One suprising thing about recovery is that the urge to use hits me when I’m happy, having a good time, or celebrating.

Sure, I prepared myself for other triggers, like pain, boredom, stress, and depression. I even prepared for  triggering situations like being around people who use or seeing drug use on television or in a movie (I remembered that from quitting smoking - how every time someone lit up on screen, I had a 10 minute nicotine fit. No British gangster films for me for a while!).

But I didn’t realize that some of the most intense cravings would be triggered by good times.

It makes sense though, doesn’t it? That’s how I celebrated in the past, and I hardly needed a legit reason: Got my tax refund? Let’s get an 8-ball! School’s out for summer? Woo! Pass me that joint! Thanksgiving at my in-law’s? Well, I think you get the picture.

Hopefully, celebrations and happy times will be a big part of everyone’s recovery. So how do we get through these potentially triggering events?

• First off, be prepared. Right in the middle of a good time, you might start to reminisce about how much fun it could be to get lit right now. Well, fast-forward that memory all the way to the end; where you’re broke, friendless and in withdrawals and you’ll soon remember that it’s not worth it.
• Plan your celebrations with at least a couple of people who know what’s going on with you & your recovery. A supportive friend or family member really can save the day.
• Before you plan a celebration, spend some time figuring out what is fun for you now that you’re in recovery. Develop new hobbies and interests so you won’t be tempted to fall back on old habits.
• Manage expectations and be realistic. I don’t mean assume you’ll have a crappy time, but do keep in mind that the euphoria of party-times past was manufactured by the chemicals you were taking.
• Adjust your concept of fun to include: talking with friends, taking a walk, eating good food, playing with the kids, sports or dancing. And stay in a greatful frame of mind - you might not be having this day to celebrate if you hadn’t got your act together, huh?
• Stay involved with what’s going on around you. Play with the kids or strike up a conversation with someone who looks lonely. Find out if the hostess needs any help - anything to keep from isolating yourself.
• Most importantly, be aware. Know that the urge to use can come upon you unexpectedly, and know that you can deal with it. It’s so much easier to ride out the feeling if you’re mentally prepared for it.

How have you learned to celebrate without getting high?

If nothing else, it’s just too easy to get prescription meds that you don’t need when you’re a player in Hollywood. That’s one of the main foci of Dr. Drew’s Celebrity Drug Addiction airing on VH1 this week.

Dr. Drew, as many of you most likely already know, is a beacon of sincerity shining his message of hope and recovery like a spotlight on the glaring issue of drug and alcohol addiction in Hollywood. Countless celebrities have come to him for guidance as they struggle with addiction, including the issues that drove them to use in the first place.

In fact, during Dr. Drew’s series, VH1 Celebrity Drug Rehab, he helped a number of celebrities including Chyna, Jeff Conaway, Mary Carey, Jaimee Foxworth, Brigitte Nielson, Ricco Rodriguez, and Seth Binzer. In his new special on the subject, rather than focusing on the problems of specific celebrities, he discusses why it is that those who go to Hollywood often end up in drug rehab.

Why Do Celebrities Struggle with Prescription Painkiller Addiction?

Is it really just access? People shoving pills in your face and free drugs just so they can hang out with you? Keep you happy to keep the party going? Maybe. Maybe that’s how the addiction starts. But it’s easier to maintain a prescription opiate addiction as a celebrity, too. If one doctor tells you no or tries to limit your prescription, the next one will be more than happy to not only give you what you want but come to your house in the middle of the night and hand deliver the prescription. No worries about doctor shopping and legalities that us peasants have to deal with. No hanging out on Pill Hill waiting for someone you know to pass who is prescribed what we want. No calling around to see who has what. And when addiction is easy to maintain, it’s also easy to ignore.

What Do Celebrities Have That We Don’t Have?

Money. Celebs can afford $60,000 for a 30-day stint at some posh resort-style drug rehab like Promises or Cirque Lodge. They can pay $1000 a day for a sober companion to follow them around and make sure that they make good decisions at every turn. Must be nice.

Drug addiction may not be any less deadly for celebrities, but for those of us with fewer people following us around with cameras and, perhaps, more people depending on us to stay clean and sober, it’s crucial that we get drug addiction treatment that is affordable and recognizes the fact that we have responsibilities. Outpatient treatment programs like Meditox—truly outpatient programs that don’t require you to show up for five to eight hours every day for educational classes, groups and other commitments—are economical, both financially and as far as time restraints are concerned. You’re a real person with a job, a family. Maybe you don’t want the world to know that you’ve got an opiate dependency that needs treatment. Maybe you’d rather spend your vacation time at an actual resort rather than an inpatient drug rehab. If that’s the case, Suboxone treatment could be exactly what you’re looking for.

Yet another upside to NOT being a celebrity. Thanks, Dr. Drew.

A few days ago I talked about a possible cousin of buprenorphine, Lofexidine, that may be hitting the market soon. Well, a new member of the opiate addiction treatment family may also be making an appearance in the near future because the phase 3 clinical trials for a drug called Vivitrol with the intent of ascertaining its efficacy in treating opioid dependence are set to begin.

What is Vivitrol?

Alkermes, Inc., is the biotech company that manufactures Vivitrol, a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April 2006 for the treatment of alcohol dependence.

So Why Does Alkermes Think Vivitrol Might Work in Opiate Addiction Treatment?

Dr. Herbert Kleber is a professor of psychiatry and director of the Division on Substance Abuse at Columbia University. He says:

“Opioid dependence is a serious disease affecting millions of people yet there are few approved medications available for these patients and no approved long-acting antagonist therapies. Naltrexone, the active ingredient in VIVITROL, has been shown to effectively block the effects of opiates but patients have difficulty complying with a daily medication regimen. Therefore, I am pleased to see the development of new therapeutic options, such as VIVITROL, which could provide an important approach to long-term recovery and potentially help reduce the risk of relapse.”

The Need for Opiate Addiction Treatment

Opiate addiction is a growing problem in the United States and encompasses the physical dependence upon and nonmedical abuse of drugs ranging from heroin, which is illegal in any context, to opioid-based prescription pain relievers. There are almost 2 million people over the age of 12 in this country alone who abuse opiates, according to the 2006 U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health. In Europe, that number is slightly lower, ranging between 1.3 million to 1.7 million people according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction in 2005.

Dr. Elliot Ehrich is the Chief Medical Officer of Alkermes and says, “If approved, VIVITROL would be the first and only non-narcotic, non-addictive, long-acting medication for the treatment of opioid dependence.”

That’s if Lofexidine doesn’t get there first!
For more information on this and other studies pertaining to opiate addiction and opiate addiction treatment, check out Medical News Today.