How To Create A Long Term Treatment Plan

Long-term treatment is often confusing to people because “treatment” is synonymous with what is technically residential inpatient treatment. Treatment stems beyond the traditional 30-60 day inpatient program which most might call ‘rehab’. There are many options for treatment after the first one to two months of treatment, which can create a long term treatment program.

Here are the terms for treatment levels, in descending order:

• Detox

• Inpatient

• Partial hospitalization

• Intensive outpatient

• Outpatient

• Aftercare

One of the not commonly listed phases of treatment is transitional care or extended care programs. Typically these programs are multi-phase and last for 3-6 months after the initial treatment programs. For those who do not feel ready to fully transition into independence in recovery, transitional care programs are ideal for prolonging the treatment process while intermittently gaining back independence. Other forms of step down treatment like partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient don’t always offer residential options. Meaning, it is a partial treatment experience. The therapy and treatment is part of the day and there is still a large amount of independence around that small part of structure.

Choose the right treatment program

Transitional care and extended care programs offer a different approach to creating a long term treatment program. You want to choose a long term programs based on your needs and wants for continuing the treatment process. If you want adventure therapy, immersive learning, experiential learning, continuing cognitive behavioral therapy, life skills, vocational training, etc you know what you’re looking for. Programs like the transitional care program at LEAD Recovery Center offer a full range of services that help clients grow toward their autonomy in recovery.

A long term treatment program offers structure, support, and accountability while also offering priceless opportunities at learning. Life skills development, leadership training, adventure and experiential learning take the didactic information of other treatment levels and start putting them into practice. Recovery in treatment can only go so far through handouts, lectures and group processing. Eventually, recovery has to be lived. Transitional care and long term treatment plans help clients learn and practice living sober, creating a lifestyle, friendships, network, and community of like-minded recovery peers.

Enlightened Recovery Solutions offers partial care programs for after residential inpatient treatment. Our solution to addiction harmoniously blends a mind, body, spirit approach by combining the best of clinical, holistic, and 12 step therapies. Call us today for information on our healing and transformational programs of treatment: 888-234-LIVE.

The Role of Reality Therapy in Addiction Treatment

Addicts and alcoholics have a hard time looking at the reality of a situation. It isn’t their fault. Years of substance abuse has changed the way their brain relates to the present moment and the truth. Learning to manage thinking and make life-thinking more realistic is a challenge for recovering addicts and alcoholics from the minute they decide to recover. For example, when an addict or alcoholic realizes that they cannot continue to drink alcohol and use drugs, they are really realizing that it isn’t realistic they continue their use. When a doctor plainly tells a patient, if you continue to drink and/or use, you are likely to die, it isn’t realistic that continuing to drink or use would lead to not dying. On the same token, someone who is addicted has to realize that realistically, they cannot achieve sobriety and all the gifts as well as changes that sobriety brings by continuing to drink or use.

Reality therapy focuses on goals and looking at current behaviors in how they either work toward or work against those goals. Simply put, someone who wants to get and stay sober is not able to work toward those goals when they continue to drink and use. Looking at a situation in terms that are more black and white help someone in recovery discern what is realistic thinking and what is not realistic thinking. Sticking close to reality is critical for reshaping the addicted brain in recover. High amounts of substances in the brain cause the creation of the euphoric effect which can take addicts and alcoholics into delusion, fantasy, hallucination, and even severe paranoia. None of these mental states are reality or contribute realistically to one’s life. Spending enough time there can create what feels like a new reality.

WDEP

Wants, doing, evaluation, and planning are core components of the reality therapy approach to addiction treatment and mental health recovery. First, it is essential for someone in recovery to define what it is that they want. Often this takes uncovering true wants and needs which have been masked by wants and needs for other as well as low self-esteem. Shame and stigma are persistent in recovery and can often lead to feeling undeserving or unworthy of one’s true desires. Once the wants have been revealed and fully embodied, the behaviors to get or to self-sabotage getting those wants are examined. Evaluating the helpfulness or harming tendencies of these behaviors helps create a more realistic view on how someone in recovery is working toward their goals. Lastly, with their therapist, a person in recovery starts to plan how they are going to change their behaviors and start working realistically toward their goal.

Enlightened Recovery Solutions is helping men and women create a harmonious balance of health and wellness in mind, body, and spirit. Offering a blend of clinical, holistic, and 12 step techniques, our programs bring clients to a lifestyle of recovery.

Call 888-234-LIVE for more information on our programs of treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.

The Transcendental Experience Of The 12 Steps

William James wrote Varieties of Religious Experience in which he closely examined the many ways people experience spirituality and religion. The authors of Alcoholics Anonymous who drafted the 12 steps were heavily influenced by James’ work. In appendix ii, titled “Spiritual Experience” of the book, the authors cite James and his perspective on the “educational variety” of spiritual experiences, “Most of our experiences are what the psychologist William James calls the ‘educational variety’ because they develop slowly over time.” Working the 12 steps has a distinct purpose: to have a spiritual experience. In doing so, the authors believed, a person can be so inspired that they won’t pick up a drink or a drug again, and that they will commence to live a life progressing along spiritual lines. It’s “the personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism” the authors believe happens as a result of a spiritual experience.

Transformation and change through transcendental experiences is not new. Prayer, meditation, and other forms of spiritual ritual have been poetically described as ecstatic or bringing about ecstasy. People feel connected to something bigger than themselves when they are in the midst of a spiritual experience. From feelings of unity, a primary theme in AA, to feelings of awe and inspiration, they experience a momentary pause in time where the many concerns of their humanity slip away. For alcoholics, this is a priceless experience. Alcoholism is larger than life. Caught within the man-made world, being trapped in the vertigo of alcoholism is remarkably limiting. Isolation, separation, and delusion create a hardened barrier between an alcoholic and their ability to remain curious about life. The spiritual experience is not novel as a solution to alcoholism.

Being struck by something so inspiring as to create a life-altering change like not picking up a drink or a drug again is a profound experience, proven by science. Research shows that transcendental spiritual experiences which take someone out of self and into a realm of understanding beyond the self has a long-term effect. Studies have found that their are higher levels of being content with life, feeling more meaning in life, and greater senses of bonding to others after a spiritual experience. This is no more evidenced than a career alcoholic of many years spending a few months in meetings working the steps with a sponsor and coming to realize they never have to drink again. Alcoholics, renown for their selfishness and self-centeredness, are able to gain the perspective necessary to realize their alcoholism, their recovery, and their lives, are about more than them. The 12 steps focus on service for this reason- to essentially pass the pathway toward transcendence to others.

The Big Book states that “...any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his problems in the light of our experience can recover, provided he does not close his mind to all spiritual concepts.” At Enlightened Solutions, we are integrating the spiritual experience of the 12 steps into every facet of our program. From evidence based clinical practices to healing holistic treatments, our comprehensive partial care programs are effective in changing lives for the better.

Call us for more information on our dual diagnosis treatment programs: 844-234-LIVE.

Why Being Honest Is Important For Your Recovery From Addiction

Honesty is the best policy, it is often said. An essential principle and practice for your recovery, honesty is important for staying sober.

Not being honest takes a lot of energy

Holding onto secrets, resentments, or denials, is exhausting. It isn’t uncommon to experience feelings of being weighed down, tired, or low energy when you aren’t being honest with yourself. The worst is when you aren’t aware you aren’t being honest with yourself and you’re doing it subconsciously. The truth sets you free, it is often said. With that logic, not telling the truth or admitting the truth to yourself is the opposite of freedom. Living in that kind of mental captivity takes a toll emotionally as well as physically. Not to mention, you’re living against your spiritual principles. Getting sober, working the 12 steps, and doing work in therapy aligns you with the spiritual principles which keep you progressing along a spiritual path, away from relapse. The reason step one includes getting honest about your inability to manage your drinking is because honesty is the first step in solving any problem. When you aren’t being honest, you aren’t living in the solution which means you’re holding onto a problem.

Not being honest isn’t authentic

Living an authentic life is a major theme in spiritual development. It means developing a manner of living which is undisputed and genuine. Genuity is truthfulness. Not being honest with yourself is not being truthful to who you are, what you value, what you want, and what you need. Instead, you place deceit above honesty. You might not think it is too big of a deal, because you aren’t lying about drinking and using, because you aren’t drinking and using. However, the brain likes to notice negative behaviors over positive ones, meanings just a little bit of dishonesty could result in a slippery road toward other forms of dishonesty, like relapsing.

Not being honest can actually make you sick

There is an old saying that you’re only as sick as the secrets you keep. From step one, you’ve been committed to your honesty. Through step four, you divulged all of the hidden resentments and truths about your life you’ve been holding onto for so long. Step ten suggests you take a daily inventory of rights and wrongs, and when you’re wrong, the step encourages you to be honest about it and make amends immediately. You can’t afford to become sick from your secrets anymore because you’re working too hard to get well. Secrets are energy. Theories in holistic health believe that energy is stored in the body. Dishonesty can become toxic energy which can in turn make you mentally, physically, and spiritually sick.

Not being honest is a manifestation of addictive behaviors. Relapse happens. Addiction happens. If you are struggling to be honest with yourself about your need of help, you are not alone. Enlightened Solutions offers you a healing environment of compassionate care where your program of recovery is tailored to meet your needs mentally, physically, and spiritually.

For information, call us today: 844-234-LIVE.

What You Need To Understand About Healing When The Addict Goes To Treatment

Every addicted family model has an addict. There are other roles which everyone finds a way to fulfill, like the scapegoat, the caretaker, and golden child, and more. Typically, the addict in the family is not the catalyst for dysfunction. Though much blame will be placed on the addict for causing problems and “tearing the family apart” the addict is typically the catalyst for bringing preexisting family problems to the surface. Outraged at having to face their own consequences, each family member uses the addict as a reason, rather than a cause. Family healing is a gift in recovery that unfortunately, not everyone gets to access. For the families who do have an opportunity to heal, it requires compassion, understanding, patience, and humility to understand the dynamics of recovery.

First, it is necessary to realize that treatment is not a magical cure for family dysfunction. Treatment will help the loved one in your family who is addicted as well as help your family heal. However, when the addict in the family goes to treatment, years of dysfunction, hurt, and trauma are not suddenly erased. Most often, this is when the family realizes the problems stem beyond the addict’s addiction and need to be addressed by everybody.

Taking on personal recovery as a requirement for healing is often a surprise for family members when they’re addicted loved one goes to treatment. Just as treatment is not a magical cure for the family, it isn’t a magical cure for each person’s individual life either. Recovery is a personal journey everyone has to take. It takes work to heal. It takes willingness to want to do the work.

The family becomes an addicted family unit as a whole, not because of the one family member who has become addicted to drugs and alcohol but because the family, in a way, becomes addicted to addiction. Dysfunctional behavior becomes a routine and a habit, which can act like an “addiction” for the rest of the family. Enabling the addict’s behavior with additional dysfunctional behaviors is not intentional. The family is ill-prepared to cope with addiction and dysfunction. Family therapy is essential for the treatment and recovery process in order to learn the necessary coping skills to create a foundation of normalcy.

Miracles can happen in recovery. At Enlightened Solutions, we see them happen every day. Our integrative treatment program brings together the best of alternative therapies, clinical treatments, and holistic healing in addition to twelve step philosophy. For information, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

Relapse Prevention Is Critical For Long Term Recovery

You send a loved one with an addiction problem to treatment. They spend 30-90 days getting clean and sober, talking about their feelings, and getting healthy again. After treatment, they move back home and start to live life again. Shortly thereafter, they relapse. You might repeat this cycle three or four times. What is missing? Relapse prevention.

Treatment is not a cure for addiction. Treatment, meaning attending a clinical recovery program, is an answer comprised of many different answers for living with addiction, without using drugs and alcohol. Relapse prevention is a particular set of tools which helps those in recovery learn how to live in a way which does not trigger them to use drugs and alcohol to cope. Without relapse prevention specific methods and techniques, treatment is a mere break form a hazardous lifestyle.

Stress Management

Overall, stress management in every form is one of the most important methods for relapse prevention. Stress triggers the brain to seek relief from stress. In the addicted brain, most often that happens through some form of creating pleasure. Due to the way addiction causes learning and memory association, creating pleasure is intimately tied with drugs and alcohol or other harmful behaviors. Managing stress includes learning what causes stress, how to identify stress, how to cope with stress, and understanding how stress relates to triggers for cravings.

Self-Care

Recovering from drug and alcohol addiction can feel like having to start life over and learn everything new. Too often self-care refers to the luxurious pampering and quality time one spends with themselves to feel good. Self-care also refers to the everyday responsibilities which need to be fulfilled to take care of the self like eating, hygiene, paying bills, managing tasks, and getting enough rest. Often called “life skills” learning how to incorporate essential themes of recovery into everyday life is critical to living a new lifestyle free from dependency on drug and alcohol.

Communication

Being acknowledged, heard, and understood are core needs of every human being. For addicts and alcoholics in recovery, it couldn’t be more important. Healthy forms of communication help maintain proper boundaries, boost self-esteem, and articulate emotions, wants, and needs.

Relapse prevention is a primary focus at Enlightened Solutions where we show clients how to live along spiritual lines in a new life of recovery. For information on our partial care programs for addiction and dual diagnosis issues, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

3 Qualities You Should Look For In A Healthy Sponsor

Finding a sponsor quickly in early recovery can help you get started on the twelve steps as soon as possible. Choosing the right sponsor is easy by looking for these three qualities about the way they sponsor people. In addition, they should be someone you feel you relate to, whose life in recovery is something you admire, and who you feel you can trust.

1. They Are Generous With Time And Knowledge: Once upon a time your sponsor was in the same position as you. New to recovery, uncomfortable with feelings and cravings, not sure how to make it through another day sober. A sponsor reached out to them offer generous amounts of time and knowledge about recovery, the Big Book, the twelve steps, and more. Sponsors in a relationship with a sponsee are supposed to give their time and knowledge generously as it was given to them. If a sponsor is holding back or creating requirements to “earn” what they know, they are not the right person.

2. They Do Not Sugar Coat Things For You: A sponsor does not have to be rigid, rude, and confrontational on the borderline of emotionally abusive. Likewise, a sponsor does not have to be gentle, soft, cooing, and affectionate. Ideally, a sponsor should have a healthy balance of realism and optimism, compassion and empathy, with some healthy boundary settings. Your sponsor is not your therapist or your parent. Your sponsor is someone who dedicates their time to showing you how to live a clean and sober lifestyle of recovery. As a result, they should be realistic and assertive with you when necessary. Addiction is a sneaky disease which can quickly turn the brain. Sponsors are there to help you realize when your thinking has gone astray and put it back on track.

3. They Are Loyal And Maintain Confidence: Going through the twelve steps with a sponsor means that individual will b getting to know you on a deep and intimate level. Sharing your fourth step, your moral inventory, with your sponsor means going through some of your darkest moments together. A sponsor should be committed to your relationship with them, not anything else. Too often, sponsors have a tendency to talk about their sponsees and what their sponsees are going through to other people. Understand, your sponsor is not a perfect person. At times, they will need to seek outside advice so they can best guide you in their recovery. This is an important quality which teaches you that it is always okay to ask for help.

Enlightened Solutions believes in the spiritual principles and lifestyle of the twelve steps. Our partial care programs for addiction and dual diagnosis issues bring together the twelve step philosophy with proven clinical treatments and holistic healing modalities. For more information, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

Mindfulness And Music Go Hand In Hand

It’s easy to get lost in music. You might like the rhythm, the beat, the bass, the lyrics, or just the sound of the instruments. Music has a powerful ability to transport the mind to other places. Listening to music and making music have meditative properties which are healing to the mind, body, and spirit. Music therapy in treatment for addiction and dual diagnosis issues can help clients access emotions and memories which might otherwise be blocked. Through lyrics and emotional sounds, music helps clients become more mindful of their emotions. Mindfulness is a spiritual practice by nature which has gained clinical renown for its ability to reduce stress and symptoms of challenging mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Becoming aware of the present moment through the tasks of noticing and paying attention are the foundation of mindfulness. Until people become aware they usually aren’t aware of how unaware they have been. Why don’t we notice the world around us or the world within us more often? We simply aren’t taught to do so. Mindfulness practices help train the brain to be more aware which and keen to noticing. Music is a way to enhance mindfulness by practicing mindfulness in music oriented situations.

For men and women in recovery, music can become a powerful tool. Discovering new music tastes, finding songs which define new feelings, learning to play an instrument, and attending music shows are transformative experiences. Here are some ways to bring music and mindfulness together in your recovery:

• Go to live music shows with friends: At first it might feel intimidating to go to venues where alcohol is served and not drink. Ask for a soda or a water to have something to hold onto but mindfully focus on the music and the environment. Notice how your thoughts might drift to depression or anxiety. See if you can become aware of how often you leave the present moment and what helps you come back. Focus on your breathing and feel the vibrations of the PA system through your body. Notice how many of your sense are activated by attending a live music show.

• Listen to new kinds of music you have never explored before. What feels different and uncomfortable about it? Try to notice your thoughts and any physical tension which arises from the music.

• Pay attention to natural music. Take a walk and notice all the different sounds around you. See how many different sounds are happening at once, each at their own tempo.

• Take a walk listening to music. Have you ever noticed the way life tends to move to a beat? Create a soundtrack to your day as if it were in a movie and notice how music helps move your energy and keep it going.

Enlightened Solutions brings together the healing therapies of holistic treatment with the proven effect of alternative therapies in addition to evidence based clinical treatments. Our partial care programs for addiction and dual diagnosis issues heal mind, body, and spirit while helping clients create a new life in recovery. For more information, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

The Four Flower Based Essential Oils You Need For Treating Anxiety

Essential oils are not a cure for anxiety. When you notice anxious feelings developing or find yourself in the middle of an anxiety attack, essential oils and aromatherapy can be helpful. By absorbing through the skin, the natural properties of essential oils work into the bloodstream and circulate quickly through the body. As inhaled through the nose, smell, the strongest memory recall senses, immediately alerts the brain to relax. Calming down is one important tool for getting through anxiety. Observing anxious thoughts, understanding triggers for anxiety, and creating a plan for moving forward are equally as important. Until the urgency of anxiety subsides, it is challenging to investigate more deeply into the mind. Here are four flower based essential oils which can help you return to your focus on the breath and create a state of calm during anxiety.

Jasmine Oil

Have you ever walked down a summer street and smelled a sticky sweet perfume that permeates the air? Likely, it was a kind of jasmine. Jasmine is an ancient and potent flower regarded for its perfume and its healing properties. Research has found that jasmine influences the nervous system by causing relaxation and alertness. Though anxiety can feel like being too alert in a hypervigilant manner, jasmine oil can help stimulate mindfulness by becoming alert regarding one’s own anxiety.

Lavender Oil

Lavender is often regarded as nature’s miracle flower. An antiviral, antibacterial, and deep relaxant, it is little wonder as to why almost every product sold for relaxation has lavender in it. As aromatherapy, and essential oil rubbed into the skin, or a scent in any soap or tangible product, lavender is instantly relaxing. Try using lavender in a warm cup of milk, on top of toast, or in any other dish.

Roman Chamomile

Chamomile, like lavender, is synonymous with sensual relaxation. Most popular in a tea from, chamomile is known for being relaxing and soothing. Roman chamomile has been proven to be more potent than regular chamomile as both a tea and an essential oil.

Rose Oil

The smell of roses is sweet and awe-inducing. Nature’s most perfumed product captures millions with their perfect beauty and different scents. As an essential oil, rose oil acts as an anti-depressant and a calming agent, helping to soothe the mind and the body.

Holistic treatments and alternative therapies set the partial care programs at Enlightened Solutions apart by truly focusing on healing mind, body, and spirit. For information on our programs for addiction and dual diagnosis issues, call 844-234-LIVE.  

3 Reasons Why You Won’t Let Yourself Be More Spiritual

Spirituality isn’t a requirement for recovery, though many find it to be. When entering treatment or recovery, you will hear a lot of talk about the spiritual lifestyle. If you are resistant and closed-minded, these are three common reasons why.

1. You Believe Spirituality Is Based On Beliefs: Spirituality is a universal experience not associated with any one denomination or sect of religion, faith, or belief. Spirituality doesn’t even have to include a “God” or a higher power. The definition of spirituality is “the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.” Spirituality is a belief of its own, in that you believe it is important to develop beliefs beyond the spiritual world you see around you. Most “mystics” or higher vibrational members of different religions consider themselves spiritual above all else. Spirituality transcends the confines of the visible and obvious.

2. You Believe Spirituality Takes Work: Spirituality might mean regular work with a spiritual mentor, going to churches and ceremonies, studying ancient texts, or reading through shelves of self-help books. Spirituality certainly can mean those things. However, spirituality doesn’t have to mean those things. Spirituality falls under the old saying you get out of it what you put into it. The more you explore spirituality the deeper your spiritual beliefs and philosophies will become. Understanding the spiritual lifestyle and spirituality is part of the spiritual process. Everything in life takes some kind of work. Practical understandings of physics include exertion and force. Your every thought, movement, and breath requires some kind of work. It took work to develop a chemical dependency. It took work to reach out and call for help. It takes a bit of work every day to continue choosing recovery.

3. You Believe Spirituality Is A Fake Front: Authenticity is a popular term among people who try to live a more spiritual lifestyle. Being authentic means experiencing one’s own emotions and energy without judgment and a superficial need to be anything other than what and who they are. Sometimes, spiritual people can be very happy- almost, too happy. Other people who are hesitant toward spirituality often believe that spirituality making people happy all the time is a fake front. Authenticity is about embracing all emotions. Spirituality and spiritual practices can help in cultivating and embodying your authentic self, without judgment or comparison to others. Interestingly, judging others for being fake or criticising them as fake is often a pattern of the ego. Spiritual practices often focus on the ego, the idea of self and self-importance, and eliminating or reducing the ego through humility. Spiritual humility is recognizing you are neither greater nor less than any other human being. Everyone is deserving of love, compassion, and empathy.

Enlightened Solutions has created an integrative partial care program for addiction, alcoholism, and dual diagnosis issues which focuses on healing the mind, body, and spirit. Providing compassionate holistic care and proven clinical therapy, our programs help clients create a new life of recovery. Call 844-234-LIVE today for more information.

The 5 Best Holistic And Natural Therapies For The Recovering Body And Mind

Healing mind, body, and spirit requires a mind, body, and spirit approach. Holistic and natural therapies help heal all three areas at once.

1. Acupressure Massage: The body is full of pressure points which are connected to the natural flow of energy in the body. When activated through pressure, each point releases energetic blockages and releases tension in the muscles. Acupressure massage can be extreme and sometimes extremely painful. However, the benefits are tremendous for mind, body, and spirit. Releasing toxins and blocked energy helps clear the mind and detoxifies the body. Emotional processing is common with acupressure, helping to heal the spirit.

2. Acupuncture: Acupuncture is a proven treatment for recovery. Similar to acupressure, acupuncture works with specific channels, meridians, and points of energy throughout the body. Each acupuncture point, activated by the insertion of a small needle, connects to the function of a major organ, which has importance in emotional and energetic regulation. Acupuncture can release muscles and energy, helpful for relieving aches and pains. In addition, acupuncture can help with sleeplessness and stress in addition to detoxifying the body and creating deep relaxation.

3. Aromatherapy: Essential oils can be used for healing in many different ways, all of which are considered to be part of aromatherapy. Just putting a dab of essential oils on specific pressure points like the wrists or the temples can be therapeutic. Inhaling the scent of essential oils has numerous properties for the mind, body, and spirit. Lavender can be calming in times of stress, while citrus sells can be uplifting. Eucalyptus is helpful in clearing the nose, the chest, and detoxifying the body from illness.

4. Hydrotherapy: Whether in a hydromassage chamber or standing in a hot shower, spending time being touch by water is healing for the body and the mind. Our natural pH levels align with water. Water helps relax our bodies, our minds, our muscles, and our joints simultaneously. Soaking in a jacuzzi or a tub, washing the face, or taking a plunge in a pool are all healing forms of hydrotherapy.

5. Massage: Massage has become a common healing modality offered in treatment centers for addicts and alcoholics in recovery. Healing touch is soothing and therapeutic for those who have experienced abuse and trauma. By releasing tension in the muscles, it becomes easier to focus on the mental work of therapy and release the pain of detox.

Holistic healing and natural alternative healing remedies are essential for fully recovering the mind, body, and spirit. At Enlightened Solutions we conjoin the best of holistic care with clinically proven therapy and spiritual healing. Call us today for information on our partial care programs and recovery services. 844-234-LIVE.

MDMA Addiction: 3 Signs

The popular club drug, commonly known as ecstasy, is highly addictive and can be extremely harmful when abused. If you are concerned you or a loved one are struggling with MDMA addiction, look for these signs.

1. Change In Mental Health: MDMA is a mix of many different drugs unless it is pure, which is rare. In the brain, MDMA interacts with different chemicals, producing an array of reactions. Primarily, MDMA interacts with serotonin, which is a brain chemical which helps regulate emotion. Creating extremely high states of pleasure and euphoria can create a deficit after using MDMA. Many normal users in addition to addicts describe a “come down” period where they are severely depressed. Thoughts as though they may never feel the pleasure and happiness they felt while under the influence of MDMA are common. Overtime, at addictive and abusive levels of use, this depression can last long term. As the brain becomes increasingly dependent upon MDMA for producing chemical reactions of happiness, pleasure, and joy, it becomes unable to produce these sensations on its own.

2. Physical Health Problems: MDMA is an amphetamine and a stimulant, similar to cocaine. The reason MDMA is a popular club drug is because of the way it creates high amounts of energy for dancing and partying for days on end. Like other amphetamines and stimulants, MDMA can cause health problems in the heart. A constantly racing heart rate can cause hyperventilation. Problematically, in the club, rave, and music festival environment, there is a high amount of heat. MDMA can raise body temperature, in addition to all of the dancing and the close proximity of many warm bodies. Becoming severely dehydrated is a dangerous side effect of MDMA which can lead to muscle tension, dizziness, and immediate issues in the kidneys. Long term kidney damage can cause serious health complications. Lastly, MDMA can cause a problem with dental health. Clenching and grinding teeth is common under the influence of MDMA. Jaw problems, teeth health, neck, and headache issues can result.

3. Cravings For MDMA/Experience Of MDMA: A sign of any addiction is experiencing cravings for a drug when not under the influence of that drug. Because the experience of being under the influence of MDMA is so emotionally strong, many people find they don’t just crave the drug itself but the entire experience of being on MDMA in any environment. As a result, life might become second in priority to spending time with people who take with MDMA, going to clubs, raves, parties, festivals, or other environments which support it.

MDMA addiction shouldn’t be overlooked. Many have lost their lives or suffered severe and permanent health damages due to the abuse of MDMA. If you are struggling with club drug addiction, call Enlightened Solutions today. Our continuum of partial care programs bring together the best of scientific and holistic healing. For more information call 844-234-LIVE.

Are These 3 Common Habits Worsening Your Mental Health?

Managing mental health is essential for managing recovery. Relapse is often caused by neglecting our mental health needs through the development of unhealthy habits. Thanks to our practices of mindfulness, we can be aware of when it feels like our mental health is struggling, then notice what habits might be causing the distress. Here are three of the most common habits which might be weighing you down.

1. Your Phone Is Causing You Stress: There are many ways our phones are causing stress, aside from the fact that we use them too often. We might be getting too many phone calls, which is causing us to be more anxious. On the other hand, we might not be getting any phone calls, which is causing is to be more depressed. You’re either checking social media too often, or you are completely disconnected from others. Technology has provided us with a platform for connecting to others, yet that constant connection, or lack of connection, can be overwhelming. Finding a balance of interaction with the phone is essential. Respond to calls and texts with a short canned response. When you’re lonely, reach out to others. Create fulfilling and enriching habits like reading, exercising, and hobbies which distract you from the distraction of your phone.

2. You Don’t Have A Routine: In recovery, routine is everything. During treatment, you get used to having a strict routine, dictated by other people. Your routine helps you to know what is coming next, organize your time, and most importantly, schedule time for self-care. Without a proper routine, you’re missing out on some of the most important parts of your day. Most likely, they are the parts which help you meet your needs. Going an extended period of time without getting your needs met can cause serious emotional distress. Until you find a remedy and start putting some of your tools into practice, you run the risk of relapse.

3. You Consume Too Much Caffeine: Stimulant substances are highly recommended in the beginning of recovery. There’s a reason most AA and NA meetings include coffee and doughnuts or other treats. After the initial detox period has worn off, there is a time for consuming caffeine and time for not consuming caffeine. Being “high” on caffeine can cause you anxiety and make coping with life feel more stressful. Coming down off of caffeine can leave your depressed and deprived of natural energy. Switch up your caffeine habit by drinking first caffeinated teas, then switching to herbal teas. Opt for natural sweeteners instead of sugar.

There is a solution for drug and alcohol addiction. At Enlightened Solutions, we are showing our clients how to live a healthy and holistic lifestyle of recovery. For information on our partial care programs, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

Can Benzodiazepine Dependency Be Replaced With Alternative Therapies?

Can Benzodiazepine Dependency Be Replaced With Alternative Therapies?

Benzodiazepines are strong depressant drugs prescribed primarily for treating anxiety. Sometimes used for sleep, as needed for flying, or as a daily drug for anxiety, these medications create an intense chemical dependency. Unfortunately, few doctors are aware of how severe chemical dependency on benzodiazepines can be. Advertised as non-habit forming and non-dependency forming, most patients taking benzodiazepines are unaware of the fact that they have become dependent upon the drug. It is not until they for some reason miss their daily dose that they are confronted with the reality of chemical dependency by way of symptoms of withdrawal and cravings. Tolerance is also common in benzodiazepine use. Overtime, a patient develops a tolerance to their medication and needs the dosage increased. Problematically, the more a dosage is increased, the higher the tolerance threshold becomes, and the more severe a chemical dependency can be.

These are the issues faced just by those who use the drug regularly as prescribed by their psychiatrist. Xanax is a brand name benzodiazepine which wise widely abused. Abused for its depressant properties, Xanax can create euphoric sensations in addition to deep physical relaxation. Called “sticks” or “bars”, Xanax purchased on the street poses a specific threat. Recently, there have been reports that opioids like heroin and fentanyl have been cut into pills being sold as Xanax. Though those who abuse Xanax don’t necessarily have anxiety problems, they can develop them when they withdraw.

Replacing the presence of benzodiazepines is necessary for full recovery and developing a lifestyle of sobriety. Anxiety can be managed through numerous alternative treatments and lifestyle changes without the use of heavy depressant drugs like Xanax.

• Cognitive behavioral therapy: CBT is a proven therapy method which targets problematic behaviors and seeks to uncover the problematic beliefs behind them. Challenging troublesome thought processes helps create lasting changes in behavior, removing the need for dependency on benzodiazepines.

• Diet: Removing stimulant substances from the body helps better regulate emotion and energy which can reduce anxiety.

• Exercise: Exercise is a proven way to reduce stress and anxiety. 20-30 minutes of physical activity a day can be extremely effective.

• Mindfulness and meditation: Both mindfulness and meditation have been proven to reduce the stressful effects of anxiety and other mental health issues. Only 5 minutes a day of meditation can be impactful on reducing the need to turn to benzodiazepines.

Enlightened Recovery Solutions offers dual diagnosis treatment for addiction and co-occurring anxiety through partial care programs after 30 day residential inpatient. Bringing together the best of holistic healing, clinical therapy, and alternative treatment, we strive to create healing in mind, body, and spirit. Call 844-234-LIVE for more information.

Need Something New For Self-Care? Take An Adult Bath

Bath time is dreaded by many children- until they get in. Submerged in the warm water, surrounded by beloved bathtime toys, and receiving the loving touch of a doting parent helps children relax before bedtime. Science has proven that being submerged in water changes body chemistry and balances pH levels, causing relaxation. As adults, bathtime becomes a luxury for which there is rarely time, unless at a spa. Reader’s Digest suggests that taking an adult bath is exactly what is needed for total restoration.

Stress is a chronic problem, particularly when you’re living with an addiction or mental health disorder. Managing stress is essential for emotional regulation, keeping the body healthy, and maintaining focus on recovery. During a bath, focusing on relaxation is all that can happen. Otherwise, you’re just simmering in stress- literally. Instead, bath time can be a private time for self-care.

Self-care is a critical concept in recovery from addiction and co-occurring disorders. Taking time for self-care is the way you show yourself the same tender, loving care a parent shows a toddler in the bath. Instead of rubber duckies and Johnson’s baby shampoo, though there may be a time, there are other ways to enhance a bath time to rejuvenate mind, body, and spirit. Incorporating an adult bath into a self-care regime is healing for mind, body, and spirit.

How to bring together recovery and bath time? Here are some suggestions:

• Practicing alone time and practicing self-care aren’t always synonymous. Make bath time one of the ways you practice being alone with yourself. Turn off your phone, shut the door, and mark your calendar as busy.

• Since you aren’t bringing a glass of wine or champagne into a bath, bring another delicious beverage. Try making a tea which blends together relaxing herbs like chamomile and lavender with vanilla. Add a squeeze of lemon to help the body detoxify as it sweats in the warm water and a drizzle of honey for luxurious sweetness.

• Use aromatherapy to enhance the senses and promote relaxation. Put a few drops of essential oils into the bath. Light scented candles or an incense. Turn on an aromatherapy diffuser in the room so you can breathe it in with every inhale.

• If you feel like meditating, practice a mindfulness body scanning technique in which you become aware of the way the water is surrounding your body and offering you relaxation.

• If you don't’ feel like meditating, bring an inspiring book with you. Doing recovery “homework” in the bath might not be relaxing. Reading inspirational books about spirituality, personal stories of recovery, and healing from mental health disorders will energize you as your bath relaxes you.

Enlightened Solutions brings together the best of holistic healing, alternative therapy, 12 step philosophy, and clinical treatment. Our partial care programs for dual diagnosis addiction and mental health disorders help clients grow along spiritual lines. Start your recovery with us by calling 844-234-LIVE.

Taking Time For Spiritual Healing Changes Your Brain, Changes Your Life

Treatment for drug and alcohol addiction as well as co-occurring mental health issues are often criticized for being too much like a spa or a treat. Alternative treatment methods like acupuncture, massage, and reiki, with yoga classes, meditation, organic meals, and more, sound like a vacation more than work. Treatment programs offer all these healing therapies as supplement to the intense and often exhausting clinical therapy taking place. Recovering from drug and alcohol addiction takes time on a spiritual journey. Full service treatment programs which offer multiple forms of spiritual healing are successful because they provide a retreat for the spirit. After years of abuse, running from the past, and neglecting needs, each client is in need of a deep healing and spiritual transformation. What brings an addict or alcoholic to treatment is considerable compared to what might inspire people to attend a spiritual retreat or spa vacation. Restoration of the mind, body, and spirit, feels life changing. According to Bustle, it truly is life-changing because it can change the brain.

Published in Religion, Brain & Behavior the study is possible the first of its kind to examine the effects of taking a spiritual retreat on the structure of the brain. Studying the neurophysiological effects of spirituality is becoming a more popular field in science as people increasing lean toward the spiritual rather than the scientific.

Participants, aged 24 to 76, attended a 7 day spiritual retreat which had Christian ties. Using clinical scales and questionnaires, the participants were interviewed before the retreat as well as a week after. A brain scan was also conducted before and after.

The retreat included hours of meditation, personal reflection, prayer, mass, and working with a personal spiritual mentor. After the retreat, participants felt less tension and fatigue in their lives, while expressing feeling more spiritual beliefs than they did before. As for the neuroimaging, there was “a drop of between 5 to 8 percent in dopamine and serotonin binding, meaning that even more of these feel-good chemicals could be accessed by the brain.” Both serotonin and dopamine are associated with happiness, emotion, mood, and even spirituality.

Creating spiritual meaning in life is essential for addiction recovery. The twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are called a spiritual program of living, where one can grow along spiritual lines. Finding a spiritual healing in recovery creates purpose and meaning, while reducing the painful effects of addiction. Research has proven that physical pain is registered as more intense depending on the negative mood someone is in. Spirituality changes the way the brain regulates positive emotions, helping clients become more resilient to emotional pain, physical pain, and the pain life can sometimes cause. Spirituality in treatment isn’t about retreat, it’s about stepping fully into life, clean and sober.

Enlightened Solutions brings together traditional clinical treatment with holistic alternative therapy and 12 step philosophy. Healing mind, body, and spirit, we strive to show clients how to start their recovery as a new way of life. For more information, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

The H.O.W. Of Recovery: Honest, Open Chakras, Willingness

We are repeatedly told that recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, as well as most co-occurring mental health disorders has to be holistic. Holistic healing, holistic wellness, and a holistic approach all mean the same thing. The word holistic means comprehending that everything is made of many parts and all of those parts are intimately interconnected. Addiction and alcoholism are not isolated to the mind or the body or even the spirit. When someone is overcome by addiction and alcoholism they have to recover in mind, body, and spirit. Trying to define mental illness by just one part of the equation does an injustice to the complexity of mental health disorders and often does an injustice to someone getting the treatment they need. A key to understanding the holistic approach is understanding that the only way to explain mental illness is by referring to the whole person- mind, body, and spirit.

Spiritual wellness, spirituality, and spiritual healing are an important part of the recovery process. Most treatment centers take the holistic approach and include some therapeutic components in their programs which reflect spiritual wellness. Massage, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, reiki, are common examples. One area many treatment centers don’t focus on is healing the chakras and opening them up. Opening the chakras allows the energy in the body to effortlessly flow from head to toe. Chakras which are closed and have been closed for many years stop the flow of energy which can cause emotional as well as physical health problems.

Chakras are seven energy centers in the body starting from our sacral region in our low back and center all the way to the top of our head. We work with our chakras through yoga, meditation, and reiki to release the energy. Breathing exercises focused on opening the chakras can help release the blockages there. Most often, our difficulties in treatment are reflected in which chakras are closed. There are correlations between what each chakra represents and regulates to what we go through on a daily basis. Keeping the chakras open helps us to be more open to live, recovery, and the freedom recovery promises.

At Enlightened Solutions we provide an integrative program of holistic healing, clinical therapy, and 12 step philosophy for total transformation. Our partial care programs are designed for dual diagnosis patients needing healing for substance use and mental health disorders. Recovery starts with you. Start your recovery with us. Call us today for more information at 844-234-LIVE.

Which Essential Oils Can Aid In The Therapeutic Process?

Holistic science and psychological science are increasingly going hand in hand. Therapy is done in treatment for drug and alcohol addiction through traditional methods and new innovative methods. One of the most important parts of therapy during treatment is the special work a client does one on one with their individual therapist. Among the many group therapies, educational groups, and holistic healing activities, an individual therapist helps guid treatment. Through their work, a client can begin to see the path they are following and process specific issues which come up in other areas of treatment.

However, not everyone is open to traditional talk therapy. Sitting in a room in front of someone who is a relative stranger with a pen and paper can be intimidating. Therapists learn many different tools for helping clients open up and discover more about themselves. The best treatment programs use integrative methods for aiding in the therapeutic process. Essential oils can be used to promote relaxation, enhance energy, open chakras and encourage emotional release. Essential oils used through a diffuser or on the skin can help bring a client fully into the treatment process and help them through therapy.

Orange Oil

Orange zest always brings about feelings of being refreshed and rejuvenated. As an essential oil, orange is helpful in creating an energized and uplifted mood. For therapy, orange oil can be used to work through trauma, put a positive end on an otherwise difficult session, or help lift the symptoms of depression in order to examine it through a different light.

Eucalyptus Oil

There is little doubt that Eucalyptus oil is healing. Many ointments used to treat pain or sickness use eucalyptus oil. This powerful oil helps open the nasal passage and the lungs, inspiring deep breathing for relaxation. Used for purifying and balancing, eucalyptus can be an oil for strength and hope during times of doubt and sickness.

Rosemary Oil

Rosemary makes any dish delicious in the kitchen. In therapy, rosemary can be an empowering scent. When fears are being faced with uncertainty and doubt, rosemary oil can help settle nerves and bring clarity to mind.

Lavender Oil

Few scents in the world have the instantaneous relaxing effect that lavender does. Lavender has the ability to heal wounds, relieve stress, and reduce tension. During times of anger, rage, or extreme emotional distress, lavender can create a sense of calm, feeling of being grounded, and a soothing sensation of comfort.

Using essential oils are part of the life skills we teach our clients in our integrative programs. Bringing together holistic healing and clinically proven therapeutic modalities, our programs for treating addiction and dual diagnosis issues are designed for transformative healing in mind, body, and spirit. Call us today for more information at 844-234-LIVE.