The probability of continuing sobriety is increased through ongoing therapy and medication compliance. A family support system, educated in both the disorder and the effects of the concurrent addiction, can prove very beneficial, and can help to ensure continuing therapy and compliance with prescribed medications.
Family should be included in the therapeutic process, should receive education on both addictions and bi-polar disorder, and should learn effective strategies that allow them to assist and support a bi-polar sufferer in substance abuse recovery. Bi-polar sufferers are notoriously poor at self diagnosing their ascension into mania, and the signs that indicate a fall into depression; and as such it can be very beneficial for the bi-polar addict to learn to trust and rely on the judgments of friends and family, on when additional therapeutic intervention may be necessary.
Drug, Alcohol and Bi-Polar Education
Through learning more about the effects and triggers of the disorder, and also the effects of addiction and triggers to abuse, bi-polar addicts are empowered to avoid future dependency, and remain compliant on their psychiatric medications.
Page last updated Aug 05, 2010
