Monthly Archives: May 2015

8 Things You Should Know About Drug Detox

Drug detoxification, or detox, is an essential part of an effective addiction treatment process. Until a client is free from the influence of chemicals, they cannot move forward to the next step of their recovery.

The following are 8 interesting facts about withdrawal and detoxification.

What You Should Know About Drug Detox

  1. Drug detox and rehabilitation are two separate stages of addiction treatment. During detox, a client goes through the stage where their body is freed from the influence of chemicals. Actual rehab treatment involves dealing with the causes of the addiction, healing emotional wounds and developing skills to prevent a relapse.
  1. Simply getting someone to stop using by going to detox is not enough to treat a drug addiction. Without further treatment, the individual has a greater chance of reverting to prior behaviors.
  1. 8 Things You Should Know About Drug Detox-NewBeginningsRecoveryCTR.comThe safest way to go through detox is under medical supervision. At New Beginnings Recovery Center, we offer an outpatient detox program. With our integrated medical approach to detoxification, clients receive the benefits of traditional detox medicine, as well as natural alternative treatments as they go through the process. We can provide the level of support as each client wants or needs during this time.
  1. Detox is not an easy thing to go through. An addict’s brain is used to getting its regular dose of said drug and when it is no longer getting it, the body experiences withdrawal symptoms. These can range from mild to severe, depending on the drug involved, the amount the person was used to taking, how long they were using and their body chemistry. Flu-like symptoms, stomach upsets, irritability and anxiety are some examples of what a person going through withdrawal may experience, as well as cravings for the drug.
  1. The length of time it takes to go through detoxification will vary for each person, but can vary from a couple days to a couple weeks depending on the pattern of use, the drug involved and the health of the individual.
  1. If an addict goes through detox and then starts using again, they will have a higher tolerance for the drug. Successful detox treatment also includes therapies to get a head start on drug rehab treatment.
  1. We understand that many of our clients have family, school and job responsibilities, so that’s why we offer an outpatient drug and alcohol detox program. By choosing this type of program, they don’t have to leave home and work for an extended period by checking into a residential program. They continue to live at home, and appointments can usually be scheduled to accommodate work and school responsibilities.
  1. Not everyone who tried to “get clean” by going through detox makes it through their first time. It doesn’t mean that they have failed or that they won’t ever be able to do it. All someone needs is the desire to make a change and live a drug-free life. Try again; we can offer you support during detox so that you can move onto our drug treatment program for successful lifelong recovery!

Individualized Outpatient Detox And Treatment Program

Detox is the first phase of a lifelong recovery. Our outpatient detox programs include medical supervision with a holistic approach to reduce withdrawal symptoms.

Learn More About Our Detox Program Here

Program Spotlight: Mental Health Services

Addiction is a complicated illness to treat, in part because it has both physical and mental components. For many of our clients, there are elements from their past, stressors from their present or anxieties about the future that influence their recovery.

In some instances, clients have turned to drugs or alcohol in an effort to “deal” with the symptoms of a mental illness on their own. Other clients come to us because of a drug or alcohol addiction that has triggered mental health issues.

As part of our mental health program we provide psychiatric and mental health services to those in need.

Mental Health Services At New Beginnings Recovery

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program

Mental Health Counseling Services-New Beginnings RecoveryWe offer outpatient mental health treatment starting with an initial evaluation to determine our clients’ specific needs. Consultations are then scheduled based on the results of the assessment.

Through our psychiatric rehabilitation program, clients are treated at a frequency based on the type and severity of their personal condition(s).

Co-Occurring Disorders Services

New Beginnings Recovery Centre provides co-occurring (dual diagnosis) treatment for clients who require addiction treatment along with help for mental health concerns such as:

  • Major Depressive Disorder
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Panic Disorder
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
  • Social Phobia
  • Agoraphobia
  • Anorexia Nervosa
  • Bulimia Nervosa
  • Binge Eating Disorder
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Medications may be prescribed to treat the mental illness or current medications may be changed or updated to better treat a client’s current condition.

Mental Health Counseling Services

Our mental health counseling services are available to clients enrolled in any of our treatment programs. We also provide services for people seeking mental health counseling alone. Our program includes the following services:

  • Initial Assessment and Diagnosis
  • Mental Health Counseling (Psychotherapy)
  • Treatment Planning and Practical Review
  • Short-term, Solution-based Therapy
  • Counseling for Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Issues
  • Psycho-educational/Prevention Issues
  • Crisis Management

Our caring and extensively-trained counselors utilize a number of tools and techniques to treat every client’s specific situation, needs and goals.

Would you like to find out more about how our mental health services program can help you or a loved one? Call us now!

Opiates vs. Opioids: How To Tell The Difference

The words opiate and opioid are often used interchangeably, but they refer to slightly different types of drugs. Opiate refers to the opium poppy, and the drugs which are derived directly from the plant. Opioids are synthetic drugs made in laboratories which act in a similar manner to opiates.

Use Of Opiates Throughout History

Opiates have been used to relieve pain for thousands of years. The first writings referring to opium as an analgesic compound date to the third century BC. It was used during the American Civil War as a pain reliever, and a number of soldiers became addicted to morphine. At that time, it was called “soldier’s disease,” and those affected could achieve the highs they sought with a hypodermic needle, which had been invented in 1853 by Scottish surgeon Alexander Wood. Today, opiates and opioids, are prescribed often by physicians as part of a pain management program.

Opioid Addiction Treatment-www.NewBeginningsRecoveryCTR.com

Examples Of Opiates

  • Opium
  • Heroin
  • Morphine
  • Codeine

Opium is the powder made from the dried juice of the opium poppy. When it is ingested orally, it induces a state of peaceful well-being and sleepiness. It has been used since Babylonian civilization. Codeine is a naturally occurring opium alkaloid that be made synthetically. It is especially effective at treating pain when combined with other pain relievers, such as Aspirin.

Examples Of Opioids

  • Hydrocodone (sold as Vicodin, Lortab)
  • Hydromorphone (sold as Dilaudid)
  • Oxycodone (Percocet, Percodan, Oxycontin)
  • Oxymorphone (Opana)
  • Meperdine (Demerol)
  • Fentanyl
  • Methadone

How Opioids Work

Opioid pain medications bind to specific proteins called opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord and other parts of the body. They reduce the level of pain signals sent to the brain to provide relief to the user. Medications in this class may be prescribed by a doctor when other pain medications have not been successful at controlling a patient’s pain.

Opioid Addiction

Since opioids can reduce pain and produce a sense of relaxation, it’s understandable that people who are experiencing pain regularly or on a daily basis may start taking more than their prescribed dosage of opioid pain medication or taking it more often than the doctor has prescribed, due to the feelings experienced and a quick-building tolerance. From that point, it’s a slippery slope toward prescription addiction.

Signs Of Opioid Abuse And Addiction

The signs and symptoms of opiate/opioid addiction include mood, behavioral and physical symptoms and include, but are not limited to:

Mood Symptoms

  • Increased anxiety
  • Irritability
  • Depression
  • Psychosis
  • Improved self-esteem (while high)

Behavioral Symptoms

  • Using a greater amount or longer than intended
  • Unsuccessful attempts to decrease amount taken
  • Doctor shopping
  • Losing interest in normal activities & focus on obtaining the drug

Physical Symptoms

  • Increased heart beat
  • Decreased appetite
  • High blood pressure
  • Increased sensitivity to sensory stimulation

Side Effects

  • Nausea
  • Confusion
  • Chest pain
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Constipation
  • Dependency
  • Overdose

Opioid Addiction Treatment

If you or your loved one suffers from an addiction to opioids, caring and professional treatment in necessary. New Beginnings Recovery Center offers safe outpatient opiate detox and treatment programs. We focus on the entire person – mind, body and soul. If you or a loved one needs help for prescription addiction, contact us now.

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Finding Help For Bipolar Disorder And Addiction

Bipolar disorder, which is also called manic depression, is a type of mental illness that is characterized by extreme mood swings. While everyone has times when their mood shifts over the course of weeks and months depending on the events of their lives and their own thoughts and feelings, for a person with bipolar disorder, these mood swings are so pronounced that they interfere with the person’s ability to think and function.

The States Of Bipolar Disorder

This long-term condition is usually made up of three states:

  1. Sun Through Grass-Bipolar Disorder-New Beginnings Recovery CenterMania, where the person has an abnormally elevated or irritable mood that lasts for at least four consecutive days. During this time, they may have racing thoughts, be unusually talkative, and need little to no sleep. They may also do things that are more reckless than usual or have the potential for negative consequences, such as going on shopping sprees, making ill-considered business investments, or committing sexual indiscretions.
  1. Depression that lasts at least two weeks. The depressed mood must be present most of the day, nearly every day. People in this phase report feeling empty, sad or hopeless. They may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable. Fatigue, lack of energy, difficulty getting to sleep or excessive sleeping are also all characteristics of this phase of the illness. Thoughts of death or suicide may occur, and some people may actually attempt suicide.
  1. A well state where the affected person’s moods are normal and they function well.

About one-two percent of the adult population has bipolar disorder, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Depending on the affected person, the mood swings can range from mild to severe. Rapidly-cycling Bipolar Disorder occurs when a person has four or more cycles of depression, mania or mixed states within one year. People in this category are at especially high risk for developing a substance abuse issue.

Bipolar Disorder And Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is very common among people with bipolar disorder. Someone who is living with a mood disorder may find the experience very uncomfortable and/or unsettling and look to drugs or alcohol as a way to self-medicate in an effort to numb or temporarily alleviate the symptoms.

Certain drugs, such as marijuana, opiates, barbiturates and alcohol, which are known for their sedative properties, seem to slow down the mood swings, at least temporarily, but cause negative effects later. Other substances only serve to exacerbate the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Someone who already has manic tendencies who turns to something like crystal meth, methamphetamine or cocaine is only going to push themselves toward that type of mental state.

Florida Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

At New Beginnings Recovery Center, we recognize the specialized treatment needed for bipolar disorder and addiction issues. Our Florida mental health and substance abuse services focus on getting at the root of both the mental illness and the addiction while creating a personalized recovery plan. Call us today to find out how we can help you or a loved one!

Are You Ready For Freedom From Mental Illness And Addiction? Call Us Now – We Are Available 24/7