Innovative Addiction Treatment Now Available for First Time in AZ

May 23, 2014 - PRLog -- PHOENIX/SCOTTSDALE, Arizona - For nearly 20 years the FDA approved medication, Naltrexone, has proven that it blocks the effects of alcohol and opiates, plus eliminating the craving for most. However, the traditional pill and injection form of Naltrexone made the effects short term and reduced an addict’s compliance with taking this medication.

Now, Start Fresh Addiction Recovery (http://www.startfreshaddictionrecovery.com) is the only program in Arizona providing Naltrexone in a yearlong pellet form.  With one dose of the pellet, a person’s addiction is nearly eliminated for about a year.  Coupled with life coaching the program’s goal is a long-term addiction free life. A completely outpatient program, Start Fresh treats both the medical and behavioral aspects of addiction and provides an effective complimentary service to any other type of addiction treatment.

Start Fresh inserts two small pellets (together only one inch long) just under the top layer of the skin, typically on the side of the abdomen or under the bikini line for women. This is done in an outpatient doctor’s office in about 15 minutes with only a few stitches. Within 48 hours the person starts life coach sessions with their assigned coach by phone or Skype. The life coach also provides support outside of the sessions as needed, including texting.

According to articles and clinical trials published by the National Institutes of Health, “Naltrexone acts as an antagonist at the opioid receptors, which are known to mediate the rewarding effects of alcohol and thus thought to reduce desire or craving of alcohol. Studies have found that naltrexone is more effective than placebo in promoting abstinence, reducing heavy drinking days and decreasing relapse rates, particularly when it is combined with cognitive behavioral therapy.”[1]

Jeremy Miller, the childhood actor who played Ben Seaver on the popular TV show Growing Pains, was a Start Fresh client and now a spokesperson. Miller shares that he struggled with alcohol dependence throughout his young adult life with chronic relapses well into adulthood, “I typically would drink myself to sleep then wake up during the night to drink again so I could get back to sleep.”  Miller emphasizes that nothing is a magic pill, “Start Fresh eliminated my cravings and thanks to the tools I learned from the life coaching, I am still alcohol free today years later.” See his story at http://www.startfreshaddictionrecovery.com/success-stories-videos.html.

Effective for both alcohol and opiate addiction, the Start Fresh combination of the pellet and convenient mental health treatment increases effectiveness in improving mental health and preventing relapse in the long term.   (Note: This is not the medication called Antabuse, which causes nausea; naltrexone does not have this side effect. Side effects are minimal or non-existent.)

In an article also published by the NIH, “It was established that application of naltrexone decreased probability of relapse of drug abuse, facilitated an inclusion of a patient into a program of therapy and rehabilitation, increased a number and quality of remissions as well as it also decreased a tendency to alcohol and sedative drugs administration. Naltrexone had no side effects and was well tolerated by the patients.”[2]

The Start Fresh program goal is to complement and work in collaboration with other addiction treatment services, “We highly value the existing relationship a patient has with their providers and therapy, including AA,” stresses Karen Kansfield, President of Start Fresh in Arizona.  “It is important to keep the network of services strong. We will always encourage that a patient retain their relationship with their existing addiction treatment provider, doing whatever it takes to help them be strong and addiction free. Even our life coaching works in tandem with existing psychotherapy treatment.”

Start Fresh Addiction Recovery is headquartered in Scottsdale with clinics currently in Phoenix and Scottsdale with more opening throughout Arizona.  Start Fresh Addiction Recovery is an addiction treatment and rehabilitation program on the leading edge of substance abuse addiction treatment consisting of two components; treating both the physical and behavioral aspects of addiction.  The first component of the program consists of inserting pellets in a quick outpatient doctor’s office visit that delivers therapeutic levels of the FDA approved drug Naltrexone, an opioid antagonist that blocks the effects of alcohol and opioids plus significantly reduces physical cravings for most. The second component is a life coaching program (provided by phone, Skype and texting) tailored for the treatment of alcoholism and other substance abuse addictions. For more information call 855-393-HOPE (4673) toll-free, 24/7, and visit http://www.StartFreshAddictionRecovery.com.

[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3202509/

[2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9845936