We believe after an effective detoxification from chemicals, treatment must include a combination of 12-step principles, in addition to addressing the full spectrum of our client's physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual needs. Chemical dependency is a progressive and chronic relapsing brain disease that affects the body, mind, emotions, family, workplace and the entire community.
Seek help before it's too late. Before the next crisis. If you or some you love is having a problem drinking too much and recognize you have a problem, it is almost a sure thing that there will be even more problems in the future related to your chemical use. Medical problems, family problems and possibly legal problems.
It's a fact: In San Diego Count, on average 2 of our neighbors are killed in alcohol related traffic accidents each week, according to Mothers against Drunk Driving, MADD. San Diego County has the second highest DUI arrests and convictions according to the DUI Arrest Management Systems, in 2005. If you have had one or more DUI arrests, getting effective treatment will be the answer for you.
New and improved research based treatment improves the outcomes of those seeking help. Research shows:
--women stay sober longer if they receive treatment in women only groups
-- medications given for alcohol craving significantly reduce relapses
--motivational and caring treatment approaches with the therapist increases recovery rates
--12 step recovery and an intensive outpatient treatment program doubles the chance of recovery
--cognitive behavioral therapy increases the management of anxiety and depression
--family education is essential to the long term recovery of the entire family
--complete detoxification is essential to effective treatment
Lasting recovery's intensive outpatient treatment is one of many programs in the country that provide these types of services, and one of only a few in San Diego County. If you or your family is seeking treatment, ask about these research based treatment methods. If you are in San Diego county, call us at 858-453-4315. We are here to help you.
I have something to celebrate this month - 32 years free from an opiate addiction.
Given opiates for a pain problem that became chronic, I was hooked for 10 years on codeine. As I write this, I recall how grateful I am to be free of the destructive power opiates had over my thoughts, emotions and quality of life.
Drug addiction to opiates in San Diego County continues to be a growing problem. The first time users are usually young men and women, who like myself, are emotionally sensitive and who find reducing emotional and physical pain with opiates quite intoxicating. The euphoria and increased sense of well-being by using the drugs, draw the user back into the illusion that all their emotional and relationship problems related to fear, anxiety and anger, will magically disappear...forever. We are chemically lulled into sleep, thinking that life is, indeed, very good.
However, young women and men, living in all areas of San Diego, including La Jolla, Del Mar or Encinitas, who use opiates begin to realize after a short time that they want more of the drug (the craving has begun, and it is hoped that taking more will make the drug experience better, just like the first use) only this time the drugs do not bring the same positive effects. Instead they feel drowsiness, disorientation and dulled senses. The motor coordination in these young users is effected, and they may prefer to just lay around. Life starts to become depressing. It is not unusual that people begin to use different drugs and perhaps alcohol to try and get the chemical high through mixing substances.
Judgment about important decisions related to work, school money, relationships or family are impaired. People lose jobs, relationships, money and family. By this time, which could be 3-4 months or a couple of years, the positive effects of the drug are no long present, the negative effects of the opiates are dominating the person's life and living revolves around obtaining the drug to avoid the physical withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms include feeling sick, vomiting diarrhea, poor appetite, stomach cramps, dry mouth, restlessness, headache, fainting attacks, stiffness, muscles twitching, fatigue, or tiredness, muscular tension, aches and pains, weakness and insomnia.
Feeling these same withdrawal symptoms for about 6 months, I'm glad I chose to withdraw from the opiates anyway, breaking my dependency on this drug. For 10 years I carried those little white pills in the brown plastic bottle, day and night. I couldn't remember what it felt like without them, and I was willing to give it a try. It had to be better than what I was feeling and the way I was living.
Today, 32 years later, I still know it was the best decision I ever made. I feel great most days and have the opportunity to help others who suffer from addictions.
Our medical director, Michael Markopoulos, MD can help you detox from the opiate/withdrawal wheel with the use of Suboxone. It isn't a long term answer, and it will help you reduce the early symptoms. You don't need to suffer withdrawal for 6 months. After a detox from the opiates you will benefit from entering an outpatient treatment program where you will learn how to stay clean and discover healthy way to meet life's opportunities.
Get the help you need today. Call us at 858-453-4315.
Do you ever feel sick of drinking alcohol and want to stop. Are the symptoms of withdrawal so uncomfortable that in the past you gave up and went back to drinking and hating yourself for it?
Be motivated to go through the detox and achieve recovery! You are worth it. And you can do it.
Adequate detoxification is important to beginning the longer process of complete physical and psychological withdrawal from alcohol. The proper management of this first stage will maximize your chances of lasting rehabilitation, by providing a net of safety and reduction of harm during alcohol or drug withdrawal. You deserve to have a new beginning.
How do you know if you are already in withdrawal from alcohol or just suffering a bad hangover? The onset of alcohol withdrawal usually occurs between 6 and 24 hours after the last drink, and an uncomplicated withdrawal usually lasts between 1-4 days.
The first thing to do is decide if you or your loved one will need an outpatient or an inpatient detoxification. The greater the amount of alcohol consumed in a day and the longer the period of time of drinking or ingesting drugs in the body, the greater the chances of a complicated withdrawal, which means an inpatient detox would be safest.
To determine if you or someone you love is suitable for an outpatient detoxification which usually lasts from 1-4 days, look at the following list:
1. Not severely dependent
2. No previous complicated withdrawal (no seizures, disorientation, confusion or hallucinations)
3. No concurrent illness, injury or recent surgery
4. No significant use of other psychotropic drugs that could aggravate withdrawal
5. You are motivated to achieve abstinence
6. A reliable caretaker is available.
Daily drinking by men of more than 6 standard drinks (1.5 ozs) a day, and women more than 4 a day, places a person at high risk for a complicated withdrawal. Weekly drinking of 42 standard drinks of alcohol for men and more than 28 for women places a person high risk. Other individual, drug and factors in the environment can effect the level of risk for alcohol related problems.
A simple withdrawal, manageable in an outpatient detoxification can begin by seeming like a hangover or a case of the flu, and usually occurs between 6 and 24 hours after the last drink. Some symptoms include:
--tremulousness
--perspiration
--increased pulse
--increased temperature
--nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
--restlessness, agitation
--anxiety
--insomnia, sleeping disturbance
--fears
--depression
--headaches
If you would like more information on our detoxification program for alcohol, drugs or prescription drugs, including Suboxon, give us a call. We can help you 7 days a week.
Ladies and Girlfriends, be aware of what you consume!
The official word the UK Department of Health, as reported in Joined Together, a service for the latest information on alcohol and drug dependence and effective treatment, reports that women who drink regularly face an increased risk of breast cancer by 50%.
The BBC reported recently that women who consume more than 14 standard units of alcohol weekly raise their risk of developing breast cancer by 50 percent. A standard unit is 5 oz, or about 5 glasses of wine per standard bottle. The majority of women drinkers,who live in Carmel Valley, Mission Hills, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, and Del Mar, who come to intensive outpatient alcohol treatment to receive treatment and recovery, have reported drinking from 1-2 bottles of wine in an evening, adding up to 10 standard units at one sitting!
If you or someone you love is drinking 3 or more bottles of wine in a 7 day week, the chances of breast cancer risk increases by 50%.
With stronger wines being poured into bigger glasses these days in bars and restaurants, a single glass of wine can contain up to 3.5 units of alcohol. Most women don’t realize how much they are drinking.
Experts say that alcohol use causes about 2,000 breast-cancer cases a year in the U.K. How many cases in the U.S. are related to drinking?
If you are a woman and would like to cut down on your alcohol intake, give us a call. Helping women to live healthy and productive lives is our mission.
Are women who drink wine with their friends in Del Mar, Encinitas, Carmel Valley and La Jolla, alcoholics?
Women who have a few social drinks now and then, are probably not alcoholics. Some, however, may be on their way to developing an addiction to alcohol.I get calls every day from women who think they might have an alcohol problem, and women who know they have a drinking problem and are asking for help.
When I was struggling to understand my drinking behavior over 25 years ago , I felt guilty and confused. I thought I should be able to control the effects of my drinking. Betty Ford and Elizabeth Taylor, two very famous women in our country, could not control the amount they drank either. These women identified a pattern of drinking behavior that was predictable, and distinguished them from light social drinkers. Knowing that they could face their problem with alcohol gave me courage to face mine.Read over the following list of predictable behaviors for alcohol dependency and see if you can identify with any of the following. If so, you are not alone.
___Buying liquor at more than one location to keep the quantity secret.
___Hiding bottles or cans of alcohol or secretly disposing of them.
___Advance planning to reward yourself with heavy drinking.
___Memory loss after drinking too much.
___Feeling sick and hung over after drinking.
___Feeling afraid you made a fool of yourself the night before.
___Drinking alcohol before leaving the house for party or event
___Drinking to feel wittier, more relaxed, or less anxious.
___Uncertain about going to events where there will not be alcohol.
___Entertaining or creating situations so you can drink alcohol.
___Avoiding discussions, literature or TV programs on alcoholism.
___Carrying liquor in your purse, car or at the office.
___Becoming defensive when someone questions you about drinking.
___Are angry that other people are trying to control you and your drinking.
___Drinking while angry, upset, depressed, or under stress.
___Driving after you have been drinking alcohol, feeling certain you can drive.
___Switching types of alcohol to prevent becoming too intoxicated.
___Drinking at work or at your activities with your children.
___Other people show concern about how much you drink.
___Breaking promises to others because of drinking.
___Feeling crazy or overwhelmed but knowing why.
___Feeling guilt and remorse for behavior while drinking.
___Being unable to predict how many drinks will be consumed in one sitting.
___Drinking more than planned or faster than other people do.
___Feeling like it is impossible or difficult to stop drinking without help.
If you can relate to some of the above questions, talk to someone who understands what you are going through and get the help you need. You do not need to suffer any longer.Call Lasting Recovery toll free: 800-808-6373, or in San Diego County, 858-453-4315.
One of the reasons that people abuse alcohol and other drugs is to manage their emotional distress. This is known as the self-medication hypothesis. This hypothesis has been proposed as an explanation for the frequent co-occurence of anxiety and substance use disorders.
Recently, Bolton and his colleagues used data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a large (n=43,093, age 18 years and older) nationally representative survey of the U.S. population to test the self-medication hypothesis. They looked at the rates of self-medication among individuals with four types of mood disorder: dysthymia, a milder form of chronic depression; major depression; bipolar I, a mood disorder that includes bouts of mania and depression; and bipolar II, a mood disorder that includes bouts of hypomania, less severe than full-blown mania, as well as depression.
Overall, nearly one-quarter (24.1%) of individuals with any of the four mood disorders listed above used alcohol and drugs to manage their moods. Self-medication was even more prevalent among individuals with bipolar disorder. During depressive episodes, 41.0% of individuals with bipolar I disorder and 34.7% of those with bipolar II disorder engaged in self-medication with alcohol and other drugs of abuse.
Men were more than twice as likely as women and divorced and widowed individuals more likely than others to engage in self-medication. On the other hand, African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders and individuals over the age of 44 years were less likely to self-medicate. Thus, younger, divorced, white males with mood disorders are the subgroup in the population most likely to engage in self-medication.
Bolton and his colleagues also found that individuals who self-medicated for mood disorders were more likely to experience co-occuring anxiety and personality disorders than those who did not self-medicate for mood disorders. Self-medicating men were more likely to suffer from panic attacks while self-medicating women were more likely to suffer from generalized anxiety disorder. Both genders of self-medicators were more likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for dependent personality disorder.
Lasting Recovery as a dual diagnosis enhanced substance abuse treatment program can help individuals who suffer from mood and other mental health problems associated with their substance abuse/dependence.
Reference: Bolton JM, Robinson J, Sareen J. Self-medication of mood disorders with alcohol and drugs in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. J Affect Disord. 2008, Nov 10.
I get calls daily from people who report they have attempted to quit drinking alcohol and using drugs, and have relapsed. Generally successful in many areas of their life, men and women trying to quit without help from a treatment professional can be frustrating and leave people feeling guilty and hopelessness.
What’s the answer to the residents of our local communities in Del Mar, Carmel Valley, La Jolla, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, or Scripps Ranch? Whether the mind altering chemicals such as alcohol or illegal drugs or prescription drugs such as tranquillizers, oropiate pain medication, the answer is to calla treatment professional now! Do not wait for the DUI, or the Possession charges; don’t wait for your spouse or children to leave because they say they can no longer cope with your addiction.Seek treatment before you loose your job, business or profession.
According to most well known researchers in the areas of alcohol and drug dependence, alcohol and drug use changes the brain, in fundamental and lasting ways. Does this mean you have brain damage?Some people do develop brain damage. Others are able to complete a process of treatment and learn how to care for their brain and quickly begin the healing process, repairing the brain within a couple of years.
Attendance in an Intensive Outpatient Alcohol and Drug Addiction program can teach you the tools to support your commitment to recovery,and both recognize a relapse trigger and change your thinking and behaving.
This is one of benefit of treatment…. To help you recognize the internal triggers (emotional states, thought processes and memories) and external triggers, those people, places and things that have part of your alcohol or drug dependence. For some people it means staying away from certain situations, for others it means learning another way to cognitively and emotionally respond to specific events, without reaching for a mind altering chemical such alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, meth, a tranquillizer such as Xanax or an opiate such as Vicodin or Oxycontin.
Take action now to seek care for your self, your health and your family!
People who are experiencing drinking problems or feel they are dependent on drugs need help. Professional help is ideal, either inpatient residential or outpatient office visits are available. Sober living can be used in conjuntion with an outpatient program or as aftercare after inpatient treatment. People who have been drinking alcohol or drugging for a long time or using daily may need more medical help and supervision during the detoxification period to treat symptoms of withdrawal. Detox is a place to start the process, and once stable, entering a treatment following once stabilization is reached. Treatment, otherwise known as Rehab, is a place to go for expert help with addiction recovery, where recovering people learn how to identify relapse triggers, reduce stress, learn about their drug of choice and how it affects brain chemistry, how to rebuild relationships with respectful communication and healthier boundaries, and self-care skills.
Treatment is the ideal way to get intensive of help quickly, however, some people prescribe "90 meetings in 90 days" as treatment for alcoholism or drug abuse at Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or narcotics Anonymous (NA) when money is a issue or you are uninsured. County programs can also be helpful when funds are limited.
Many successfully sober people are checking into inpatient treatment for 30+ days then following up with outpatient and sober living for 90 days for aftercare and a firm foundation for lasting recovery. Don't go it alone, ask for help, and call around to find a treatment program that is right for you.
