Treatment

“I thought I was going crazy, I thought I was dying and had no one I could talk to that understood. It got so bad that at one point I started a new job and had difficulty driving to work. I couldn’t get there without having a panic attack.” As the person above shared their story with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), panic disorder can disrupt everyday life. What comes with panic disorder, however, is feeling nervous about having panic attacks in public places – and with little attention focused on how debilitating this disorder can be, it’s often overlooked. A 2016 review published by researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine highlighted a major symptom of panic disorder – hyperventilation – and how breathlessness, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, dizziness, wheeziness and more becomes overlooked as individuals experiencing these symptoms tend to believe that they’re the only ones going through this. In addition to this, the signs of panic disorder can be shown in many other disorders; Very Well Mind, a website that publishes information on disorders, self-improvement and psychology, reminds us of some overlooked facts of panic disorder:

A common issue amongst many of us is how to express ourselves when we’re feeling angry, sad, anxious, etc. In the past, our society has set expectations for how we’re supposed to deal with painful emotions – with an unfortunate outcome being suppression. We hold it in, expecting the pain to fade away – but when it doesn’t, we find ourselves searching outside for solutions, and that’s oftentimes when addiction works its way into our lives. Recovery is a time for us to release the pent-up emotions that we’ve hid for so long, and expressive arts therapy can be a transformative way to reach these suppressed emotions that we may no longer know how to get to. Expressive therapy is defined as, “…the use of art, music, dance/movement, drama, poetry/creative writing, play, and sand tray within the context of psychotherapy, counseling, rehabilitation or health care.  Addiction recovery is about uncovering what we’ve held back for so many years, and expressive arts therapies allow us to dive deeper into the issues that we may not be able to put into words. Just how successful has expressive arts therapy been for those in addiction recovery? A 2014 study published in the Journal of Addictions Nursing assessed 299 treatment centers and found that 36.8% of them offered expressive arts therapies; the ones that did, however, worked very well alongside 12-Step programs and reached some of the unique needs of those in recovery. Other studies have shown that expressive art therapies can help those in recovery make connections between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, which helps create an alignment within individuals’ recovery process. As a 2017 study published in the journal Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly states, there are several areas of recovery that expressive therapies can reach:

Addiction doesn’t always come by itself. We’re all made up of different genetic makeups, different backgrounds, histories, experiences, mental health issues and more. For many people, addiction comes alongside mental disorders – and sudden bouts of anxiety or overwhelming fear can lead to panic attacks, which can make us feel as though we can’t think or breathe. Our palms become sweaty, our vision is blurred, and before we know it, everything around us is spinning. If you’ve been trying to make sense of what you’ve been going through, it can be helpful to understand the difference between panic attacks and panic disorder.

As you’re getting your body prepared to be in the best shape possible, you’ll have to take on new habits that support your mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. Recovery isn’t just about treating the addiction itself – it’s about restoring what you’ve been missing all these years to live a happy, healthy life. Physical health is incredibly important because your body serves as the foundation that gets you to where you need to be; without physical health, you would be unable to heal effectively. Stretching is a great way to boost your immune system and prep your mind for rejuvenation. According to UC Davis, stretching is beneficial for a number of reasons: it promotes flexibility, it improves our posture, and it prepares our muscles to fight injuries should they occur. In addition to this, stretching increases blood supply – which means that nutrients are better able to reach the places where they need to go. Stretching is great for your holistic health in the following ways:

When you’re in the throes of anxiety, it can feel as though the entire world is falling apart. Your fears take over, your head starts spinning, and all these thoughts come flooding in – with no way to stop it. It’s easy to hear from friends or family to “calm down” or “it will all be okay” – but will it? Countless times, you’ve tried to “wish” your anxiety away – but unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. For many in addiction recovery, anxiety is a staple symptom of coming to grips with major change. Detoxification can bring about these symptoms, or anxiety itself could be something that you’ve been struggling with for quite some time. Either way, it feels like it’s hard to manage; thankfully, there are a number of effective coping skills you can utilize to improve the levels of anxiety that you have – and one of the first coping skills you should try is mental distraction. Mental distraction has been defined as, “The technique of focusing on something else when your mind is preoccupied with anxious thoughts that are not proving productive.” Mind.org, a UK-based organization, has noted that small-scale distraction techniques, such as the ones we’re about to show you, can greatly help break the inertia of anxiety running its course:

According to a study published by the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH), around 25.3 million Americans experience some form of pain each and every day.  This pain can range from brief to long-lasting, and once it’s started, it’s hard to manage. Prescription medications can sometimes resolve this issue, but it’s easy to become hooked on them if you aren’t careful. Some misuse their prescription drugs, while others end up taking drugs from friends or family members that aren’t even theirs in an effort to reach a level of comfort, they so desperately desire. The work that we do every day can have a big impact on the pain that we experience, and this is where ergonomics steps into play. In addiction recovery, it’s important to focus on the activities we pursue in our daily lives so that we can get a better idea of how to control our environment in the best way possible for our health. Ergonomics, defined by the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA) as “what kind of work you do, what kind of tools you use and your whole job environment”, can help us take a look at your daily activities to assess what changes will most benefit the level of pain you experience. Addiction recovery shouldn’t be solely about treating the addiction – this disease affects the mind, body and spirit, and so should be treated as such. Ergonomics helps us look at a wide range of movements that you perform on a daily basis to dig into the root cause of your pain. Movements such as bending, walking, lifting, sitting, getting out of bed, climbing stairs, getting out of a chair, exerting personal care, taking part in leisure activities and more are all rely on movement – and by honing in on some safe ways to go about these tasks, we’re less likely to have as many issues with pain as we did before.   Don’t wait any longer to start working towards your holistic health. Speak with a professional from Avalon Malibu about incorporating occupational therapy into your addiction recovery program today.

For decades, psychologists, researchers, and community leaders alike have worked diligently to identify unique modalities for treating addiction, mental health disorders, pain management and more. The psychological issues we face walking into addiction recovery isn’t an isolated event – for many, trauma and mental illness co-occur alongside addiction, but without the right tools, there’s little room for improvement. Addiction recovery is about treating the whole self, and since we all have different ways of learning and responding, creative approaches fill that gap of subjectivity. If you’re looking for a creative way to express yourself, learn from others and develop healthy coping mechanisms, psychodrama could be an excellent addition to your treatment regime.

No matter what stage you’re at in recovery, it’s normal to feel a bit apprehensive at times. The beginning of recovery can be challenging because you don’t know what to expect, while even months or years into recovery can bring about uneasiness if you’re not quite sure where your journey will take you next. There becomes a problem, however, when we start letting those uncertainties dictate our views on recovery. We may start making excuses for why recovery is no longer a viable option for us, and that’s what can cause us to take drastic measures. If this is where you’re at right now, take a deep breath and remind yourself that ups and downs are part of the process – and recognize the 3 common lies we tell ourselves:

Being a pharmacist is a stressful yet incredibly important profession. Pharmacists are responsible for the lives of thousands of people throughout their career, and one minor mistake can have immense consequences. Having that much responsibility and so little of a margin of error can also be a lot to handle.

Inpatient drug treatment is rehabilitation where a patient spends 24 hours a day in a facility away from their home. The process works to keep patients away from their regular lifestyle and the temptation to use drugs and/or alcohol. This type of treatment plan allows the patient to focus entirely on beating their addiction. Treatments may include detox, medical assistance, and a combination of therapy techniques. Inpatient treatment may take place in a hospital or a residential treatment program. The length of treatment often varies and is usually followed by a step-down program to ensure continued success. Inpatient rehab focuses on recognizing negative behavior and learning how to replace unhealthy habits with constructive healthy choices.

Not all depression is the same, and how it affects each person is unique based on several factors. This can sometimes make it difficult to differentiate between temporary episodes of sadness and prolonged periods of suffering. Symptoms can range from mild and fleeting to severe and debilitating. There are several recognized types of depression, but the one that is most frequently treated is clinical depression. Doctors and psychiatrists will use a specific set of criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5, to diagnose this type of mood disorder.

Struggling with alcohol addiction can be very disruptive in your life. People go from being a flourishing business professional who is on the ball with their family to someone who can barely get out of bed in the morning. When it's finally time to go to a treatment center, there needs to be a healing solution that will work best. Sometimes, that involves traveling.