the hope of winning an unreasonable amount of money, the person loses whatever little he had. The cycle continues until he has nothing left to lose. The gambler feels he can win back the lost money in the next opportunity but most of the times it doesn’t happen. To break this habit, they may seek rehabilitation.

Humans have always found the easy route attractive, the money earned after hard work is no match for the money won in a lottery even if its just a few pounds.

The gambler fails to recognize the problem until it’s too late. Perhaps the next bet will change his fortune. But by then his family, society, job and finance has already begun to suffer. It has been seen that a compulsive gambler is ready to risk his relationships to continue with his gambling ways. Often he is too embarrassed to ask for help. He has ignored his responsibilities but the urge to gamble far exceeded everything else in life.

Gambling has a direct effect on the social and familial life of a person. One realizes he is addicted to gambling only when he is unable to stop doing it. There are both physical and emotional symptoms that reveal a person’s addiction. It is an addiction that cannot be treated medically. However, it is possible to treat the mental anxiety and depression that results from the experience.

Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicine may reduce the problems or may even worsen them. Hence it is better to seek medical supervision and consult a psychiatrist. Self-medication for anxiety and depression may be harmful. Sometimes the medications themselves may lead to addiction. While the gambling addiction cannot be dealt with through medication but consultation may help.

Since gamblers get a high from betting and winning sometimes, they seek to find that high from other sources when in a withdrawal stage. Hence, prescription drug overuse is common. Gambling addictions can lead to a person suffering from mental health problems and risk of suicide. Some cases have seen even the family members of the gambler committing suicide. Hence it is not to be taken lightly.

Gambling is a serious problem and should be taken seriously. Seek gambling help and speak to someone you trust to begin the de-addiction process.