Serenity Vista Offers Cutting Edge 28-Day Nicotine Cessation Program

BOQUETE, Panama - July 2, 2013 - PRLog -- Along with a continuing change in public policy and business practices diminishing the places people can smoke in public, there is also another change around smoking that is coming down the line: the awareness that nicotine addiction is a chronic disease, an addiction, and that successfully quitting smoking, for many, cannot necessarily be accomplished by sheer force of will alone.

“We are slowly seeing medical and treatment professionals embracing tobacco use as a chronic disease of addiction and some are beginning to offer more treatment support, however there is still room for improvement,” says Deb Miller, a Tobacco Treatment Specialist in Washington State. “There is still a need to develop programs that can offer the support that is needed to overcome the addiction. Public Health Service Guidelines (PHSG) recommends a combination approach to treatment: offering medication support for the biologic component of the addiction, and behavioral counseling for the psychological/habit.”

Fortunately, there IS a program like Miller described: a residential program in Panama, leading the way among very few worldwide, offering its guests the ability to enjoy a luxurious addiction treatment program at the affordable price of $5,000 for 28 days.

Serenity Vista treats nicotine cessation with the same multifaceted approach and seriousness it offers for other addictions and substance abuse. The focus is on healing body, mind and spirit; going deeper than just the biological component of the addiction to uncover the root of the problem.

“I feel offering education about the addiction and guiding them in finding their personal reason for quitting is a good first step,” says Miller. “I have found through the education {I offer} that many people don’t understand the process of nicotine addiction and often feel defeated when they feel they don’t have the willpower to maintain a quit attempt.  

“When they come to understand they are not a failure, I think they become more open to considering another quit attempt.  I’ve had hundreds of conversations with tobacco users over the years, and have learned that once they find the deep internal reason for quitting, the process becomes much easier.”

Already a smoke-free addiction rehabilitation facility, Serenity Vista wholeheartedly embraces findings by specialists like Miller and strives to include the findings in their holistic treatment program. Whether the guest comes to quit other addictions plus quit smoking, or solely for a nicotine cessation program, the North-American team works with each guest to ensure that their treatment is individualized for their needs, while also making sure their guests realize that they are not alone in their fears, or, more importantly, in the struggle with their addiction.

It is finding and asking for support, says Miller, that is the biggest obstacle for most people when they decide to quit smoking.

“Many people don’t look at tobacco use as an addiction. They try to rely on sheer determination and will power in order to quit… Most tobacco users are trying yet few are successful… which I feel points to the need of more support.”

Serenity Vista’s method, using the Hazelden Recovery Model, also known as the Minnesota Model, gives the smoker a chance to understand the biological reasons they want to smoke, then takes their treatment the extra steps necessary to help them understand the underlying causes that make them want to pick up a cigarette, and what triggers may be bringing on that behavior.

“I have come to believe that triggers are a significant factor that can make or break a person’s quit attempt,” says Miller. “The top triggers I hear from people – stress, talking on the phone, after a meal, with coffee, out with friends – are all triggers that typically don’t leave their lives.  The years of conditioned behavior associated with certain triggers can take time to “reprogram” in a person’s brain. “The good news is,” she continues, “the brain can be reprogrammed."

With the help of Serenity Vista's professional staff and specialized program, smokers can learn how to pinpoint their triggers, and, most importantly, what to do instead of picking up a cigarette. By realizing that smoking, too, is an addiction, a powerful one, that requires more resources to conquer than simply willpower, Serenity Vista offers smokers hope where before there was only despair and blame, both from loved ones and themselves.  Smoking, once pleasurable, has become a significant problem for many people. Serenity Vista helps those that want it to move into living in the solution.

To learn more about Serenity Vista’s nicotine cessation and addiction treatment center in Boquete, Panama, go to http://www.serenityvista.com, or call them toll free at 800-919-8023.