What may happen in a mindfulness session?
Friday, August 5, 2016
Mindfulness as Therapy
Australian Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics
Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics
In Australia, two categories of prescription drugs are most commonly abused: Benzodiazepines and Analgesics. Benzodiazepines are minor tranquilisers and are most often prescribed by doctors to relieve anxiety or help people sleep. Benzodiazepines include drugs under the popular brand names Valium, Xanax, and Serepax.
Analgesics are medications used to relieve pain. Opioid analgesics such as codeine and oxycodone are the most commonly abused analgesics due to their ability to create sensations of euphoria. Those who are prescribed strong medications such as opioids or benzodiazepines can become dependent on these drugs without intentionally misusing them, as tolerance can develop and people will need to take more and more over time. However, prescription drug addiction occurs most frequently with the non-medical use of prescription drugs. Non-medical use is when people take prescriptions outside of their intended use, including taking a drug not prescribed to you, taking more than prescribed, or crushing, chewing, or otherwise misusing a prescription medication.
Approximately 4.5% of Australians 14 years or older have used tranquilizers or sleeping pills including benzodiazepines for non-medical purposes at some point in their life.
The non-medical use of analgesics is even more common, as almost 8% of Australians over the age of 14 have abused analgesics at some point in their life and 3.3% have done so in the past 12 months. Among young Australians aged 14-24 the average age they first try an analgesic for non-medical use is 15 years old.
Pain medications are the most commonly used drug, either licit or illicit, among 12-17 year olds. Four percent of 12-17 year olds take analgesics from home without permission and 3% buy them. This trend is especially frightening, as the younger people are when they experiment with addictive drugs, the more likely they are to develop drug addiction in the future.
Its about to get a lot harder to access prescription drugs on the Northern Beaches!
National real-time medicine monitoring will save lives
Our calls for the urgent implementation of a national real-time recording and reporting system to decrease the inappropriate use of prescription medicines seems to be very slowly actioned by the Federal and State Governments (although I find the speed of this "urgent" intervention to be a national disgrace).
As we loose countless wonderful people in this country each and every year from legally prescribed drugs I cannot fathom the attitude of our political leaders and the lack of interest they continue to show. Be that as it may, this system will finally become a reality in the near future and I have further concerns as to how we are going to deal with the many thousands of individuals who are currently experiencing heavy dependence on these prescription medicines when they are not able to access their normal quantities....
Northern Beaches women are our clients and I can tell you that I personally see more women experiencing problems with alcohol and prescription medications such as Valium and Xanax than other illicit drugs combined.
The expected reporting system ( Electronic Recording and Reporting of Controlled Drugs) will include all drugs with potential for dependence meaning that all doctors will be able to access a patients record in the consultation - no more "doctor shopping"
This is great news but if we don't support these individuals they will experience dangerous health, social and psychological distress and/or probably substitute with alcohol or illicit drugs.
We need to have some serious conversations and get ready!
Aly
Aly Birmingham Geats
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
ARE YOU A PROFESSIONAL WORKING IN A HIGH STRESS ENVIRONMENT?
There are serious issues regarding professionals accessing appropriate help for these issues and there are often serious issues in the treatments that are available for this group as reflected in the recent popularity of "rehab tourism".
That our “best and
brightest” feel the need to literally flee the country to address these complex
issues is a real wake-up call for us all.
The unfortunate aspect of these treatment centres is that they cannot
address in depth, why an individual is having these problems – compulsive behaviours
seen in substance abuse must be addressed within the context of an individual’s
life in order for them to maintain change.
The idea that this can be done in a brief stint in an overseas rehab
unit is both naive and potentially dangerous.
There are services in Australia that are second to none but not all individuals are comfortable in group or public treatment models. The high functioning client is functioning with varying degrees and levels of impairment and not likely to seek help where their identity may be exposed. It's one reason why they are such a hard-to-reach group. They are captains of industry, performers, medical directors, vets, dentists, police officers and accountants and there is immense fear and shame around this perceived weakness - a stigma that can destroy careers and families. These professionals have the most to lose.
We work in complete privacy with our clients and set in place many safeguards to protect their anonymity at all times. Our clients know that this tight security is a given so they can focus on their goals.
Context Health & Education
www.counsellingnorthside.com.au
MINDFULNESS FOR HSC STUDY
Being Mindful about study: engaging your brain to reduce stress and study better with assignments and exams fast approaching, you might be feeling anxious, worried or stressed.
Mindfulness practice is the ability to put your mind
where you want it and be fully involved in the
moment. Have you ever had the experience
of being “in the zone”? That’s mindfulness!
Being aware of how you’re feeling; what’s
going on around you; and still being able to be
focused on what you want to accomplish. Not
easy, but with practice, you can build the
mental muscle necessary to be mindful. Anything can be done mindfully. We often don’t do things mindfully because we get caught
up in the daily craziness of work, school, relationships and life. How often do you do three things at
once…watch TV, eat dinner and take notes on your class readings? How often do you talk on the phone
while driving? In order to get things done, we feel pressured to do many things at the same time.
Often we are rewarded for living this way. We get a lot done quickly; we feel productive; and others
view us as intelligent and successful. Unfortunately, that lifestyle often leaves us feeling stressed,
fatigued and irritable.
Mindfulness is choosing to do one thing at a time with focus and intention.
Research shows that practicing mindfulness improves your brain’s ability to pay attention, concentrate, plan and organize information. That means you can improve your brain’s ability to study more effectively and efficiently. Regular mindfulness practice also has a positive impact on health and wellness. Because mindfulness can have a relaxing effect on the body, it has been shown to boost immune functioning. That means feeling better with less illness. If you’re prone to getting sick during stressful times because you’ve worn yourself down studying; not eating well and not sleeping enough, then mindfulness can be one way to buffer yourself from the negative effects of stress.
To practice putting your mind where you want it, count your breaths. Every breath has an inhale and an exhale. After each exhale, count. When you get to 10, start over at one. If your mind wanders and you lose track of the count, start over at one. Don’t change your breath as you breathe. Breathe normally and count. Notice if your mind wanders. If it does, gently bring it back to the counting without judgement - the purpose is merely to observe the mind doing what it does.
Taking a 2 minute break from studying or being overwhelmed can help you regroup and get back to work in a more organized way. Being mindful isn’t all about silence and stillness. You can move your body and be mindful too!
Aly Birmingham Geats is a coach, counsellor and therapist located on Sydneys Northern Beaches with a Post Graduate degree in Mindfulness and Buddhist Practice at Nan Tien Institute, Australia
www.rowan.edu/open/studentaffairs2/hci/healthymind/documents/mindful.pdf
Mindfulness practice is the ability to put your mind
where you want it and be fully involved in the
moment. Have you ever had the experience
of being “in the zone”? That’s mindfulness!
Being aware of how you’re feeling; what’s
going on around you; and still being able to be
focused on what you want to accomplish. Not
easy, but with practice, you can build the
mental muscle necessary to be mindful. Anything can be done mindfully. We often don’t do things mindfully because we get caught
up in the daily craziness of work, school, relationships and life. How often do you do three things at
once…watch TV, eat dinner and take notes on your class readings? How often do you talk on the phone
while driving? In order to get things done, we feel pressured to do many things at the same time.
Often we are rewarded for living this way. We get a lot done quickly; we feel productive; and others
view us as intelligent and successful. Unfortunately, that lifestyle often leaves us feeling stressed,
fatigued and irritable.
Mindfulness is choosing to do one thing at a time with focus and intention.Research shows that practicing mindfulness improves your brain’s ability to pay attention, concentrate, plan and organize information. That means you can improve your brain’s ability to study more effectively and efficiently. Regular mindfulness practice also has a positive impact on health and wellness. Because mindfulness can have a relaxing effect on the body, it has been shown to boost immune functioning. That means feeling better with less illness. If you’re prone to getting sick during stressful times because you’ve worn yourself down studying; not eating well and not sleeping enough, then mindfulness can be one way to buffer yourself from the negative effects of stress.
To practice putting your mind where you want it, count your breaths. Every breath has an inhale and an exhale. After each exhale, count. When you get to 10, start over at one. If your mind wanders and you lose track of the count, start over at one. Don’t change your breath as you breathe. Breathe normally and count. Notice if your mind wanders. If it does, gently bring it back to the counting without judgement - the purpose is merely to observe the mind doing what it does.
Taking a 2 minute break from studying or being overwhelmed can help you regroup and get back to work in a more organized way. Being mindful isn’t all about silence and stillness. You can move your body and be mindful too!
Aly Birmingham Geats is a coach, counsellor and therapist located on Sydneys Northern Beaches with a Post Graduate degree in Mindfulness and Buddhist Practice at Nan Tien Institute, Australia
www.rowan.edu/open/studentaffairs2/hci/healthymind/documents/mindful.pdf
A WOMANS STORY IS NOT HER EXCUSE
Hearing it is an opportunity for insight and compassion.
Addiction is not a matter of morals.
It is not a matter of weakness.
Addiction is not a choice, recovery is a choice but it is rarely achievable without help.
A woman does not decide to become an addict.
A woman has a right to make bad decisions without being judged and shamed.We all need support when things go wrong.
When things go wrong for a child
and theres no one there to show the way
how can they create a good life?
How do they grow up and know how to be safe?
They just try their best.
counsellingnorthside.com.ausydneyrecoverysupport.com.au
familytree.org.au
Acceptance not Judgement
Thursday, February 25, 2016
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