Category: Addiction

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Addiction Recovery

Find Adolescent Outpatient Treatment Programs

Today’s society puts a lot of pressure and stress on children. Some resort to harmful coping skills. Centers specializing in adolescents are necessary due to their unique developmental issues and the contradictions in values and belief systems they often grow up with. Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers opened in 2002 to provide healing for children ages 13–18. Most patients come from southern California while others come from big cities like New York City, Chicago, and internationally.  

Visions was created to provide cutting edge adolescent outpatient treatment for mental health, substance abuse, and family therapy. The original founding clinicians have stayed with Visions while several dynamic team members have been added on for the growth of the program. The treatment team consists of highly skilled professionals all specializing in adolescent care. Each patient is assigned a Counselor to work with through the treatment. Other specialists are called upon as needed:

  • Medical Doctors
  • Psychologists
  • Psychiatrist
  • Licensed Therapists
  • Registered Dietician
  • Art Therapist
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Informed Programming

A Psychosocial Assessment is performed to review an adolescent’s medical history, family history, leisure and social functioning, developmental history, educational functioning, legal history, drug and alcohol history, and any significant events that could affect the adolescent outpatient treatment process.

Visions Adolescent Outpatient Counseling center has two convenient locations in Los Angeles. Visions’ adolescent outpatient treatment is offered in the afternoon allowing the patient to continue with daily activities and go home in the evenings to the love and support of family. The center is open from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm with Wednesday for rest. Regular drug tests are administered for the safety of the children.

Visions’ goals in adolescent outpatient treatment for Mental Health:

  • Encourage and motivate the adolescent to obtain a healthy lifestyle.
  • Help the adolescent to develop effective problem-solving strategies.
  • Assist the adolescent in recognizing destructive behaviors and the impact on family and friends.
  • Help the adolescent change problematic attitudes which stimulate a relapse.

Visions’ objectives for treatment in Substance Abuse & Co-Occurring Disorders:

  • Support the adolescent to use the 12-step philosophy and encourage participation in Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and/or Cocaine Anonymous (CA).
  • Assist the adolescent in identifying unhealthy coping mechanisms.
  • Assess and meet the psychological and psychiatric needs of the adolescent.
  • Assess and meet the adolescent’s medical needs.

The adolescent outpatient treatment comprises of several solution-based treatment programs for the individual, group, and family. Family members, significant others, and guardians are urged to participate in the treatment programs for a successful recovery.

Individual Treatment

1st Step Program is an introduction for the adolescent to the beginning of the treatment process. The program helps families and adolescents reintegrate into everyday life after long term treatment. Visions’ staff walk parents through the reality of their child’s new lifestyle.

  • 8 Weeks of Clinical Support
  • 2 to 3 Nights Per Week
  • Includes 1 Individual Session

Intensive Outpatient Program represents the next step in care. Visions’ staff helps in opening communication among family to address existing psychiatric and/or therapeutic needs and develop a solid foundation of support in the community.

  • 1 Year of Clinical Support
  • Individual Sessions
  • Family Sessions

12-Step Program Implemented for Teens with Addictive Behaviors

Treatment Planning

Information collected during the assessment process is used to create a Treatment Plan. The plan identifies issues to be addressed during the adolescent outpatient treatment. The Counselor meets with the adolescent to review the Treatment Plan and ensure complete understanding of expectations and goals.

Family Treatment

Studies have shown that the best outcome for treatment depends on the family’s understanding and participation in the therapeutic process. Majority of Visions’ families share the same feelings about their child’s issues before and during treatment.

  • Fear
  • Helplessness
  • Hopelessness
  • Anxiety
  • Anger

Multi-Family Group

A Family Therapist leads the group on a weekly basis. The multi-family group addresses common issues to all families. The group also provides families with feedback and support from other family members who share similar experiences.

Individual Family Sessions

A Family Therapist meets the patient along with the family to address conflicts that the family may feel uncomfortable discussing in group sessions.

Discharge & Aftercare

A patient is given a Discharge Plan after discharge from the adolescent outpatient treatment. The long term treatment plan was developed by the Counselor with input from the patient and the treatment team.

Alumni Program

The Fourth Dimension is open to all former patients of the adolescent outpatient treatment program. Adolescents are able to attend aftercare groups on an on-going basis, up to two groups a week. Individual Sessions are available on a fee for service basis. The Visions Alumni Coordinator makes support calls for crisis intervention or relapse prevention. Annual alumni events are held for the adolescents and family members.

  • Winter Ski/Snowboard Trip
  • Alumni Family Weekend
  • Alumni vs. Staff Softball Game
  • Knott’s Scary Farm Night
  • Magic Mountain

Adolescents do not simply walk out the door of Visions Centers once treatment ends. Visions provides care beyond adolescent outpatient treatment allowing the child to find help when needed. Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers are a top choice for many around the world. Stop living in fear and let Visions treatment centers help.  

Visions Outpatient works out of network with insurance. We will provide the following services to our Outpatient families: Benefit Verification, Pre-Authorization, Utilization Review, Billing & Collections.

Visions Residential is a private pay program and full payment is required from the family. Our team will assist with insurance benefit verification & utilization review.

Please click below to schedule your consultation or call us at 866-889-3665.

Categories
Addiction Recovery

Drug and Alcohol Teen Outpatient Counseling

Drugs and alcohol have become easily accessible for adolescents leading to an increase in abuse. Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers were founded on the mission of providing cutting edge mental health, substance abuse and family treatment. Visions has been administering world class teen outpatient counseling since 2002. Majority of patients come from southern California while others come from big cities like NYC, Chicago as well as internationally.  

Adolescents must be approached differently due to their unique developmental issues, contradictions in their beliefs, and environment. Visions administers clinically-based treatment options for the adolescent and the family as a whole. Visions has two locations conveniently located in Los Angeles offering teen outpatient counseling. Children ages 13 to 18 years are accepted into the program. Session are held 4:00 to 9:00 pm Monday to Friday with Wednesday off allowing the adolescent to continue with normal daily activities before attending teen outpatient counseling and go home afterwards to a loving and supportive family.

Visions supports every adolescent to become involved in community-based resources including healthy peer groups. Visions’ goals in teen outpatient counseling for drug and alcohol abuse:

  • Encourage and motivate the adolescent to achieve and sustain abstinence.
  • Assist the adolescent with identifying situations where drugs and alcohol were used to cope with life’s problems.
  • Help the adolescent to develop new effective problem-solving strategies.
  • Assist the adolescent with recognizing and acknowledging the existence of destructive behaviors and the impact on family, friends and future.
  • Support the adolescent to use the 12-step philosophy and encourage participation in Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and/or Cocaine Anonymous (CA).

Visions’ highly skilled professionals use effective techniques and current modalities in teen outpatient counseling.

1st Step Program – introduction to the beginning of the treatment process and help families and teens reintegrate into everyday life after long term treatment

  • 8 Weeks of Clinical Support
  • 2 to 3 Nights Per Week Including:
  • 1 Individual Session

Intensive Outpatient Program – the next step in care in which the staff is committed to opening communication up amongst the family.

  • 1 Year of Clinical Support
  • Individual Sessions
  • Family Sessions

12-Step Program Implemented for Teens with Addictive Behaviors

Visions’ original founding clinicians have stayed with the program while adding several dynamic team members for continued growth. A Medical Doctor conducts a history and physical to determine admission. The Psychiatric Director performs a psychiatric evaluation. A patient in teen outpatient counseling is assigned a personal Licensed Therapist and Counselor. All services are performed by trained personnel under the supervision of the Program Director.

Other specialties called upon as needed in teen outpatient counseling:

  • Psychologists
  • Registered Dietitian
  • Supervising Nurse
  • Art Therapists
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Program admission involves several assessments of each adolescent’s condition and specific issues or needs, including medical, psychiatric, and psychosocial status.

Psychosocial Assessment – reviews medical history, family history, leisure and social functioning, developmental history, educational functioning, legal history, drug and alcohol history and any significant events that could hinder the treatment process.

Substance Abuse Assessment – examines psychoactive substance use, establishes a baseline and identifies areas of need. The assessment helps determine if there are any psychological issues that would prohibit complete recovery and if there are any risks for danger to self or others.

Psychiatric Assessment – performed by the Psychiatric Director ensures the initial psychiatric evaluation is properly performed and psychiatric services are provided as needed. Adolescents diagnosed with a Mental Health or Co-Occurring Diagnosis (mental health and substance abuse disorders) will be admitted to the program.

Treatment Planning – identifies issues to be addressed in the treatment program and the desired goals. The Counselor and patient review the treatment plan together to ensure that the goals and expectations are fully understood.

Substance Abuse issues affect the entire family. Many Visions therapy involves family participation. Studies show that teen outpatient counseling is only successful with the involvement of family members

Family Treatment – guides the family in understanding and participating in the teen outpatient counseling process.

Multi-Family Group – facilitated weekly by a Family Therapist to address issues common to all families such as communication, handling conflicts, and maintaining boundaries. The group also provides families with feedback and support from other family members who are experiencing similar difficulties.

Individual Family Sessions – addresses conflicts that the family may feel uncomfortable bringing up in group sessions.

Family Education – addresses roles, rules and interaction patterns commonly found in families. They discuss common issues parents bring into treatment when addressing their own family.

Discharge & Aftercare

The Discharge Plan addresses continuing care needs and provides recommendations and arrangements for support services.  

Visions Alumni Program

The Fourth Dimension, is open to graduates of teen outpatient counseling. Aftercare groups are offered on an on-going basis with attendance of up to two aftercare groups weekly. Individual sessions are available on a fee for service basis. Visions’ Alumni Coordinator makes support calls for crisis intervention and relapse prevention. The child will never feel alone.

Visions Outpatient works out of network with insurance. We will provide the following services to our Outpatient families: Benefit Verification, Pre-Authorization, Utilization Review, Billing & Collections.

Visions Residential is a private pay program and full payment is required from the family. Our team will assist with insurance benefit verification & utilization review.

Don’t suffer through the issues alone. Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers are here to help. Sign up now for drug and alcohol teen outpatient counseling and save a child.

Please click below to schedule your consultation or call us at 866-889-3665.

 

 

Categories
Addiction Alcohol Recovery

Adolescent Outpatient Counseling For Troubled Teens

More rehabilitation centers are being developed around the world. Some cater strictly to children due to their crucial stage of physical and mental development. Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers opened in 2002 with a mission of providing cutting edge mental health, substance abuse, and family treatment. Patients come from southern California, and big cities like NYC and Chicago, as well as internationally.  

Visions has two Los Angeles centers proving adolescent outpatient counseling from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. Monday to Friday with Wednesday for rest. Outpatient counseling is ideal for those who do not need 24-hour care. Afternoon schedules allow the teen to continue with daily activities before sessions.

The objectives for adolescent outpatient counseling in Mental Health:

  • Encourage and motivate to achieve and sustain a healthy lifestyle
  • Help to develop new, more effective problem-solving strategies
  • Assist in recognizing and acknowledging the existence of mental health issues and the impact on family, friends, and future
  • Help recognize and change problematic attitudes which stimulate a relapse

The goals for treating Substance Abuse & Co-Occurring Disorders in teens:

  • Assist in identifying unhealthy and/or negative coping mechanisms
  • Assist with identifying situations where drugs and alcohol were used to cope with life’s problems, and understanding that using drugs and alcohol to cope does not work
  • Support with the 12-step philosophy and encourage participation in Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and/or Cocaine Anonymous (CA)
  • Assess and meet the psychological and psychiatric needs

Visions uses effective techniques and current modalities to treat troubled teens.

1st Step Program – helps families and teens reintegrate into everyday life after long term treatment. Parents are walked through the reality of their teen’s new lifestyle.

  • 8 Weeks of Clinical Support
  • 2 to 3 Nights Per Week
  • Includes 1 Individual Session

Intensive Outpatient Program – assists in communication amongst the family, addressing existing co-occurring psychiatric and/or therapeutic needs and developing support within the community.

  • 1 Year of Clinical Support
  • Individual Sessions
  • Family Sessions

Visions’ founding clinicians have stayed with the program while several dynamic team members have been added for continued growth of the adolescent outpatient counseling. Each teen is assigned a Counselor and Licensed Therapist to work with throughout the program. A Program Director supervises all counseling services.

Other consultants called upon as needed:

  • Psychiatrist
  • Psychologists
  • Medical Doctors
  • Registered Dietician
  • Art Therapist
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Admission into the adolescent outpatient counseling involves several comprehensive assessments. When required, other sources used include family, previous treatment professionals, teachers, and community experts.

Psychosocial Assessment – reviews the education, social functioning, drug, alcohol, medical, family, and developmental history.

Substance Abuse Assessment – examines psychoactive use and evaluates the teen’s treatment and recovery belief and determines any indication of treatment resistance.

Psychiatric Assessment – performed by the Psychiatric Director to ensure the initial psychiatric evaluation is properly administered and psychiatric services are provided.

Treatment Planning – utilizes information collected during the assessment process to identify issues to be addressed in the treatment programs and desired goals.

Visions’ advocates for family involvement in treatment. It is proven that the best outcome for treatment relies on the participation of the family in the therapeutic process. Mental Health and Substance Abuse affects the entire family with nearly 100 percent of patients sharing the same feelings prior to and during treatment.

  • Fear
  • Helplessness
  • Hopelessness
  • Anxiety
  • Anger

The adolescent outpatient counseling program includes a minimum of 5 weekly hours of family-focused therapy.

Multi-Family Group – led by a Family Therapist every Saturday. Issues common to all families are addressed such as communication, handling conflicts, and maintaining boundaries. The families are also provided with feedback and support from other family members sharing similar experiences.

Individual Family Sessions – addresses conflicts that the family may feel uncomfortable bringing up in group sessions. Individual patient and family members meet with a Family Therapist to assess needs in completing treatment goals.

Family Education – provides adolescent and families with information on the progression and stages of family illnesses. Parents discuss common issues each family deals with. The goal is to teach the teen and family members an understanding of typical roles and family rules that people act out in problem families.

Discharge & Aftercare

The Discharge Plan and Continuing Care Plan are developed upon admission into the adolescent outpatient counseling program by the Counselor with input from both the patient and the treatment team. The plan addresses continuing care needs that may include therapeutic schools, individual and family therapy, medication management, and/or outpatient programs.  

Visions Outpatient works out of network with insurance. We will provide the following services to our outpatient families: benefit verification, pre-authorization, utilization review, billing and collections.

The Fourth Dimension

Completion of the adolescent outpatient counseling allows for membership in the Visions Alumni Program. Teens attend up to two aftercare groups a week on an on-going basis. Individual sessions are available on a fee for service basis. The Visions Alumni Coordinator makes support calls for crisis intervention or relapse prevention. The alumni group holds annual events for adolescent and family members.

  • Winter Ski/Snowboard Trip
  • Alumni Family Weekend
  • Alumni vs. Staff Softball Game
  • Knott’s Scary Farm Night
  • Magic Mountain

Visions Residential is a private pay program and full payment is required from the family. Our team will assist with insurance benefit verification and utilization review.

Visions Treatment Centers are a popular choice for families around the world. All personnel are trained in adolescent outpatient counseling for troubled teens.

Please click below or call us at 866-889-3665 to schedule your consultation.

Categories
Addiction Heroin Opiates Prescription Drugs Substance Abuse

The Suburban Rise of Heroin Use

Heroin use is on the rise.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After the makers of Oxycontin changed their formula, presumably making it harder to abuse, something unforeseen happened: heroin use began to rise amongst white suburbanites. This is a significant shift from the historically urban prevalence of heroin use. It used to be that heroin was the drug of choice for city-dwelling, young, male minorities. However, the current path to heroin use is paved with prescription opioids. The reality is, addiction doesn’t have any real barriers; it has a broad reach and an even broader topography.

 

When 9,000 patients in treatment centers nationwide were surveyed, its findings showed “90 percent of heroin users were white men and women. Most were relatively young — their average age was 23. And three-quarters said they first started not with heroin but with prescription opioids like OxyContin.”

 

While RX opioids are still one of the more popular drugs of choice, the shift toward heroin was a direct result of cost and availability. For example, OxyContin can go for $80 a pill on the street, while a bag of heroin might be $10. An addict doesn’t care whether or not the chemical compound is safe or consistent: they care about the high.

 

In 2007, over 2,000 people died of heroin overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And 200,000 went to ERs after overdosing in 2008.

 

According to this NY Times article, “from 2007 to 2012, the number of people who reported using heroin in the previous year grew to 669,000 from 373,000,” presenting a substantial increase in heroin use.

 

Experts are saying that the aggressive prescribing of opioids like OxyContin and Percocet in the last decade is part and parcel to what has caused the increase in heroin use in wealthier areas. These areas have more access to medical care and doctors willing to write prescriptions. As patients become addicted and the prescriptions dry up, addicts are hitting the street. What seems cheaper at first ends up being financially debilitating as the addiction progresses. That $10 bag becomes two bags, then three, then 10, and before you know it, that heroin addiction has bankrupted your family and destroyed your life.

 

In order to gain control of the increase in heroin use, physicians need to prescribe more cautiously, lessoning the quantity and frequency of prescriptions. And those addicted, be they teens or adults, need to get help and get into treatment. There’s no hope for moderation for an addict – complete abstinence is the only way.

 

Categories
Addiction Parenting Prescription Drugs Prevention Substance Abuse

A New SAMHSA Report Brings Xanax Front and Center

According to a new report issued by SAMHSA  (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

(Photo credit: Dean812)

Administration), there has been an increase in ER visits due to the recreational use of alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax.  Per the report, “The number of emergency department visits involving non-medical use of the sedative alprazolam (Xanax) doubled from 57, 419 to 124, 902 from 2005 to 2010, and then remained stable at 123, 744 in 2011.”

 

Xanax is part of a class of medications called benxodiazapenes and is indicated for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Benzodiazepenes work on the brain and the nerves – our central nervous system – producing a calming effect.  Benzodiazepenes enhance a chemical, which is naturally found in the body called GABA (gamma-Aminobutyric acid), which plays a role in regulating the nervous system.

 

It’s noted that Xanax is often one of the first pharmaceutical interventions given to someone struggling with anxiety or panic attacks. In fact, “Alprazolam is the 13th most commonly sold medication in 2012, and is the psychiatric medication most commonly prescribed in 2011.”

 

While Xanax may be effective when used appropriately for anxiety and panic disorders, it is profoundly dangerous when used recreationally. It is highly addictive and often encourages drug-seeking behavior. SAMSHA reports, “The non-medical use of alprazolam can lead to physical dependence, causing withdrawal symptoms such as tremors and seizures.  If alprazolam is combined with alcohol or other drugs that depress the central nervous system — such as narcotic pain relievers — the effects of these drugs on the body can be dangerously enhanced.”

 

The side effects of Xanax (alprazolam) include:

  • Dry mouth.
  • Slurred speech.
  • Drowsiness.
  • Disinhibition.
  • Skin rash.
  • Constipation.
  • Hallucinations (very rare)

 

According to the SAMHSA study, “In 2011, there were over 1, 200, 000 emergency department visits” as a result of recreational prescription drug use. Often times, recreational users mix several types of prescription drugs or add alcohol, creating a chemical mash-up. How these drugs are acquired is also a problem. It’s not uncommon to procure them from the medicine cabinets of parents, or parents of friends. This fact alone is a reminder for parents to lock away medications that present a danger and get rid of unused medications they have lying around the house. Keep in mind, expiration dates are a non-factor to a teen looking to get high and the reality is, all drugs not currently being used need to be viewed as dangerous.

 

The SAMSHA study acts as a reminder to pay closer attention to our children, and to take responsibility for the medications we have on hand. Adolescence breeds curiosity and is fraught with risk-taking behavior. What’s normal can very quickly go rogue. A child’s curiosity coupled with a genetic propensity for addiction is dangerous; likewise, a child’s curiosity coupled with a lack of impulse control (normal) and a rapidly developing brain (normal) is also dangerous. There is no “safe” curiosity when it comes to drugs. And misusing prescription drugs is not an exception.

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Addiction Feelings Recovery Service

Foundations in Recovery: Being of Service

What is evident in any recovery practice is the encouragement and urging to be of service. The call to be of service starts in treatment and continues into aftercare and beyond.  Service work is a foundational piece in recovery, and it is something that provides a salient way to recognize we are not alone.

 

Often times, someone comes into recovery with a sense of feeling alone, unheard, empty, vulnerable, and emotionally and sometimes physically shattered. Parents and loved ones are often worn down from the negative impact of their child’s poor actions and disruptive behavior that resulted from their addiction and untreated mental illness. Essentially, the entire family system is dysregulated. Coming into treatment or walking into a 12-step meeting means learning to recognize this in order to begin the work of putting the pieces back together.

 

We talk about being of service a lot in this blog and at Visions, whether it’s at our residential, outpatient, or extended care facilities. We understand that being of service creates a sense of self-worth; it takes us out of ourselves and allows us to see that we are not alone, illuminating the fact that others are suffering too.

 

When we struggle with our emotions, and our fears loom over us, it feels overwhelming. It can feel like you are standing in the shadow of a great mountain. And if you are in the midst of this alone, it’s even more overwhelming. When we reach our hand out to someone else, we take a step out of that shadow and out of the mindset of self-pity and self-deprecation. We allow ourselves to help others and in the meantime, our own hearts begin to heal. Being of service shows us the way to compassion and kindness and encourages selfless acts.

You can:

  • Take a commitment at a meeting
  • Offer to drive someone home whom you know always takes the bus
  • Volunteer at an animal shelter
  • Say yes when someone asks you for help (within reason, of course)
  • Take the trash out or wash the dishes…without being asked
  • Reach your hand out to someone newer than you in recovery

 

Addiction is a disease of loneliness. We isolate when we get high, we isolate when we drink, and we isolate when we are depressed or anxious. Being of service shifts that isolation into inclusive action. It allows us to be a part of instead of apart from.

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Addiction

Looking at the Roots of Addiction

Addiction is an effect of human unhappiness and human suffering. When people are distressed, they want to soothe their distress; when people are in pain, they want to soothe their pain. So the real question is not “why the addiction,” but “why the pain.”  Gabor Maté

 

This is a profound statement from Gabor Maté about addiction. In his work, Maté focuses on the link to childhood attachment and trauma as the source of addiction.  Similarly, Terra Holbrook, MSW, LCSW, CADC, utilizes the lens of codependency to explore the ways in which deficits in early childhood development shape our thinking, feelings and behavior, which often leads to codependency traits and addiction. According to Terra, “Codependency is a child in an adult body.” She goes on to say that codependency  “is the disease of immaturity; the developmental arrest that leads to immature thinking, feeling and behavior that generates aversive relationships with the self, which the codependent acts out through self destructive or unduly sacrificial behavior.”  Thusly, it’s appropriate and necessary to view codependency as a facet of trauma work, because it addresses the adverse responses one may exhibit as a result of a deficit of early attachment, abuse, neglect, and physical and emotional abandonment.  The underlying wounds and their effects on one’s worldview and personal expression of unaddressed traumas must be addressed as part of addiction treatment, and as a part of family treatment.

 

Alcohol and drug abuse as well as addiction are a response to a larger issue, and that’s where treatment comes in. That’s where skilled clinicians and systems of support become imperative to excavating the causative factors of addiction itself. A kid coming form a supportive, loving home where they are regularly seen and heard is less likely to use drugs and alcohol than a kid who comes from a home where they are neglected, ignored, pawned off, and unseen. If you add in the factors of poverty, then you add another layer of trauma as result of being forced to take often-detrimental measures to make ends meet and having multiple layers of unmet needs. Likewise, privilege can produce factors of emotional neglect and abuse not always recognized as problematic at the fore. For example, a kid can seem to have everything when you look from the outside, in, but inside, it may be a different landscape. Perhaps parents aren’t readily emotionally available or the child is left to their own devices while parents are busy doing other things. Neglect may have many faces but it always has the same result.

 

Addiction and codependency affect everyone. The way in which it presents in each individual may differ, but the essence is always the same: a “developmental arrest that leads to immature thinking, feeling and behavior” which leads to “self-destructive” behavior. Treatment and therapeutic support are a necessary factor that will foster healing and recovery. Doing it without support denies one the ability to break free from the habitual nature of repeating history and perpetuating dysfunction.  Delving into the roots of addiction allows one to reconstruct their lives to create one that is healthy and thriving. Recovery is possible.

 

Categories
Addiction Recovery Smoking

What’s Really in Those E-Cigs?

The latest research shows that there are tiny particles of metals in the vapor from E-Cigs. Dr. Stanton Glantz from University of California at San Francisco, and one of the leading researchers on E-Cigs, says, “If you are around somebody who is using e-cigarettes, you are breathing in ultra-fine particles and you are breathing in nicotine.”  Scientist Prue Talbot and her research team at the University of Riverside is one are one of the first to analyze the vapor itself. The findings were metals and more metals in the vapor; along with some oxygen, they found tin, copper and some nickel. Inhaling nanoparticles is dangerous and with a vehicle like E-Cigs, the nanotoxins will go deeper into the lungs. According to Dr. Glantz, “These particles are so very small, they go from your lungs, straight into your blood stream, and carry the toxic chemicals into your blood and then appear in various organs.”

 

While E-cigs may not be as polluting as tobacco cigarettes, they are not harmless. Each brand varies in terms of its content, so while one may be heavier in tin, another may have more copper. Certainly, E-Cigs may facilitate smoking cessation, however, there is a lack of information regarding product safety and toxicity, and currently there aren’t any FDA regulations regarding quality control and production during manufacturing. As a result, we have limited information about the legitimate safety of e-cigs aside from the short research done around the vapor itself. There isn’t enough data to sufficiently indicate the long-term effects of smoking E-Cigs and that means users are essentially the guinea pigs for this method of harm-reduction.

 

The pros: E-Cigs deliver fewer total chemicals and fewer carcinogens.

The cons: You are still inhaling chemicals into your lungs and blood stream. Products vary, they are not regulated, and there is a significant variance in toxicity. One study showed that 5 minutes of inhalation “adversely affected lung physiology, indicating that a better understanding of the health effects related to e-cigarettes is needed.”

 

Perhaps you want to quit smoking and E-Cigs seem to be the easy way out. Think about it this way: is there ever an easy way out? My experience has shown me that taking shortcuts in recovery, regardless of what one is recovering from, typically has negative results.

 

Resources:
Are e-cigarettes safe to use? New research shows metals found in vapor of electronic cigarettes

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Addiction Alcoholism Mental Health Recovery Spirituality

What is Refuge Recovery?

Noah Levine’s Refuge Recovery provides another approach to recovery–one seeped in Buddhist practice. We were inspired by his talk at this year’s Innovations in Recovery conference. Since 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous has been a foundational component of recovery for millions of alcoholics and addicts. It is free, it is available for all ages, it is simple in the way it’s shared and processed, and it also hasn’t really changed. When I take sponsees through the steps, they often comment on my old, tattered copies of the Twelve and Twelve and Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.  Over the years, however, my perception and process around the steps has shifted. It has evolved, if you will, to include another path, one that I share with those willing to begin the process of uncovering, discovering, and discarding old behaviors in a new, approachable way.

 

Several years ago, Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx, Against the Stream, Heart of the Revolution and founder of Against the Stream Meditation Society, started formulating the ideas behind his program called Refuge Recovery – a way of approaching recovery from addiction via the Buddhist path. This is a path fraught with self-inquiry, curiosity, dedication, and a call to put these actions into practice. Refuge Recovery views recovery as a process that heals the underlying causal factors that led to addiction in the first place.  His latest book, Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction, outlines his adaptation of the Buddhist 4 Noble Truths and Eightfold Path to use as an approach to recovery.

 

Refuge Recovery requires that practitioners practice renunciation: a formal rejection and abstinence from harmful behavior, including using drugs and alcohol. One is required to start with an in-depth personal inventory: a thorough, inquisitive investigation of one’s behavior, traumas, and resulting consequences and how they have manifested in one’s life. One is asked to take refuge in their community, and in the practices of meditation and renunciation. Here, taking refuge means we are taking shelter or finding safety and protection in recovery and community. In many ways, addicts and alcoholics have been attempting to take refuge via substances for years, only to find there is no real sanctuary there.

 

Refuge Recovery is based on Buddhist principles, which integrate scientific, non-theistic, and psychological insight.  Addictions are viewed as cravings in the body and mind; using meditation to create awareness can alleviate those cravings and ease one’s suffering.  It is done through this adaptation of the 4 Noble Truths:

 

1. Take inventory of our suffering: that which we have experienced and that which we have caused. (Uncover)

2. Investigate the cause and conditions of our suffering. (Discover) Begin the process of letting go. (Discard)

3.  Come to understand that recovery is possible, taking refuge in the path that leads to the end of addiction and suffering.

4. Engage in the Buddhist Eightfold Path that leads to recovery.

 

What follows is the Buddhist Eightfold Path.

 

The first two address the development of Wisdom.

 1. Wise understanding

2. Wise intentions

These three address Moral Conduct:

 3. Wise speech/community

 4. Wise actions

 5. Wise livelihood/service

These three address Mental Discipline

6. Wise effort

7. Mindfulness

8. Concentration

 

Another difference between Refuge Recovery and the 12 Steps is there is not a specific order: this is not a linear path. Through this process, one develops compassion and wisdom: two sides of the same coin, if you will. Compassion is equated with love, charity, kindness, and tolerance—qualities of the heart; Wisdom represents the quality of the mind: our ability to concentrate, make wise choices, and to critically think. However, compassion without wisdom, leads to foolishness, and wisdom without compassion leads to stoicism. The two must interweave.

 

I share this with you not to berate AA, but to provide a view outside of what we are familiar with and to open the doors of the mind and heart to see a way of broadening one’s path.  Bill W encouraged a broadening of the spiritual path: Refuge Recovery is that broadening. This is an opportunity to really look deeply into ingrained habits and patterns that prevent us from being truly free from our suffering. Visions began taking our teens that are on our mental health track to Refuge Recovery meetings with much success. Of late, our teens that usually go to AA meetings are also enjoying Refuge Recovery meetings.  It’s important to note that one is not better than the other: AA and Refuge Recovery can complement each other, leaving space for curiosity and introspection from a theistic or non-theistic path.

We leave no stone unturned in treatment: we provide what is necessary to recovery and we are grateful that the options for support are expanding.

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Addiction Mental Health Recovery Wellness

Finding Hope in Recovery and Beyond

Hope is fleeting or nonexistent for someone locked in the downward spiral of mental illness and substance abuse. In many ways, the transient quality of hope in the mind of the sufferer creates a sense of dissonance; it always seems to be out of reach. Recovery makes space for a more tangible kind of hope to develop and take root.  The hope we do have when we are in our diseases is hope for an escape. However, the hope we have in recovery is revised to resemble its true meaning: a desire for something good to happen and the capability to see its fruition.

 

We need to integrate hope into our lives as part of our recovery, viewing it as an action rather than as a “thing” to grasp. If we are going to recover, we have to have a life worth living, and building a foundation for hope is one of the actions needed to create such a life. This provides us with something to reach for and hope becomes something actively fostered in our lives.

 

There are some basic things one can do to work toward bringing hope into their lives:

 

Connection: Connect with others and begin to develop healthy relationships with people. The fellowship in 12-step meetings is helpful in creating connection with others. Fellowship provides opportunities to build new relationships with people who are on the same path. Within that context, one can begin to heal old relationships and build new ones.

 

Have fun: How often does someone come into recovery and assume that because they aren’t drinking and using that “fun” is off the list? Guess what—it’s not. When you realize you can laugh, and I mean, a stomach-clutching-falling-over kind of laugh all without the use of drugs or alcohol, it is liberating.

 

Get an education: This is a positive step to building hope for a fuller, better future.  Feeding your mind with knowledge and realizing your potential is a powerful thing. An education provides fertile soil for hope to take root and blossom.  It puts our foot on the path toward building a future that we want to be a part of.

 

We recognize that many of our teens and their families have lost hope. We support families in developing courage to change, and we foster the desire to heal. Every week, Visions facilitates Recovery Fun outings where we encourage teens to have fun, to laugh, and to find joy in their recovery.  We host yearly alumni and client events such as: the Big Bear ski trip, our staff vs. alumni softball game, our Catalina Adventure, and Halloween Fright Night. Fostering joy and laughter breeds healing and it leads to hope. Having fun reminds us that we are alive!  Just because we are dealing with heavy issues doesn’t mean that joy doesn’t exist.  We won’t let kids give up on themselves—we want them to start to recognize their potential. We give them skills that provide them with the knowledge that they are capable, and with that, they build an environment of hope.

 

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