The initial step towards recovery from any kind of addiction is admitting and accepting their struggle with independence on the substance. Then you need to find out a place where you can go for your treatment which would help you in restoring your overall health, happiness and wellbeing. There are multiple options of treatment that are available at the addiction treatment centers. These centers play a great role in saving the life of your loved one such as breaking the addictive cycle by making them live in a drug-free environment. Digging deeper into the underlying issues and finding out the reasons which made the people rely so much on drugs. These addiction treatment centers help peeling off the layers of your behavior so that they can understand your habits of drugs. Make sure you go through all the therapies so that you can recover quick.
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Intimacy disorders or compulsive sexual behavior can bring damage to your life as it can wreak havoc on your relationships, career, health and finances. Sexual addiction usually goes hand in hand with other addictions or disorders as well such as substance abuse, PTSD/trauma, bipolar disorder, eating disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder etc. the sex addiction treatment facilities provide care through a multiple ways such as they create an accepting environment for the patient, provide them comfortable houses, and give complete attention to their trauma and shame they are going through. The treatment for various underlying issues is also given and the couples and family therapy is recommended for one and all so that the patients can also get the help from their family which is the biggest support system for any human. The intensive outpatient program or IOP are important as they address the depression, addiction, eating disorders and other kinds of dependencies which don’t really require any round the clock detoxification and supervision. The normal routine activities of the patients are maintained which is usually not possible with residential treatment facilities. This is one reason why people prefer IOPs since they can work and earn money in order to bear the burden of their treatment. You can breathe free and fresh air at the IOPs and you will want to recover and heal yourself. These IOP detox centers assist you in managing your withdrawals. IOP therapy has a way which lets you maintain your lifestyle and also get you the required help that you need to overcome the addiction. These programs are nothing short of support mechanisms which assist the patient in getting well. Psychological trauma is nothing short of an injury to the spirit which usually happens after going through something distressing or disturbing. Sometimes, people have been through frightening events which may lead to challenges in coping with the issues. You must look for signs and symptoms of emotional and psychological trauma such as emotional symptoms, behavioral symptoms, cognitive symptoms, psychological symptoms, and physical symptoms. As a fact, there are a number of people who go through with these traumas all through their life without getting any kind of treatment done. Eventually this leads to shrinking of their friend circle and they become more and more weak. Rather than feeling traumatized and helpless, a person must work towards getting to a better place. It is suggested that professional help must be taken in order to get rid of trauma. Women struggling with anorexia nervosa, are at a larger risk of developing the illness. Usually, it is due to the eating disorder which leads to developing issues with thyroid function. An eating disorder is something hazardous and can also lead to life-threatening situations. Starting from your hair to your toes, it seems to have an impact on every part of the body. You may happen to notice symptoms such as hair loss, brittle and dry nails, menstrual irregularities, tooth decay, acid reflux, cardiovascular issues and gastrointestinal issues. You may feel bloated or undergoing severe pain and compromised cardiovascular health and immune system. The blog shows how PTSD treatment can help to cure your health as well as mental issues. You need to have the want to get healthy and be better. Only you can take steps towards the improvement of your health. It is of extreme importance that teenagers are educated in terms of mental and physical health. Many cases of sexual violence against teenagers can leave them to be suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, substance use disorder, and other trauma-related issues. They also need to be taught that it is good to be anxious but getting on the level of isolation due to this anxiety is not a healthy sign. Besides, your body has a relationship with the food you consume. Sometimes, out of stress teenagers end up binge-eating fast food which leads to a plethora of health problems. Also, not taking enough sleep is one cause behind depression and anxiety. As a parent, you must educate your children about sexual violence if ever taken place with them. There are many issues related to such sexual activities where the consent is missing. Sex is a natural and an innate need that humans are born with. But then it can also lead to some of the shameful experiences. The blog shows how one single sexual incident of embarrassment makes a person captive for a long time. It can also wreak havoc to the personality of the person. It can further lead to isolation from other people. Sexual addiction leaves scars which people take a lot of time to recover from. These people will display all the shame while talking and their body posture and body language can show the pain he is going through. Though a person ends up getting emotionally isolated from others, it is also a fact that to recover he needs to mingle and connect with others. They need to push their past away and get rid of fear and shame so that they can experience freedom and healing. Alexandra Katehakis, Senior Fellow at The Meadows, is one of the lead authors of an article titled, “Sex Addiction is NOT a ‘MYTH’ when Neuroscience Keeps the Score” featured in the January/February 2017 issue of The Therapist. The article is endorsed by several experts in the fields of trauma, addiction, and mental health including Dr. Claudia Black and Dr. Stefanie Carnes, both Senior Fellows at The Meadows; Dr. Jon Caldwell, Medical Director at The Meadows; and Dr. Monica Meyer, Clinical Director at Gentle Path at The Meadows. In the article, Katehakis and her co-authors set out a convincing case for treating sex addiction as a chronic brain disease, much like other dependencies and process addictions. They also lay to rest many of the prevailing myths about the sex addiction model for treating compulsive sexual behaviors, pointing to evidence that the sex addiction theory offers neurologically-informed, sex-positive, and relationally-based therapeutic protocols. Myth #1: Sex addiction treatment is a really just “reparative therapy.” Reparative therapy (also known as conversion therapy) is a type of counseling that claims to change a person’s sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual. It has been widely discredited by mental health professionals and is illegal in several states. Unfortunately, some therapists and counselors have misleadingly used the term “sex addiction” to lure clients into reparative therapy. Some also shame people who engage in what they see as non-conforming sexual behaviors. These practices are not considered ethical or appropriate within the sex addiction model of treatment. Expert, credentialed, Certified Sex Addiction Therapists (CSATs) do not use, support, condone, or respect the destructive practice of reparative therapy; and, their aim is to help clients move beyond shame, not to intensify the shame they are often already feeling. Individuals should not be classified as sex addicts based on their sexual orientation. Individuals of any sexual orientation may display symptoms of sexual addiction and be diagnosed based on self-reporting and a comprehensive assessment process conducted by a trained and knowledgeable sex addiction professional. Myth #2: Sex addiction treatment shames people for enjoying nonconforming sexual behaviors. Certified sex addiction professionals do not shame or scold individuals who struggle with sexual preoccupation and/or compulsivity or on the basis of their sexual preferences. The goal of sex addiction treatment is to guide clients toward a sexuality that feels right for them—a sexuality that is pleasurable, creative, and relational. Sexual compulsivity and/or preoccupation is marked by moderate to severe dissociation that is often accompanied by impulses that are destructive to the client’s sense of self and lead to feelings of dysphoria and isolation. According to the authors: “CSATs are educated about alternative sexual lifestyles which include ‘nonconforming’ behaviors such as kink/fetishes, BDSM, or other practices. Only if a client presents with sexual behavior—alternative or ordinary—that troubles him or her are practices explored and assessed. More importantly, this investigation aims to measure the problematic nature, not of the sexual acts themselves, but of their compulsive use. Recovery from sex addiction never means ‘repairing’ erotic minorities from their sexual preferences.” Sex addicts expend most of their energy replaying past traumatic sexual experiences and/or repetitively fantasizing about future ones. These preoccupations and impulses are often overwhelming and severely disrupt their professional and personal lives. The disorder has no resemblance to even the most robust, healthy sexual interest and behavior. Myth #3: Sex addiction treatment is just another 12-step program. Sex addiction therapists do not see the 12-step program as the be-all and end-all of treatment. 12-step programs are valuable in that they can help participants increase their relational skills and ability to connect with others through regular interaction with a caring group. But sex addiction therapy does not end with 12-step work. The most effective treatment for sex addiction is based on a well-designed, multi-faceted, comprehensive plan that is tailored to the client’s goals. The treatment provider also must help the client to develop support structures—like a 12-step program—that facilitate long-term and meaningful recovery. For example, at Gentle Path at The Meadows and Willow House at The Meadows, treatment plans focus on trauma resolution and include neurofeedback and neuriobiofeedback techniques, EMDR, experiential therapies, individual counseling, mindfulness practices, yoga, acupuncture and more, in addition to 12-step work. It’s a holistic approach that treats the whole person, focusing on the mind, body, and emotions of the client. Its goal is to help clients resolve past trauma and discover—sometimes for the first time—pleasurable, self-nurturing, and relational sexuality. What is Sex Addiction Treatment Really About? The sex addiction model of treatment is not sex-negative, puritanical, or anti-pleasure. It also does not disapprove of or try to discourage sexual expression outside of narrowly-defined, normative, heterosexual sex. Sex addiction treatment, when conducted by well-trained, caring professionals, is sex-positive. Its goal is to help each person discover, delight in, and fully express his or her preferred sex life. For more information on sex addiction treatment for yourself or your partner or spouse, please give us all call at 866-613-1826. Our Intake Specialists are happy to talk to you about whether one of our 5-day workshops, inpatient sex addiction treatment, or outpatient sex addiction treatment may be right for you. Content Source 3 Myths about Sex Addiction Treatment What many people may not realize is that gambling addiction is classified as an impulse control disorder. Individuals with impulse control disorders feel increasing stimulation before participating in the act of gambling. While gambling they probably will feel a sense of satisfaction; however, they may feel remorse or shame afterward. Compulsive gamblers can’t control the urge to gamble, even when they know it has negative consequences that will hurt themselves and their families through strained relationships and financial problems. Unpleasant feelings can worsen the disorder, such as:
Compulsive gamblers continue to gamble though they know the odds are against them, and they can’t afford to lose. These individuals may or may not plan to gamble, but it generally fulfills an immediate, conscious need; however, they often feel anguished and a loss of control over their lives from their actions. Problematic Gambling According to an article published in the Scientific American, four in five Americans say they have gambled at least once in their lives. With the exception of Hawaii and Utah, every state in the country offers some form of legalized gambling. And today you do not even need to leave your house to gamble—all you need is an Internet connection or a phone. Various surveys have determined that around two million people in the U.S. are addicted to gambling, and for as many as 20 million citizens the habit seriously interferes with work and social life. Studies have shown that individuals who anticipate winning while gambling appear to react much like a person reacting to euphoria-inducing drugs. During one study subjects who were gambling had blood flow to the brain change in ways similar to that seen in other experiments during an infusion of cocaine in subjects addicted to that drug and to low doses of morphine in drug-free individuals. The changes varied in accordance with the amount of money involved and a broadly distributed set of brain regions were involved in anticipating a win. The more money involved, the more excited the person became. Signs of a Gambling Addiction With gambling, the odds are never in your favor whether it is poker, blackjack, lottery tickets or entering a raffle; gambling is a successful industry because the house always wins. Common signs of gambling addiction include, but are not limited to, the following:
Other addictions frequently co-occur with gambling addiction as they serve as coping mechanisms for individuals stressed out by their activity. Many gamblers turn to drugs, alcohol, sexual addiction, and other behaviors to alleviate the anxiety brought on by the gambling lifestyle. Even if a person never experiences a financial loss because of gambling, they may struggle with a substance addiction for the rest of life due to self-medicating to deal with the stress brought on by the lifestyle. Also, relationships are often permanently damaged as a result of gambling. How To Get Help For Gambling Addiction Just as alcoholics and drug addicts develop a tolerance to alcohol and drugs, the gambler will need to gamble more and more to achieve the same effect. The continuous search for that “high” ultimately develops into an addiction. At The Meadows, we utilize cutting-edge therapies and other techniques to help clients change unhealthy gambling behaviors. Problem gamblers learn how to control their urges, deal with uncomfortable emotions and resolve underlying issues that brought about the addiction through individualized gambling addiction treatment. To learn more about our program or to seek help for yourself or a loved one, please call 866-331-3102 or visit our website today. All communication is kept strictly confidential. Content Source Gambling Addiction Treatment In Arizona
I once heard a client’s family member refer to their loved one’s inpatient addiction treatment as a sort of summer camp.
The family member made this pronouncement with what sounded like envy; they wished they too could have some “time away.” The thought intrigued me as a therapist. Soon after that session, I presented the idea of inpatient mental health treatment as “summer camp” to the group I was leading, and within moments I was dodging hypothetical tomatoes being thrown my direction. Over the years, having spent more time in inpatient treatment as a therapist, I can tell you that there are many reasons why the notion that inpatient treatment is like summer camp doesn’t fly with those in recovery. One of the biggest distinctions, however, is in the returning home. Returning home from summer camp, and returning home from treatment are two entirely different things. As a kid, you go to summer camp to experience new things and meet new friends with the knowledge that you will return home to your parents and your usual mundane surroundings within a few weeks. Nothing at home is likely to change. That is what often makes the idea of being away so appealing. Your new friend’s primary interest is in coaxing you into the lake after lunch so that they have a swim partner. In fact, at summer camp you may not even think of home very often. Your mind typically stays on the burnt marshmallows, and the weird lanyard thing you work on at night before bed that you plan to present your parents as a token of your love and gratitude. None of this sounds like inpatient drug and alcohol addiction treatment. What Going Home Means After Inpatient Treatment You probably will make friends during your inpatient addiction treatment. However, unlike summer camp, the friends you do make will be made by sharing your innermost, and most painful personal failures and struggles—struggles that you thought could be kept secret forever. When you do think of home, you may feel a sense of loss or confusion. Your thoughts might range from “Where is home?” to “Will I ever really be home again?” After inpatient addiction treatment, home is a place where you carefully put on your life vest of newly acquired coping skills to keep from drowning in the old habits and patterns of behavior that your brain so strongly associates with drinking or using. Building a New and Better ‘Home’ The home you return to after inpatient or residential addiction treatment must be built on the foundation of a solid relapse prevention plan. Before you leave treatment, you should have a plan in place for…
“Relapse prevention” is a term that frequently gets thrown around during an inpatient treatment stay. While in treatment, each patient begins to identify what their own relapse prevention plan will be. However, no one can possibly identify every potential trigger beforehand. It is critical that patients talk about and even practice their plans before leaving treatment. But, practice is never exactly the same as real-life experience. That’s why, in addition to having a relapse prevention plan, you should also get familiar with the stages of relapse, so that you can identify who the best people to reach out to would be if you, unfortunately, found yourself in one of these stages. If you are prepared, you will find that slipping into one of these stages doesn’t mean the end of your recovery. Rather, an expected slip can be an opportunity to apply one of your newly-acquired coping skills and pull yourself back into a manageable place. The three, progressive stages of relapse are: 1. Emotional During this stage, you may start reacting to the same triggers that lead to your drug or alcohol misuse with feelings of anxiety, anger, isolation, mood swings, and changes in eating or sleeping habits. The most important thing you can do at this stage is to reach out to your support system. Contact your sponsor, therapist, or visit your support group, or attend your 12-step meetings. 2. Mental In this stage, you start to fantasize and rationalize. You might start to dream about using again. Then, you will start to come up with reasons why using again would be “no big deal.” Once you’ve reached this stage, it’s absolutely critical that you talk to your sponsor or addiction counselor. 3. Physical This is the stage where you give in and reach for the substance or process that you have worked so hard to quit using. This is why it’s so critical to recognize when you’re in stage one or two of a relapse and get help before you go down this dangerous path. Knowing—but not anticipating—that relapse is often part of a successful recovery will help you to maintain and restore hope if you find yourself struggling through any these stages. Maintaining your primary focus on the better life that lies ahead through recovery keeps us taking that “next best step,” “one day at a time.” As you continue on your journey “home” remember that awareness plus action is change. This change can be applied no matter where you are on your journey. If you find yourself slipping, take action, reach out, and push forward towards your new home sweet home in recovery. Ease the Transition Home in an Outpatient Program An intensive outpatient program (IOP) is often recommended when an individual requires a “step down” from one level of treatment to the next before they are ready to return home and apply their recovery skills to everyday life. At The Meadows Outpatient Center, we teach time-tested recovery skills and help remove the blocks that produce a life full of joy, gratitude, and acceptance. These skills promote loving, healthy relationships free from active addiction in an ongoing, permanent and successful recovery. We are a comprehensive outpatient program that offers 18-20 hours of services and treatment per week—more than twice the amount of services provided in a typical IOP. We are also in-network with both Humana and Blue Cross Blue Shield. We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have about our program and help you determine if The Meadows Outpatient Treatment Center is the right place for you. Give us a call at 866-562-9559. Content Source Welcome Home: Preventing Relapse after Inpatient Treatment |