How to Find a Treatment Center

How to Find a Treatment Center

There’s an absolute abundance of choice these days with respect to places you can go to get treatment for substance use disorders.

Not all rehabs are created equally though. Some are focused on particular types of addictions, i.e., alcoholism or opioids. Some focus just on outpatient care, where you’d come in for scheduled sessions but not live at the facility like you would for inpatient treatment. While others base their programs on evidence-based treatment methods like cognitive behavioral therapy, for example, in contrast to those that put more weight on alternative modalities like yoga, mindfulness and the like.

These rehabs are spread across the entire country, creating easier access for all.

Just how many are there?

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that “more than 14,500 specialized drug treatment facilities provide counseling, behavioral therapy, medication, case management, and other types of services to persons with substance use disorders”.

Finding the right one for you or a loved one just takes some time and research.

What Is a Treatment Center for Alcohol or Drug Addiction?

A treatment center for addiction is a facility that’s specialized in providing treatment for substance use disorders.

Rehab can be broken down into two main silos: inpatient and outpatient.

Going back to NIDA for the definitions:

Inpatient

Inpatient, or residential, treatment can be either long or short term.

Long-term residential treatment “provides care 24 hours a day, generally in non-hospital settings. The best-known residential treatment model is the therapeutic community (TC), with planned lengths of stay of between 6 and 12 months”

Short-term residential treatment programs “provide intensive but relatively brief treatment based on a modified 12-step approach”.

Outpatient

Outpatient treatment, as mentioned above, means you wouldn’t live at the facility. This type of treatment is for those who’ve already finished inpatient rehab and are transitioning or for those with less severe addictions to begin with.

As noted by NIDA “Such treatment costs less than residential or inpatient treatment and often is more suitable for people with jobs or extensive social support”.

As far as who will be treating you, the team administering the rehab is full of licensed addiction specialists often with master’s level degrees. Additionally, rehab centers that offer alternative or complementary treatments will have trained specialists in those fields on staff as well.

At Inneractions, for example, our diverse team has over 30 years of combined experience working with addicts and includes counselors, therapists, a hypnotherapist, a breathwork specialist and more with the goal being to deliver as complete a treatment experience as possible. 

How to Find a Treatment Center

After all that, you may rightly be wondering how to find a treatment center that’s fully aligned with your needs. There are nearly 15,000 out there after all!

It can feel overwhelming, we get it.

The good thing about having that many available to you though is that you have a great shot at finding one that fits your requirements perfectly.

During your search you’ll want to consider these questions:

  • Is inpatient or outpatient care better for you?
  • What’s the cost?
  • What’s the length of the program?
  • Where is it?
  • What are the amenities offered?
  • Would a gender-specific rehab be right for you as opposed to a coed facility?
  • Is it an all-in-one treatment center? I.e., can you do detox, inpatient and outpatient care all at the same place and with the same people?
  • Is the treatment center accredited and are the staff licensed?
  • Are they using evidence-based methods?
  • Do they take a multidisciplinary/holistic approach and treat all aspects of addiction – the mental, physical and spiritual?

These are just some of the big ideas to ponder when narrowing down your search and eliminating those that don’t match. It also helps to consult with experts in the field to help guide you. 

If you have any questions on navigating the world of rehab, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Inneractions.

What Is Heroin Rehab In Los Angeles?

Heroin addiction

Heroin is an incredibly powerful and devastating drug that falls into the opioid class of drugs.

The word opioid alone most likely conjures thoughts of the enduring epidemic the United States is still struggling with.

“From 1999–2019, nearly 500,000 people died from an overdose involving any opioid, including prescription and illicit opioids”, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Of course, that’s not all related to heroin but as an opioid, it does play a role and in that same stretch, 1999 to 2019, 130,00 people died from overdoses related to heroin. The amount of those deaths was 7 times higher in 2019 than in 2019.

It’s important to note here that heroin is illegal, an illicit opioid as it’s commonly phrased. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) labels it a Schedule I drug it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse”.

As we’ve all collectively come to find out in the last couple of decades, that abuse has come to pass and the devastation that heroin and other opioids have left in their wake have been catastrophic.

What Is Heroin?

What exactly is this drug that in 2019 was involved in nearly 20% of all drug overdose deaths?

As defined by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “Heroin is an opioid drug made from morphine, a natural substance taken from the seed pod of the various opium poppy plants grown in Southeast and Southwest Asia, Mexico, and Colombia. Heroin can be a white or brown powder, or a black sticky substance known as black tar heroin.”

It can be taken in a variety of ways; smoked, injected, sniffed or snorted.

You may naturally be wondering if there is some sort of link between prescription opioids and heroin given that they function in essentially the same way.

Research shows that to some extent that does look to be the case.

Data from 2002 to 2012 showed that the “incidence of heroin initiation was 19 times higher among those who reported prior nonmedical pain reliever use than among those who did not”. Additionally, and more to the previous point, “data from 2011 showed that an estimated 4 to 6 percent who misuse prescription opioids switch to heroin and about 80 percent of people who used heroin first misused prescription opioids.”.

Some contributing factors that drive the transition to heroin and its use in general are the extremely high availability and the low price compared to prescription opioids.

As NIDA notes, “a number of studies have suggested that people transitioning from abuse of prescription opioids to heroin cite that heroin is cheaper, more available, and provides a better high”.

Does a Heroin Addiction Require Rehab? 

Given what we’ve come to learn as a society about the ravages of opioids and heroin, it has become increasingly clear that rehab goes a long way in helping people beat their addiction.

Heroin is a powerful, powerful drug that sinks its teeth deeply into people and doesn’t let up without a lot of fight.

Dedicated treatment gives you the support system and guidance you need to create a solid foundation upon which to build the rest of your life on. Heroin rehab in Los Angeles at Inneractions is honed and shaped by over 30 years of impassioned experience in helping people get through their darkest and lowest times.

Treatment is designed to help you discover the root causes of your addiction to heroin and learn new, healthy ways to deal with those issues as well as the triggers that will continue to arise going forward. In both individual and group sessions – utilizing evidence-based modalities and complementary therapies – you’ll work with our addiction specialists to break the cycle.

Reach out to us today to learn more about our program for heroin addiction.

Sober Living Facility: What It Is & Who Should Go?

Sober living facility, who is it for and what is it ?

Recovery from alcoholism or drug addiction is a lifelong process that takes constant attention, consideration and effort to maintain.

The toughest work, of course, takes place in those early days, just after you take that last hit or final sip.

The detox and withdrawal are arduous.

The rehab itself plumbs the depths of your psyche to uncover the roots of addiction and help you develop new ways to think & interact with the world. 

It’s all part of the process.

By the time you get to the end of treatment you’ve put in weeks and perhaps months of work but that’s not the end of it. You’ll always be an active participant in maintaining your sobriety so how do you give yourself the best shot of sustaining it once you leave treatment?

For some, the answer is to rely on support services and recovery assistance like a sober living facility.

What Is a Sober Living Facility?

A sober living facility, sober living home or halfway house as they’re sometimes referred to, offers a transition from a rehab facility to the real world.

Life in a residential inpatient center is much different from your day-to-day life. In treatment, you’re in a controlled and supervised environment, focused squarely and totally on your recovery program. There are quite literally no outside distractions and you don’t go to work, school or interact with people from your “old” life.

Despite being equipped with tools to cope with triggers that might lead to relapse, you’re in something of a fragile state after rehab. You haven’t had the chance to really put into practice all that you’ve learned and going back to your old neighborhood or living situation can be daunting.

A sober living home is exactly what it sounds like; a supportive place you can live which is completely free of drugs or alcohol and therefore without the temptation. While your days aren’t as structured and regimented as inpatient care, each sober living facility has rules to follow; often a curfew and usually a requirement to attend therapy sessions or some sort of support group like a 12-step program.

Moreover, you’ll be surrounded by people who are on the same journey as you and have gone through similar events, forming a community of sober-minded individuals that serve to build each other up through those shared experiences. You can perhaps even come away with strong, lasting friendships that are founded on sobriety which can be hugely beneficial.

Unlike inpatient care, you’re not required to stay at a sober living home 24/7. You have more independence and can slowly start to reintegrate into regular life. You’re able to go to and from work or school and take care of whatever your responsibilities might be to family and friends.

How Inneractions Sober Living Facility Can Help You Maintain Sobriety for the Long Run

The goal of rehab is not just to help you get clean but also to assist you in understanding your addiction and ultimately how to cope with it. A sober living facility picks up where that leaves off by allowing you to ease your transition back to the daily grind. It serves to set you up for lasting sobriety that you can hold onto and nurture for the long haul.

Our Inneractions Sober Living Environment in Woodland Hill, California, or The ISLE as it’s come to be known by our residents both past and present, offers all those aforementioned benefits housed in a luxurious Southern California retreat. A quiet, private place to call your own from which you can set yourself up for a lifetime of sobriety.

Get in touch with us to learn more about our sober living facility and if it’s right for you.

Outpatient Drug Rehab Southern California Explained

Outpatient Drug Rehab Southern California

When you picture rehab, what comes to mind?

Is it the one-on-one sessions with a psychologist or psychiatrist most? Group therapy? That’s a good start, those are the critically important elements after all and they’re found in both outpatient and inpatient rehab.

A more specific question that speaks to the major difference is this; when you think about treatment for yourself or a loved one, do you envision it at a place you live in for a while or that you visit on a regularly scheduled basis?

The chief distinction to these types of rehab lies there.

The Difference Between Outpatient and Inpatient Drug Rehab

Treatment for substance use disorder is a process that moves along a gradient. Like day shifting into night, the parts of the journey aren’t clear cut. There are transition points on the way that ease you into the next part of the journey.

Addiction itself functions in much the same way, there’s an escalation from mild to moderate to severe drug use. You don’t go from sober to addict overnight, a person shifts from one stage to the next as their dependency grows increasingly more all-encompassing over time.

Inpatient care or residential inpatient care, the more literal and descriptive term, is meant for people who are on the severe side of the addiction spectrum. Those who truly require constant supervision and guidance because they’re at starkly higher risk for relapse.

Living at a treatment facility means you’re required to leave your life behind temporarily and commit fully, 100% to rehab. The point is to eliminate distraction and potential triggers.

Inpatient rehab is broken down into long- and short-term care with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) defining long-term treatment as providing “care 24 hours a day, generally in non-hospital settings. The best-known residential treatment model is the therapeutic community (TC), with planned lengths of stay of between 6 and 12 months. TCs focus on the “resocialization” of the individual and use the program’s entire community—including other residents, staff, and the social context—as active components of treatment.”

And short-term as providing “intensive but relatively brief treatment…[afterward] it is important for individuals to remain engaged in outpatient treatment programs”.

You can see the sort of continuum of treatment within those definitions and they bring us nicely to outpatient care.

For someone with a heavier addiction, the idea is that they could transition their way through treatment and end up in outpatient care but that’s not the only use for it. 

What to Expect in Outpatient Rehab

Those with milder substance abuse issues, who managed to recognize the problem early, can find great success and value in an outpatient program.

As mentioned, you can expect the same types of treatment in an outpatient setting – the individualized and group work with an addiction specialist – but with the flexibility to carry on with your regular, day-to-day life. With outpatient care, you’ll have the ability to go to work or school and maintain whatever familial obligations you have.

We make a point at Inneractions to equip you with techniques and tools – like self-affirmations, assertive communication exercises, self-dialogue exercises, mindfulness, meditation, breathing exercises and more – to help you cope with the stresses you might encounter on a daily basis.

Let Inneractions Be Your Outpatient Drug Rehab

Naturally, because you’re not living at the rehab center, outpatient treatment is a more affordable option. Don’t think of it as a way to save money though. If you or a loved one is suffering from severe addiction and opt for outpatient care when you truly need the 24/7 support of an inpatient facility, you very well may end up spending more in the long run. Get the care you need.

Get in touch with us and we’ll help you figure out if drug rehab in Southern California – at our intensive outpatient program – is right for you.

Let the Healing Begin With Family Drug Rehabilitation

Family drug healing rehabilitation treatment

Substance abuse doesn’t happen in a vacuum and addiction doesn’t just affect the addict.

The reality is that drug addiction and alcohol abuse are messy and as much as the user is suffering, to watch someone you love go through addiction is damaging too – albeit in different ways.

From waning and diminishing trust and the distance that addiction creates which can lead to a sense that all hope is lost, there’s inevitably frustration that the family of someone fighting a substance abuse disorder experiences and the very relationships and familial bonds become strained under the weight of it all.

This is why treatment and ultimately healing from addiction must include the family. For recovery to last, those relationships need to be repaired and strengthened.

What Is Family Drug Rehabilitation?

Family drug rehabilitation is something that takes into account the widespread harm that a substance abuse order creates in the family dynamic. 

At Inneractions, family members and significant others are offered the opportunity to participate in client/family sessions with other families, program therapist and counselor.

As echoed in the Treatment Improvement Protocols series from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “family therapy is a collection of therapeutic approaches that share a belief in family‐level assessment and intervention. A family is a system, and in any system each part is related to all other parts. Consequently, a change in any part of the system will bring about changes in all other parts. Therapy based on this point of view uses the strengths of families to bring about change in a range of diverse problem areas, including substance abuse”

Why Is It Important for the Family To Be a Part of an Addicts Recovery?

Despite the injurious and deeply distressing effects of addiction on the family, the role that they play in recovery is a critical one, as SAMHSA drives home, “the family has a central role to play in the treatment of any health problem, including substance abuse”. 

For the addict, family support is a crucial component in the process of creating a firm foundation on which to build sobriety.

There’s a sense of alienation that can come with addiction. A feeling of loneliness that might be exacerbated as drug use gets worse and follows into the early days of treatment. Bringing the family together to deal with this challenge together is a major reassurance for an addict. A way of showing, rather than saying, they’re not alone in this.

Family support is also vital in giving an addict the confidence to carry on through the tough times and valleys they might encounter in a rehab program.

Moreover, family involvement can shed more light on the nature of the addiction, add context about the family unit and how relational dynamics have been affected and ultimately present the therapist or counselor with more information and insight to work with.

It can help inform the treatment program itself, the Treatment Improvement Protocols noting that family therapy “seeks to use the family’s strengths and resources to help find or develop ways to live without substances of abuse.”

For the family, in many ways they need treatment too and reputable rehab centers understand that. While family drug rehabilitation itself isn’t quite therapy or a replacement for it for a family member that may very need it, it is a key component in a holistic and robust treatment plan for someone recovering from a substance abuse disorder.

Let Inneractions Help Your Loved One Today 

At Inneractions in Southern California, we’ve long understood the importance of including family in recovery and know the deep value that repairing the familial support structure brings to an addict over the long run. If your loved one is suffering from substance abuse and you’re not sure what to do, reach out to us and we can offer advice on the next steps.

Mindfulness and Addiction: Can One Help the Other?

Mindfulness and Addiction

Addiction is a struggle.

It’s exhausting. Isolating. Maddening. Aggravating. Painful. Lonely. Stressful.

It’s so many more adjectives that all serve to envelop you, swallowing you up entirely.

Getting out of it isn’t straightforward either and while rehab follows a plan, at the end of the day addiction is a mental illness. Naturally, there’s some confusion involved in recovery and the process of working your way through the ins and outs of substance abuse.

What led you there? Why? How?

That’s where something like mindfulness comes into play.

What Is Mindfulness?

It has a new-age type of feel and sound to it but mindfulness has its roots in and takes its influence from age-old Buddhist meditation traditions.

In short, and according to Berkeley University’s Greater Good Magazine, it means “maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens”.

It’s the epitome of living in the moment and essentially the very definition of it.

As noted by the National Institutes of Health, “studies suggest that mindfulness practices may help people manage stress, cope better with serious illness and reduce anxiety and depression. Many people who practice mindfulness report an increased ability to relax, a greater enthusiasm for life and improved self-esteem”.

How Does Mindfulness Help With Treating Addiction? 

Cultivating this sort of hyperawareness means mindfulness and addiction tend to pair well with each other as a complement to a treatment program and not a solution in and of itself to addiction.

A Tool for Preventing Relapse

While there’s no absolute, iron-clad guarantee that a relapse can be prevented, a program called Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) was created specifically towards giving someone the best chance at staying free of substances.

The program, as described by UC Berkeley, “combines practices like sitting meditation with standard relapse prevention skills, such as identifying events that trigger relapse. Rather than fighting or avoiding the difficult states of mind that arise when withdrawing from a substance, this combination tries to help participants to name and tolerate craving and negative emotion”.

Stress Reduction

Treatment for substance abuse isn’t necessarily a walk in the park and there are challenges involved. Meditation, the umbrella under which meditation exists, is thought to reduce anxiety and assist in getting a grip on stress. 

Anything that can serve to encourage a calmer mind and less wound up and stressed existence is a positive in recovery.

Being in the Moment

There’s much to be said about simply focusing on the now with purpose and intention. To really put your energy into dedicating yourself to pushing aside distractions and being there. The focus on the breath is a key aspect of mindfulness and in the early days you’ll be easily distracted from it. Our attention is constantly being pulled in all directions and that becomes more and more clear when you start mindfulness meditation.

With more practice though, you’re able to control your thoughts and stay focused and that newfound focus carries through to other aspects of your recovery.

As SMART Recovery puts it, “Mindfulness means owning each moment- good, bad, or ugly. Being grounded is a basic step in the state of being mindful. Mindfulness contributes to a richer, fuller life because you are noticing all the things around you…if you get all of the worries and regrets out of your mind, it is easier to focus on the things you want to do in the present”.

Inneractions Is Here To Help You With Your Addiction Today

At Inneractions, in the San Fernando Valley, we incorporate mindfulness exercises into our treatment programs and teach you techniques that you can continue to use at home because paying attention to the details, like your thoughts and words, helps manage behaviors, beliefs and emotions.

If you want to learn more about mindfulness, or have any questions, reach out to us today.

Benefits of Long Term Treatment for Drug Addiction

Benefits of Long Term Treatment for Drug Addiction

Drug use isn’t static and it doesn’t affect everyone the same. For some, that use turns to abuse and eventually into an addiction. The way addiction grabs a hold of people is also dynamic and while some people can find their way out of it, for others it becomes a vise grip from which they can’t escape under their own volition or efforts.

The longer a person struggles with substance abuse and the further they fall into that black hole, the more likely it is that long term treatment for drug addiction is going to be the solution that truly helps them get their life back.

Drug Addiction Defined

Fortunately, the opinions on addiction have shifted society-wide since more research into the subject has yielded a more evolved scientific view on substance abuse.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) notes that “addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking, continued use despite harmful consequences, and long-lasting changes in the brain. It is considered both a complex brain disorder and a mental illness. Addiction is the most severe form of a full spectrum of substance use disorders, and is a medical illness caused by repeated misuse of a substance or substances”.

What Is the Best Way To Treat Drug Addiction?

As mentioned at the top, addiction doesn’t afflict everyone in the same way and therefore isn’t a one size fits all solution for how to see your way out of that place.

Among the best ways to treat a substance abuse disorder is through dedicated and immersive rehab where you can truly focus on overcoming the illness.

At this point there is a whole world of options available that utilize varying methods, be they evidence-based or alternative/complementary or some combination of both. As well, there are rehab facilities that cater to specific types of addiction for even more specialized care.

All of that said, there is no “best”, finding what the best treatment for you is, is what matters.

Benefits of Long Term Treatment for Drug Addiction

Treatment isn’t achieved overnight and longer-term care is even more important if your addiction has lasted a long time and/or was on the more severe side.

NIDA points out that it’s critical to remain in treatment for an adequate period of time, adding, “the appropriate duration for an individual depends on the type and degree of the patient’s problems and needs. Research indicates that most addicted individuals need at least 3 months in treatment to significantly reduce or stop their drug use and that the best outcomes occur with longer durations of treatment”.

Time to Recover

Recovery is a process and it takes time for it to stick. Giving yourself that time is crucial.

A longer time horizon means you can dive deeper into the underlying causes of addiction on top of being able to really solidify and internalize the new coping mechanisms, thought patterns and way of life you’re cultivating.

Structure and Supervision

Structure is mission-critical. A regimented and formal program with a clear plan is a core component of long term treatment. Not only that but being supervised, particularly in those early days of treatment, helps tremendously with the elevated risk of relapse and getting through the cravings throughout

Continuous Support and Sober Peers

Being in a supportive environment works wonders for your mental state. The longer you’re in an environment like that, the better chance that your new mindset will stick and translate into a lasting recovery. Add to that the companionship and new friendships you’ll make with sober-minded people that are also in treatment means you’ll likely leave with a strong support network.

Reach Out To Inneractions Today for Help With an Addiction

Ultimately, what matters most is finding what works best for you. At Inneractions in Los Angeles, our intensive outpatient treatment is meant to fit into, and work around, your life. If you have questions or concerns about whether long-term care is right for you, reach out to us anytime. 

What Is A Rehab Program?

What Is A Rehab Program?

As our societal opinions and medical views on addiction have evolved – bringing acceptance to what was once a much more heavily stigmatized issue – so too has how we now go about solving the problem and helping people take back control of their lives. Naturally, there is still a long way to go but with substance abuse disorders now being classed as mental health issues, there’s been a sea change in how addiction is treated.

Among the most well-known methods is a rehab program.

Rehab Programs Explained

So, what is a rehab program?

Rehab, or rehabilitation, programs are simply a systematic means by which addiction to drugs or alcohol are treated. They can range widely in the methods and modalities they pull from as well as how long they last in duration.

The end goal of any rehab program though is to ensure you finish on solid footing and on a strong foundation upon which you can carry on leading a sober life.

Different Types of Rehab Programs

Before delving into the types of rehab out there, it’s worth noting that before you start rehab, which is meant to tackle the mental side of addiction, you’d go through a process of detoxification. Detox being the process by which you rid your body of the substance and begin to break the physical addiction.

The core types of rehab can be broken down as follows:

Inpatient Programs

Also referred to as inpatient care or residential inpatient care, these programs are chiefly characterized by the fact that you live in the treatment facility. Inpatient programs are often recommended for those with the most severe and long-lasting addictions, people who are at high risk for relapse. Not only do they offer constant, 24-hour support and supervision but the highly structured nature of inpatient treatment means a person is, by design, going to be preoccupied with the work of recovery.

In residential inpatient care, you’re removed from your regular environment, no work, no school, no friends or family from back home. You’re immersed in recovery. Generally, there is a heavy weighting on psychotherapy (like cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, reality therapy and psychodynamic therapy) and work with psychiatrists, licensed therapists and addiction specialists in individual and group settings as well as other complementary elements.

The idea is to examine what led you to drugs or alcohol in the first place and adopt new thought patterns and coping mechanisms so you can move forward and react to future triggers differently.

Outpatient Programs

In outpatient rehab, you’ll experience the same type of treatment as you did during your stay in an inpatient facility, the difference being that you don’t live in. For some, they will transfer from inpatient to outpatient as a way to slowly reintegrate back into day-to-day life. Others, with less intense addictions, can start with outpatient care if that’s what’s recommended.

Partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient care both fall under this category as well.

Aftercare Programs

After successful completion of either an inpatient or outpatient program, continuing care is often available. Aftercare programs encompass things like sober living homes, 12-step programs and other support groups as well as continuing to go to counseling. Additionally, some rehabs have an in-house alumni program that helps you stay connected and supported with the people who helped you through treatment.

In general, part of the idea of aftercare is to stay in touch with people who understand exactly what you’re going through because not only is it nice to have like minded companionship but also it’s extremely helpful to have someone to talk to when you feel triggered or in danger of relapse.

Let Inneractions Be the Rehab for You

At Inneractions, our staff of over 25 experts is focused on delivering the most helpful intensive outpatient program we can. Our decades of combined experience mean you’re in the care of those who’ve truly seen it all and understand how to get you through it.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Rehab for Pill Addiction Near Me

Rehab for Pill Addiction Near Me

American’s are prescribed a lot of drugs and therefore, to put it bluntly, we take a lot of drugs.

The numbers are astounding.

Back in 2015, findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study showed that 45.8% of the U.S. population used a prescription drug in the prior 30 days. As expected, that number rose with age with 85% of those over 60 using a prescription.

Think about that for a second, that’s very nearly 1 in 2 of us.

By and large, most folks don’t have an issue and the medications they’re prescribed do the trick.

However, that’s simply not the case with everyone and the more people who fill prescriptions, the more likely it is that instances of abuse and addiction will creep in.

What Is a Pill Addiction? 

The beauty of modern science is that it’s slowly but surely led to the betterment of so many people’s lives by creating solutions to the many things that ail us throughout our lives. Most often that now comes in the form of easy to swallow pills.

Pretty remarkable.

From opioid analgesics for pain to amphetamines for ADHD to sedatives for help sleeping there, are over 45 therapeutic categories of drugs according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

While addiction isn’t necessarily a risk for those taking antifungals or blood glucose regulators, it is very much a real risk for someone prescribed opioids for severe pain or a benzodiazepine like Xanax for generalized anxiety disorder.

Certain medications and pills just aren’t meant to be taken long term as the risk for adverse effects as well as misuse, dependency and addiction can appear.

An addiction to drugs, be it in pill form or otherwise, is defined by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) as a “chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences. It is considered a brain disorder, because it involves functional changes to brain circuits involved in reward, stress, and self-control. Those changes may last a long time after a person has stopped taking drugs”.

For drugs like opioids, even taking them strictly as directed can lead to an addiction due to their drastic effects on the brain.

Just like an addiction to anything else, there will be signs of a pill addiction you can keep an eye out for. While some will be drug-specific, many symptoms run the gamut of addiction:

  • Developing a tolerance to the pills and needing a higher dosage than the prescription calls for
  • Going to multiple doctors for prescriptions
  • “Losing” prescriptions or meds in order for a doctor to write another prescription
  • Taking pills “just in case”
  • Continuing to use even after the initial condition or reason for the prescription has been resolved
  • Increasingly secretive behavior
  • Withdrawing from friends, family and activities
  • Changes in mood
  • Depending on the drug, appearing to be high and overly energetic or heavily sedated
  • Taking pills even after it’s clear it’s causing problems in your life
  • Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not taking pills

If you’re experiencing any of the above, you might be wondering “how do I find a rehab for pill addiction near me?”.

How Inneractions Can Help With a Pill Addiction

It’s tougher to kick an addiction than to fall into one.

Luckily, just as science has given us plenty of answers in the form of medication, it’s also provided evidence-based treatment for when we find ourselves struggling to let go of those pills. At Inneractions, our team of 25+ experts have decades of combined experience in guiding people back to sobriety through education, compassion and proven techniques. Reach out to us today if you or a loved one is grappling with a pill addiction and let’s start down the road of recovery together.

Benefits of Going to an Outpatient Rehab in Woodland Hills

Outpatient Rehab in Woodland Hills

Inpatient or outpatient? Does the rehab specialize in my addiction? Stay close to home or do treatment elsewhere? If elsewhere, then where?!

With so many variables and questions, in addition to those, involved in finding the best rehab for you or a loved one, it can be tough to sift through everything and find answers. It’s understandable, nowadays there are just a ton of great resources and treatment centers out there doing amazing work in helping people overcome addiction. Making sure you find the right one is the challenge.

Outpatient rehab in Woodland Hills might just be the answer you’re looking for.

How Outpatient Rehab Is Different From Inpatient Rehab

Before jumping into the benefits of Woodland Hills in particular, and there’s more to it than the 280+ sunny days, let’s talk about the difference between outpatient and inpatient rehab.

Inpatient care, to put it plainly, is when a person lives at the rehab facility.

It’s the most intensive type of treatment program where you’ll be under 24-hour care with medical, psychiatric and mental support constantly available. As far as treatment options go, inpatient is the most disruptive to your daily life. You’ll have to leave your job, friends, family, etc., and remove yourself from anything and everything that could be a distraction and instead you’ll be focusing all your attention and 100% of your efforts towards mental and physical rehabilitation from substance abuse. 

Inpatient care is generally reserved for those with more severe and long-term addictions and is necessarily immersive. It can last from 28 days to a multi-month program with the length dependent on the nature of the addiction and the assessment of a treatment/addiction specialist.

On the flip side, you have outpatient care which has all the same treatment modalities that inpatient would, like; individual and group therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and complementary/alternative therapy, etc. but you don’t live at the facility.

You’re able to carry on with your daily life; work, school, family errands and whatever else life entails while going to a rehab center for scheduled sessions. In other words, it’s far less intrusive.

It’s mainly meant for those with a milder addiction, who don’t need constant supervision and are at less risk for relapse.

As far as cost is concerned, outpatient treatment is a much more affordable option seeing as how you aren’t paying for weeks or months of living in a dedicated treatment center.

That said, if your addiction is severe, don’t try to save money by pushing for an outpatient option. Your life is worth more and what you save up front, you might end up paying later if you relapse.

Choose the right solution, not the cheapest one.

Who Would Benefit From Going to an Outpatient Rehab Woodland Hills

Woodland Hills, California in the San Fernando Valley and at the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains is a tranquil respite from the hustle and bustle. Aside from the sun shining for the majority of the year, there are other reasons to consider rehab here.

Whether you live in Southern California or not, leaving your state or area for treatment brings a lot of positives.

For starters, you’re removing yourself from the distractions, people, influences and triggers that can easily cause you to slip back into using.

Also, there is built-in confidence with going somewhere where no one knows your name, the opposite of Cheers. Comfort in the privacy of not accidentally bumping into someone you know and being able to open up in ways you might not have been able to before.

Let Inneractions Help You Find Recovery

At Inneractions in Woodland Hills, we offer evidence-based intensive outpatient treatment. With over 30 years of experience helping people overcome addiction, we offer robust treatment with a flexible approach to scheduling and availability that works for you.

Get in touch with us and let us tell you more about gorgeous Woodland Hills and how we can help you get on the road to recovery.