Top drug and alcohol treatment centers

What is a dual diagnosis facility?

Co-occurring disorders, also referred to as dual diagnosis, is a term used when you have both a mental health disorder—such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder—and a drug or alcohol problem. Both the mental health issue and the addiction have their own unique symptoms that may get in the way of your ability to function, handle life’s difficulties, and relate to others.

Complicating the situation, the two problems affect each other and interact. When a mental health problem goes untreated, the substance abuse problem usually gets worse as well.  The problem worsens because one will attempt to self medicate their mental health issue with drugs and or alcohol.  And when alcohol or drug abuse increases, mental health problems usually increase too.

Recovery depends on treating both the addiction and the mental health problem.

Whether your mental health or substance abuse problem came first, recovery depends on treating both illnesses. The good news is that most people suffering from co-occurring addiction and mental health problems are able to recover, given proper treatment and support.  Please call today to discuss possible options for treatment, we are here when you are ready.

Do I need to go to rehab?

This is a question many facing drug addiction and alcoholism try to figure out on their own.  But every individual is different and may need to be assessed with a treatment counselor to assess their current situation and whether they need to be in a residential rehab setting.
Scientific research since the mid–1970s shows that treatment can help patients addicted to drugs and alcohol to stop using and drinking to avoid relapse, and successfully recover their lives. Based research, key principles have emerged that form the basis of effective treatment programs:

•    Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior.

•    No single treatment is appropriate for everyone.

•    Treatment needs to be readily available.

•    Effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her drug abuse.

•    Remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time is critical.

•    Counseling—individual and/or group—and other behavioral therapies are the most commonly used forms of drug abuse treatment.

•    Medications are an important element of treatment for many patients, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies.

•    An individual’s treatment and services plan must be assessed continually and modified as necessary to ensure that it meets his or her changing needs.

•    Many drug–addicted individuals also have other mental disorders.

•    Medically assisted detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long–term drug abuse.

•    Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.

•    Drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously, as lapses during treatment do occur.

Residential treatment programs can also be very effective, especially for those with more severe problems. For example, residential facilities are highly structured programs in which patients remain at a residence, typically for 30 days to 12 months. Treatment centers differ from other treatment approaches principally in their use of the community—treatment staff and those in recovery—as a key agent of change to influence patient attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors associated with drug use. The focus of rehab is on the re-socialization of the patient to a drug-free, crime–free lifestyle.  Please call today to discuss your needs for treatment.

Pain Management Programs

How do you manage your pain without being reliant on addictive pain medications and the effects they produce?  How do you restore your sleep, manage your physical pain that will allow you to a fulfilling life once again?  A residential pain management program may be the answer.  Thousands of people suffer from chronic pain but feel trapped by the effects of the medications they are prescribed.

Addiction to pain medication is a common diagnosis and focus of many treatment centers. Physical pain, if not well managed, often acts as a primary trigger for addictive processes. The connection between pain management and addiction requires a high level of medical expertise to generate consistently successful outcomes. A pain management program utilizes various proven therapeutic modalities to target the causes of pain. Thus, the patient receives the most comprehensive treatment available. Treatment seeks to use the fewest medications possible, and abstinence is always preferred. If medication is required, non-addictive medications with fewer side effects are considered first. Occasionally, opiates may be indicated for effective pain management. At Recovery Hub we have many highly qualified treatment centers that are experts in developing individualized medication management plans for patients dealing with chronic pain.  Please call today to discuss your options for yourself or your loved one.

Study Involving Heroin-Addicted Rats Expose Relapse Gene

Through studying heroin-addicted rats, researchers have identified genes that may be involved in drug relapse. Science Daily reports that Kara Kuntz-Melcavage, from Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, and a team of researchers found a group of genes in the rats whose expression is significantly altered following being exposed to drug paraphernalia after an enforced “cold-turkey” period.

“A number of gene expression studies have investigated changes induced by drug exposure, but few reports describe changes associated with the mental state that leads to relapse. We identified 66 genes involved in the relapse response, including some that are important for neuroplasticity, and through that role may impact learning and behavior,” said Kuntz-Melcavage.

The researchers attached rats to a drug supply that for 3 hours each day delivered heroin into their jugular veins when they licked a particular empty spout. Over a two-week period, the animals were free to self-administer heroin, while control rats to whom they were linked received saline instead.

One group of addicted rats and their non-addicted partners were then kept without heroin for two weeks before being re-exposed to the spout, which no longer yielded drug infusions. After 90 minutes in this narcotic-associated environment, during which the addicted rats compulsively returned to lick the unrewarding empty spout, they and their control mates were humanely killed and gene expression in their brains was studied.

By comparing the gene expression in the drug-seeking animals with that in a second group of addicted rats re-exposed to the narcotic environment after only one day of abstinence, and with the controls which were given saline, the researchers were able to identify genes involved in relapse behavior.

“The session with the inactive spout served not only to provide an opportunity to observe drug-seeking behavior, but also mimicked a real-life situation in which environmental cues precipitate relapse behavior following an extended period of abstinence,” said Kuntz-Melcavage.

She added, “As data accumulate, the existence of a single ‘relapse gene’ is looking increasingly unlikely–it is likely to be a constellation of different genes. Therefore, large scale views of gene expression, like this one, will prove very useful for guiding research into human drug-associated behavior.”

Early Alcohol Use Linked to Heavy Smoking Later in Life…

Researchers have found that kids who engage in heavy drinking will more than likely also engage in heavy smoking, and that educators can help combat the trend by addressing both topics as one health risk.

“These are important findings because they emphasize the need for education and intervention programs that target the co-occurrence of these two health risks,” said Brian Daly, assistant professor of public health in the College of Health Professions and Social Work at Temple University.

Science Daily reports that Daly and colleagues determined rates of smoking and binge drinking through anonymous survey data from 2,450 African-American, Hispanic, and Caucasian students in grades 9-12 at public high schools in Philadelphia. Students’ responses were compiled from the 2007 Philadelphia Youth Behavioral Risk Survey.

Students were asked how many cigarettes they’d had per day over 30 days, and how many days over a 30-day period they’d had 5 or more drinks in one sitting. Data was broken down by race/ethnicity and gender.

Researchers found that while Caucasian teens were more likely than African-Americans to either binge drink or smoke, both groups were equally likely to engage in both activities at the same time.

“In the past 30 years or so, African Americans have traditionally had the lowest instance of smoking and binge drinking,” said Daly. “Those low numbers resulted in very few studies which looked at both smoking and binge drinking in a diverse sample; most focused only on instances of these in Caucasian or Hispanic adolescents.”

Daly said that the equal instances of smoking and binge drinking among both groups highlights the need for a multi-pronged approach to education and intervention.

“We can’t just focus on educating adolescents about the dangers of just smoking or drinking,” he said. “We need to address both as one health risk, and we need to do that for all adolescents, not just one particular group.”

He said that when health education teachers talk about the dangers of smoking, they should also touch on the dangers of binge drinking too, illustrating the connection.

The next phase of Daly’s research will break down these rates by grade level to determine exactly when binge drinking and smoking start.

“The difference in the mindset of a 9th grader versus a 12th grader is pretty vast,” he said. “And if we can determine when kids start this behavior—whether it’s the summer after 8th grade, or when they’re a sophomore or a senior—it can help us tailor education and treatment plans even more.”