Preparing for Drug Treatment: Tips and Strategies for a Successful Recovery

Preparing for substance dependence treatment can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Establishing and maintaining sobriety can be challenging, and navigating the details of life during treatment can be overwhelming. However, by undergoing effective medical detoxification, individuals can remove drug dependence from the equation and focus on other areas, such as mental health, to sustain recovery. In this engaging podcast, Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II, Waismann Method® and Domus Retreat founder, and David Livingston, LMFT, offer invaluable tips and strategies to help individuals prepare for treatment successfully. Tune in as they answer the question: How do I best prepare for a successful drug treatment?

Dwight Hurst, LPC: Welcome back to Addiction Recovery and Mental Health, a podcast by Waismann Method Opioid Treatment Specialists. I’m your co-host, Dwight Hurst, with David Livingston and Clare Waismann. We’re here to answer your questions about addiction, treatment, and opioid dependence. Well, our question today that we’re going to focus on is how to best prepare for treatment. And this is very, very big question. But we’re looking at basically people who are at that point, they’re ready to get some treatment, maybe ready to go into detoxification if that’s medically what they need or some other entry point for their treatment experience. And what we’re looking at is how do people best prepare their way to maximize the likelihood of success. Obviously, there’s no answer that’s good for every single person. But just kind of overall what we see and what can help with that. How does that question strike you, as we say, how to best prepare?

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: You know, I think first and foremost, do your homework, you know, find out exactly where are you going and what’s going to be offered to you and what part do you have on your recovery. You know, expectations are key. So if you don’t know what to expect, you don’t know what you’re going to get. Your anxiety is going to be much higher. So ask all your questions. Knowing what your experience might be can help you feel in control. Also, I believe it’s important to let your family members know that this is the time you’re going to focus on yourself and on getting well.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: It’s often the case that when you’re going through something major, one of the best things you can get from loved ones is to know that they are okay with you taking the time you need.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: Correct. And it is incredibly important that they understand that this is your time. So, you know, let them take care of the kids for that set period. Let them deal with whatever the daily routines are without involving you. And it is really important that their anxieties are not transferred to you. So often you have, you know, family members calling, asking, you know. More and more nowadays, patients have their phones during treatment and you have families, you know, How you feeling? Did they have they given you this? Have they given you that? What are they going to do now? And, you know, let it be for a second. Oh, give yourself that time to heal without absorbing everybody else’s anxiety.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: That’s an interesting point. Yeah.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: Yes. And I think to be open, be open to new things. It’s important. Whatever you have done in the last few treatments or attempts has not work yet. So maybe allow new ideas, new options to come in and be open to them. You never know. But I think those are the three most important items to prepare for. And when I say prepare, I don’t say you don’t bring shampoo and bring. I’m saying emotionally and physically be prepared to start healing.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: Yes, very good. I think when people are going out and asking these questions, as you said, doing research on things. Any feedback of what kind of answers would be good answers like when they ask a treatment program, what do you do? What kinds of things should they be looking for, especially if they aren’t someone who has the knowledge of, oh, this mode of therapy or that mode of therapy? What would be something good versus a red flag?

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: And unfortunately, many, many treatment centers offer more than they can actually provide. And I think that’s a bad recipe. You know, it starts with trust. If at one point patients believe that they’ve been misled, they will be less likely to follow your lead. So first and foremost is, again, be real clear of what the treatment center is doing. And if they’re telling you they’re going to change your life and you’re going to come back a better, happier, healthier person, that is not going to need, you know, to do your due diligence to keep your health, your mental health and your physical health. That a miracle is going to happen in that 30 days, 60 days, 90 days to erase everything you’ve been through. Go the other way. So I think regardless what type of treatment program is, if it’s a medical detox or a treatment center, this is the beginning of a healthy path. All we can provide is, you know, the best foot forward physically and emotionally. But from there, I mean, you’re building blocks one after the other and, you know, almost like that wall of protection around you. But every brick, every brick is going to come in as you learn more tools, as you can, you know, see your experience differently than you did before. And all this takes maturing and, you know, being able to open yourself, being able to again, accept new tools. And it’s a process. It’s it’s a process in life where we’re always getting better, but nothing that will happen in 30 or 60, in 90 days that will be a miracle.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: Well, managing our expectations is huge. And I know we’ve talked a little bit about that last episode. We talked about the health effects and sort of managing our expectations. Am I going to be perfectly healthy if I can get rid of drugs? No, I’ll just be a person who’s not on drugs, you know, and then dealing with that. And as you were talking, I wonder how maybe one way to approach that for this, for this purpose, if a person might want to work on some acceptance of the fact that they don’t know yet what sober living will be like for them and that that’s okay, I don’t really know for sure what kind of aches and pains am I going to have? What kind of emotional or psychological issues or behavioral issues are going to maybe even stay a little bit the same or be better or, you know, I just don’t know yet. And not knowing is okay.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: It’s okay not knowing and accepting. You won’t know. And whatever it is that is going to be, that’s your reality and we’ll find new tools to deal with whatever that is. You know, often we get patients that have been on opiates for ten, 15, 20 years, and their first question is, how am I going to feel? I have no idea how you’re going to feel. You know, I don’t even know how I’m going to feel when I wake up tomorrow morning. If my back’s going to be hurting, my neck’s going to be hurting. So if you have not really felt any, you know, your body for the last 15 years, you can’t expect to feel how you felt 15 years ago.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: Yeah. And it’s one of those things that’s kind of a natural desire to know. Right. And and actually, to me, it’s funny because when I ask questions when I am asking questions about like my own medical care or often when I’m doing maybe an interview on a podcast or something, and I counsel people the same way when you go out and ask somebody a question about their treatment or their program, just the fact that they’re willing to tell you something about, oh, you know, we don’t know that yet. We’ll find out together or you’ll find out or, you know, just admitting or when they say things like this seems to work really well for a lot of people. Let’s keep in communication and know how it will or they acknowledge the limitations of what they do. And all of those things are actually really good signs, because to me, that implies honesty, right?

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: I agree. I agree. And I think it opens trust if you’re honest enough with them to say, “I am not sure how you’re going to feel. But regardless of whatever it is that surfaces, we’re going to be there to support you and get you through it and make you feel better.” So I think, you know, trust happens right then and there more than if we said you, you’re going to be great.

David Livingston, LMFT: Yeah, that sounds all really right, that the beginning and the end of going deciding to go and get detoxed and then preparing is you know, you want to begin to understand where you’re going, ask questions and like you’re both saying see how they see how they’re answered. Right. Because really the the core of all treatments is understanding. And that is so profound, I can’t even tell you. Meaning that as soon as you have an understanding, a realistic understanding that feels right enough to you personally, where you feel like the person really understood what you’re asking. There’s a sense of genuineness in terms of how they’re responding, and there’s enough belief that it’ll be followed through. You begin to relax. So what everybody when people say, how am I going to feel? What they’re really asking, I think is, am I going to be able to relax enough to be okay? And as soon as we know where we’re at and I see this all the time with patients who are coming out of our detoxes as soon as I give them a comprehensive understanding of how they’re feeling and why they’re feeling it and what the road is ahead for the most part, like and I don’t mean to because you can’t predict everything perfectly, and I tell them that too.

David Livingston, LMFT: Like, but here are the factors. When will I feel better? Well, is your sleeping better? You’ll feel better. And that’s true as certain things as you sleep better and your nervous system relaxes, these other things will tend to fall back in line. And here’s what we’re going to do to help you with this sleep, and we’re going to approach it this way. And so all of a sudden they get a sense of and it lines up because it’s for the most part, that’s how it actually goes. And the fact that I know that and I’ve got a lot of experiences, the two of you do, really helps them settle down and go, okay, I can relax. I can trust the process here. When I ask a question, I’m going to get an answer and it’s going to be parsed in such a way that helps my nervous system relax. And then people do feel better even when things aren’t perfect yet, you know, or they’re really going through sort of some dysregulation. Still, there’s a sense of like, okay, I know how to get there. Makes all the difference.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: I think what David is saying, it’s really, really important. You know, if you have just saying, you know, I’m going to be there for you, if you give them some answers of the things they fear the most, what you’ll be able to do for them without being very specific of, you know, the severity or I think you help them with their anxiety.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: Having trust and some confidence in those things that you learn and in your experience is also huge. There are all those studies out there that say our resilience to trauma and to life’s issues goes up when we are. The more people we have in our lives who are trustworthy to us and also who are interested, which I’ve always said is an interesting term. They’re interested in us as a person and we can trust them and if possible. And many people, right when they’re going into treatment is sometimes the time where, you know, one of the motivating reasons is that some things in my life are feel like they’re burned to the ground relationships or jobs or sometimes that’s there. And that makes this very hard, what I’m about to say. But surrounding ourselves by as many people that we can trust as possible, I think is a huge preparatory step. And being willing to accept that help and identify that we have needs to the people who many of us, if not most, have a few people in life who are like, I’d really like to help, but just don’t know what to do.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: Correct.

David Livingston, LMFT: Well, I just think what you’re saying is just maybe so fundamental to getting better and preparing because, you know, trust is earned and lost. And the way you earn someone’s trust is that you understand them and what they’re really asking for. And then you help figure out how to get that need met as well as possible. And even if it can’t be met perfectly, like when will I sleep? I don’t know. But we’re doing everything we can. Do you have a history of sleep problems? Yes, I do. Have you ever taken anything to help with sleep? Yes. All these things didn’t work. Did anything ever work? Yes, this did. Okay, let’s see if we can maybe help you with that then. And. And so that you can get some sleep. And then and then you parse it all the way through. And what happens is, is that they start to relax, even, you know, immediately, because there’s a sense, like you’re saying, of I’m interested. And more than that, I’m going to figure it out with you, right? What’s going to make you better? And then literally that is treatment and that goes on multiple areas. But that’s what treatment really is about. And that starts from the preparation. Like what? What do you need to come in? Well, you need the things you guys are both talking about, trust, understanding, you know, questions answered well and you know, and then follow through that is commensurate and and then there’s there’s because all that’s interest and then trust gets established like you’re saying like like you’re saying to like.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: Yeah, I wonder if you guys run into this. I’ve met people who they’ll say when they do have people in their lives who are supportive that will say, “So how can I help” or “What can I do?” And that’s often a little bit of stress for those people who are being asked to say, well, what do I say? What do I need? Especially if I’ve been tending to my needs through self-medication or ignoring my needs for a long time? What do I tell those people?

David Livingston, LMFT: That’s the easiest question I ever get asked. I say, just listen to them. They’ll tell you what they’ll need. Just just listen. Listen to what they’re telling you. They will tell you I’m exhausted. I can’t do any more today. Okay, then, then, then help them with that, you know, and just listen to what they’re telling you. That’s most of it. And then try to be receptive. It’s hard because often the people who are you know, who the person is detoxing is coming back to. And the person at home may feel some resentment or feel like they’ve already been carrying the load. And so it can get a little more complicated. But in general, if you listen to someone and you’re really receptive to what they’re saying, they’ll tell you.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: That’s a really good point. And I guess for the person who’s entering treatment, that’s you can flip that advice and say, you know, if someone says, hey, well, what can I do to help? And I don’t know what to do, you could always say, you know, I’m not sure yet either, but just keep in touch with me. And if you see me dragging, tell me. And if you see a need, you can fill it or I’ll let you know as I know. And let’s keep talking about this. Thank you so much. Oftentimes it stops with, well, I don’t know, I guess I’m okay. And, you know, I also find that it can help. And I think, Clare, you alluded to this earlier, too. If you have people in your life who can say just like they would with any other major medical intervention, you know, if you know someone who just had a baby, you know, a lot of times family and friends will say, hey, I’ll bring you dinner some nights. You don’t have to make dinner when you have a new baby or you just had got out, you know, you had a heart attack. Well, tell you what, will you come over and maybe I’ll even do your laundry or something, you know, because you shouldn’t be moving around or give you rides somewhere.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: We sort of naturally lean into that when someone has what we consider “normal”. I can’t get air quotes. I can’t do them fast enough to make a sound that’ll. Be picked up by the microphone. But so so I’m just air-quoting here “normal problems”, you know. But yeah, just kind of helping with that practical or accepting help in some of those practical matters can be big. And sometimes we don’t think to ask that or think to think about that.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: Well, we actually have a review that was left by a patient of the Waismann Clinic who posted an online review on one of these, which, by the way, if you are looking for a treatment program, it’s not bad to there’s a lot of different review sites you can go on. And especially if they have a few different reviews that can sometimes give you an indication. But this one’s Trustpilot, I think, which is a medical review site. And this is Richard. He posted his information here of his experience. He had quite a big experience. He talks about going through and he did go through Waismann and then to Domus, if that’s correct.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: See, and he said that it has helped him to lose his desire. He said that he had a good treatment experience. He said that he got a couple of tips from people. So one of them is he said that people recommended that he, in his words, titrate how much you’re using as best you can, be realistic and safe, but don’t prematurely go into withdrawals and then the procedure won’t be so intense physically. He said that was advice that he got from some people. Then the other thing he said was to say goodbye to all you’re using friends before entering, even detox so that you have put like a there’s closure. And I’m going to add, if we were to add a qualifier to be aware that safe it kind of depends probably on the nature of those relationships. But if there are people you have to say goodbye to, say goodbye before you start your treatment, because then with that closure, he said, it’s easier to resist the impulse to follow up and call them some time while you’re in the new days of being sober. So there are a couple of things that he pointed out there. What are your guys’ thoughts about Richard’s advice here?

David Livingston, LMFT: I think what he said in terms of slowing down your usage is just titrating down to the point where you don’t want to start to go into withdrawals because you’re about to come and get a medical detox and you don’t want to be worn out before you go through that process because the reason you’re getting a medical detox is so you can get help with the physiology related to detoxing and have it to whatever degree possible minimized and mitigated. So you don’t want to wear yourself out by being in prolonged withdrawals prior to it. But if you can titrate down and lower your dosage, I think he’s right, then there’s a good chance that you’ll have a bit easier detox. And then from a psychological perspective, it’s the beginning of the commitment to you having a better life and you’re getting off of it and the process of committing early on and realize that sense of this is what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. And actually, the people who do that have and have a better detox. I don’t think it’s only because of the lower dosage. I think it’s because psychologically they are unconflicted and so ready for this that even the discomforts aren’t that big of a deal because it doesn’t trigger this fear that they’re going to sort of head back in another direction that’s already been solidified inside them. And it’s amazing how much better people do in detoxing when that is more clearly that is settled inside them. I see it all the time that they have better detoxes as compared to people who are, you know, unsure of what they really want to do type thing and all those ways. I think it’s immensely helpful.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: I think you’re absolutely right. One of the things that’s probably even maybe even as important as the chemical aspect of that is the fact that, as you put it psychologically, you’re taking preparatory steps. In fact, if someone moderates their use before entering detox, not only it’s not just preparatory anymore, it’s they’re starting to take action, right? It’s behavioral. I’m changing my actions and that gives a yeah. That that hopefully some comfort as well as I’m going into what may be an intimidating process to say, well, I’m already doing it actually, you know and that’s an interesting way to frame that.

David Livingston, LMFT: And the correlation to having a better physical and physiological experience is so strong. And you’re going to have to take my word for it, because I’ve seen so, so many patients and seen the correlation. It’s almost so strong that when someone I meet them for the first time, I say, “How are you doing?” They’re saying like, “I’m doing pretty good.” And then when I talk to them, the first thing that goes through my mind when I hear that is I’ll bet you this is already really settled inside them. And I can’t tell you how it is true almost every time. And so I don’t you know, I know there’s biology and there’s psychology, but this is one place where the confluence is unbelievably strong.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: Yeah, I think I think the separation of mind, emotion, and physiology, you know, it’s nonexistent. And I don’t think just on for drug treatment or alcohol treatment. I think for any other medical issue if you don’t physically feel well, you’re emotionally spent, and it’s hard for you to concentrate on anything else. So there is a combination, you know. You are a whole person. You can’t just separate that.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: It’s interesting to the advice to separate from people even before starting treatment. I think all too often we pretend that we’re not going to have to do that, or at least we pretend we’re not going to have to evaluate which relationships are healthy and which ones aren’t. And to just sort of accept that up. I find that one of the things that is important for people’s acceptance is to say, you know, some of these relationships, some of them only have to do with substance abuse or using opiates together or buying them or trading them or selling them to someone. Some of those relationships are 100%, you know, just based in drugs and substances. But there are probably just as many that are actually real friendships or attachments. And I’ve known people that I mean, they love their they’re using friends. They have a legitimate friendship. And they’ve had to sometimes they have to say goodbye to someone who’s a legitimate close friend because that person is still, still using. And that’s really, really hard, I think. Yeah, you do have to at least consider that. What are you guys seeing either to be effective or just people’s feelings or reactions to that concept of having to ditch people from their lives?

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: I think this is one of the most difficult, you know, situations that we see, especially, you know, um, with best friends or partners when one is ready to put this behind him and the other one for one reason or the other, they’re just not in that space yet. It’s extremely difficult because there is the guilt, you know, that is put upon the person that is looking for treatment. And sometimes there’s very subliminal guilt. I really want you to do well and you need to do what you need to do. On the other hand, you know, but I’m still here and I’m still struggling and suffering and I’m going to be all alone. So it’s really, really difficult, sometimes impossible.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: Often times there’s a tricky part where we have a hard time trusting ourselves. I think any time there’s been addiction issues, we sometimes forget that we have to rebuild trust with ourselves as well as with others. Because if I the very nature of addiction is I keep doing things that are bad for me. Right? And so and even though I may have made a goal a billion times in my mind to never do it again. And so sometimes it’s hard to say, But am I going to call Jeffrey next week? You know, but I’m going to try not to. Right.

David Livingston, LMFT: That addiction is like is both good for people and bad for people. And while it doesn’t lead anywhere, which is why in the end, it ultimately is bad because it’s it doesn’t it won’t ever it won’t ever help you create a bigger, better, more creative, more well-connected, all-healthy parts of a life, it doesn’t help with it. It temporarily takes people out of some sort of discomfort or pain, even though ultimately it just creates more of it. So it is a bad thing, but it doesn’t feel like that. And I think because it is murky territory. I mean, imagine if you ask somebody who is struggling with alcohol, you know, and you said, okay, you can’t can’t be around anybody who drinks from here on in. Like I mean, well, you might lose 90% of your. Not that not that everybody who drinks is right is struggling with alcohol. But you might lose 90% of your friends if you could never be around anyone who drank again. Now, I understand there are differences and there’s there are some people in some situations that are dangerous and you may need to step away from and but I kind of leave it to the patient. I always ask him, what do you think? What do you feel like is the best thing for you? What would help you now? What do you feel like? And they’ll they’ll usually tell you really clearly, once they sort of think about it, they’ll say, Yeah, I can’t do it. I can’t be around this person now or not. This person is really a friend first and they will respect this and they always have. And. Right. And you’ll they’ll parse it for you.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: Yeah. And it’s good to take evaluation. It’s actually one of the skills of living a life that’s healthy and sober is getting used to considering why do I do this or why am I going to do this? What’s my intent, my goal, what kinds of things do I want to do? What are my values? What do I put into my body? And when, when and under what circumstances? All of those questions, they can be subjective to the individual, but at the same time, they’re also important. I think, for everybody to think going through that evaluation of process is almost as important or maybe just as important as what we decide to do in each of those decisions is that we’re we’re evaluating it.

David Livingston, LMFT: I think that’s so right that sometimes someone will say, well, what do I need to do to stay sober? And I say, Well, the first and most important thing I know of is just be honest with yourself. You know, just be honest with yourself about and if you can, which is no small thing. I mean, you know, if you can be honest with yourself, well, sooner or later you’ll know what’s good for you and what isn’t, you know, And then if you can act on it, well, you’re you’re already headed towards a better life.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: And I think that also being willing kind of the other side of that coin that you mentioned earlier, Clare, of being willing to try something new, I think is and I say this carefully, I’ll probably over qualify it, but within reason. You don’t want to be reckless, but I think it’s good to accept the fact that we will make mistakes. You know, the truth is that when we’re experimenting and trying something new and we we’re in uncharted territory, especially if it’s been a couple of decades or more that I’ve had opiate abuse as part of my life, it’s going to be different. And I’m going to make mistakes. I’m going to walk around in the world, I’m going to make choices, I’m going to interact with people. And I don’t I don’t need to be perfect just because I’m more healthy. Once again, we never apply that to other, you know, many other medical problems. It’s like I get treated for gout. I don’t say, Well, from now on I’ve got to be a super healthy, nice person all the time.

David Livingston, LMFT: Correct? Right. And I’ll never eat the wrong food again.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: Right. Right.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: No. And again, you know, one mistake doesn’t have to be the end of all the effort you put forward. I mean, if you went a thousand steps forward, just because you went two backwards doesn’t mean, you know, the other 998 is out the window, You’re still way ahead of the game. So it’s just, you know, continuing to try to do better, man, to be healthier emotionally and physically. And I don’t know about you guys, but I think we all have that gut feeling, you know, when we’re doing something. There’s also always that feeling on your gut when, yeah, let me should I be doing this? If that feeling comes up, step back, think a little more.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: I, I think of that in there is a term in dialectical behavioral therapy or they call it “wise-mind” you know and the practice is to you foster the belief that internally I have this as you just kind of put it, there’s this little voice, this little feeling inside myself that will generally, you know, guide me well if I learn to listen to it that deep within myself, there’s a healthy blend of my knowledge and my emotions and my logic. And if I can just get to that place of wisdom, I can listen to it. And they often, even practitioners of that therapy often train people to say, Am I in my wise mind? And or what would my wise mind tell me to do right now? And it’s a funny little mental trick to where often you come up with, Well, I wouldn’t call Jeffrey if I was in my wise-mind or whatever. Correct.

David Livingston, LMFT: Right. Right. To bring in other parts of ourselves when needed. And, you know, so if one of the biggest reasons to get sober and one of the problems with being addicted to something is that it it negates imagination and integration. So, like what you’re talking about quite is that when you can bring in a part of your wise-mind or another aspect of who you are, it allows for a process of both imagination and integration. Oh, yes, I forgot. I’m this person. I’m just part of me too. And then I can imagine from that, from that idea of the wise-mind, I can actually imagine myself differently. And how we imagine ourselves turns out to be most of what happens in our life once we allow it. And so just like the person who is stopping, who is slowing down and taking the less and less opioids or whatever prior to treatment, they are already imagining themselves off of it. They’ve begun the whole psychological process of the work of it, so they’re both imagining and doing the work of it so that it’s not just an empty fantasy, it’s actually the reimagining of who they are. It’s the wise mind as you put it, activate it. And that process itself may be the beginning and the end of addiction. And there’s more in between and more to a life, certainly. But the ability psychologically to activate that aspect as, man, gets everything moving.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: It’s interesting I’ve heard the technique if you have to have a difficult conversation or you’re about to do something that is a phobia or anything you’re trying to get yourself to do, picturing and spending a little time in your mind thinking about the value of boy once this is done. And I’m going to feel so accomplished. Or once I have this conversation, I don’t need to do such and such anymore. There’s going to, you know, something will change and that’s going to feel very, very good. And I hadn’t really thought about it. You just applied that essentially, right, to saying like, okay, let me as I’m taking these action steps, let me also picture meeting my goal. I’m on the way. I’m going to act as if I’m going to get there and plan on getting there. And and yeah, even just the internalization or the visualization of that to say, boy, this is going to be better eventually. It’s funny because on the other hand, it’s also probably good preparation to say it’s not going to be super great all at once. You know, there’s going to be some things that are going to be very, very hard. At the same time, I can also start to track how things are getting better a little at a time or a lot of the time. Sometimes it just I not knowing what that ratio is and being prepared for both sides, I guess.

David Livingston, LMFT: I think that’s right that when you just using the same idea of kind of slowing down and titrating before you go in for treatment, you know you are you’re practicing restraint. Even if you start to feel a little dysregulated, you’re not going into significant withdrawals, but you’re handling that you’re reminding yourself that you can handle it. And as I said, it’s probably the single most important thing that I’ve seen that actually helps people have a better detox. It’s so surprising to me because we tend to think of things in terms of, you know, biology and psychology. But as you said, Claire, you know, we’re a whole person. But because so much of detoxing has a biological and physiological component to it, it’s surprising to me. And I have a lot of experience seeing this just how correlated that process is. So and then also it just strengthens, right? Because when you take steps and go towards things that are hard, you’re also you’re showing some courage. You’re it strengthens yourself. It’s just so many things that start to get put in place that then, you know, habits get carried forward. And so it’s I mean, all this is a preparation for a treatment. I’m so glad you brought up that idea of it, because it kind of brings it home for me.

Clare Waismann, M-RAS/SUDCC II: Yeah. Oh, and there is also, too, I think with everything that David is speaking about, there is, you know, the regulation of all of those chemicals, you know, in your brain that is also going to make you feel well. So, you know, as they are coming in endorphin serotonin, you know, you’re going to start feeling stronger and healthier. So it’s a process. The process that takes a lot of courage is a process that causes a lot of anxiety for most for a number, a number of reasons. But is a process that is possible. And it doesn’t have to be grueling. It can actually be you can discover parts of yourself that you’ll be pleasantly surprised, especially near the holidays. This is a gloomy month. For those struggling of any substance use.

Dwight Hurst, LPC: Thank you so much for being here. Listening. We’re going to call it there for today. Lots of important tips, lots of wisdom that I was glad to be a part of in this conversation. If you’d like to get involved in our conversation, please email us info@opiates.com Or go to opiates dot com. You can go @opiates on Twitter or any social media and tell us questions that you’d like us to address on the show. We’re excited to hear from you. This podcast is a production of Waismann Method Opioid Treatment Specialists and is produced by Popped Collar Productions. Our music is the song Medical by Clean Mind Sound. Please consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or your Pod Catcher of Choice. It helps people to find the show or go out and tell a friend about the show today. For Clare Waismann and David Livingston. I’ve been Dwight Hurst and glad again to have you with us. We’ll be back in your ears soon. Until then, keep asking questions. If you ask questions, you can find answers. And if you find answers, you can find hope. Thanks again for being here. Bye-bye.