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Our program is focused on treating complex addiction and mental health issues faced by young adults, Call now 866-957-4961.

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Intensive Family Program • Innovative Experiential Therapy • 12-Step Program Focus

We're Here To Help You

At the Claudia Black Young Adult Center, we help you to access PPO insurance plans with out-of-network benefits. Our team of professionals makes Utilization Review and insurance billing easier so our patients can get the care they need.

Start The Journey Towards Recovery

If you are or your loved one is struggling with unresolved emotional trauma, addiction, have a dual diagnosis or have failed past treatment, we can help. At The Claudia Black Young Adult Center, we guide young adults through recovery by examining the root causes of their disorders. Please fill out the form or call the number below for more information on how we can help.

Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts

3/22/19

How to Choose the Right Rehab Center for Young Adults

Rehab-for-Young-Adults-990x635

Younger adults are much difficult to put back on track from malicious substance abuse. It is because you cannot really stop them from going out or attend their college. This blog focuses on how you can select the best rehab centre for them. Whenever you are thinking of starting your research about the rehab that your younger adult needs, you need to first figure out the needs and the goals of the rehab program. You need to have a consultation done with the professionals and get the entire insight into the process of treatment. Eventually, start finding rehab options that you might feel are suitable for your needs. Also, make sure that you are considering the various other amenities available at the rehab as well. These can include outpatient or inpatient rehab, various therapies, and treatments available at the rehab, and the various specialities and amenities of the rehab.

9/20/17

The Complexity Of Treating Young Adults

Addiction TreatmentBy Claudia Black and Leanne Lemire

Leah, 22, enters treatment with a history of substance abuse since the age of 14. She also has a history of disordered eating and is addicted to Adderall. By the time she enters treatment, her use of drugs has ranged from alcohol and cocaine to a variety of speed derivatives, yet it is heroin from which she needs to detox. She has been raped more than once while under the influence and has just made her third suicide attempt.

Josh, 25, is seeking help for depression. He was severely isolated in his bedroom at his parents' home, always playing video games. He has few peer relationships and lacks any motivation for attending school or getting a job. He describes his depression as experiencing a deep emptiness and darkness inside. As Josh seeks treatment for his depression, it quickly becomes apparent he is addicted to gaming and should be assessed for porn addiction as well.

Sara, 19, comes to treatment wearing all dark clothing, avoids eye contact with anyone and is unable to attend school in her severe depressed state. She was adopted, which often fuels attachment disruption issues, and she experienced chronic bullying throughout her school years.

At the Claudia Black Young Adult Center at The Meadows in Wickenburg, Arizona, the addictions we see run the gamut from substances to process addictions. Usually, people with addiction enter treatment identifying the most behaviorally problematic addiction, but seldom do clients show up with only one.

Depression is prevalent for many young people with addiction, and depression and some form of anxiety disorder are the most common mental health issues and co-occurring diagnoses. With sound psychiatric assessment, it is not uncommon to identify an untreated bipolar disorder and conditions of attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Trauma is also pervasive in this age group. For both men and women, sexual assault has often occurred. Both in the context of their addiction and growing up years, many have been exposed to accidents and violence. Acrimonious divorce, parents with addiction, the death of a peer or family member, chronically absent or rejecting parents, and bullying are just some of the experiences that fuel their self-loathing, self-mutilation, anxiety, depression, and the desire to medicate with alcohol and other substances.

When we started taking patients, our perception was that we would be addressing the stereotypical failure-to-launch experience. What we have come to realize is that those in need of treatment are not launching due to their undiagnosed addictions and mental health issues that are most often combined with unhealthy parenting practices.

Core Treatment Elements

At the Claudia Black Young Adult Center, we have found the following core programming elements are needed to address the complexity of this age group:

  • Grounding techniques that range from breath work, sensorimotor psychotherapy modalities, neurofeedback, yoga and tai chi, and acupuncture help clients regulate their emotions and focus on treatment.
  • Treatment-specific trauma therapies including eye movement desensitization and processing, Somatic Experiencing, The Meadows signature "Survivors" five-day workshop, action-based experiential modalities, art therapy, and sand tray help clients identify and work through their negative self-beliefs and destructive behavioral patterns.
  • Community peer culture keeps clients accountable to one another, creates mentoring associations and allows them to experience drug-or-alcohol free peer relationships.
  • Gender-responsive programming facilitates opportunities for clients to form connections and develop support within their own gender.
  • Life skills such as problem-solving, negotiation, healthy communication and time management help the transition back to everyday life.
  • The 12-step program of some form is encouraged even for those who do not identify as addicts and could Al-Anon, Adult Children of Alcoholics or Codependents Anonymous, which is particularly popular with clients who are depressed and anxious.
  • Fun in recovery is important. If they don't believe they can have fun being clean and sober, they won't stay clean and sober. The client who has a primary mood or anxiety disorder often experiences laughter and fun for the first time in the treatment setting, giving them a glimpse of how life can be as they move on with their recovery plan.
  • Family involvement during treatment is critical to treatment.
It is important to note that it is from their family that the young adult will find either their greatest support or greatest sabotage. They come into treatment very angry or distant from their parents, yet they only want to know they are loved and accepted. The flip side that we see is the severely enmeshed family relationships where learning autonomy will be critical for their recovery. For these reasons, family engagement is the foundation of what we do.

The Possibilities

Our clients come to treatment full of guilt, shame, self-loathing and hopelessness yet may present as arrogant, entitled and angry or overwhelmed, withdrawn and fearful. The exciting aspect of working with this age group is that with a highly mindful, well-structured program and high staff-to-patient ratio, we witness transformation. These young adults are now believing in their own self-worth, have greater coping skills, and leave with hope and concrete plans for ongoing recovery and healing. They embrace the future knowing their lives will be different and are ready to take those next needed steps.

For more information on the Claudia Black Center, call 866-764-9263 or visit us online.


5/29/17

Which type of mood swings do drug addicts have?

treatment for alcohol addictionMood swings are very hard to handle especially when you don’t know the reason behind it. Mood swings could be for various reasons, but most dangerous of all is when a person is on drugs. Drugs could give mood swings that are impossible to handle. When this happens a person becomes addictive and then, can be harmful.

So the big question is: which type of mood swings a person is suffering through?

Well, below mentioned are following symptoms, which are caused due to prescription drug abuse.


  1. Weirdness seeps in: A person becomes confused about his surroundings. He doesn't know what is going on because he is subconscious all the time. The after-effects of drugs makes seem everything weird to him.

  2. Sleeplessness: Drugs could easily affect sleep pattern of a person. It makes a person lazy and a person doing no work will always have difficulty in sleeping.

  3. Messy and unhygienic appearances: When a person has a habit of intake of drugs, he always looks messy. He has no time to clean up well. He won't like to keep himself good because he doesn't care about anyone but his drugs.

  4. Depression: When a human becomes a victim of drugs, he fails to perform a basic task. This takes a person deep into depression and makes it difficult to maintain relation with others. He hurts other as well as his own self and later on feels guilty about it.

  5. Cannot memorize: A person with prescribed drug abuse could have a hard time remembering important things. He could also forget to do his daily routine stuff. This could adversely affect his physical, emotional, social and mental self.

  6. Dual or multi-addiction: As it is said one addiction leads to another, prescribed drugs abuse leads to smoking or alcohol consumption. Two addictions at a time are even more dangerous. One addiction damages body and other damages brain.
Thus, it is advised to observe a person's behavior for 7 days and then provide help. If you feel that you, yourself or someone, have become a victim of these, do not hesitate to seek help from us. We are Claudia Black young Adult centre that provides treatment for drug abuse and alcohol addiction in Arizona. Stay safe.

3/2/17

How to Cope with Mood Swings?

Treatment for Drug Abuse and Alcohol Addiction in Arizona Mood swings are very hard to handle especially when you don’t know the reason behind it. Mood swings could be for various reasons. If a girl is having her days of month, then it is mood swing, if dumped or cheated by lover, then it’s a mood swing, but most dangerous of all is when a person is on drugs. Drugs could give mood swings that are near to impossible to handle. This happens because person becomes addictive and an addicted person can harm himself or others physically.handle especially when you don’t know the reason behind it. Mood swings could be for various reasons. If a girl is having her days of month, then it is mood swing, if dumped or cheated by lover, then it’s a mood swing, but most dangerous of all is when a person is on drugs. Drugs could give mood swings that are near to impossible to handle. This happens because person becomes addictive and an addicted person can harm himself or others physically.

So the big question is: how do we know a person has habit of intake of drugs?

Well, below mentioned are following symptoms, which are caused due to prescription drug abuse…


  1. Confused about surroundings: A person becomes confused about his surroundings. He doesn't know what is going on because he is subconscious all the time.

  2. Intoxicated appearances: When a person has habit of intake of drugs, he always looks messy. He has no time to clean up well. He won’t like to keep himself good because he doesn’t care about anyone but his drugs.

  3. The difficulty with memory: A person with prescribed drug abuse could have a hard time remembering important things. He could also forget to do his daily routine stuff. This could adversely affect his physical, emotional, social and mental self.

  4. Insomnia: Drugs could easily affect sleep pattern of a person. It generally makes a person restless and lazy that a person could have difficulty with the sleep. Also, this would make a person tired affecting his physical self with diseases like cardiac arrest, diarrhea, heart palpitation, etc

  5. Depression: When a human becomes victim of drugs, he fails to perform a basic task. His mood swings make it difficult to maintain relation with others. He hurts other as well as his own self. This makes him feel guilty when his drug dose-effect drains down. He feels bad about himself and depression hits him at its peak. Depression enables him to have more dosage of drugs and his deterioration starts.

  6. Alcohol addiction: As it is said one addiction leads to another, prescribed drugs abuse leads to smoking or alcohol consumption. Two addictions at a time are even more dangerous. Drugs abuse damages mind and mood swings, alcohol damages liver and other body parts.
Thus, it is advised to observe a person’s behavior for 7 days and then provide help. If you feel that you, yourself or someone, have become victim of these, do not hesitate to seek help from us. We are Claudia Black young Adult center that provides treatment for drug abuse and alcohol addiction in Arizona. Stay safe.

2/2/17

5 Reasons why one should not have Alcohol Addiction

Treatment for Alcohol AddictionAlcohol has its origin from an Arabic term al-ḡawl which means bad influence or evil result for a headache. Alcohol has bad influence if its intake is in a higher amount. Any addiction is harmful to health but alcohol addiction leads to another addiction of drug or smoking or sex addiction. Too much intake of alcohol is not advisable and there are many reasons for you not to have alcohol but below mentioned are few of them.

  1. According to one research, every year in the U.S., 5K people under the age of 21 dies from an alcohol-related incident such as car crashes, alcohol poisoning or other related injuries.
  2. One bottle of champagne contains 90 pounds pressure per inch2, which is 3X the pressure of car tires. The cork of the champagne bottle popped, travels 60 miles per hour which cause serious damage.
  3. Alcohol is a reason for impaired judgment when consumed. It could lead to unintended sexual activity, drinking, and driving, violence or other dangerous behaviors.
  4. Proportionately more alcoholic women die from cirrhosis which means damage to liver than alcoholic men
  5. Alcohol does not relieve depression - it makes it worse so do not think about forgetting problems with the help of alcohol.
If you feel you or any of your family members are addicted to alcohol, you could opt for Treatment for Alcohol Addiction from Claudia Black young adult center. Claudia Black treats all kinds of traumas, addictions, and disorders. Care for your loved ones.

11/7/16

Build Better Relationships by Developing Your Erotic Intelligence

Our sexual identity matures over time, as do our political, cultural, and aesthetic selves. In all these areas, maturation demands attention and learning from mistakes. The deep consciousness and refined technique attained in any field can develop tools applicable to sexuality.

But unfortunately, the credits don't always transfer. So we see many brilliant artists, athletes and politicians utterly undone by sex and relationships.

And many young adults who aspire to sexual maturity before their time dress to impress, assume the postures of popular culture, and mistake the playbook for the event.

Further, while age and experience are key elements of maturation, there certainly are oldsters as immature as any teen. So at no social stage can the attainment of erotic intelligence be faked.

Read Full Blog

10/25/16

Addiction and Eating Disorders Often Linked in Young Adults


In a recently published Recovery Campus magazine article, Remuda Ranch at The Meadows Senior Fellow Jessica Setnick takes a closer look at the Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) eating disorder program at Texas Tech University. It is one of the first communities of its kind to recognize the need for eating disorder support services among students who are also struggling with drug or alcohol addiction

“Reports from eating disorder treatment facilities suggest that up to half of all individuals in recovery from eating disorders also have a substance use disorder. Some individuals develop an addiction to stimulants or diet pills by way of an unhealthy desire to manage weight or control appetite. Others experience dysfunctional overeating or undereating as an inadvertent replacement behavior for drug or alcohol use.”

Read Full Article

10/20/16

Becoming Fearless with the Help of Al-Anon


By the Mother of a Past Claudia Black - Young Adult Drug Treatment PatientAs my daughter does her recovery work from drug and alcohol addiction and anxiety, I too work my recovery through Al-Anon.

I won’t go into details of how my daughter and I both came to this point because I’m guessing many of you are already familiar with the scenario— failing grades, arrests, court appearances, isolation, detachment, and on and on.

I spent many fear-filled nights of insanity sleeping with my phone next to me waiting for that call parents fear most… Was she in jail again? Was she in an accident? Did she overdose? Was she dead? I received one of those calls. My daughter was in such a bad place that she couldn’t even finish her last semester of college.

Finally, I gave in to my fear, checked my ego, and accepted the help of many friends and family. With mixed emotions of anger, pain, shame, and guilt, I put aside my resentment of being forced to face my daughter’s issues, and on a Sunday morning her intervention team showed up at her college rental house. To say things didn’t go as planned would be an understatement. The well thought out plan of getting her to agree to go to treatment failed; she would not go.

I left the intervention feeling defeated and numb. What now? As hard as it was, I tried tough love and cut her cell phone service off and thus lost total communication with her. However, she still had our family dog, Bailey, at the rental house.

Read Full Article


9/12/16

College-Age Suicides Escalate

anxiety disorder treatment
Untreated Depression Costs Lives

Each new day brings rays of sunshine that invite life’s pleasures – the enticing scent of freshly brewed coffee; the warmth of embracing young children as they scurry off to school; or savoring simple bowls of delightful berries in all of its sweetness.

Unfortunately, life’s splendors are no longer in reach for suicide victims. There are no more tomorrows and no options to change course. No more laughter. No more aha moments. No more tender hugs from loved ones. Nothing can reverse the loss of a life to suicide. It’s finite. Over. There are no second chances.

Unfortunately, suicides on college campuses have been accelerating at an alarming rate. Paul Soutter, a sophomore at the College of William & Mary, recently took his own life. A once high-achieving young man, his death has brought increased attention to this epidemic of sorts. His death will forever leave a mark on his family, friends, teachers, and everyone else who knew this young individual who was once so full of life. This was the fourth student death at the college this year.

Full Article Here: Claudia Black Center Blog

5/31/16

11 Signs Your Young Adult May Need Help

Addiction Treatment ArizonaBy Ashley Chesky, MA, LAC and Patricia Plum, MSW, LMSW

Do you sometimes feel that you no longer recognize the child that you raised? When you look at your young adult, do you find yourself asking,"Who is this person?" Do you feel "crazy," "lost," or “at your wits end?” Have you lost all hope?

Maybe this is where hope begins.

Dramatic personality changes often occur due to trauma, drug addiction treatment, mental health issues, or some combination. Oftentimes, as families, we struggle to identify what is "normal" and what are red flags.

Here are some warning signs, questions you should ask yourself, and questions you may already be asking yourself that might help you to decide whether or not to get help. The more red flags you identify the greater the urgency…

1. Emotional Extremes

Ask yourself, "Am I walking on egg shells?"

Has your young adult begun showing extreme emotions in any of the following areas?
Extreme Anger
Raging or fighting. Reactivity when they are told “no.”
Extreme Anxiety
Especially during everyday activities that once brought about no fear.
Extreme Euphoria
Laughing for no apparent reason, or at inappropriate times.
Extreme Lack of Emotion
Or, a vacillation between emotional extremes.

2. Physical Change

Are you saying to yourself, "They look different?"

Sudden weight loss or weight gain
Have you noticed a lack of appetite, them showing little no interest in food or restricting themselves from eating? Have they begun to overeat or eat in response to emotion and not from actual hunger?
Changes in personal hygiene
Has the young adult lost interest in their personal appearance, stopped bathing, stopped brushing his or her teeth, or failed to seek medical assistance when needed? Do they no longer clean their clothes or keep a clean living space? Or, to the opposite extreme, have they become obsessive about cleanliness or about looking and being perfect?

3. Withdrawing or isolation:

Are you asking yourself, "What are they up to?"

Have they begun to disregard family time, no longer showing up to dinners, holidays, or special events?
Have you begun to notice excessive time in their room, with "friends", on their phone, or other technology?
Do they not answer when you call or "never see" the text message?

4. Dishonesty

Ask yourself, "Can I trust them?"

Do you get the sense that you are being manipulated, lied to, or deceived?
Do you feel they contact you only to get something?
Do they answer every question with a question, biding their time?
Do they appear to have an excuse for everything?
Are they using phrases like, "I am fine," "It's ok," when it is obvious they are not?

5. Poor work or school performance

Are you saying to yourself, "Has there been any progression?"

Is the young adult constantly blaming coworkers, teachers or others for their own short comings?
Has the individual been unable to hold a job for more than six months?
Has the young adult dropped classes or been placed on academic probation?
Have they been suspended or expelled for dysfunctional behavior?

6. Legal problems

Have you had to ask, "Do we need to get a lawyer?"

Has the young adult found him or herself in the jail system due to DUI, fighting, theft, minor in possession, drugs, or paraphernalia?
Have allegations of sexual or physical assault been discussed?

7. Self Harm

Have you ever thought to yourself, "How did that happen?"

Does the person in question have unexplained cuts, scratches, bruises, or abrasions?
Are they wearing clothing that appears inappropriate to the season, perhaps to cover markings?
Do they explain away cuts bruises or burns that appear in inappropriate places or in distinct patterns?

8. Suicidal or Homicidal Threats or Behaviors Have you asked yourself, "Are they serious?"

Does the young adult make threats of harm to themselves or others?
Do they talk about having a fantasy of harming to others?
Have you found violent materials in their room, or on their computer, phone, etc?
Do they have a fascination with weapons or death?
Have they harmed animals?
Do they struggle with self harm?

9. Paraphernalia

Have you ever asked, "What is this?"

Have you recently found sexual paraphernalia such as pornography, condoms, or fetish objects?
Do they have applications on their phone for "hooking up"?
Do they have drug paraphernalia such as pipes, needles, or pill bottles?
Are you discovering items out of place or in excess, such as tin foil, spoons, or baggies?
Have you noticed household items gone missing or being purchased in excess such aerosol cans or over-the-counter medications?

10. Social Change

Have you looked at your young adult and asked, "What are you doing?"

Have they changed their group of friends? Perhaps begun a romantic relationship and left their friends behind?
Do they no longer find pleasure in the things they once enjoyed?
Are they acting chronically younger than their actual age?
Have they failed to "grow up"?

11. Financial Instability

Are you asking, "Where did all the money go?"

Do they have creditors calling?
Are they always asking for more money? Do they offer vague explanations on why?
Have they taken money without asking?
Is there entitlement to spending money?
Do they appear to always need more?

Help Is Available

We encourage you as parents and loved ones to trust you instinct. Even if you are uncertain about red flags, but you know something is wrong, seek help.

It can never be too soon, but it can be too late.

You can speak with an Intake coordinator at The Claudia Black Center on the phone or online anytime. Call 855.333.6075 or Chat Live online.

5/1/16

Claudia Black to Present at Young Adult Conference

Treatment for Alcohol AddictionThe Claudia Black Young Adult Center at The Meadows is proud to serve as a co-host of Ben Franklin Institute’s Young Adult: Failure to Launch Conference, which takes place October 29 – 31 in Tempe, Arizona.

The conference offers advanced clinical training for therapists and counselors. Nineteen continuing education credits (CE’s) are available to those who attend.

The conference will feature the top faculty, authors, and thought leaders in the field of mental health and the issues that affect today’s young adults. Topics will include understanding young adults that get stuck; engaging with difficult clients; treating addiction and trauma in the young adult; intervention strategies for addressing marijuana use; trauma and eating disorders; young adults, sex and the Internet; Positive Psychology and the young adult; and many more.

On Thursday, Oct. 29, Claudia Black, PhD, will give a keynote address on “Addiction and Trauma: Complexity of Treating the Young Adult.” During the 1970s, Dr. Black gave “voice” to both young and adult children from addictive homes. This cutting edge work was critical in creating the foundation for the co-dependency field and a greater understanding of the impact of family trauma. She is a Senior Fellow and Clinical Architect for the Claudia Black Young Adult Center at The Meadows.

Also on Thursday, Oct. 29, Leanne Lemire, MSW, LCSW, Clinical Director of The Claudia Black Young Adult Center at The Meadows, will give a presentation on “Honoring the Survivor Within.” Lemire’s specialty focus is with trauma resolution, addictive disorder, and complex psychiatric disorders among young adults. Her training includes Pia Mellody’s Post Induction Therapy, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Somatic Experiencing®, Ropes Challenge Course, Gestalt Therapy, and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.

Ben Franklin Institute, the producer of The Summit for Clinical Excellence Conference, is the premier provider of continuing education for behavioral health, mental health, and addiction professionals. They bring together the best and brightest trainers from many disciplines to offer broader perspectives and to help therapists and counselors to better address the issues that their clients are facing day-to-day.

Behavioral health professionals can register online for the conference at www.bfisummit.com.

4/4/16

August 31 is International verdose Awareness Day

Alcohol Rehab ArizonaDrug overdose is now the leading cause of deaths from injury in the United States.

According to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention deaths caused by drug overdose are on the rise. Deaths of women who overdosed on benzodiazepines have risen a staggering 640 percent over the last 12 years, while deaths for both men and women from prescription drug overdose have risen 340 percent.

International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is a global event held on August 31st each year. It aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have met with death or permanent injury as a result of drug overdose.

You can pay tribute to friends and loved ones who have been affected by a fatal overdose on the IOAD’s Tribute page. And, you can help prevent overdose deaths by sharing the warning signs with friends and family.

Overdose Warning Signs

Signs of a drug overdose can vary from person to person. But, here are a few common symptoms:
  • Problems with vital signs (temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate,blood pressure)
  • Sleepiness, confusion, and coma
  • Skin that is cool and sweaty, or hot and dry.
  • Chest pain and/or shortness of breath. Breathing may get rapid, slow, deep, or shallow.
  • Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea .Vomiting blood, or blood in bowel movements, can be life-threatening.
Get Help Before It'S Too Late

If you suspect someone is experiencing a drug overdose, call 911 immediately. If you can, gather any prescription bottles and/or chemical containers that you suspect the person may have taken and bring them to the emergency room doctor.

Overdose tragedies are preventable. Many addicts have experienced at least one non-fatal overdose in the course of their addiction; sometimes it is the event that leads them into recovery. But, if you or a loved one has been experiencing problems with drugs or alcohol, we urge you not to wait for a catastrophic, and possibly fatal, overdose to occur. The Claudia Black Center has Intake counselors available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Give us a call and let us help you find a recovery program that’s right for you.

3/1/16

Wings of Hope

Private Drug TreatmentWe understand how tough making the decision to seek treatment can be for those struggling with trauma, addiction or mental health issues. We want to help recovery take wings, so we’re offering to cover airfare for individuals admitting to inpatient treatment at any of The Meadows programs: The Meadows, the Claudia Black Center for Young Adults, and Gentle Path at The Meadows.

  • Admission must occur between July 20, 2015 and August 31, 2015.
  • Offer is available for a one-way airline ticket to treatment. Cost not to exceed $1,200.
  • Flight arrangement will be made through our corporate travel agent and coordinated by our Intake department.
  • There is no monetary value to this offer.

Please contact our Intake department today at 855-333-6075 for more information.

2/2/16

Connection is the Key to Recovery

Anxiety Disorder Treatment
In a recent TED Talk, journalist and author Johann Hari suggests that “Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong.” He argues that most people in our society see addiction as a simple chemical dependency, when it is actually the result of a failure to connect ─ with family, with friends, with the community, with God, or with a larger sense of purpose.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9DcIMGxMs?feature=player_embedded]

His ideas are proving to be somewhat controversial in the recovery and addiction communities, not so much because of his basic premise, but because of his assertion that these ideas are “new.” (The studies he sites have been well known to psychologists and addiction professionals for years.) He does also seem to oversimplify, in some ways, what is often a very complicated and nuanced problem. And, he calls for the legalization of all recreational drugs as a possible solution, an idea which always sparks a strong debate.

In spite of some of the questionable aspects of his speech, at The Meadows, we do agree with his core principle: that disconnection─ with peers, with communities, with one’s sense of self and/or with a higher power ─ can play a major role in triggering addiction and other behavioral issues.

Interdependence

One of the most important goals we have for our patients at The Meadows is that they learn how to become interdependent. The Meadows Model, developed by Pia Mellody, names dependency as one the four core issues that must be addressed before a person can make a full recovery from addiction or mood disorders. Doing so requires one to reconnect with the child he or she once was. Being too dependent comes from not having needs and wants met as a child. Being anti-dependent comes from being shamed for having needs and wants as child.

Becoming interdependent means learning how to balance your own needs and wants with those of others. If you are interdependent, you are able to ask for help when you need it, help others when they make a reasonable request, and say “no” when necessary to prevent yourself from stretching yourself too thin and becoming resentful.

Without interdependence, there is no recovery. As an addict, the ability to rely on others for help and emotional support, and to give that help and support to others, is critical to staying sober. Without the tools to make and maintain these connections, recovery is impossible to sustain.

A Higher Power

Step 11 in the 12 Step Model for Recovery requires the addict to find a connection with a higher power:

Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out.”

In most cases, addicts have either always struggled to connect with God, their Higher Power, or their sense of purpose; or, in some way, they got disconnected along the way. Recovery is about getting connected or reconnected.

Jim Corrington, Director of The Meadows Outpatient Services, likes to use the analogy of an orange extension cord to explain:

An orange extension cord is useless and without purpose when it’s hanging on the wall. You have to plug it in to a source of power to give it potential. It does not reach its full potential until you plug something else into IT. So, too, an individual must stay plugged in to their source of power, AND, stay connected to others around them to reach sobriety, and with it, their full potential.

How to Reconnect

Addictions manifest in those areas where people are disconnected but seeking to connect. “Faulty wiring” caused by childhood trauma can make it difficult for them to connect with others or with their sense of purpose, so they end up trying to fill the gap with substances or unhealthy behaviors.

At The Meadows, we take a holistic approach to healing that helps patients to reconnect through their minds, bodies and spirits. Therapy sessions and workshops allow them to find out how they became disconnected, to work on ways to build better relationships with others, and to learn how to nurture themselves. Our new brain center helps them to address any dysregulation they may be experiencing in the brain and nervous system. And, physical activities like Yoga, Tai Chi, equine therapy and ropes courses, allow them to gain even deeper insights into themselves.

If you or a loved one are struggling with an addiction or a disorder and are seeking ways to reconnect, we can help. Contact us for more information.

12/30/15

Pain is at the Heart of Heroin Addiction

Young Adult Drug Treatment CentersAccording to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of heroin-related deaths has quadrupled in the past 10 years. Of people surveyed between 2011 and 2013, nearly 663,000 said they had used heroin in the past year; 379,000 said they had between 2002 and 2004.

Scott Davis, Clinical Director at The Meadows, says that the path that leads to heroin addiction is often different than that of other drug addictions. In many cases, it begins with a prescription for an opioid painkiller, such as hydrocodone or oxycodone. (In others, it begins with prescriptions for Benzodiazepines, such as Xanax or Ativan.)

A lot of the people who are coming to us with opiate addictions don’t necessarily fit the mold for most addiction. They don’t typically have the family history of addiction or the long-term dependence on the drug that you see with many other addicts.” “That doesn’t mean that they don’t have trauma, or that their family doesn’t have issues—in fact, they may have issues which exacerbated their dependence on the drug and made the addiction more likely—but, they might not have otherwise found themselves addicted had they not been prescribed an opiate as a pain killer.”

Once the pills become difficult to obtain, it can be easy for a person to slip into heroin abuse. Heroin’s chemical structure is very similar to that of prescription pain medications and works in the same group of receptors in the brain. It’s also cheaper.

Coping with Pain
For heroin and opiate addicts, there are typically three levels of pain that they must overcome in order to reach sobriety: the physical pain that led them to drug, the pain of detoxing from the drug, and emotional pain that led to their addiction.

Physical Pain
For many opioid addicts, their drug problems start with chronic physical pain. That pain is real and needs to be taken into account when developing a treatment program for the patients.

At The Meadows, we have a full-time medical doctor on our staff to help patients address the pain and the medical issues that are causing it. Patients cannot thoroughly address any underlying psychological aspects of their addiction if they are suffering too much from the physical pain that lead them to abuse drugs in the first place.

Pain from Detox
Heroin disrupts the brain’s natural opiate production process, which helps reduce pain and calm the nervous system. So, when a person stops taking the drug, he or she feels pain and anxiety more intensely than before. This makes detoxing from heroin especially painful. The Meadows highly-trained medical team, which includes a 24-hour nursing staff, can help patients safely and comfortably detox from heroin and opiates onsite. They develop a detox plan for each person that helps them to stabilize more quickly, experience less pain, and avoid some of the withdrawal symptoms they would have if they went off the drug cold turkey. Easing patients through detox makes it a whole lot easier for people to stay in treatment and stay off of the drug.

In many treatment systems, patients detox in a hospital or other setting and then go to the treatment program. Because we have the ability to help patients detox in-house at The Meadows, they don’t have to wait to begin treatment. As long as the patient is feeling well enough, they can begin attending classes and therapy sessions within the first two to three days after their arrival on campus. This makes the transition into treatment easier for them and allows them to start developing coping strategies for living without the drug right away.

Emotional Pain and Trauma
While the path that led to heroin use may have begun with a need to address physical pain, the user probably soon found that it also minimized their emotional and psychological pain as well. Whatever coping mechanisms the addict had used before to manage their stress and anxiety may have fallen by the wayside, as the drug was able to do the trick much more quickly and effectively.

That’s why a key component of the treatment program at The Meadows focuses on addressing trauma, family issues, and emotion regulation. Our staff works with patients to help them identify and address any buried psychological pain and repressed feelings that may have played a role in triggering their addiction.

Letting Go of Shame
Many people who become addicted to heroin found their way to the drug unintentionally. Many of them may also be the only people in their families with an addiction problem, which can contribute to feelings of isolation and shame. Scott Davis says that one thing that makes The Meadows program especially well-suited for them is that there is no shame attached.

We’re not going to tell them that they are bad people. We’re not going to tell them that it’s all their fault and that they should have known better. Because drug addiction is a disease. We’re going to look at the chemical addiction, and we’re also going to deal with the underlying issues that make this drug particularly potent for them in a non-judgmental way.”

If you think you or someone you love may have a problem with heroin or prescription medications, The Meadows can help. Give us a call at 800-244-4949 today or contact us online here.