Holiday Breaks: Identifying and getting help for substance abuse
For many families, the holidays are the first time they will older kids in months. Especially when they are returning home from one of their first semesters of college. If you suspect substance abuse, don't wait. Act now with these tips.
Nov. 27, 2011 - PRLog -- Seeking treatment for substance abuse
The time has come. Your anger and anxiety about your loved one's behavior is overwhelming. You are afraid of what the future holds for your child or spouse. You may even be terrified that their life is at risk. If the substance abuser in your life is your child, Stanford and Dartmouth are either off the table or are in serious peril. If it is your spouse, there may have been affairs or nights spent in jail. Most parents and spouses at this point are at what we might refer to as their “wit’s end.” It can seem like there is nothing that can be done. Therapists are ineffective and they have figured out how to convince the psychiatrist that certain drugs are the answer but they always seem to be running out of ADHD or anti-anxiety medications long before the prescription runs out.
There are options available. Do not give up. Those who have become addicted to substances can be helped. I am living proof. I was 18 years old when I entered into recovery. 15 years later, I have spent my adult life giving a message of hope to families and teens and providing professional treatments that work for these families. Sometimes, it really is the darkest just before the dawn.
Hitting bottom myth
In American culture, we have a myth that addicts must hit rock bottom to accept help. While crisis is usually what prompts families to seek and obtain drug and alcohol treatment, it is often because the family has hit bottom, not because the teen has. The good news is that there is research supporting that addicts do just as well in treatment when they are forced to attend as when they seek treatment for themselves. In fact, with cutting edge techniques available to today’s addiction professional, even substance abusers who are violently opposed to getting help are getting sober every day.
Services that may help
There are a multitude of options available for families of addicts. The following isn’t even a comprehensive list. A professional addiction counselor can help you to find these services or others that are perfect for your situation.
Interventionists can assist families in much the same way as transport teams but with a more family centered approach. Both are equally effective in getting teens into treatment.
Intensive outpatient treatment. IOP’s are programs that typically take place in your own local area. They range in level of service provided but typically consist of counseling, drug testing, and family therapy with addiction specialists. They are usually between 12-20 hours per week and last 2-12 months depending on the program. They often accept insurance.
Residential Treatment Centers provide temporary housing for your loved ones. They offer the same services as IOP’s do but at a much higher level of care. They are suited well for those who are resistant to treatment who have been unable to stay clean and sober at lower levels of care. They often provide parents with the first good night of sleep they have had in a very long time. They can range from 30 days to 6 months. Research on successful drug treatment suggests 90 days as a benchmark for better outcomes. Often insurance will pay for some or all of this, but not for the length of time suggested here. Often a combination of insurance and family investment is necessary to have the best outcomes.
Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitals. Typically inpatient care is a precursor to residential treatment. It is usually focused on stabilization not on healing due to the insurance driven nature of medical care. This is the appropriate setting to start with for those who are suicidal who are experiencing psychosis. They can hold a person against their will if they are a danger to themselves and this can buy families time to explore longer term treatment options.
Monitoring Services can provide ongoing drug testing and required checks-ins following treatment. This is usually done with a combination of technologies. It looks good to the court system and it is nice for loved ones who want to stay out of complicated situations around asking a person new in recovery to drug test.
Finding the right program
For most families, the decision of where to send a loved one for treatment is a costly and important decision. Most of us, if we are lucky enough to afford it, can only really do it once. This means making the right choices in the beginning is crucial. Many families attempt to under-treat their kids in an effort to save money and spend far more in the long run. This also results in far more painful experiences, as treatment failure not only compounds the shame of the teen, it increases the desperation of the family. For some, financially there may seem to be no options. This is not the case either. There are also community-funded programs available. Find out who handles the probation in your area and contact them. They will know where all of the local resources are for substance abusers and addicts who have no financial resources and can refer you effectively.
If you or a loved one is in need of assistance finding treatment resources of any kind, feel free to contact True North Recovery Services at 760-517-6544 and we will happily assist you in finding the right program and level of care for your loved one.
About the author
Kansas Cafferty, LAADC, MCA, CSC, M-RAS, MFT Intern, CAMF has been in the addiction treatment field for over 14 years. He is the Program Director at True North Recovery Services in Carlsbad, CA (www.sandiegoaddictions.com)
# # #
We provide outpatient treatment for addictions. We have all Masters and Doctorate level staff who provide the counseling.
The time has come. Your anger and anxiety about your loved one's behavior is overwhelming. You are afraid of what the future holds for your child or spouse. You may even be terrified that their life is at risk. If the substance abuser in your life is your child, Stanford and Dartmouth are either off the table or are in serious peril. If it is your spouse, there may have been affairs or nights spent in jail. Most parents and spouses at this point are at what we might refer to as their “wit’s end.” It can seem like there is nothing that can be done. Therapists are ineffective and they have figured out how to convince the psychiatrist that certain drugs are the answer but they always seem to be running out of ADHD or anti-anxiety medications long before the prescription runs out.
There are options available. Do not give up. Those who have become addicted to substances can be helped. I am living proof. I was 18 years old when I entered into recovery. 15 years later, I have spent my adult life giving a message of hope to families and teens and providing professional treatments that work for these families. Sometimes, it really is the darkest just before the dawn.
Hitting bottom myth
In American culture, we have a myth that addicts must hit rock bottom to accept help. While crisis is usually what prompts families to seek and obtain drug and alcohol treatment, it is often because the family has hit bottom, not because the teen has. The good news is that there is research supporting that addicts do just as well in treatment when they are forced to attend as when they seek treatment for themselves. In fact, with cutting edge techniques available to today’s addiction professional, even substance abusers who are violently opposed to getting help are getting sober every day.
Services that may help
There are a multitude of options available for families of addicts. The following isn’t even a comprehensive list. A professional addiction counselor can help you to find these services or others that are perfect for your situation.
Interventionists can assist families in much the same way as transport teams but with a more family centered approach. Both are equally effective in getting teens into treatment.
Intensive outpatient treatment. IOP’s are programs that typically take place in your own local area. They range in level of service provided but typically consist of counseling, drug testing, and family therapy with addiction specialists. They are usually between 12-20 hours per week and last 2-12 months depending on the program. They often accept insurance.
Residential Treatment Centers provide temporary housing for your loved ones. They offer the same services as IOP’s do but at a much higher level of care. They are suited well for those who are resistant to treatment who have been unable to stay clean and sober at lower levels of care. They often provide parents with the first good night of sleep they have had in a very long time. They can range from 30 days to 6 months. Research on successful drug treatment suggests 90 days as a benchmark for better outcomes. Often insurance will pay for some or all of this, but not for the length of time suggested here. Often a combination of insurance and family investment is necessary to have the best outcomes.
Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitals. Typically inpatient care is a precursor to residential treatment. It is usually focused on stabilization not on healing due to the insurance driven nature of medical care. This is the appropriate setting to start with for those who are suicidal who are experiencing psychosis. They can hold a person against their will if they are a danger to themselves and this can buy families time to explore longer term treatment options.
Monitoring Services can provide ongoing drug testing and required checks-ins following treatment. This is usually done with a combination of technologies. It looks good to the court system and it is nice for loved ones who want to stay out of complicated situations around asking a person new in recovery to drug test.
Finding the right program
For most families, the decision of where to send a loved one for treatment is a costly and important decision. Most of us, if we are lucky enough to afford it, can only really do it once. This means making the right choices in the beginning is crucial. Many families attempt to under-treat their kids in an effort to save money and spend far more in the long run. This also results in far more painful experiences, as treatment failure not only compounds the shame of the teen, it increases the desperation of the family. For some, financially there may seem to be no options. This is not the case either. There are also community-funded programs available. Find out who handles the probation in your area and contact them. They will know where all of the local resources are for substance abusers and addicts who have no financial resources and can refer you effectively.
If you or a loved one is in need of assistance finding treatment resources of any kind, feel free to contact True North Recovery Services at 760-517-6544 and we will happily assist you in finding the right program and level of care for your loved one.
About the author
Kansas Cafferty, LAADC, MCA, CSC, M-RAS, MFT Intern, CAMF has been in the addiction treatment field for over 14 years. He is the Program Director at True North Recovery Services in Carlsbad, CA (www.sandiegoaddictions.com)
# # #
We provide outpatient treatment for addictions. We have all Masters and Doctorate level staff who provide the counseling.
End
| Tags | : | Addiction, Opiates, Drug Treatment, Rehab, Mental Health, Psychiatry |
|---|---|---|
| Industry | : | Health, Family, Legal |
| Location | : | Carlsbad - California - United States |