The Recovery Place Treatment Center

The Recovery Place avoids generic treatment plans with great success
One size fits all? Absolutely not. Especially not when it comes to overcoming substance abuse and addiction.

Successful drug and alcohol recovery requires a therapeutic and compassionate approach that includes all aspects of the addict or alcoholic seeking help: physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and that of being an active participant in life. Humans are unique in so many ways; it is unreasonable to think that a single, homogenized treatment plan would lead to recovery for anyone.
The Recovery Place’s most successful principle of care is treating patients as individuals, with dynamic and different needs.

Every person has a complicated history. For this reason, the patient and their loved ones are included from the start of the treatment planning phase at The Recovery Place. Patients may be entering rehab for the first time, or are trying again after falling back into an addiction lifestyle.
At The Recovery Place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, patients and families enter a program that seems to fit their general needs, and then individualized therapy makes the programs tailor-made. Each care plan is specific to the person it is designed for, no exceptions.

General programs include Traditional Addictions, Dual Diagnosis, Family Programming, Trauma, and a Christian Addiction Program. Group and individual therapies, as well as addiction education, are integrated into every program. Medical management is also included.

Patients at The Recovery Place have several options on how intensively therapy should be approached, including 24 hour residential care in our sober living housing. This is an excellent option for those who are resistant to treatment or who live far away from The Recovery place, and may need the availability and support of staff at all hours.

The ability to spend time after hours in the home-like setting of our sober-living apartments, gives our patients ample opportunities to share experiences and struggles with others who are attending our programs. There are also quiet garden benches to sit upon and reflect, and a pool and BBQ where you can practice the simple enjoyments of daily life, without the specter of drugs or alcohol being present.

For those who have a healthy family situation and are located close to The Recovery Place, we offer both intensive and graduated outpatient programs. For patients who have progressed successfully through the intensive inpatient program, assistance can be provided to help them remain in the area so that they can continue receiving support as an outpatient.

Staying only within the boundaries of The Recovery Place isn’t part of the overall treatment plan. As our clients learn new coping and life skills, they need a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and ocean that are part of the Ft. Lauderdale area. There are great opportunities here just to enjoy feeling good again, without the artificial aid of drugs or alcohol. The beach, local churches and other spiritual support activities, parks and sports activities are encouraged. This is another important way that The Recovery Place team fosters each person as a unique individual, with interests and talents that are suddenly being enjoyed again as rehab progresses.

Distance isn’t an issue when family members need to be included in the rehab process. The Recovery Place clinical and support staff have on-site family programs, as well as utilizing the internet and telephone for those who live far away from the treatment center.

No patient leaves The Recovery Place without a solid relapse prevention plan in place. Aftercare is also ongoing, depending on the needs of the person and their family.

If you are looking for a drug and alcohol rehab center that honestly and openly sees you, your loved one, or your client as a flawed-but-unique-and-worthwhile-person, then call The Recovery Place. You aren’t just “another addict” to us. We can help.

Drug Addiction Treatment

Drug Addiction Treatment - Availability of Different Options

Finding the right drug addiction treatment is the most important thing you would want to do if you want to treat your friend or relative who is going through severe addiction and or drug abuse. If you don’t want your loved one to suffer the consequences and drawbacks in a long run, you would have to make the right decision as soon as possible. Finding the right drug addiction treatment for an individual can be perplexing and it can be a challenge for you because it is a major decision to take because life of person is attached with this one big decision. You should know of all the options you can take into account before taking any further step or making any final decision.

Choosing a drug addiction treatment can either work with the situations and circumstances you have or it can completely go wrong for you if you don’t make a wise decision. It is advisable that you must go with a drug addiction treatment which suits the situation of the addict and is especially designed for treating specific types of addiction.

You can consider relapse prevention treatments as a drug addiction treatment. It is a procedure that was originally designed for the alcohol addicts and survivors but this option is considered to work well for the cocaine addicts as well. In this type of drug addiction treatment, the person learns how to adopt better behaviors and thoughts. He or she gets an idea of what the world is like and how they have to face things differently instead of harming themselves. This therapy teaches them how to control yourself in a specific situation and what will be your behavior while confronting a daunting or tough situation.

Matrix model deals with the problems of addicts that are addicted to the stimulants or never transmitters. The drug addict in this situation learns how to manage their fears and how to overcome their withdrawal symptoms. The therapist will introduce several self-helping methods testing the person on regular basis with blood and urine samples making sure if he or she is still consuming drugs or not. The main motive is to boost up the self-esteem and confidence of the individual.

Support expressive therapy is another option you can go with as a drug addiction treatment. The addict is provided with an environment that would make him or her feel better. The therapists also make sure that they are applying the conversation and discussion activities on the addicts to make them realize that they are completely normal and can live their lives without the dependency of different drugs.

The Addicts Guide

The Addicts Guide

Do you hate your addiction? Are you ready to kick it for good? Do you have no clue where to start? The Addicts Guide is here to help you kick your addiction for good. While The Addicts Guide was originally written for readers who had difficulty with alcohol, it's information can be applied to many other addictions, especially with drugs.

Millions of people have suffered from addiction in the past one hundred years. Luckily, with the methods included in The Addicts Guide you no longer have to be one of those suffering. There are simple ways that you can stay sober and live a perfectly normal life. However, to begin real sobriety, the type that will last more than a few weeks, you need to be willing to take the next step. Just thinking that you want to quit is not enough, your alcohol addiction needs serious treatment, and it will require serious effort on your part.

Emotions are a huge part of your addiction. Whether your addiction was to a substance that made you feel on top of the world, or at the bottom of the gutter, you can control your emotions with several techniques that are in The Addicts Guide. Experts have helped pour their professional careers into The Addicts Guide in order to assist you with the emotional impact of your addiction.

Physical reactions to addiction are often the hardest part of an addiction to overcome. Not only will you feel like you need the substance you are addicted to, you will feel constant cravings and desire to go back to your addiction for years, if not for the rest of your life. The Addicts Guide lists some great tips on how to suppress cravings and manage your addiction.

Six years of blood, sweat and tears have been poured into The Addicts Guide in order to help you get the information that you need about becoming sober. An addiction recovery plan, which is necessary in order to fully recover from your addiction is also key to The Addicts Guide. Drug addiction recovery is not done in one day, or even one month. You will need to work at your addiction treatment for many years to come. The Addicts Guide will give you hundreds of helpful tips that will make sure you stay on the right path while you are recovering from your addiction.

There is help out there for addicts. Whether you are addicted to alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, or heroin The Addicts Guide is here to help you. Through expert knowledge, and helpful advice you can conquer your addiction. The Addicts Guide also provides plenty of support for you after you have beat your addiction, to prevent you from ever relapsing! Get The Addicts Guide today to save yourself and your loved ones from further pain and suffering from your addiction.

Recovery Dating Online

Yes-there are dating sites with one little area to check that says “I don’t drink”. But who is going to come right out and say “I’m an alcoholic” or “I’m a recovering drug addict” or even “I’m ok now, but in the past I’ve had (“fill in the blank”) issues” on all those other sites? -Well, the answer is NOT MANY. In fact, for millions in Recovery or entering Recovery, the question is “When do I tell HIM or HER about my past problem and how will they take it?”

On RecoveryMatchfor2.com people don’t have to be afraid to be THEMSELVES! People can meet as on other dating sites, but because RecoveryMatchfor2 is specialized, they may form relationships which empower them to not only stay on the path of Recovery – RMF2 hopes to help them find their Match!

People in Recovery no longer have to be afraid to be themselves! They can meet others like themselves –who are those that most understand them and finally find the lifelong support they have been looking for. People are looking for belonging and togetherness in these tough times. For the millions in Recovery, RecoveryMatchfor2.com is THE on line place to be for dating, help, discussions, forums and related information.

Sober Sources YouTube

Stages of Alcoholism

The effects of alcohol use intensify as the use and abuse progesses. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the American Society of Addiction Medicine recently presented a revised definition of alcoholism: "Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial...

Experts illustrate the progression of the disease by outlining four basic stages of alcohol use as follows:

I. STAGE ONE - Although there may be no outward behavioral changes caused by the casual use of alcohol, such use can not be considered "safe" for young people. Young people are particularly susceptible to the effects of alcohol. Alcohol is considered to be a gateway drug since use and abuse of alcohol often leads young people to use other mind-altering drugs.

II. STAGE TWO - This stage involves more frequent use of alcohol as the person actively seeks the euphoric effects of a mind-altering drug. At this point, the user usually establishes a reliable source, and may add mid-week use of alcohol to previous habits of weekend use at parties.

III. STAGE THREE -In this stage, there is intense preoccupation with the desire to experience euphoric effects. Daily drinking, depression, and thoughts of suicide are common. Family troubles increase. Problems with the law may also become evident.

IV. STAGE FOUR -Those who have reached this stage need increasing levels just to feel OK. Physical signs such as damage to the heart, liver, and brain, malnutrition,and lower resistance to pneumonia, and blackouts are common. Family life is a disaster.

For more information about the effects of alcohol and other drugs, please contact us today.

Advice for Helping Your Alcoholic/Addict Family Member

What are some ways to help an alcoholic/addict?

As you can imagine, everything has been tried before. Some stuff actually helps. Most things that we try, however, do not. Therefore, sometimes it can be useful to know what not to do. So, let’s take a look at what generally does not work:

1) Giving them money

Never give an alcoholic money if they are still actively drinking. Even if they need it for a “good purpose,” such as to buy food for their family, you should not do it. It’s always more manipulation on their part; money that they did spend on booze should have been spent on food, and if you give them money then you are telling them that it is OK to drink.

In short, never bail them out. Doing so only perpetuates their drinking.

2) Bargaining with them or threatening them

When it comes to dealing with the alcoholic, talk is cheap. Anything you say is completely worthless unless it is firmly backed up by action. So idle threats or trying to persuade them to back off in some way is completely ineffective. The only thing that matters is action.

One bargaining chip that people often play is to get them to drink less. Most people eventually figure out that this is a hopeless idea, even if the alcoholic genuinely agrees to try. Their condition prevents it. It is either abstinence or all-out drunk.

3) Helping them avoid the consequences of their drinking

Don’t do it. You’re actually hurting them. If they get a drunk driving and end up in jail, leave them there. Do not bail them out. If you deny them the consequences of their drinking, then they will definitely keep drinking. The only way that they might stop eventually is if they feel enough pain as a result of their drinking. Don’t ever deny them their pain.

This doesn’t mean you need to intentionally hurt them. They will do that on their own. Just don’t bail them out of situations that they have created by their excessive drinking. An alcoholic will not make this huge change if everything is going good in their life. People quit drinking when things get bad enough. If you prevent them from getting bad then the alcoholic will never change.
Now let’s take a look at what actually helps

Here are some ways to help an alcoholic that are actually beneficial:

1) Stop enabling them

This is probably the number one thing that you can do to help an alcoholic. When you enable them, you allow them to continue to keep drinking comfortably. You make it so that the easier path is to just continue to drink.

When we stop enabling someone, we make it so that the easier path is to take a look at their drinking. We do this by not bailing them out of jams and letting them experience the natural consequences of their drinking. Other things we can do to stop enabling them would include:

- No longer drinking or using drugs with them, ever.

- No more covering for them in order to help them out if their drinking is going to get them into trouble.

- No more making excuses for them

- Practice detachment by separating yourself from emotional turmoil that they create. Choose to not be a part of the chaos.

2) Set healthy limits and boundaries

Setting healthy limits is about deciding what is acceptable behavior to you. This is not about pointing the finger at the alcoholic and telling them what they should or should not be doing. Instead, you are going to decide for yourself what you will no longer put up with.

For example, if the alcoholic in your life typically comes home in a drunken rage, this might be something that you decide is unacceptable to you. So you set a limit. Then you communicate that limit and the consequences of that limit. You might say something like: “If you come home drunk again, I’m taking the kids and we’re going to go stay somewhere else for the night.”

Notice the following things about setting this boundary:

- It is communicated clearly

- There is a consequence that is also clearly explained

- The consequence is enforceable and is not a hollow threat

Never set a boundary that you do not intend to keep. Never threaten a consequence that you don’t intend to follow through with. If you do this will create problems and only perpetuate further drinking.

3) Practice detachment

Detachment is the goal of anyone in your position. The idea of detachment is to separate the person themselves from their disease of drinking. Making this clear separation in your mind will help you to change your behavior in such a way as to help the alcoholic.

Detachment is the idea that you can love the person and hate their disease of alcoholism. What you are detaching from is the emotional chaos and turmoil that their drinking creates. The idea is to remove yourself from that part of their life on an emotional level. Thus detachment is about freedom, for you. You are liberating yourself from their chaotic life.

Of course this is much easier said than done. Detachment takes practice. We have to analyze situations and ask ourselves if we are getting angry at the person or if we are getting angry at their alcoholism. If we are angry at the disease, then we need to stop ourselves and attempt to remove ourselves emotionally from that situation. This is detachment.

4) Encourage treatment

Finally, it can be worthwhile to encourage treatment for the alcoholic. It’s not worth making this into your life mission, but it can still be a useful effort on your part.

Encourage treatment without insisting, as we are almost never in a position to really insist anyway.

Encourage treatment without badgering, even though we probably think that we deserve to badger the alcoholic who has caused us so much grief.

Let them know that the option is there, when they are ready to get help. Do not let this idea of treatment turn into your only hope. Many alcoholics get sober without treatment. Others will find their own path. Remember that you can not do it for them.

When they are ready to change they will either change or ask for help. That is the time to act. That is the time to put forth a full effort in helping them. Not before then. Your efforts before this point of surrender are largely wasted.

To read replies to this post visit the Sober Village.

Liver Transplants

The pain is debilitating. The only option: smoking medical marijuana. That's the reality for many hepatitis C patients whose road to health includes a liver transplant. Although Canadian transplant centres are more willing than those in the United States, not everyone says yes to liver patients who smoke marijuana, and a University of Alberta researcher says that decision-making process is unacceptable.

Karen Kroeker, along with three other students at various universities, sent out surveys to a number of transplant clinics across the United States and Canada. Results found that the difference between the two countries were obvious in some patient groups: around 60 per cent of Canadian centres would either do the surgery or consider it for a liver transplant patient who smoked marijuana, while 70 per cent of U.S. transplant programs said absolutely not. Kroeker also found that patients in both countries, who have no social support - meaning they have no family, friends or a social worker - aren't likely to receive the organ they need.

The problem Kroeker has with these results: the lack of literature to support the surgeons' decision. As a result of her findings, which will be published in the November issue of Liver International, Kroeker says physicians need to determine eligibility criteria for liver-transplant patients that pertains directly to the likelihood of a patient rejecting the organ and is based only on empirical medical evidence.

When a patient is being reviewed for eligibility, whether they smoke marijuana shouldn't be a factor, she says. "If we have evidence to say the patients don't do well, then I think that's a reason to exclude people," Kroeker said.

She cites alcohol use as an example. When transplants first began to be performed, those who drank alcohol weren't eligible for a new liver. Kroeker's study found, however, that surgeons conducted studies on the topic of abstinence and liver health and, as a result of that research, transplant rules changed. If the patient has been sober for six months, 94 per cent of the clinics in North America will now consider transplantation.

The same goes for HIV-positive patients. "When they first started transplanting, HIV was an absolute contraindication. No one even considered transplantation because the disease was a death sentence at that time." Kroeker adds that's no longer the case and that there is research being conducted on post-transplant HIV-patients that will help determine the viability of transplants in HIV-positive patients.

In reference to her findings, Kroeker said, "I think there should be a large-scale study," because too-little research is available on post-transplant patients whose eligibility may currently be in question.

"Unless you actually perform transplants for those people, how would you know how they do?"

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Source: Quinn Phillips
University of Alberta

Alcoholism and Genetics

ScienceDaily (Mar. 9, 2007) — A genetic variant of a receptor in the brain's reward circuitry heightens the stimulating effects of early exposures to alcohol and increases alcohol consumption, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Conducted in rhesus monkeys, the study extends previous research that suggests an important role for a similar brain receptor variant in the development of human alcohol use disorders. A report of the findings is published in the March, 2007 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

"Although the pathway to alcoholism is influenced by many factors, our findings affirm that individuals who possess this receptor variant may experience enhanced pleasurable effects from alcohol that could increase their risk for developing alcohol abuse and dependence," notes Markus Heilig, M.D., Ph.D., NIAAA Clinical Director and the study's senior author.

Molecules known as opioid peptides bind to opioid receptors in the brain to signal experiences of reward and reinforcement, as well as the euphoria and other positive subjective effects produced by alcohol. Previous studies have shown that, among the brain's various subtypes of opioid receptors, the mu-subtype is most likely responsible for transmitting alcohol's positive effects.

"We also know that there are several genetic variants of the human mu-opioid receptor," notes first author Christina Barr, V.M.D., Ph.D., a lead investigator in NIAAA's Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies and Laboratory of Neurogenetics. "One of these, designated 118G, has a greatly enhanced ability to bind opioid peptides. People who have this variant of the receptor have reported increased euphoria following alcohol consumption."

Drs. Barr, Heilig, and their colleagues note that recent studies have linked the 118G mu-opioid receptor with alcohol dependence in humans. In the current study, the researchers explored the link between genetic variants of mu-opioid receptors and alcohol-related behaviors in a group of 82 rhesus monkeys.

"A mu-opioid receptor variant that is functionally similar to the human 118G variant occurs in these animals," explained Dr. Barr. "That is, it also has a greatly enhanced ability to bind opioid peptides. We hypothesized that monkeys that had the gene for this receptor variant would experience enhanced alcohol stimulation and, therefore, consumption.

Groups of monkeys had access to both alcoholic and non-alcoholic solutions for one hour per day for a period of six weeks. Researchers measured the animals' alcohol intake and post-intake activity, and determined which monkeys carried the gene for the mu-opioid receptor similar to the human 118G receptor. Activity measures are commonly used in animal studies to assess alcohol's pleasurable effects.

As predicted, the researchers found that monkeys with the variant gene showed increased activity following alcohol consumption. They also found that male animals with the variant had a clear preference for the alcohol solution and consumed on average almost twice as much alcohol as other animals. Males with the variant also became intoxicated on almost 30 percent of testing days, while other animals did so only on an average of 8 percent of testing days.

"The male-restricted effect of this gene is interesting, and parallels other recent evidence that opioid transmission may play a greater role in alcohol problems among some males than among females," explained Dr. Heilig. This information also complements recent data suggesting that alcohol-dependent people with the gene for the 118G receptor have a better therapeutic response to medications that block opioid receptors. More broadly, the finding underscores the important role that the pleasurable and stimulating initial effects of alcohol play in the subsequent development of alcohol problems."

Why Do Kids Use Alcohol? A Look at High-Risk Teens

Alcohol - Whats a Parent to Believe? (The Informed Parent)
by Stephen Biddulph

It is unfair and often untrue to paint a high-risk kid as a drug or alcohol abuser or a troubled kid who goes around hating and fighting and causing trouble. Many high-risk teens—even those who are addicted or involved with serious abuse of alcohol or other drugs—are sensitive, feeling people. It is equally wrong to say that a teen who is addicted to alcohol or another drug is a troublemaker, dangerous, or criminally minded. I must say that almost every teen I've counseled is—down deep—a good kid. High-risk teens are simply teens who are at higher risk than a normal teen for certain problems—in this case, alcohol abuse and addiction. High-risk teens are kids whose system has failed them or who have somehow failed to adapt in a positive way to their system.

High-risk kids are those who do not recognize or realize their inherent worth. They face challenges in their lives that form a crust around their inner beauty and potential. The outer crust of the rock is made by the outside influences of nature and weather. Similarly, the outside crust of a troubled teen is formed by outside influences that cover up his beauty, worth, and potential. Being illiterate; feeling ugly; having poor social skills; or living with chronic illness, troublesome psychological problems, poverty, serious family dysfunction, neglect, or abuse can prevent the development of a beautiful nature.

As a teen advocate and addiction consultant I highly recommend this article for parents. You may view the rest of this article here.
C. King, M.Ed.