Tag: Addiction Treatment

Outpatient Treatment: How It Leads To Long Term Success

Outpatient Addiction is a multifaceted problem that affects all kinds of people from all walks of life. It stands to reason that addiction treatment should not be a “one size fits all” solution, yet the sad truth is that many rehabilitation programs remain generalized and outdated. In fact, many follow treatments designed for men, despite modern research that shows women face unique sets of challenges when it comes to addiction.

That’s why we are a women-specific treatment center at Anchored Tides Recovery, with a focus on individual needs and long-term recovery. We also realize that many women feel the need to delay treatment because of busy everyday lives and feelings of obligation towards others.

Sound familiar? It’s time to get the treatment you deserve and give yourself a new lease on life. And because we offer outpatient addiction treatment at Anchored Tides, you can retain some schedule flexibility and return home each night. Here’s what you need to know.

What Is Outpatient Addiction Treatment?

Whereas inpatient treatment is more traditional and involves actually being admitted to a facility under 24/7 medical supervision, outpatient is a more modern style of treatment that allows for some flexibility and goes far beyond just the detox process.

While the exact experience varies for everyone, the outpatient program generally involves highly focused treatment during the day, after which you are allowed to return home each day with guidance on how to continue working towards sobriety.

There are a naturally a lot of benefits to this arrangement, specifically:

Recovering addicts can maintain their basic everyday routines and keep up with responsibilities
In many cases, the ability to go to work and not have to forfeit a job
Medical care only as needed, not necessarily required 24/7
Ability to build a support network with friends and family much earlier on
Family and friends are actively able to witness the patient making progress
Ability to engage in community activities and hobbies — keep living life!
Greater personal responsibility helps keeps patients dedicated to becoming sober and actively learning coping skills
No grand re-entry into the “real world”, meaning no shock or dramatic adjustment period following treatment
More affordable costs than most inpatient programs, thanks to fewer hours of onsite treatment and medical care

At Anchored Tides, we firmly believe in outpatient care and how allowing patients to spend time at home contributes to their successful treatment. And because different people require different levels of care, we offer three types of outpatient programs of varying degrees: Outpatient Program (OP), Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP). Those with more severe addiction problems may require PHP for closer medical monitoring during detox, while others may do well under the programs with lower medical intensity aspects.

How Outpatient Treatment Paves the Way for a Lifetime of Sobriety

With outpatient treatment, one of the greatest benefits of all is the ability to actively make changes in everyday life. With inpatient care, the “real world” comes later, after detox and early counseling have been achieved. But because outpatient participants have their treatment worked into their everyday schedules, they are allowed to continue living their lives in the real world and make more steady, gradual changes each day. Though this means treatment is usually spread over a much longer period of time, it also means that long-term recovery is more feasible.

And rest assured; when you’re a patient at Anchored Tides, we do not just cut off ties once your treatment program reaches its planned completion. In addition to running outpatient treatment, our team at Anchored Tides practices long-term recovery monitoring for our patients. This means regular follow-ups and wellness check-ins, as well as encouragement for you to stay involved with counseling groups. We help you stay accountable to yourself now and well into the future.

The Benefits of a Female Only Treatment Facility for Addiction

Finding the right addiction treatment for you can be overwhelming. A simple google search can present you with what feels like an endless amount of treatment options. Treatment should be a safe place where you can get honest with yourself and others, be vulnerable, and develop relationships with other sober people.

Addiction manifests in many forms and affects people differently. Addiction can also impact men and women differently. If you’re a woman and looking to get sober, a female-only treatment facility could be a great option for you. At Anchored Tides Recovery, located in Orange County, CA, we’re a female ran and female-only treatment center. It’s safe to say we totally understand women and recovery.

What is a Women-Only Addiction Treatment Facility?

A women’s only addiction treatment facility is exactly what it sounds like. This is a facility that has been designed specifically to help women who suffer from addiction. During the 1970s and 80s, it came to light that addiction research was historically done on men, therefore the foundation of treatment was ill-equipped for women. As a response to this, research began on the differences between men and women when it comes to addiction. Studies show that:

Addiction progresses faster and can be more severe in women
Problems related to addiction interfere with functioning in more areas of life than men’s do
Are more likely to encounter health-related issues from addiction

After information on how addiction affects genders differently became available, women-only treatment started to form and flourish.

Benefits of a Women-Only Facility

There are numerous benefits to attending a women-only treatment center for addiction.

It’s Easier to Open Up

One of the most important aspects of addiction treatment is opening up to others. People need to be able to share their experiences regarding how addiction has impacted them while also learning from the experiences of others. Women might feel hesitant to open up regarding how addiction has impacted them with other men in the room. In many cases, drug abuse and addiction are going to impact other aspects of someone’s life, including their sexual health. It’s not uncommon for women to have negative sexual experiences during their addiction. It’s important for women to share these experiences in order to cope.

Find Common Ground

When women enter a treatment facility that is designed for both genders, they might feel like they don’t have a lot in common with the other people in the facility. This can make it hard for someone to come to terms with addiction and rehab. If the treatment center focuses on women, the clients are going to be able to learn from the similarities of others. They are going to feel like they aren’t alone during treatment. Women’s only treatment also sets the foundation for creating a strong sober network. As a woman, it’s important to have support from other women, during and after treatment.

All Women Staff

At Anchored Tides Recovery, we have an all-female staff. We feel the best way to run a female treatment center is to have females running it. We pride ourselves on creating a welcoming, safe space for women to start their recovery journey. Our female staff understands what you’ve been through while battling addiction and is dedicated to giving you all the tools you need to overcome this horrible disease. We will help you with your addiction and any comorbid conditions such as anxiety, depression, trauma caused by negative sexual experiences or domestic violence, PTSD, and more.

We Support Women

At Anchored Tides Recovery, we are a comprehensive, dual-diagnosis enhanced program designed specifically for women, by women. Our program offers numerous levels of outpatient services including a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), a traditional Outpatient Program (OP), and long-term recovery monitoring. We are here to help women overcome addiction and mental health disorders. If you would like to learn more about how our program can help you and your family members recover from addiction, please contact us today!

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Tips to Help Your Loved One During the Recovery Process

Addiction is a terrible disease and it can take a tremendous toll on not only the addict but the rest of the family as well. When someone first agrees to get help for drug abuse and addiction, they often think that detox is the only step during the recovery process. People who are addicted to alcohol might even come out of the detox process and think they can drink socially. This is not the case. Sobriety represents a lifelong commitment and people need to embrace this commitment every day. Having support from friends or family is one of the main factors that keep a recovering addict determined and disciplined. It’s a great idea for friends and family members to familiarize themselves with ways they can help an addict through the recovery process.

How to Tell if Addiction is Taking Hold of a Loved One?

In order to be able to support someone throughout the recovery process, you’ll need to be able to spot the signs of addiction. There are a few key signs that someone is suffering from addiction:

Defensive behavior: Addicts tend to become defensive during their addiction. If you start to ask them why they don’t have money or why they’re losing weight, they’ll get angry and most likely try to turn the conversation around on you. Although this can be hurtful, remember that they aren’t doing this maliciously.
Hiding their use: People drug and alcohol abuse are generally not socially acceptable, addicts hide their use. An addict may stash alcohol or drugs in their car so no one can find them. They’ll often lie about what they’re doing as well to hide their use. If you ask an addict to come over for dinner, it’s common for them to make up an excuse because they want to get high.
Mood swings: Drug and alcohol use can cause unstable moods. Someone using a stimulant will be down one minute, then up the next. Someone who is addicted to alcohol may start their day out feeling happy and normal, but the more they drink, the more depressed they can become.
Financial problems: Sustaining an addiction can become very expensive. If you suspect someone is struggling with substance abuse, and they ask to borrow money, they might have a problem. If you find someone going through your personal belongings to steal money, they most likely have a problem.

When is it Time for Help?

It’s never too soon to get help. Once you recognize that someone you love is suffering from substance abuse, it’s time for help. Addiction is a progressive disease, the longer it manifests, the worse it gets. It is critical to stop addiction in its tracks as early as possible to limit the collateral damage that might result.

How To Help Someone with Addiction

It may feel hard at first to try to help someone who is suffering from addiction. It’s normal to feel angry, or sad, or confused, especially if someone’s addiction has impacted you directly. The most important thing to remember is your loved one is sick. If they did something to hurt you, it wasn’t purposefully. It’s important to approach someone who is suffering from addiction with care and compassion. If they feel like they’re being attacked or misunderstood, they may resist getting help.

There are different ways to approach someone about their addiction. Because everyone is different and every addiction is different, it can be hard to determine what is the right thing to do. If your loved one is struggling and is an introvert, try having a private conversation with them. They may get overwhelmed if too many people confront them at once. If your loved one gets agitated easily, you may want to confront them with someone else present.

After you confront the addict, the most important thing to do is let them know you’re here to help them. You can offer to help them with researching different treatment options and even help by calling different facilities to learn more about their program.

The best thing to do when helping someone during the recovery process is to not judge them and lend a shoulder to cry on. You’d be surprised at how much it can mean to someone by just saying “I’m here for you if you ever need to talk”.

Let Us Help You With Your Addiction Treatment

At Anchored Tides Recovery, we are a complete, dual-diagnosis enhanced addiction treatment program, designed specifically for women, by women. This program provides a variety of levels of outpatient services, which include a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), a traditional Outpatient Program (OP), and long-term recovery monitoring. Our goal is to help women overcome addiction and mental health disorders. If you are interested in learning more about how our professionals can help you overcome the bonds of addiction, please contact us today!

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How Are Women Impacted Differently by Addiction?

Addiction is a disease. It does not discriminate against anyone based on gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or occupation. It has the potential to impact anyone at any time. For the longest time, the vast majority of research was focused solely on drug abuse and alcohol addiction in men. This was because the trend was to use only men in medical studies. This exclusionary bias that women faced started to emerge in the 1990s. Many organizations in the United States noticed that women were also impacted by addiction, yet they were not receiving the same level of attention and treatment as their male counterparts. This led to a push to study addiction in women to a greater degree with the hope that medical professionals would be able to reach them more effectively during treatment sessions.

The Impact of Addiction in Women

As a whole, men are more likely than women to suffer from drug abuse and addiction. Between 11 and 12 percent of men over the age of 12 suffer from some form of substance abuse disorder. Just over 6 percent of women over the age of 12 suffer from a substance abuse disorder. Although the number of women suffering from addiction is lower than men, women are more likely to suffer fatal consequences from a substance abuse disorder. Women are more likely to end up in the emergency room or overdose due to substance abuse. For this reason, we want to raise awareness and spread information on the importance of getting the correct treatment.

How are Women More Susceptible to the Dangers of Addiction?

Two ways in which men and women are impacted differently by addiction are biological and sociological. Society expects different things from men and women and these sociological pressures impact how both genders respond to addiction. Differences in body size, composition, and hormone levels also impact how men and women respond to addiction.

Women are far more likely to transition from substance to substance when they suffer from addiction than their male counterparts. This means that women may use alcohol, then opioids, then stimulants. Even though men are more likely to become addicts as a whole, women are more likely to engage in self-medication with certain substances.

Women are more likely to suffer end-organ damage from the effects of substance abuse and overdoses. This includes damage to the liver and kidneys depending on the type of drug.

Finally, women are also more likely to experience cravings during the recovery process. This means that women are also more likely to relapse while they are in addiction treatment programs.

How to Find Treatment for Addiction

When seeking treatment, people have the option to choose from an array of programs. There are mixed gender treatment centers, gender-specific, adolescent focused treatment, etc. While it’s great to have options, it’s important to seek the right kind of treatment. For instance, some women will feel particularly vulnerable when going to treatment and feel safe around other women. If this sounds like you, then an all women’s treatment center is the right choice.

All treatment centers have the same end goal in mind, the only difference between mixed gender and gender-specific is the gender aspect. Often, people start the treatment process by trying to break free from addiction on their own. Sadly, this is not effective. People are bound to relapse. Therefore, it is important for everyone to reach out to professionals for assistance.

There are plenty of programs out there for individuals who are looking to treat addiction effectively. For example, many people start in an inpatient program so they can get through withdrawal and detox under the supervision of trained professionals. From there, individuals often transition to an outpatient program. This might include a partial hospitalization program (PHP) or an intensive outpatient program (IOP). There are programs out there for everyone. People simply need to know where to turn for help.

Let Us Help You!

At Anchored Tides Recovery, we are a comprehensive dual-diagnosis enhanced program that has been created by women to help other women recover addiction. We offer various levels of outpatient services including Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), Outpatient Program (OP), and long-term rehab and recovery monitoring. If you would like to learn more about our addiction treatment options, then please contact us today! We would be honored to help you and your family with the recovery process.

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Why You Should Travel to Huntington Beach for Addiction Treatment

When someone is suffering from addiction, it’s important to seek help as quickly as possible. The sooner people ask for help from trained professionals, the faster they can get on the road to addiction recovery. Because there is a sense of urgency associated with seeking treatment, it’s common for people to look for treatment programs close to home. At first, this may seem to make sense because home is familiar and comfortable, but upon further evaluation, it actually makes more sense to travel for treatment. It’s important to leave the toxic environment that led to your addiction in the first place.

What Are the Benefits of Traveling for Addiction Treatment?

There are a lot of benefits to traveling for addiction treatment. Traveling to Orange County is a chance for someone to start a new life. It’s critical to break the normal routine that allowed addiction to take hold in order to seek recovery. In a new environment, people will be able to look inward and learn more about themselves. They’ll have the chance to close the book on a destructive period in their life.

We feel by escaping the old, destructive environment, someone can leave behind bad routines, bad relationships, and the other consequences caused by substance abuse. It’s important to be able to reflect on the habits that were built that led to addiction. The best way to do this is by separating yourself from your old environment. Go on a journey of self-discovery by seeking treatment in a new place.

Reasons to Seek Addiction Treatment in Huntington Beach

There are going to be more opportunities for people to seek help from specialists in Orange County. Everyone’s addiction is different. Not only are people addicted to different substances but their reasons and circumstances for using are different as well. Therefore, people need to have the ability to seek help from specialists who have seen similar cases in the past. When people travel to Huntington Beach, they will have access to experienced professionals who can help them break free.

Huntington Beach is home to gorgeous weather. Unlike other parts of the country, Southern California is pleasant all year round. The sun is always shining and there’s zero humidity. This can help people cope with some of the challenges that are going to come up with addiction treatment such as withdrawal and depression. Do not underestimate the power of fresh air and sunshine.

There’s also access to the beach here in Huntington Beach. It’s fantastic and recommended to incorporate physical activity into the process of addiction treatment. Hiking, swimming, running, etc, are all great activities to clear someone’s head. There is something very therapeutic about spending time outdoors and connecting with nature. Nature also has a way of focusing on one’s priorities. People who come to this area love taking advantage of the beach and it’s healing components.

The biggest benefit of traveling to Southern California by far is that people can prioritize themselves instead of their addictions. There is so much room for exploring in a new area. Once you are in a sober state of mind you’ll probably realize there are a lot of things you’d like to start doing. Huntington Beach is the perfect place to rediscover yourself, new hobbies, and what makes you truly happy.

Let Us Help You with Your Recovery!

At Anchored Tides Recovery, we are a comprehensive dual-diagnosis enhanced program that has been created specifically for women, by women. We provide a wide variety of outpatient services including a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), a traditional Outpatient Program (OP), as well as long-term recovery monitoring. If you would like to learn more about how we can help you find recovery in Orange County, then please contact us today!

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Why You Should Meditate in Addiction Recovery

Overcoming addiction comes with its own challenges and can be particularly stressful if you are just beginning your journey to recovery. Dealing with the urge to use, cleaning up the messes you made while using, and rebuilding broken relationships is no walk in the park. Anchored Tides puts a big emphasis on developing skills to help you deal with real-life struggles at the beginning of recovery. One of the best coping mechanisms we’ve found so far is meditation and we make sure to include it in our treatment programs.

What is Meditation?

This is a complementary and alternative approach to mainstream addiction recovery services like group counseling and psychotherapy. It is a general body and mind connection practice that focuses on inducing serenity and relaxation to improve both mental and physical health. Anyone can take part in meditation irrespective of your religious or spiritual life. There is no set of time for meditators but beginners can start with a few minutes and then advance to longer sessions.

The practice focuses on the physical sensations, mindfulness, awareness of present feelings and surroundings. It also involves the mindfulness of accepting thoughts and feelings as they are. This is particularly effective in helping individuals fighting addiction to thinking about sobriety, prevent relapse, and ultimately lead to addiction recovery.

Benefits of Meditation

Aside from promoting inner peace, calmness, increase self-awareness and proper mental functioning, meditation also improves mindfulness which helps decrease cravings and aid recovery. Practicing mindfulness means that you are in control of your attention. You are taking the role and attitude of an observer of what you are doing and feeling.

Improves Resilience

Individuals dealing with addiction are among the most resilient people you will ever come across. Bouncing back to a healthy, quiet, drama free, sober life, and adapting to the new changes is not easy – even for the most dynamic individuals. It takes patience, persistence and strong will to recover fully. Meditation helps you cultivate massive levels of resilience. It helps you become more mindful of your fears, anxiety, and pain. Frequent practice helps reduce and manage stress levels.

Acceptance

Too often we get down on ourselves and doubt our abilities to live a happy, sober life. The addiction recovery journey can be more difficult if you remain too hard on yourself. Since meditation focuses on attentiveness and observation to your own feelings and thoughts, it is much easier to learn, watch, and be patient with your emotions and self. The more you practice, the more you get to know yourself. You’ll also learn to treat yourself better and exercise some patience and acceptance as you would on other people who are in the same situation.

Improves your overall health

Meditation focuses on body and mind connection. That means it also focuses on your physical and mental health. When you discover self-awareness, you embrace sobriety and realize that you can actually cope with life challenges without alcohol or drugs.

Your anxiety and stress levels lower through the practice of meditation which can prevent lifestyle-related illnesses such as high blood pressure, stroke, and heart conditions. Aside from reducing anxiety and stress some health benefits gained from meditation include reducing your chance of depression, which is common in individuals battling addiction.

Improves your attention span

Meditation and being mindful means thinking about what and how it is right now and not worrying about the past or the future. You are concentrating on your present and the positive things in it. Practicing mindful meditation means taking time to enjoy the current moment as it is. We can’t fix the past and we can’t control the future, all we have is the present moment. Focusing on the present improves your attention span and allows you to enjoy the little things in life. Becoming more attentive will also help you strengthen or repair broken relationships.

Start meditating

While meditation and addiction would never be used in the same sentences a few decades ago, research has now proved that it is the new recovery agent to addiction. If you have cravings, feel depressed, or are stressed, practice meditation. It’s free and you can do it anywhere!

Anchored Tides Recovery Wants to Help

We want to help you get sober and stay sober. Reach out to us today with any questions you may have regarding our program. We’re happy to talk about all of the resources we provide women seeking sobriety. You can do it!

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Women’s Addiction Treatment: Why It’s Necessary

Dealing with treatment and recovery from substance abuse is a hardship for all involved, and that can be compounded by generic programs that don’t take into account the needs of different clients. The fact is, women have a very different path more often than not when trying to pick up again after addiction. Unlike men, women are more frequently in the role of needing to be a direct care provider for children or elders at the same time that they need to address their own mental, physical, emotional and personal needs. As a result, a women-only rehabilitation program is oftentimes a far better approach than a mixed audience option.

Why Women’s Specific Treatment Is Important

Finding addiction treatment specifically geared for women, however, can be challenging. Many programs are geared for all-gender therapeutic treatment and don’t cater to a women-only environment request. And that can leave a patient uneasy or exposed and vulnerable to male clients in the same residential setting. Granted, many programs provide a very high level of security and treatment care for clients and don’t intend to create an unsafe environment. That said, the mixing of vulnerable clients has sometimes been a negative factor in treatment conditions versus an improvement.

The other factor that a mixed audience treatment program can’t directly provide is that women going through similar scenarios may often build bonds in their commonality and strong friends who reinforce each other far better through treatment than any external person could provide them, including medically-trained staff. Those kinds of personal synergies can help a client stay on track, even well after the addiction treatment has ended because the close friendship connection has not.

Is A Women’s Only Rehabilitation Right For You?

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to substance abuse treatment. Regardless of the fact that people are frequently categorized by the type of addiction, demographics and even economic background, people’s situations are fundamentally different from each other when one gets into the details. One situation may very well be a cascading problem of job loss, divorce and family strife contributing to addiction for distraction and trying to get away from the problems. Another situation may be rooted in one’s family history from decades before. Another may be triggered by abusive relationships that act as a catalyst for substance abuse. If a treatment program applied a generic approach to every case coming in the door, a good portion of clients would fail, which is a big problem with many generic treatment providers.

With a women-only rehabilitation center, a patient could very well be a good fit for the gender-specific treatment approach if there is a history of relationship problems with men that act as a catalyst for addictive behavior. In other cases, female patients may be very apprehensive in mixed crowds but in a women-only environment, it becomes easier to open up, which contributes to adjustment and learning versus being defensive. Still, other female clients may want to stay close to their children during treatment and can’t do so in a mixed-gender addiction treatment program. Female clients who find strength in common experience will frequently find benefits in recovering with other women who’ve lived similar lives too.

Women Need Enhanced Rehab Treatment

Many generic programs again only provide the same approach for all patients that come through the door. However, because of the physical toll substance abuse can take, withdrawal effects can be far stronger on women than men. As a result, a second particular aspect female clients or their families need to consider is that the program can address the additional help a female client will likely want or need in the recovery process. These issues often include mental and psychological conflicts of personal worth, sensitivity to groups and societal norms, or fear of the legal system being aggressive towards women in general. Childcare, as mentioned before, is also a big concern for many female patients afraid they might lose their children committing to an addiction treatment program. So, treatment approaches that accommodate mothers are essential to alleviate this fear and reason for not seeking help.

Getting Help That Works

Anchored Tides Recovery is a comprehensive dual-diagnosis enhanced program designed specifically for women, by women. We offer various levels of outpatient services including a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), an outpatient program (OP), and long-term recovery monitoring with aftercare. If you’re a woman finding treatment for yourself, another female friend, or a loved one, it can be challenging. Call us today. We can help you get the support your need.

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