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Resources for Substance Abuse in California

Addiction is a chronic dependence on activities or substances that costs the United States economy hundreds of billions each year. Many people do not know that they are suffering from addictions, especially in cases of non-substance addictions. Many more people who do know they are addicted to a substance or activity brush it off and feel that they can quit anytime they want to. This isn’t always true.

Recovery from addiction can be difficult and stressful, but it has proven to be effective and help people live soberly and healthily. The best form of treatment for you will depend on what you’re addicted to and how long you’ve been under its influence, but treatment normally involves counseling, medication, and community support.

Immersive Recovery Center’s men’s only drug and alcohol rehab center in San Diego, California provides resources for substance abuse to help individuals struggling receive the necessary high-quality care they deserve.

Addiction: A Brain Disease

Alcohol, drugs, and other substances affect the brain’s centers that control pain, pleasure, and other signals. Continual use of substances can develop tolerances which call for more and more of those substances to produce the desired effects. An addiction forms when a person is, even though they see it’s negative impact on their life.

Addiction is characterized as a chronic, relapsing disorder where someone compulsively uses and seeks drugs despite adverse outcomes. It is classified as a brain disorder due to how it causes functional changes to brain circuits that control reward, stress, and self-control. These changes can remain long after an addict stops taking drugs.

Misuse of drugs and drug addiction are different. Drug misuse refers to taking drugs in higher doses than recommended or during inappropriate situations that could lead to social issues and health problems. Not everyone who misuses drugs or other substances has an addiction.

For example, a person drinking until they blackout on a night out is misusing alcohol, but it is not an addiction unless the person’s brain is reconditioned to demand that they repeat that behavior daily to function normally.

Along with the addictions that everyone is familiar with (eg. alcohol, drugs, and other substances) there are non-substance addictions. These can be

  • Gambling
  • Food
  • Internet
  • Gaming
  • Cell phone
  • Sex
  • Exercise
  • Adrenalin

Addiction signs and symptoms will vary from person to person, depending on what a person is addicted to. However, the general indicators of a running addiction are

  • Difficulty at school, declining performance grades, or difficulty at school
  • Performance issues at work
  • Relationship and social interaction difficulties
  • Inability to stop using the substance, even though you see the toll it’s taking on your health and personal life
  • Reduced interest and energy towards daily activities
  • Extreme changes in appearance, including forsaking hygiene and weight loss appearing
  • Defensiveness when asked about substance abuse
  • Withdrawal symptoms when curbing or stopping the behavior or substance
  • Research done by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows that approximately 50% of Californians aged 12 and older conveyed using alcohol within the past month, and about 20% conveyed using marijuana within the past year.
  • Findings by the NSDUH show that around 9% of Californians met the criteria for a substance use disorder (SUD) within the past year. However, only around 10% of them received treatment of some type.
  • Fentanyl’s death rate increased 10-fold from 2015 to 2019 in California, while the death rate from prescription opioid deaths fell 30% from 2011 to 2019.
  • Amphetamine-related emergency department visits increased by almost 50% between 2018 and 2020, while the number of opioid ED visits not related to heroin more than doubled in the same period.
  • Approximately 6.4% of Californians have alcohol use disorder, and about 3.3% have substance use disorders involving illicit drugs, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
  • Of young adults aged 18 to 25, around 40% conveyed binge alcohol use within the past month, and about 7% conveyed marijuana use disorder within the past year.
  • With adults aged 26 or older, around 6% conveyed serious thoughts of suicide within the past year, and about 5% conveyed serious mental illness disorders.

Importance of Treatment for Addiction

resources for substance abuse

Addiction Treatment and rehabilitation help people understand what causes their addictions and how to overcome them to live healthy and meaningful lives. Treatment can also reduce or stop the negative effects of addiction, such as disease, crime, overdose, and death, all while improving a person’s life, health, and personal relationships.

There are different types of addiction treatment including:

  • Detoxification: This process involves eradicating alcohol or drugs in the body while dealing with the symptoms of withdrawal. Detoxification can happen in an inpatient or outpatient setting and may or may not include medication.
  • Medication: This is where drugs are used to counteract the effects of addictive substances, reduce cravings, and manage the side effects of withdrawal. Combining counseling or behavioral therapy with medication increases the effectiveness of treatment.
  • Behavioral therapy or counseling: This is the use of psychotherapy or other psychological techniques to help people challenge their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors associated with substance use, and learn how to cope with the accompanying stress, cravings, and triggers.
  • Treatment programs: Structured addiction treatment programs give access to a wide variety of interventions and services for people with addiction. The intensity, setting, approaches, and duration of treatment programs vary greatly.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment: Addressing Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

A dual diagnosis means that someone has a substance use disorder combined with a mental health disorder. Dual-diagnosis treatment focuses on addressing both disorders simultaneously. This is important because mental health issues can lead people down the road to substance abuse or alcohol misuse.

Types of Addiction Resources in Southern California

If you are looking for some help with addiction in San Diego, CA and the surrounding areas, you’re not alone. Many people in this beautiful beach town struggle with substance abuse and need professional support to recover. Luckily, there are plenty of options for you to choose from, depending on your needs and preferences.

Some of the types of addiction resources in Southern California include: 

  1. Rehab centers: These are establishments that offer extensive, personalized treatment programs for people with dependencies and addictions. Rehab centers provide medication, therapy, detox, and aftercare services in diverse settings, such as outpatient, inpatient, or residential. Several rehab centers cater to distinct demographics, such as veterans, executives, or LGBTQ+ people.
  2. Support groups: These are collections or communities of people who share similar experiences with dependencies and addiction that offer encouragement and mutual support. Different support groups follow different philosophies, such as non-12-step, secular, or 12-step. Some of these groups focus on specific substances, such as nicotine, drugs, alcohol, or other substances.

Treatment Programs and Therapy Structures

resources for alcohol and drug addiction

Before you begin your treatment, you must first go through an assessment. You will discuss with your therapist or medical professional your medical history, preferences, and the intricate details of your addiction. Addiction treatment programs are customized specifically to meet each client’s specific needs and preferences. No two people are alike, and no two addictions are the same, so no two therapy structures will be exactly alike.

Treatment centers base their treatment approaches upon these main structures:

  • The first step is detox, which involves round-the-clock inpatient care supervised by a professional combined with medication that counters the side effects of withdrawal.
  • Residential programs involve patients remaining in the facility day and night for several months to a year.
  • Outpatient treatment programs involve therapy sessions for several hours each week in virtual visits, or with one or more facilities.
  • Intensive outpatient programs consist of multiple counseling sessions each week that can last a few hours each.
  • Partial hospitalization programs are usually five sessions of five hours a week, but the patient does not reside at the facility.

A patient may go through group, family, and individual therapy sessions, depending on their particular needs. Addiction is a family disease, and family therapy is important for healing family relationships and helping them function better as a unit.

The main types of therapies include:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This therapy type helps people identify negative thinking patterns and behaviors and shows how this negativity affects their behaviors.
  • Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). DBT is a branch of CBT that helps people change their behaviors which enables them to build healthier relationships with those around them.
  • Holistic therapy. These alternative approach therapies include meditation, art, yoga, and other modalities that promote overall health and well-being.

Get the help you need at Immersive Recovery!

The right therapy plan can empower a person to beat the cycle of addiction. At Immersive Recovery, our compassionate staff are available and well-trained in all aspects of addiction, managing withdrawal, and helping people to recover their health. We develop customized plans for each person’s particular needs.

To learn more about addiction, and recovery, and make admissions for your treatment, please contact us today. Immersive recovery can help break the cycle of addiction.

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