We live in a society infused with pharmaceuticals and drugs to treat everything from depression and sleep to anxiety and indigestion. Drug companies constantly bombard the general audiences with commercials touting new prescription drugs suitable to cure or treat just about any condition or disease. As a result, many people believe that these drugs are the only option they have to ease the symptoms of their condition.
At Holistix Treatment Centers, we believe that if the client can identify the underlying issue and treat it simultaneously with their treatment for addiction, the client’s chances of a successful, relapse-free recovery are much improved. In fact, once we can identify and heal the underlying issue that’s driving the dependency on alcohol or other drugs, clients will have reached a major milestone and will be that much closer to long-term sobriety.
At Holistix Treatment Centers, we do not believe that long term recovery comes in a one-size-fits-all program. For this reason, each client, upon arrival at our drug treatment center, will undergo an extensive and comprehensive physical and psychological exam with our team of physicians, mental health specialists, spiritual advisors, and nutritionists. Together, we will determine what the client’s underlying issues are so we can then customize an individualized approach and, when appropriate, provide integrated dual diagnosis treatment.
Sometimes addiction comes about as a response to a mental health issue that a person seeks to control by medicating—alcohol or tranquillizers for anxiety, amphetamines or cocaine for depression, etc.—and the short-term relief or distraction makes the experiment look like a success. Repetition can then lead to dependency, and the person then has a substance abuse problem on top of—and often exacerbating—his or her original problem.
Alternatively, a person relatively free from mental health problems can experiment with drugs and continue past “recreational use” to dependency; then secondary mental health issues can emerge. Untreated, these can in turn exacerbate the ongoing drug abuse. Also, certain drugs, like amphetamines and PCP, can cause psychotic episodes that may repeat themselves—these flashbacks can be triggered by stress even in the absence of drug use.
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Bipolar disorder is a treatable brain disorder marked by extreme shifts in a person’s mood and disposition. Periods of intense mania are followed by bouts of severe depression, often with periods of normalcy in between. While on either end of the spectrum, sufferers of bipolar disorder often find it difficult to concentrate and maintain functionality sufficient for leading a productive life. Bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic depression, can be managed with medication. It is characterized with intense manic or “high” periods in which the individual becomes overly enthusiastic or optimistic and may begin tasks or plans that are not feasible. These high periods are followed by crashes and intense “lows”, which can involve sleeping all day, feeling hopeless, suicide attempts, and other symptoms shared with depression.
PTSD patients report that sometimes they are suffering from uncontrollable anxiety, sleepless nights, and unrealistic dreams by nature. This can lead to short-term memory loss, which may cause long lasting psychological issues. It is recommended to treat the victim as early as possible in order to avoid complications. When it is confirmed that the affected person is behaving in a dangerous way, it is important to address the issue so the victim will no longer be affected by the traumatic event.
Fear is your body’s natural reaction to a lot of outside stimuli. It is normal for the body to react in such a way as to become anxious or fearful because this often protected our ancestors from a lot of problems and harm. It is not normal, however, for our bodies to be overtaken with fear to the point that physical symptoms begin to arise because of it. When this happens, it is usually the sign of a larger problem.
Depression is another mental illness that is very common in young adults. It is characterized by feelings of extreme helplessness, hopelessness, and is not nearly the same thing as “feeling blue” or being “down”. Depression is a serious mental condition that affects millions of Americans, and can cause suicidal thoughts as well as over, or under-eating, over, or under-sleeping, and a change in moods. Depression is not something that people can just “get over” or “snap out of”, and may in fact require medication or therapy or a combination of both before the individual begins to see a lifting of their symptoms. The symptoms of depression can come and go, and are similar but slightly different from the symptoms of bipolar disorder.
While a person can suffer from both a mental illness and an addiction, there is no evidence to suggest that mental illness causes addiction. Mental illness is not an excuse for having an addiction. It is important if you are dealing with a dual diagnosis that you find a drug addiction therapy and drug treatment program that will provide you with the tools you need to handle both these conditions.
One of the first things drug treatment program should make clear during drug addiction therapy is that is that addiction is a symptom, not of a mental illness but of an inability to cope with certain types of emotional situations.
When you look at the factors that drive a person to become addicted to a substance, they without a doubt lead back to emotional issues. This is not to say that a person cannot be predisposed to becoming addicted. It has been proven that some people are genetically more susceptible to addiction than others, especially those that have parents or other relatives that suffer from addiction. That is why a good drug addiction therapy and drug treatment program is necessary.
A good drug treatment program and drug addiction therapy facility needs to be able to treat both conditions without placing blame on one or the other. Addiction is complicated and no one thing is to blame for it. There are various options available to handle drug addiction therapy. A good drug treatment program will offer several levels of therapy as well as multiple treatment options. This allows the rehabilitation facility to meet the individual needs of their patients.
Most programs begin with a residency program. This type of program can last as long as two months and is designed to provide intensive focused therapy in a controlled environment to help you get over the first hurdle and give you the tools necessary to face the cravings and temptations of everyday life. The next step is an intensive outpatient drug treatment program that provides drug addiction therapy by having you come to the site several times a week for intensive therapy that can help you deal with what occurs in daily life. Finally, a standard outpatient therapy program provides continued support necessary to maintain a sober condition.