Proper nutrition during and after rehab helps your body and mind recover from the physical effects of addiction

Drug and alcohol abuse takes a heavy toll on the body. Regular drug abuse can suppress the appetite, which will end up robbing the body of nutrients that are vital for good health. In some cases, drug and alcohol abuse can cause cravings for unhealthy foods, which leads people to binge on choices that are laden with fat and sugar, which deplete the body of energy in a short amount of time. Drug and alcohol abuse can eventually lead to malnutrition, as the recovering addict uses all her money to get more of her substance of choice. Whatever stage of addiction and nutrient deprivation you have, learn in rehab how to make good choices about food, and you will master an important part of your treatment.

Drugs, Alcohol and the Body

According to the US National Library of Medicine, substance abuse harms the body in the following distinct ways:

• The substance interacts with and changes the body
• Substance abuse creates poor lifestyle choices, like unhealthy and irregular eating patterns

Recovery from substance abuse can impact the body’s metabolism and organ function. The following of drug classes affect the body in unique ways:

• Opiates – This class of drug includes morphine, heroin, oxycontin and codeine. Regular use and abuse of opiates leads to constipation, but withdrawal symptoms from these drug can cause diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. These symptoms lead to electrolyte imbalance and a lack of nutrients. Eating at regular intervals can help, but eating can often be difficult due to nausea.
• Alcohol – This drug causes nutrient deficiency in many areas, but the most common are a lack of vitamin B6, thiamine and folic acid. A lack of these nutrients leads to anemia and neurological problems. Alcohol abuse also damages the liver and pancreas, both of which are vital to proper metabolism. When alcoholics are at their worst, they often derive more than 50% of their daily caloric intake from alcohol.
• Stimulants – These drugs (crack, cocaine and methamphetamine) lead to weight loss and lack of proper nutrition. Electrolyte imbalances and dehydration can result, as well as the inability to maintain a proper weight.

When someone feels well, he is less likely to begin using drugs again. Someone who feels better after addiction recovery will rebuild his body through good nutrition and proper eating habits. Eating meals at regular times, choosing foods that are rich in protein and low in fat and eating plenty of complex carbohydrates is the best place to begin this work. During recovery, vitamin and mineral supplements may also be helpful.

Drug Detox

One of the first and most important steps during addiction recovery is detox. During detox, the body has the chance to rid itself of the toxins of the drug. Patients in detox may find that their appetites are significantly decreased during this period, which usually lasts from three to five days. Once detox is over, replenishing the body with healthy foods is vital to the start of treatment. Your rehab team of doctors and therapists may recommend a light diet at first to combat any nausea associated with detox and to begin dealing with malnutrition. During these early days of rehab, following an eating plan for your specific needs is crucial to beginning your recovery journey on a solid footing.

Nutrition Counseling

Proper nutrition helps in the recovery process, because quality nutrients help repair cell damage done by drugs. They also give the body energy, repair organ tissue and strengthen the immune system. A person with a healthy immune system is less likely to crave drugs or alcohol to make herself feel better. During drug rehab, your recovery professionals will include nutrition counseling and monitoring as part of your rehab plan. Nutrition counseling helps you learn what your body needs to help you heal and function at optimum levels. Alyssa Salz, MS, RD, LD for Today’s Dietitian Magazine suggests that proper nutrition and hydration are key components to the recovery process, because they restore both physical and mental health and return the body to a state of functionality. These benefits allow healing to take place, so a healthful lifestyle that includes quality nutrition will promote a healthy mind. A healthy mind is better able to make good choices when it comes to drug use, as discontinuing drug use and beginning a life of recovery is the goal. In short, adding a nutritional component to recovery increases the likelihood of treatment success.

Find Help for Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Healing of the body, mind and spirit means people must address all the issues that contributed to them developing an addiction. When someone receives nutrition counseling and monitoring during rehab, he increases the chances of a successful recovery and greatly reduces his risk of relapse. If you or a loved one struggles with addiction, then know that we are here for you. Call our toll-free, 24 hour helpline now to speak to an admissions coordinator about available treatment options.

Support groups and continued sessions with a therapist are vital to success

When it comes to recovering from drug or alcohol addiction, the best way to increase the likelihood of success is through addiction treatment. Rehab provides the components that are necessary to heal the mind, body and spirit from addiction, which means it helps people who struggle with substance abuse lead drug-free lives. The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines addiction as “a complex illness characterized by intense and, at times, uncontrollable drug craving along with compulsive drug seeking and use that persist even in the face of devastating consequences[i].” Understand the nature of addiction so that you and your loved ones will understand the need for professional treatment. The willpower to change is simply not enough for recovery to occur, but, with the right diagnosis, treatment program and continuing care, addicts can learn to lead lives that are free of the control of any substance. The following three arguments support the need for treatment for all drug addicts:

Drug Treatment Is Effective

Getting the right diagnosis and treatment increases the likelihood of rehab success, because drug addiction is a complex illness. Those who attempt to recover from addiction by willpower alone do not have the skills they need to stay clean and sober for the long haul[ii]. However, treatment offers proven therapies that help patients change negative thought patterns and behaviors into positive ones. Furthermore, treatment also teaches patients some healthy coping strategies, which means they can deal with stressful situations and difficult relationships in healthy ways rather than by turning to a substance. Lastly, rehab helps people in treatment to identify the situations and people that trigger drug cravings, problems that will tempt people to use drugs again. Without the right education in these areas, addicts can neither recognize nor change the behaviors that lead to the addiction in the first place.

Rehab is also the only place where patients receive proper diagnoses for underlying mental illnesses that cause or contribute to the addiction. Without this type of Dual Diagnosis treatment, mental illnesses often go undetected and untreated, which means relapse is all the more likely. Ergo, rehab that treats both conditions simultaneously is necessary for a complete recovery to occur. Along with such Dual Diagnosis treatment, treatment opens the door to quality aftercare programs. Support groups and continued sessions with a therapist are vital to success. The likelihood of relapse dramatically increases without proper aftercare being available through rehab.

Drug Treatment Helps Families and Communities

A second major benefit and argument in favor of addiction treatment is that it provides families and communities with resources[iii]. Families of addicts are often traumatized by the situation in which they see their loved one. Children of addicts may feel insecure and in many cases responsible for the parent who uses drugs. Also, spouses and significant others struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy in the home, so they spend a great deal of energy making up for the emotional absence of their loved one. Drug treatment not only provides vital resources and help for addicts in rehab, but it also opens doors to family members to get the help they need. For instance, family therapy sessions provide a safe place for family members to share how the addiction has changed their lives. Support groups also allow family members to share their struggles, successes and failures in a supportive and non-threatening environment. Without treatment, families struggle to make sense of and cope with their loved one’s downward spiral with drugs.

Healthy families create healthy communities. The right type of addiction treatment helps troubled family members return to society as contributing members. Addiction drains resources from communities, but proper treatment gives people who struggle with addiction the chance to give back to others.

Drug Treatment Provides Immediate and Long-term Benefits

As soon as a patient enters addiction treatment, the healing process begins. Medically supervised detox is the first step, as it gives the body the chance to rid itself of the toxins of drugs. After detox ends comes diagnosis. To ensure that your loved one gets the best treatment possible, doctors will diagnose any underlying mental illness that contribute to or caused the addiction. Once a diagnosis is complete, treatment begins: through individual, group and family therapy sessions, patients learn about their addictions and how drug abuse has impacted not only their lives, but also the lives of those around them. These immediate benefits motivate recovering addicts to continue taking one step at a time toward recovery.

The long-term benefits of treatment are many. Restored relationships with loved ones, improved mental and physical health and an increasingly better self-image all mean a life filled with possibility rather than destruction. Seek help to gain these benefits as soon as possible.

Find Help for Addiction

If you or a loved one struggles with substance abuse, then know that we are here for you. Call our toll-free, 24 hour helpline now to speak to an admissions coordinator about available treatment options.

[i] The National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Drug Facts: Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction.” Accessed November 13, 2015. http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/treatment-approaches-drug-addiction

[ii] The National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Drug Facts” Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction.” Accessed November 15, 2015.  http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/understanding-drug-abuse-addiction

[iii] Substance Abuse and Mental Healthy Services Administration. “Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness.” Accessed November 15, 2015.  http://www.samhsa.gov/prevention

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is used in psychotherapy to treat those struggling with substance abuse and mental health disorders

According to the EMDR International Association, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been successfully used in the treatment of trauma. EMDR works to help patients suffering from the recall of traumatic events move forward by helping them get their brain out of the feedback loop that repeats the traumatic images. Because remembering a trauma can be almost as bad as experiencing the trauma for the first time, EMDR helps patients move beyond the sights, images, smells and feelings of the original experience. The EMDR International Association reports that the treatment method “seems to have a direct effect on the way the brain processes information.” Once normal processing returns after an EMDR session, the person dealing with the trauma is able to move past the feedback loop of the feelings, images and sounds that are remembered when the trauma is brought to mind. EMDR seems to be similar to what happens naturally during REM, (rapid eye movement) sleep.

EMDR Phases of Treatment

EMDR treatment is broken down into eight distinct phases. Each phase plays a role in the entire desensitization process. The length of time treatment lasts depends on the individual being treated and how easily each phase of treatment is completed. The goal is to treat the patient aside from a specified amount of time. The eight phases of EMDR are as follows:

• History and Treatment Planning – This first phase of EMDR treatment involves determining the history of the patient and planning treatment that best meets his or her needs. This phase typically takes one to two sessions.
• Preparation – During the preparation phase, which typically takes one to four sessions, the therapist works to establish a relationship of trust with the client. If a patient does not adequately trust his therapist, he may not report what he is experiencing during rapid eye movement accurately.
• Assessment – In this phase the clinician identifies the aspects of the target to be processed that best represents the memory as a whole.
• Desensitization – Focuses on the clients disturbing memories and sensations, giving each a SUDS rating. In this phase the therapist leads the patient through a series of eye movements with appropriate shifts and changes of focus.
• Installation – Increases the concentration and focus on the positive belief that replaces the negative belief.
• Body Scan – After installation, the therapist asks the patient to recall the original target trauma to see if he notices any residual tension. If so, the physical sensation can be targeted for reprocessing.
• Closure – Closure is a part of every session and is used to make sure the patients feels better at the end of the session than he did at the beginning.
• Reevaluation – Opens every EMDR session. During reevaluation, the therapist addresses each target that has been completed to make sure that the positive results achieved in the session have been maintained.

Finding Help for Drug Addiction and Mental Illness

EMDR is an effective treatment for drug addiction and mental illness for many people. Learning to cope in positive ways with past traumas that may be responsible for present issues helps those who struggle learn to live a drug-free life. If you or a loved one struggles with addiction, we are here to help you. Call our toll-free helpline, available 24 hours a day, to speak to an admissions coordinator about treatment options.

PTSD and anxiety often go hand-in-hand. Finding treatment that addresses both disorders is important for recovery success

Mental illnesses, such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addiction, often come in pairs. When someone suffers from more than one mental illness it is referred to as a Dual Diagnosis. Dual Diagnosis patients are treated differently than other patients, since both illnesses must be dealt with simultaneously. Dual Diagnosis patients receive treatment in outpatient or inpatient facilities depending on insurance benefits, symptoms and level of care required. When seeking treatment for a Dual Diagnosis, it is important to focus on those facilities that specialize in this type of care. The right care at the right time can help people struggling with a Dual Diagnosis live a normal life.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Defined

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an extreme response to feelings of extreme danger brought on by a traumatic experience, even when the person is no longer in danger. PTSD often happens as a result of exposure to combat, assault, sexual assault and abuse, a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or flood, or child abuse. Scientists are currently working to discover specific causes of PTSD. Genetic studies, including how fear memories are created, are helping to refine existing treatments or create new ones that will reduce the symptoms of the disorder.

Not everyone who is exposed to trauma will develop PTSD. Certain individuals seem more prone to the disorder. These individuals include:

• People with a history of mental illness
• Those who have seen someone hurt or killed
• Those who have felt extreme fear or helplessness
• Having little or no social support after trauma
• Dealing with extra stress, such as the loss of a loved one, pain or injury or the loss of a home or job

The symptoms of PTSD include some or all of the following:

• Flashbacks of the event
• Bad dreams
• Frightening thoughts
• Staying away from places, people or events that remind you of the trauma
• Feeling strong guilt, depression or worry
• Feeling emotionally numb
• Easily startled
• Having trouble sleeping or having angry outbursts

Children often have additional symptoms that may indicate PTSD. These include bedwetting, unusual clinginess to parents, losing the ability to talk or acting out the traumatic event during playtime.

Anxiety Disorder Defined

There are several additional anxiety disorders that can accompany PTSD. Having more than one of these disorders at a time, or having an anxiety disorder with PTSD, results in a Dual Diagnosis. Other anxiety disorders include the following (taken from The National Institute of Mental Health):

• Panic Attacks – Panic attacks are characterized by sudden attacks of terror, accompanied by a pounding heart, sweatiness, weakness, faintness or dizziness. People with panic disorder my flush or feel chilled. Their hands may tingle or feel numb, and they may experience nausea, chest pains or the sensation of smothering.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – People with OCD have persistent, upsetting thoughts and use rituals to control the anxieties that these thoughts produce.
• Social Anxiety Disorder – Social anxiety disorder, or social phobia, happens when people are overly anxious or nervous in everyday social situations.
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder – GAD is diagnosed when people go through their day with exaggerated worry or tension even when there is nothing to produce such a response.

Treatment for Dual Diagnosis Disorders

Dual Diagnosis disorders require simultaneous treatment in order to be successful. Many of those who struggle with mental illness also struggle with addiction. Finding treatment that addresses all of these issues is important for true recovery. Dual Diagnosis treatment often involves a combination of medications, psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Along with these types of therapies, addressing any physical concerns caused by or related to mental health is also a part of the process. Finding treatment that recognizes the mind-body connection is important. In addition to various individual and group therapies, programs that offer nutrition counseling, physical activity, meditation and spiritual guidance options can also be helpful. For many Dual Diagnosis patients, receiving treatment in an inpatient facility is recommended. This allows those who are struggling to fully focus on treatment and healing.

Your facility’s intake counselor will help you understand your insurance coverage and the treatment options that are available to you. Recognizing you have a problem and reaching out for help is the first step on the path to a new life.

Finding Help for a Dual Diagnosis or Addiction

Having a Dual Diagnosis of PTSD and anxiety requires highly specialized treatment for recovery success. The right diagnosis and treatment program can help you live a normal life. If you or a loved one struggles with addiction or mental illness, we are here for you. Call our toll-free helpline 24 hours a day to speak to an admissions coordinator about available treatment options.

A DBT Skills Training Group meets weekly for two to three hours for in six to 12 months

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, is a modified form of cognitive behavioral therapy, which is very effective for addiction treatment with most drugs, but particularly for those with a Dual Diagnosis – individuals struggling with both mental illness and drug abuse. Gaining an understanding of the main tenets of DBT and the processes an individual goes through will provide you with the information you need to know to determine if this therapeutic approach is valuable for you.

What Does DBT Look Like?

Dialectical behavior therapy generally has four components to it:

1. DBT Skills Training Group: A classroom setting in which individuals learn the skills required to function more effectively, the DBT Skills Training Group meets weekly for two to three hours for in six to 12 months.
2. DBT Individual Therapy: These weekly one-on-one meetings allow a person to conquer the specific challenges he is facing with the support of a therapist. This component of DBT typically runs concurrently with the Skills Training Group.
3. DBT Phone Coaching: An individual in DBT can call her therapist outside of the therapy sessions for in-the-moment coaching, which allows her to have immediate support to make a wise choice.
4. DBT Therapist Consultation Team: This phase of DBT exists for the therapists. These teams provide encouragement, strategy, and support for these therapists who are working very intensely with others who have deep struggles.

Moving beyond form and into function, DBT focuses on four behavioral skill sets:

• Mindfulness: The ability and practice of being fully aware and present in each moment.
• Distress Tolerance: Tolerating pain in circumstances that are unchangeable.
• Interpersonal Effectiveness: Maintaining both self-respect and respect for others while being able to say no or ask for what you want from others.
• Emotional Regulation: The skill of regulating and changing distressing or destructive emotions.

DBT is fundamentally concerned with helping individuals create lives worth living. Because those being helped with this therapy are struggling with mental illnesses and substance abuse, the goal is a challenging one. But by developing the DBT skills, individuals can alleviate the symptoms of both of their issues.

What Are the Stages of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy?

DBT follows a consistent four-stage process to walk individuals from despair into a purposeful life.

1. Stage 1 – Moving from being out of control to being in control. During this stage, individuals learn to eliminate life-threatening behaviors and choices that interfere with treatment, as well as decrease habits that lower their quality of life.
2. Stage 2 – Moving from being emotionally shut down to experiencing emotions fully. This stage moves a person past dwelling in quiet desperation by teaching him how to experience his emotions without allowing his emotions to rule him entirely.
3. Stage 3 – Building an ordinary life and solving ordinary life problems. The issues in this stage are the same everyone deals with – job dissatisfaction, a marriage without intimacy, or not reaching career goals.
4. Stage 4 – Moving from incompleteness to connection. In this stage, individuals often feel a spiritual emptiness or dryness as part of an existential crisis. It is common for those in Stage 4 to move toward a religious community to discover their place in the broader universe.

Moving through these four stages helps individuals to systematically tackle and move through the struggles they face.

Specific Behavioral Focuses for Substance Abuse

Those utilizing dialectical behavioral therapy as part of a recovery process for addicts will modify the development of the skills and stages above to focus on breaking the power of addiction in a person’s life. Some of the specific targeted goals for addicts would include the following:

• Decrease the use and dependence upon any illicit drug, prescription medication, or alcohol
• Build up an ability to remain steadfast toward recovery despite the pain of withdrawals
• Lessen the power of cravings for drug use
• Remove reminders and triggers for drug use, including unhealthy relationships, drug paraphernalia, or even changing contact information such as a phone number or email
• Developing healthy habits and behaviors by intentionally seeking environments that discourage drug abuse or pursuing vocational goals

Professionally coordinated therapy such as DBT can be the key to a successful recovery. This is particularly true of those with a Dual Diagnosis. If you don’t carefully and actively monitor your mental well being, returning to the addiction begins to feel like the right choice. But understanding the value of therapy to help you make the necessary changes in your thoughts and actions will allow you to push through to recovery.

Find Addiction Help Today

The cost of returning to your addiction is too high. If this is where you are right now, the most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. We can help you. We can answer your questions. The admission counselors at our toll-free helpline are available 24 hours a day to help you learn more about addiction. They can help you find your way.

Because addiction is so complex, treating just one of its components is not enough

Addiction is a disease that affects every area of life, so rehab must address these same areas to improve recovery lifestyle and to reduce the likelihood of relapse.

Components of Addiction

Many people think addiction is nothing more than substance abuse; they see people abusing drugs and wonder why they cannot simply stop. Unfortunately if recovery were really this simple, then it would be a much more attainable goal. The problem is that addiction is much more than simply drinking or using drugs—it is a complex disease with physical, mental, emotional, familial and spiritual components.

The physical component of addiction varies greatly between addicts. Depending on the substance used and the severity of addiction, different effects will occur. However, all addictions damage the body in some way.

Addiction also interrupts mental and emotional processes, which may be apparent to the addict, but hidden to everyone else. When mental and emotional health are out of balance, it becomes more difficult to manage physical health, family life and spirituality.

The familial components of addiction are often the first to be forgotten. It is easy to notice how drug abuse damages an addict physically, mentally and spiritually, but it harder to notice how drugs affect families. Lastly, addiction plagues spiritual concerns. The physical, mental, emotional and familial components of addiction all hinder spirituality, which is even true of those who were strong in faith before addiction began.

Holistic Treatment for Addiction

Because addiction is so complex, treating just one of its components is not enough; every component must be addressed for recovery to succeed. Fortunately, many treatment centers offer holistic treatment that focuses on the whole person, so you simply need to know what to inquire about when looking for treatment.

If your addiction has taken a toll on your physical health, then ask potential treatment centers what services they offer in regard to nutrition and exercise. You may also ask how they coordinate their care to accommodate your health conditions that could weaken your treatment.

Additionally, if you have loved ones who have been involved or impacted by your addiction, then ask that center how it assists friends and family. Some centers offer family therapy while others refer family members to specific support groups. Lastly, if spirituality is important to you, then ask about any spiritual services at the treatment center. While many 12-step support groups address spirituality, some offer additional services.

Find Help for Drug or Alcohol Addiction

Seeking recovery can help you find health and happiness once again, so, if you or a loved one has developed an addiction, then please call our toll-free helpline now. Our admissions coordinators are available 24 hours a day to answer any questions you have about treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.

Call now to begin recovery as soon as possible.

Comfort Your Loved One After Trauma

Unfortunately, many people either already have or will experience some type of trauma in their lifetime. The following events and occurrences can cause an individual to experience trauma:

• Combat exposure
• Natural disaster
• Loss
• Death
• Physical and/or sexual assault
• Extreme violence
• An accident

There are many more incidences that can be labeled as traumatic, however these tend to be the most common. Once an individual survives a traumatic event, she might begin to suffer from psychological distress that impacts her everyday life.

Support Your Loved One Through the Aftermath of Trauma

It is important to approach your loved one after his trauma, even if you are unsure of how to do so. Here are some tips for how to support your loved one during this difficult time in his life:

• Keep an open line of communication – Do not run away from the traumatic experience. It is important that you make yourself readily available to your loved one so he can feel comfortable talking to you about the trauma, rather than bottling it up inside.

• Spend time with your loved one – One of the best ways to offer up your support is to simply be there (physically) for your loved one. You don’t always have to talk about the trauma, but just by being there, you can comfort him during this trying time.

• Validate his feelings – Never tell your loved one that his feelings aren’t appropriate or wrong. Instead, validate his emotions and personal response to the trauma event. If these feelings become destructive or out of control, seek professional help for yourself and your loved one.

Approaching your loved one after a traumatic experience can be complex, but by communicating openly, spending time together, and validating his feelings, you can be a source of love and support.

Life after trauma can be difficult, and you might find yourself at a loss for how to handle your own emotions as well. Here are some helpful tips for what not to do when approaching your loved one:

• Don’t dictate how he should feel or react
• Don’t complain about how his experience or response to it has impacted you
• Don’t be impatient with his process or expect him to get over it sooner

Traumatic events can take a great deal of time to overcome, and doing one or more of these things in the presence of your loved one will only make matters worse.

Does Your Loved One Need Help?

Call our toll-free, 24 hour helpline right now. Do not let your loved one continue to suffer from trauma any longer. Call us today to get your loved one the help he deserves.

The line between using and abusing anxiety medication is difficult to identify, especially if you have not learned about the stages of drug use. If you use anxiety medication, you should know the warning signs of drug abuse, dependence and addiction, because this will train you to notice problematic drug habits. Also, if you believe you are developing a problem with your prescription medication, you are more likely to get help right away if you know what problems to look for. Anxiety medications can be addictive, so seek treatment if you abuse the drugs that should control devastating psychological conditions.

What Happens When I’m Dependent on Anxiety Meds?

Dependency upon anxiety medication begins when users become tolerant to the drug through chronic use. This means that they need more of the drug to feel the same effects, and they may also have physical withdrawal symptoms that create cravings. The problem is that users can become physically dependent upon anxiety medications without ever abusing them. Anxiety medications are highly addictive, so users may quickly build a tolerance to them. Signs of physical dependence to anxiety medication include the following issues:

• Confusion
• Dysphoria
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Agitation
• Sweating
• Nausea and vomiting
• Insomnia
• Mood swings

If you take an anxiety medication and experience any of these problems, then seek help immediately.

What Is Anxiety Medication Abuse?

If you use an anxiety medication properly, you are unlikely to build a tolerance to it or to become physically dependent upon it. Abusing your anxiety medication makes it more likely that you will become dependent and addicted to it, but many people do not know what drug abuse means. Any time you take anxiety medication without following a doctor’s prescription, you are engaging in drug abuse. This means you abuse a drug if you take anxiety medication without a prescription, taking your dose more often than prescribed or taking a larger dose than you are prescribed. Never take anxiety medication without obtaining a prescription from a medical professional, and never take more than prescribed.

Treatment for Anxiety Medication Addicts

Addictions to anxiety meds are powerful, and they threaten thousands of people just like you. If you abuse anxiety medication, call our toll-free helpline right now to learn about how professional treatment can help you. Our admissions coordinators are standing by 24 hours a day to give you information on the latest treatment techniques and to answer any questions you have about addiction treatment. They can direct you to effective treatment centers and let you know if your health insurance will help pay for rehab treatment, so call now for instant, confidential support.

Many people who survive trauma conceal how it has warped their lives, but many of them deal with resulting problems, like depression, anxiety, mental disturbances and suicidal tendencies. While people who endure trauma cannot change what has happened to them or how it has affected them, they can learn to respond to their feelings in such a way that helps them overcome any resulting problem. One of the best ways to confront trauma is through creativity, especially art therapy, as it allows patients to express themselves and confront troubling issues in safe environments. In other words, art therapy helps people overcome trauma.

What Is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that allows patients to express themselves through creative mediums such as painting, drawing, modeling or collage. What patients reveal about themselves through art teaches them to communicate about their trauma with more confidence, which allows therapists to determine their treatment needs. One of the major advantages of art therapy is how it improves a patient’s mental wellbeing, because patients can express painful thoughts and memories, even thoughts they have repressed.

How Art Therapy Helps Patient Process Trauma

Many people who survive trauma cannot discuss what they endured, even in a comfortable environment with loved ones or therapists. However, art gives them a safe way to reveal the traumatic events they survived, which invites people to ask questions. This all occurs without words, so patients give information at their own pace and does not feel provoked to share anything they are not ready to share. For some people, art expresses how they feel about a situation better than words ever could. It can help people who are not only visually oriented, but also people who fear the repercussions of vocalizing their thoughts.

Art therapy unlocks repressed thoughts and emotions. Patients may not be aware of what they reveal in their artwork, but it can provide a map for therapists to ask questions or understand what is going on beneath a patient’s surface. Art therapy has proven effective for all ages and is often associated with children who survive trauma, particularly because most people do not fully develop verbal skills until adolescence. This means that recovery is possible through creative mediums, such as art therapy.

Art Therapy for Addiction and Trauma

Trauma and substance abuse commonly go hand-in-hand. When as a result of trauma someone suffers from addiction and a psychological disorder, like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), then she has co-occurring disorders. If you or a loved one struggles with co-occurring disorders, or even trauma on its own, call our toll-free helpline to speak with an admissions coordinator about treatment. Our staff are available 24 hours a day to help you find the treatment program you deserve, so reach out now for professional, instant support.

Addiction treatment can offer healing in three important aspects of our being: physical, emotional, and psychological. Addressing addiction and how it affects each of these aspects by choosing rehab treatment is an effective way to achieve long-lasting recovery. Here are four reasons why:

1) Teaches You Addiction Relapse Prevention

The benefits of rehab in an inpatient facility can be seen from the very beginning of the process—a safe detoxification. During this difficult period, it is fairly easy to have a relapse and go back to drugs. But while in a rehab program this process becomes easier to endure not only because there is close medical supervision, but also because there is psychological support that lasts during the whole treatment.

The patient learns prevention strategies against a relapse by attending individual and group therapy sessions. These strategies do not only come from trained therapists, but also from other patients or former addicts who have successfully been sober for a considerable period of time.

2) Helps You to Process Emotions

Even though the philosophy of the program may vary depending on the type of rehab center, they all strive to help you find emotional healing by helping you see the relationship between emotions and addiction. Obtaining and maintaining peace of mind can help a patient remain focused on the healing process while in treatment and once he goes back to his normal life. This is done through therapy focused on how to process emotions like anger, sadness, fear, or anxiety in a positive way – emotions that could lead to relapse or new addictions.

3) Allows You to Build Strong Relationships for Support

There is no doubt that having the support of your family and the encouragement of friends can be a great help in maintaining sobriety. But sometimes addiction has severely damaged those bonds that now need to be repaired.

Rehab gives a patient the best opportunities to think how to make amends and to start repairing broken relationships or find new, healthy relationships. Family therapy and education can help the addicted person learn about healthy relationships and understand how family dynamics impact addiction. Coping with the aftermaths of addiction then becomes a group project that can help you succeed.

4) Helps You Develop Healthy Behaviors and Goals

Rehab help does not only focus on the addiction or mental health disorder; it also helps you to improve your behavioral patterns. One of the goals of a treatment program is to assist you on finding, naming and achieving new goals. For this effect, the patient learns which behaviors were being harmful for him and for those around him with the objective of replacing them. Some programs even offer their patients the service of career and goal development during or after their rehabilitation.

Partaking from the Benefits of Addiction Treatment

Call our toll free helpline to learn more about the benefits of rehab and what options are available to you or your loved one. We have free assistance and advice services regarding, rehab treatment medically-supervised detox programs, transport to and from rehab, Dual Diagnosis rehab facilities, family counseling, insurance information, and how to obtain the best values on rehab treatment. Our counselors are ready to give you the support you need to fight addiction.