Inpatient Drug and Alcohol Treatment

Addiction recovery can be challenging, but community support can make a huge difference in achieving long-term sobriety.

Here are some ways to leverage the power of communities in addiction recovery.

Join Support Groups

Participating in support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA), offers a sense of belonging and understanding.

These groups provide people with a safe space to share experiences, receive guidance from individuals facing similar challenges, and find motivation during difficult times.

Regular meetings can help you stay accountable, gain valuable insights, and build a network of supportive peers.

Engage in Group Therapy

Group therapy sessions handled by addiction counselors or therapists are structured to foster open communication, empathy, and personal growth.

Sharing experiences, challenges, and victories in a group setting allows individuals to learn from one another, gain different perspectives, and develop healthy coping strategies. Group therapy provides a supportive environment where everyone works towards a common recovery goal.

Connect with Online Communities

The digital age has allowed people to connect with recovery communities online. Virtual platforms, social media groups, and forums offer a space to connect with like-minded individuals across geographical boundaries.

Online communities provide support, information, and inspiration 24/7, allowing individuals to reach out for help whenever needed. However, ensuring that online communities are safe and moderated by professionals is essential.

Utilize Peer Recovery Coaches

Peer recovery coaches are individuals who have successfully maintained their own sobriety and are trained to support others in their recovery journey. They provide guidance, practical tools, and personal insights based on their experiences.

Peer recovery coaches offer a unique perspective and understanding, as they have walked a similar path, making them valuable asset in navigating challenges and maintaining motivation.

Engage in Community Service

Contributing to the community through service work can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment during recovery. Volunteering for organizations related to addiction recovery or other causes can help you develop new skills, build self-esteem, and establish a positive support network.

Giving back also strengthens the belief that recovery is about personal growth and positively impacting others’ lives.

Conclusion

Harnessing the power of communities in addiction recovery can significantly enhance the chances of success.

Embrace the power of community, share your journey, and surround yourself with individuals who understand and support your recovery goals.

Addiction comes in different forms ranging from drug addiction to alcohol addiction, sex, gambling, video gaming, and others. Defeating addiction can be difficult because it involves switching from one lifestyle to the other.

However, several research studies have shown that when you apply some health tips, they can be instrumental in helping you defeat addiction.

Here are some important health tips that can help you defeat addiction

Reduce processed foods

One of the ways to put addiction at bay is to reduce ultra-processed foods. Most of these foods are very tasty. Hence, it might be hard to put them aside.

However, they contain preservatives, flavors, and artificial sweeteners that disrupt the normal functioning of the brain. According to studies, processed foods can cause diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and other health conditions.

Get sufficient sleep

Many people don’t take sleep seriously because of the need to attend to other important tasks. When you don’t get enough sleep, you are likely to experience a drop in mental and physical performance.

Additionally, poor sleeping habits can cause insulin resistance, and can also affect your appetite.

Hence, you might become drawn to eating junk instead of home-cooked meals. This is one of the reasons why people develop unwanted weight.

Take enough water

If you want your body to function properly and you desire to defeat addiction, one of the ways to achieve this is by staying hydrated.

Water does not contain additives, sugar, and calories, so it is one of the safest and healthy ways to remain hydrated.

There are different recommendations when it comes to the amount of water to drink. However, ensure you take enough to ensure that you don’t remain thirsty.

Take lots of vegetables and fruits

Vegetables and fruits contain several nutrients that come with powerful health effects. According to many studies, people who take much fruits and vegetables are less likely to contract illnesses. This helps to boost their chances of living a longer life.

Addiction is a compulsive disease that people all over the world are battling. When some of them recover from addiction, it doesn’t just end there, they still need to keep up with treatments so they don’t relapse.

To prevent relapse, aftercare treatment was instituted to provide individuals with coping strategies needed to sustain sobriety.

Here are some of the benefits of aftercare treatment

Preventing relapse

The primary purpose of aftercare treatment is to help individuals prevent relapse. One of the major mistakes that recovering individuals make when they are sober, is being oblivious of the triggers and stressors that made them addicted in the first place.

Therefore, with aftercare treatment, they will learn more about these triggers and how to keep them at bay. Additionally, they will be taught different coping skills to help them remain sober.

Provision of a community

Another thing you will gain from aftercare treatment is belonging to a group of people with similar goals. Nothing beats listening to people who just recovered from addiction and are working towards remaining sober.

When you belong to a community, you will get motivation and constructive feedback from people who have passed through your preset state. When you listen to people with similar experiences, it encourages you to remain sober.

Live a healthy life

One of the weaknesses of many people is the habit to live a healthy life. Many people are likely to relapse when they don’t put their health in check. If you just recovered from addiction, and don’t know the right health tips to apply, going for aftercare treatment would help you.

It is important to remember that if you relapse, it is not a death sentence or a failure. However, it means that you either need to take your aftercare program seriously, or you need to begin it if you’ve not enrolled before.

Now and then, you are likely to encounter triggers that would challenge your sobriety. But with a solid aftercare treatment, you will scale through.

Inpatient and outpatient treatment are common forms of addiction treatments. It is important to understand the difference between the two of them, so that you will know which one to opt for if you are addicted or your loved one is.

For inpatient addiction treatment, the individuals are admitted on a full-time basis. When such individuals opt for inpatient addiction treatment, it means they will leave the comfort of their homes to reside within the treatment facility till they are certified addiction-free.

In inpatient addiction treatment, the individuals eat the food prepared and it is mandatory they attend all the sessions (Individual and Group) organized. This is important because it is quintessential to their health.

Asides the fact that you will have to attend counseling sessions in an inpatient addiction rehab, there are other fun activities you can participate in. You can participate during music therapy sessions, art therapy sessions and a host of others.

One of the major reason why an inpatient treatment was set up, was basically to remove clients from their environments. This could possibly be to take them away from one of the major triggers of their addiction.

Inpatient treatment is great because the individual might have other medical complications, and it would effortlessly be detected at an inpatient treatment center.

For the outpatient treatment, it caters for individuals whose addiction or mental health problem is not as chronic as those under the inpatient treatment.

During outpatient treatment, individuals who receive treatment do so based on their schedule. This implies that they can work and still attend therapy sessions.

The outpatient treatment is a flexible one which still allows you to hook up with family and friends. However, you will be under strict supervision to ensure that you do not worsen your case based on your relationships.

For you to be allowed to undergo the outpatient treatment, it must be certified that you are emotional and physically stable to an extent. Your state of residence must be a sober one with no intensive care requirements.

The addiction process comes with lots more of demerits than merits. For the fact that it adversely affects the brain causing us to behave in unacceptable ways, it is enough disadvantage which comes with addiction.

When people start off in the addiction process, it becomes convenient for them. However, unknown to them, various aspects of their lives begins to decline. Later on in life, they discover that they have lost so much to addiction.

One of the major demerits of addiction is failed relationships with friends and families. Hardly will you see an addicted person who has a good relationship with his or her loved ones.

The reason for this is they will spend more time fueling their addiction than hanging out with family and friends.

Family and friends who are observant will notice that their loved one is no longer the way they used to be. At this point, it is necessary that they step in and seek help for the individual before he or she becomes knee-deep in the addiction.

In addition to this, individuals who are addicted will experience a decline in productivity. For those who work in offices, they will discover that their output is no longer as much as before.

For individuals in school, they will discover that there will be a drop in their grades. In addition, they will not be interested in academics as they used to.

Also, addiction is one of the reasons why people get involved in social vices, particularly substance addiction. When an individual is intoxicated or high on drugs, he or she is capable of performing any act.

The health aspect is not left out. There are far-reaching effects of being addicted. The person’s brain will wear out gradually. The individual becomes more vulnerable to other health complications and if care is not taken, the individual might die eventually.

Addiction does not leave any individual the same way. It becomes very obvious that they are not doing fine and it is best for them to seek help, before it becomes too late.  

Some people cannot quit their substance abuse because they have become physically dependent on the substance. Substances such as alcohol and heroine create a physical dependence within the person that is very difficult to overcome. When the person is becoming hooked to the substance, they find that they have built up a tolerance to the substance and need to progressively use more and more of it in order to continue feeling its mind altering effects. What they do not realize is that their system is becoming so accustomed to the substance that it is learning to rely on it in order to function. A person’s biochemistry changes around the substance they are abusing and in many cases, become dependent on it.

Any type of substance abuse or substance addiction that persists over time does a great deal of harm to the abuser. Drug abuse and alcoholism are the epitome of a vicious cycle. Someone who has never struggled with substance abuse or addiction may not understand why someone would keep returning to behavior that was harming them. It is a valid question, but unfortunately, science does not fully understand the origins of addiction and substance abuse. We do know that it is all an effort to create brain chemicals associated with pleasure, such as dopamine, but we do not understand why an addict’s ability to resist cravings is so impaired. This reoccurring behavior makes the individual’s addiction or substance abuse like a prison sentence to them.

There are also a number of substances that are not physically addictive, but are emotionally addictive. Even if a substance does not create a physical dependence within a person, such as in the case of marijuana, it can still create an emotional or psychological dependence within the person. People who are prone to addiction or substance abuse problems have underlying psychological reasons for their dependence issues that can date back to their childhoods. Determining the cause of an addiction is something that a mental health professional should handle as it involves complex psychology and a thorough understanding of mental processes.

Substance abusers who have overcome denial and admit to their problem want to quit. They acknowledge the negative effects that their susbtance abuse has had on their lives and they are seeking a way out. There are a number of treatments and self help remedies available to those who are looking to end their substance abuse problem, and choosing between the various methods can be confusing. The one that statistically demonstrates the most success is residential rehabilitation, for a few important reasons.

The primary reason for this is obvious. The person has been physically separated from the substance they abuse. This is the most valuable and straightforward aspect of residential rehabilitation. Nowhere else can a person receive totally secure protection from the susbtance they are abusing. In a residential rehab center, the doors are locked around the clock, staff monitors clients closely at all hours of the day and night, and incoming guests or deliveries are carefully screened to ensure that no trace of a harmful substance enters the facility where clients can access it. This ensures that the client’s recovery from substance abuse is not compromised.

When clients work there way through a residential rehabilitation program, they receive new psychological tools and resources to help their recovery be successful. Underlying psychological causes of substance abuse are explored and dealt with in a way the substance abuser has probably never experienced before. They are lead in mental health and wellness sessions, counseling appointments and workbook exercises in order to receive cognitive behavioral methods of coping without substance abuse.

And lastly, clients in residential rehabilitation receive a new biochemistry through diet, exercise and medication. The goal of rehabilitation is not only to strengthen the client’s minds, but also to strengthen them physically through detoxification, healthy eating and beneficial exercise. Most people come into rehab with unhealthy bodies but leave with a much cleaner bill of health.

There are times when recovering from alcoholism can feel impossible and you want to give up, but you don’t have to go through it alone! Perhaps your family has been asking you to consider treatment, or your coworkers have been wondering if you have a problem with alcohol. Or perhaps alcoholism has already unwound much of your life and you are residing in a shelter or a mission, such as the mission in Kelowna. If you are ready to take your recovery from alcoholism seriously, there are a number of alcohol addiction treatment program options available to you. You and your loved ones can find a program that is suited to your needs, completely with a supportive, knowledgeable staff and a variety of therapy options. There are many programs to choose from in alcohol addiction rehabilitation, and it is important to consider certain pointers while you are reviewing your options.

First and foremost, everyone’s alcohol recovery is individualistic, so no two people require exactly the same treatment. When you are looking for the right program, remember to choose one that addresses your particular needs and situation. The closer the program is tailored to you, the more likely your success in the program is.

Also, the treatment should include extensive examination into your personal lifestyle, in order to help you make a specific recovery plan. Alcoholism can affect your personal relationships, work performance, school performance, daily obligations and your physical and mental health. Proper treatment should help you create a plan to approach these facets of life with a sober mentality.

You cannot recover if you don’t want to, as any good program will require work and commitment from you. At times, the process will feel taxing and heavy because you are challenging old ways of thinking to adopt new ones, and it could be that you require more time in developing these new life patterns than another person. Make sure the alcohol addiction treatment facility you choose offers a time frame that works for you, as well as after care services to support your new found sobriety.

Alcoholism and addiction in general are almost always the result of some other mental or emotional problem you experience, such as past trauma, depression or anxiety. Alcohol is used to soothe and cover up these afflictions, so sobriety means they will have to be dealt with. It is recommended that you find a program that can address these problems as well, from a medical and mental health standpoint. Be sure to ask about the programs certifications and licensing in order to find a credible treatment center.

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Realizing that you or someone you are close to has a substance abuse problem can be a frightening ordeal. Substance abuse is a medically recognized disorder that many choose to treat with professional rehabilitation. Not every case of substance abuse requires rehabilitation because sometimes it is addressed before it becomes advanced, but for cases of substance abuse that have become out of control could very well require the professional intervention of a rehabilitation treatment center.

At a substance abuse rehab, patients can expect to find a caring staff that is trained in helping substance abusers regain their sobriety and maintain it. Rehab staff members are not judgmental about the problems a patient has, and the programs are designed to meet the individual where they are at, psychologically and medically.

The first step taken will be a complete detox to restore the body’s systems to a healthy working order. This detox can spawn intense withdrawal symptoms, which is why the process should be medically supervised, and medicated if required.

Once the detox is complete, the long term treatment can begin. This will include a personalized plan of recovery for the recovering substance abuser to follow, with the assistance of a knowledgeable staff and within the safety of a substance-free facility. This treatment will consist of counseling, both in a group setting and an individual setting, workbook exercises and readings, therapeutic activities, physical exercise and a nutritious diet, along with friendship and relationship building between peers.

When the treatment is complete and the recovering substance abuser is ready to rejoin the world, the program will help them with a continued sobriety exit plan and will make ongoing, supportive resources available to them as they get back on their feet. Canadians who are struggling with substance abuse and addiction problems should consider rehabilitation in Vancouver, a Calgary alcoholism program or an addiction treatment center in Montreal.

Seeking Treatment for Alcoholism