Category: Recovery

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Recovery

Embrace Change: It’s a Requirement in Recovery

Think Outside the Box (Photo credit: Sarit Photography)

How can you embrace the change that occurs after recovery begins?

For one thing, you have to do the work to change the morality of the person within—the one who made all of those harmful choices that landed you in treatment and recovery.  We are innately good, but if we don’t do the inner work to change the way we engage with those around us, our goodness is truly in peril. Is that what you want in addition to sobriety? A failing sense of “goodness”? I didn’t think so. This is good to keep in mind, especially since Coachella is here!

1: We removed drugs and alcohol from our lives.

2: We are addressing any mental health issues that arise or have been ignored – with the help of professionals, of course (we did the self-help thing, remember?)

3: Change your social circles. This is one of the toughest things to do, especially as a teen! There are, however, wonderful sober teens and sober communities out there!

4: Learn how to have fun without drugs and alcohol.

5: Surround yourself with like-minded people whose love and support is unconditional.

6: Learn how to say no. Healthy boundaries will save your ever-lovin’ bums.

7: Do the tough work before it works you. In other words, get the correct therapeutic support so the shadows of your trauma and past don’t overcome the light of your presence.

8: Know that you don’t have to do this alone. Things can get tough; in recovery, the isolation and self-deprecation cease to be an active choice.

9: Dance. Dance and sing and act ridiculous. It frees the mind and soul and lets the light in. Think I’m nuts? Watch Glee or YouTube the Harlem Shake. Never has being ridiculous been more fun!

10: Love yourself and the love of others will seem less foreign. Know t hat You deserve to be loved.

Have fun at Coachella, folks! Remember, you’re not the “you” you used to be. Your morals have shifted, your goals are different, and your path isn’t paved with empty bottles and vomit anymore: you are embracing change. Your path is now paved with love and support and a second chance.

Categories
Adolescence Recovery Treatment

NExT: Santa Monica’s Adolescent Extended Care

Santa Monica Beach Reflections (Photo credit: szeke)

Santa Monica, California:

home of the Beach Boys, beautiful sunsets, surf, skateboarding, healthy living and NeXT, our gender-specific Extended Care program for teens. NeXT provides a therapeutic environment for teens that helps guide them and teach them how to become grounded in their independence while living away from home. Teens can come from any treatment facility across the nation and live at our Extended Care. No physical parental presence needed, though emotional support is welcome and required. Included in the treatment plans for those living at Extended Care is a supportive and caring education environment along with the appropriate therapeutic services required for healing.

 

Adriana Camarillo, our Educational Director aptly says this about NeXT: “It provides the structure and guidance that so many of our teens need. The staff is supportive and enthusiastic about recovery so it gives our clients something to look forward to about sobriety.” Being enthusiastic about healing and recovery from addiction and mental illness is paramount to the success of our adolescents and their families. Teens need to want to do something, it has to be appealing to them, and our program has identified that component and made it a reality.

 

Santa Monica, my hometown and perhaps the impetus behind my particular bias, really is a wonderful place. Where else can you easily ride your bike to the beach, go to a vast span of yoga classes, learn to meditate, eat at places like Urth Café or Café Gratitude, breathe clean air, visit the SM Pier and ride the ferris wheel, learn to fly trapeze, skateboard everywhere, drink Groundwerks coffee and also have an array of young people’s recovery meetings to choose from?  Doing all of that sober with sober friends is better than fun, it’s exhilarating!

 

So, if you’re worried about the future of your adolescents’ treatment plan and really want a safe, healing, fun space for them learn to live again, stay sober, and learn to love recovery, look no further. NExT is your place. Reality and healing can really be like heaven on earth and with a clinical and educational staff at the ready, it is therapeutically divine.

Categories
Addiction Recovery Therapy Treatment

The Value of an Outpatient Program

Outpatient programs have a unique position for those seeking treatment. They are sometimes looked upon as a softer way to approach treatment when a family is seeking help for their teen. There are some who think they can recover via our outpatient program alone, only to find out they need the more intensive care of our residential facility.  There are those who resist our outpatient program after spending time in residential only to discover that it is through our outpatient program where they learn to apply the tools they learned in our residential program.

 

Our outpatient program provides a therapeutic and safe container to continue the inner work that was being focused on at residential as well as to discover and tangibly experience how to live and love life as a sober, recovering person.  We treat males and females, 13-18 years of age and require the involvement of a family member. The first level of our outpatient program is called First Step. It is an introduction to treatment and takes place over an 8-week period. Here a teen will be provided with clinical support, group support, an individual session, a family session, and drug testing. The next level of our outpatient program is our Intensive Outpatient Program, and that takes place over the span of 1 year. This really is the continuation of our programs and provides a higher level of focused, outpatient care, which is broken down into 3 phases: Primary Care, Continuing Care, and After Care. In this way, your teen is being provided with the roots of treatment and wings of recovery all in the same, clinically supported environment.

For more information about our outpatient program, please read here. We can recover, one step at a time.

Categories
Addiction Adolescence Recovery

Addiction: Starting Anew and Letting Go

Stop! Are you being of service? Are to being kind? Are you hungry? Are you angry? Are you lonely? Are you tired? #recovery #selfcare #love #kindness #VTeam

Addiction:

It creeps up on you, biding its time, weaving its way into your mind and body, wrecking your resolve, staining your spirit. It plays a game of cat and mouse, its talons elusive, its manipulation brilliant; it captures you like a rat in a cage. I want to say that we can prepare our teens for treatment, but once those talons of addiction are embedded, nothing sane makes sense until the talons are removed and the healing begins. Addiction effects more than the user: it affects the family as a whole, nuclear or otherwise; it doesn’t give two shakes of a lamb’s tail who you are, where you come from, your financial status, race, color, creed, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

 

Addiction is a hopeless affair until you stand up to it and take the reigns of your life back. But that process takes work; it takes dedication; it takes a commitment to yourself, to your family, and to the world in which you live. It means looking at the ugly, dark, and terrifying thing in the recesses of your mind and body and naming it. It means recognizing the warrior within and ultimately dealing with whatever it is you’re running from. Something to note about drugs and alcohol: their numbing properties are merely a temporary Band-Aid for a much larger problem.

 

When a family comes to us, broken and scared, we understand the complex characteristics of what addiction does. It erodes trust, negatively impacts emotional safety, creates an environment fueled by fear and anger, and depletes the coping skills of the family as a whole. As a result, everyone is vulnerable. It is here where the work begins. Often, it is within that vulnerability where one finds the opening in the heart and mind that allows the healing to begin. We understand that the work of the family is layered: it requires honesty, and an ability to look at oneself; it requires willingness to separate your reactions to your child and to develop compassion; it requires a desire to forgive, and a desire to be forgiven. The treatment process allows for a new beginning, if you will, something many don’t ever have a chance to access. It’s an opportunity to recognize the warrior within—we all have one!

 

I can give you a million tools that may or may not prevent addiction from effecting your life, but the truth is, there’s no one way. For some, addiction is a something they are born with, for others, the spark is triggered by a traumatic event, and for others, it’s something unknown. As parents and support persons, it behooves us to let go of our laundry lists of the woulda-coulda-shouldas, and show up for our suffering teens. We can be supportive, we can get them help, we can love them in spite of their behavior, we can show them the meaning of unconditional love, and we can create safe, healthy boundaries for them and for ourselves. It’s not unlike an addict or alcoholic to push your every button to get a rise out of you, so boundaries are an imperative. Just because you’re showing support doesn’t mean you may continue to be a battering ram. You can love with boundaries: it’s not easy, but once you get the hang of it, your life will change for the better.

 

Try to remember to be kind to yourself as parents or kind to yourself as the teen in trouble. Allow the clinicians and supporting staff guide you back to wellness and stability. If there’s one thing that has stuck with me since I got sober it’s this: remain teachable. Once you think you know everything, you can’t learn anything new. Taking these early steps onto the recovery path is part of a letting-go process: we let go of what we think we know so we can learn a new way of living.

Allow yourself the opportunity to begin the healing process and embark on this path out of the darkness of addiction and be welcomed into the arms and support of the recovery community. With recovery comes grace and dignity, and those are qualities lacking in the addiction realm.

Categories
Addiction Guest Blogs Recovery

Is Your Teen Taking Drugs?

Is Your Teen Taking Drugs? Follow This 4 Step Action Plan

Guest post by Rosy Cooper of Future Expectations Today

In a survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that the US has a higher number of teen substance-abuse cases in comparison to many other countries. These results can be frightening for the parents of teens, especially those whose age is between 10 to 19 years.

When you discover that your teen is struggling from drug addiction or abuse, you may have a difficult time with your own emotions, anger and feelings. This is the biggest mistake most parents make. Regardless of how critical your teen’s case seems, recovery is feasible with the help of the right support and treatment.

Here is a 5-step action guide to follow to help your teen overcome the drug abuse or addiction:

 1.      Emotional Nurturing

This is one of the most effective factors in drug abuse treatment for adolescents. Take a step forward and reach out to the root cause of the problem and always let your teen know you’re with them until they start loving themselves again.

Remember, it’s not a piece of cake to recover from serious substance abuse. The path is long and challenging. Your teen requires space, time, motivation, commitment and support throughout their recovery.

 2.     Explore Different Treatment Options

Now it’s time to look for the treatment options available in your country.

One of the most important things to consider when you search for treatment is there is no single treatment for all drug addicts. For example, an adult facility wouldn’t work for your teen. Look for an exclusive teen rehabilitation center that best suits your child’s needs and conditions.

Often, drug addict suffer from psychological disorders, which means you need to find a dual-diagnosis treatment center where your teen can get both mental health and drug addiction treatment.

 3.     Don’t Hesitate in Asking For Support

You need support too!  You may share your problems with friends, relatives and other reliable people in your life. Because addiction is a family problem, treatment facilities will also provide family groups, as well as offer support groups. Having supportive resources will provide you with the support you need while also supporting your teen’s recovery process.

 4.     Keep Them Engaged

The best teen drug rehabs, camps or schools follow this concept as a helpful tool for recovering addicts. They organize various fun activities like hiking, mountain climbing, cycling, picnicking, et cetera, to keep struggling teens engaged and to teach social skills while also showing them they can have fun without drugs and alcohol.

These rehab centers or camps may also take troubled teens to various places, so they can experience a diversity of culture and nature. Many studies show that a positive environment, friendliness and healthy activities (both physical and intellectual) play a crucial role in the recovery of adolescents.

The road to recovery is challenging, but the right road map can certainly help your teen on the battlefield of his or her life.

Author Bio: Rosy works for a trust based teen rehabilitation center. She often writes about prevention methods, signs and various treatment methods of teen drug addicts in many health magazines and online blogs. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Categories
Recovery Self-Care Service

Being of Service: Self-Care is Still Imperative

Boundary (Photo credit: castle79)

When being of service becomes a source of obligation and stress, you’re not really being of service to anyone. If anything, you are causing harm to yourself and denigrating the purpose of service work. The steps are in order for a reason, right? Learning to love ourselves before we can wholeheartedly love others has to become part of the cornerstone of our recovery. We do the steps and “leave no stone unturned,” looking at our actions, the actions of others, our responses to them, how they effect us, how we react, and so on. We uncover and discover as much as we can, including some things that catch us by surprise. When we are brand new, the familiar adage, “fake it till you make it,” can certainly be applicable especially when you simply need to get out of yourself by being of service. At the same time, if you find that you have dedicated yourself to helping others and “faking it” to the extent that you, yourself, are being neglected, it’s time to pause.

 

As much as we ran away from ourselves via drugs, alcohol, food, sex, video games, social media, we can also do the same thing in recovery by overextending ourselves in our service work. We can do too much and place ourselves at great risk for doing too little for ourselves. At some point, we have to stop and feel the feelings of whatever it is we are trying to escape. We are, as they say, “as sick as our secrets.” Within each of us in recovery potentially lies the hurt child seeking solace, safety, love, and protection. As we begin to be of service to ourselves, we can be of service to that side of us that is hurting and hiding in the darkness. We can ultimately learn to be gentle with ourselves , which will allow us to be gentle with others.

How do we do this?

  • Ask for help.
  • Get a sponsor
  • Find a therapist
  • Create a network of other people in recovery with whom you can relate, be honest, and have sustained emotional safety. (Fellowship)

Set healthy Boundaries.

Physical and emotional: Think about boundaries as a “property line.” Read what Positively Positive has to say about this. It’s fantastic.

Creating healthy boundaries will help you set guidelines for people around you that tell them what is acceptable to you and what is not. There are physical boundaries, emotional boundaries, both different but both invaluable to self-esteem building and self-care. You don’t have to agree with everyone or have him or her agree with you to be liked.

Do the work

  • Work the steps.
  • Start a journal.
  • Go to meetings
  • Take commitments
  • Do the deep, therapeutic work provided by your therapist.

Being of service is our ultimate goal. We need to be able to give back what has been so freely given to us. That is step 12, after all. In the process, however, we must maintain healthy boundaries and a sense of self-care.  Remember, it’s ok not to be ok sometimes, however it’s not ok if we put on our trainers and run from our feelings. Allow someone to be of service to you. You deserve it just as much as the next person.

 

Categories
Recovery Service Treatment

Chloe Huerta: Assistant NeXt Manager

Chloe Huerta is one of our amazing alumni who came back and joined the Visions’ team. In 2010, Chloe brought her engaging personality and compassion to our residential facility as a Program Aide; Chloe has since become the Assistant Manager for NeXT, our Gender-Specific Extended Care program and is working toward her CAADAC.  Chloe always makes me smile whenever I see her. She’s funny, incredibly positive, willing to learn, always filled with gratitude and is a remarkable young woman. She has made it her mission to give back to the community that helped her find her way during her youth. We are tremendously grateful to have someone like Chloe as part of our team.  Her relatability, understanding, and kindness are an integral part of who she is and what she brings to the Visions family. Thank you so much for all you do, Chloe! Read on for the amazing staff comments about you and your awesomesauce:

“She is a miracle. A completely different human being than the girl I first met here in treatment. Incredibly proud of her and amazed at the level of joy, compassion and optimism this young woman displays and shares with our residents.” – Roger L’Hereault

 

“Chloe Huerta is an amazing example of fun in recovery and not taking life too seriously! Chloe always has a positive attitude and keeps the clients excited about their new life. Chloe is one of the most caring people I know – her genuine personality is recognized by clients and staff alike. Chloe is able to hold boundaries, express needs, and hold others accountable yet is also able to have respect from clients. She’s amazing.” – Ashley Bolen

“Chloe is a rock star! I had the pleasure of working with Chloe when we first opened up the Extended Care house and together we managed to make it work! I think the best part about her, other than her upbeat bubbly attitude, is her ability to roll with the punches and take things as the come. (There was a lot of that the first year!) She has strong passion for helping people and I feel she truly cares about the young teens we work with. It’s a pleasure to work with her and she brings a lot of fun to the table too!” – Jennifer Garrett

 

Chloe!  You have come such a very long way, and we are so proud of your journey!  Chloe is a Visions’ alumni who came to work for us as an overnight PA.  She moved to days and was eventually promoted to Assistant Manager of the Extended Care program.  She has helped so many girls with their early stages of recovery because she truly relates to their struggles and issues.  Chloe is in school for her counseling certificate and is one of our brightest stars.  We are grateful for her work ethic and her ability to show up “no matter what.”  We love us some Chloe!!!  — Amanda and Chris Shumow

 

No staff blog would be the same without our 10 questions. As I thought, Chloe doesn’t disappoint:

1: What is your Starbucks order?

 Iced  Dirty Chai or Iced Green Tea (no water)

2: Sand or Sea? Why?

I’m afraid of sea creatures but I love being in the ocean

3: Favorite literary character?

 Pippi Longstocking

4: Are you following your dreams?

I have a lot of dreams but I’m on the path to following my current dreams.

5:  What is your greatest joy?

Spending time with my younger brother

6: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would that be and why?

Floranopolis, Brazil. It’s supposed to be beautiful, I am obsessed with the culture and a few of my friends live there.

7: If you could have dinner with anyone (alive or dead), who would it be and why?

Hellen Keller!

8: Cake or pie?

Cake–pie is for Thanksgiving.

9: Dogs or Cats?

I’m all about the pups! 

10: Why do you choose to work for Visions?

I’ve always wanted to give back to the people who saved my life. I looked up to the tech, counselors, and therapists when I was a resident and I hoped to help someone at such an important time in their life.

Categories
Addiction Eating Disorders Recovery Smoking

Eating Disorders: Using Smoking As Weight Control

Smoking cigarettes in adolescence has always been considered a pathway to coolness, or a way to fit in. For a time, smoking began to be considered passé, but amongst teens in recovery, it still holds the mythical status of cool and is often key to fitting in. So much so, kids who want to quit or who don’t really want to smoke may even start smoking E-cigarettes in an attempt to reach the same level of cool. (It is just vapor, right?). I digress. For girls who smoke, there may be another reason behind the nasty habit: presumed thinness, or a path to thinness. Some assume that smoking is also the answer to hunger pains and subconsciously satisfy (albeit temporarily) the desire for food.

 

In their working paper titled “The Demand for Cigarettes as Derived from the Demand for Weight Control,” Stephanie Von Kinke Kessler Scholder and John Cawley found that “among teenagers who smoke frequently, 46% of girls and 30% of boys are smoking in part to control their weight.” We see this behavior all the time within our recovery community, particular among those suffering from and beginning to recover from eating disorders. For some, the idea is that it’s far easier to go smoke than to eat lunch. We are highly aware of this predilection amongst our eating disorder population and we take great measures to stop these behaviors in their tracks. Some of which include supervised meals and several focus groups dedicated to eating disorder recovery.

 

But what about someone struggling with an eating disorder who is not in the safe, healing environment of a treatment facility? What if they are on their own, doing the dance of recovery solely through meetings and fellowship? Will they notice their use of cigarettes to stifle hunger pains? More than likely, they will not. I remember being new and bragging that I was surviving on a diet of coffee and cigarettes, ever chasing the goal of “perfection.” At the same time, I also had a raging eating disorder, consuming my thinking and vision. I was clueless. It took me years to learn to recognize that smoking was a key to assisting me in my process of acquiring thinness.  In fact, one of the fears when I quit smoking was the presumed assurance of weight gain.

 

As always, one of the first steps to recovery is asking for help. This is not a feat that comes naturally to an addict or alcoholic. We are accustomed to “doing it all ourselves.” Still, going to meetings, getting a sponsor, finding a therapist, all of these things can help us begin the healing process. Beginning the process of digging deeply and getting to the root cause of whatever is causing you to harm yourself with addiction, starvation or binging, or binging and purging is crucial. We cannot recover alone, nor can we stop the insanity of our addictions without asking for help.

Categories
Mental Health Recovery Trauma

Trauma and Getting Triggered: Keeping Ourselves Safe

(Dark into Light via saritphoto)

I’m concerned for the survivors of sexual trauma and abuse, and the potentiality of getting triggered

simply by watching the news, or scrolling through Facebook or Twitter feeds. I’m wary of the media and the backlash from the recent Steubenville rape trial. It’s easy for that trauma to rise, presenting itself as fury and heightened emotions. It’s easy to slip back into the story of your own trauma, reliving moment-by-moment that which haunts you.

Signs of being triggered can include:

  • Angry outbursts
  • Flashbacks
  • Feeling emotionally numb or closed off
  • Avoiding certain areas, or subjects
  • Anxiety: tightness in the chest or throat, feelings of panic, et cetera.

Sometimes, we can feel tempted to continue to watch the news or read the feeds despite feeling triggered, believing we “should” be able to watch these things and be ok. It’s in the past, after all. Right? Wrong. The trouble with trauma is this: our bodies can’t always tell the difference between time and space. When we get triggered, we are often thrust back into that moment of trauma, sometimes too fast to stop ourselves. Over time, and with deep work, we can learn to recognize our bodies’ signals and responses to a trigger and take steps to stop it in its tracks or at least hold a safe space for it to just “be.” EMDR, DBT, CBT and TF-CBT are all useful therapeutic modalities for treating trauma. Additionally, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness practices are helpful in getting the “issues out of our tissues” as Tommy Rosen likes to say.

If you find that you are getting triggered from newsfeeds and current events, please:

  • Unplug
  • Step away from technology
  • Talk to someone and ask for help.
  • Surround yourself with safe people.
  • Take a lot of deep breaths.
  • If you practice yoga, this is a good time to get on your mat. A gentle practice of breath and movement can guide you back to the present moment.
  • Be of service. Helping others gets us out of ourselves and into action.

Yes, it can be tremendously debilitating when a trigger occurs, but you are not alone. There are people around you who will help you without judgment. You are safe now.

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Categories
Recovery

Serious to Silly: Finding your Funny Bone in Recovery

Do we have to stop being silly just because we’re in recovery?  I think not!  In fact, our mental health just might be at stake if we get too serious!

Things we do need to be serious about:

  • Our sobriety
  • The 12 Steps
  • Our speech: is it helpful or harmful?
  • Our actions: are you being selfish, self-centered, greedy, or manipulative?
  • Our health: are you taking care of our mental and physical health?
  • Asking for help
  • Developing self-awareness
  • Self-care

But here are some things where being silly, play, lightheartedness can be invited in:

  • Creativity
  • Exercise…outside…in the mountains, or at the beach. In fact, learn how to do something new, like stand up paddle boarding, and bring your sense of humor with you–you’ll need it!
  • Look random things during your day that bring you joy and share them with others.
  • Games: grab a yo-yo or try to walk a slinky down some stairs. Remembering how to be ridiculous is truly liberating.
  • Have a Game night. Seriously a night hanging out with friends, some coffee, and a silly game like Balderdash can be hilarious.

Getting sober, managing mental health issues, learning how to be comfortable again or for the first times in our bodies is hard work. It’s scary, emotional, and intense. When we get lost in the intensity, and lose site of our light side, recovery can feel overwhelming.  This is where finding humor, laughter, and fun can act as a release valve we so desperately need.  Keep it simple never sounded so good!

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