×
24/7 Help (661) 630-4176
man practicing self-care

Learning Self-Care In Recovery

When you were using drugs or alcohol, how well did you take care of yourself? For most people with substance use disorders, the answer is, “I didn’t!” Using your substance of choice was probably one of your highest priorities, despite your best intentions. This is a part of the disease aspect of addiction. Addiction behavior includes obsession and compulsion, meaning you’re thinking about things to do with the drug, and will make reckless decisions quickly in order to obtain it. Because of this, most people in recovery have to learn how to take care of themselves. Not only does your body need to heal, but so does your mind and spirit. Self-care can help you learn to nurture your body, mind and spirit.

What Is Self-Care?

Self-care is typically an activity that you perform alone, for yourself, that helps calm your mind and emotions. Usually this means doing something you find soothing, but for some people, it may be something that helps get your adrenaline pumping so you can relieve negative feelings like anxiety.

Whatever the case is, self-care doesn’t do harm like drugs or alcohol. This means that gambling, competing, or overworking have nothing to do with self-care. Activities that make you feel calmer, happier, and more peaceful are great ideas for practicing self-care.

Practical Self-Care In Recovery

People in recovery can get pretty busy, especially when they’re going to 30 meetings in 30 days or attending an inpatient treatment center. Yet it’s important to carve out at least 15 minutes a day to de-stress from whatever activity you’re doing. Here are some ideas to make self-care a part of your life:

  • Write in a journal every day. Explore feelings, wants and dreams. Getting these out on paper can be highly motivating.
  • Exercise. Try swimming, surfing, yoga, running or walking for at least 15 minutes a day. Exercising creates natural endorphins – the feel-good chemicals that helps use destress and stay calm.
  • Spend time vibing to your favorite music. Upbeat music is a great way to start or end the day, and can also give you a mood boost.
  • Get a massage. Massage is a great way to practice relaxation and help any physical tension you carry.
  • Learn to meditate. Meditation, including mindfulness, has been shown to lower stress levels and help maintain optimal blood pressure.
  • Paint, draw, or do something else that’s creativity. Creativity is a great way to work through emotions and clear your head.

These are just a few ideas for self-care. There are many other ways that may be overlooked in this list. Don’t be afraid to create your own list of things that can help you de-stress. As long as it’s not harmful or cause negative emotions, try it out.

Getting Help for Addiction

At Cycles of Change, we understand how that addiction affects your mind, body and spirit. We  are fully invested in helping create an individualized treatment plan to help you recover and reclaim your life. You deserve a chance to get and stay sober. Contact us at 855-631-2548 to learn more about how we can help.

small treatment staff

Benefits of a Small Treatment Staff and Community

If you’re considering drug and alcohol treatment, you may have a lot of questions. What will the environment be like? How will you be treated? Will you have access to medication-assisted treatment? What will the treatment community be like? These are all reasonable questions you can prepare to ask. One question that is often overlooked is the size of the community you’ll be in when you opt to go to treatment. Treatment staff size can make a huge difference in the way a person responds to drug and alcohol treatment.

Treatment Staff Size Matters

Many people don’t realize that there are many benefits of a small treatment staff.

While many treatment centers offer a one-size-fits-all approach to recovery, others are more focused on the individual. A smaller staff and clientele helps provide more individual attention. This is especially helpful for people who struggle with mental health disorders or those who have opted for medication-assisted treatment.

While in treatment, staff is able to monitor clients and spend more time one-on-one with them. Recovery is a journey, and while everyone can use tools to make the journey easier, there are many individual choices that staff can help clients make along the way.

After all, while no one became addicted overnight, each person seeking recovery has their own background and life story. For people who need help, a cookie cutter model treatment program isn’t the best option.

Learning Trust and Intimacy

Many people who enter treatment have trouble with personal relationships. Some have trauma in their backgrounds. It’s hard to open up when their are still wounds from the past.

A small treatment staff and community can help clients become more trusting and learn intimacy — not the sexual kind, but the friendship and family kind. Learning to trust can also help clients learn to become trustworthy themselves again.

Creating bond with others – not just staff, but others in the community as wel –  can help heal old wounds and create a new perspective when it comes to relationships. Addiction is a disease that wants to keep you lonely and isolated, but recovery offers new tools, relationships and friendships that can help you fight those lonely feelings.

With a smaller staff comes more personal attention and help when a person needs it, helping people cope with problems and issues as they arise.

Getting Help for Addiction

Are you looking for help for a drug or alcohol program? We offer a recovery community of experience, strength and hope. Our program here at Cycles of Change can assist you with Medication-Assisted Treatment, one-on-one counseling and group therapy. We’re here when you’re ready. Give yourself a chance by calling us at 855-631-3460.

Cycles of Change Recovery Services in Palmdale California doctors

What is Detoxification?

Alcohol and opiate detox rids the entire body of the damaging substance. Before attending an addiction treatment center, the body has to be depleted of all drugs and alcohol. Addiction hurts the body physically and psychologically. Individuals need complete focus and concentration while in rehabilitation. They cannot be distracted by withdrawal pains and drug-seeking behavior. Drugs and alcohol warp the way your body regulates itself. When you decide to break free from the self-destructive cycle of addiction, you may begin experiencing withdrawal symptoms within hours or 1-2 days. These are part of your body’s struggle to begin regulating itself without the influence of drugs. This process, called detoxification (or detox), can be difficult, but it’s important to remember that it is both temporary and necessary to regain control of your life.

What is Medical Detox?

What-is-medical-detox-like-for-drug-and-alcohol-addiction-treatment

It must be said that before you begin any alcohol or opiate detox process, you should consult a medical doctor to determine which kind is right for you. This is especially true with alcohol. You can check out Cycles of Change alcohol detox centers in Palmdale and Los Angeles, California, for more information. The detoxification process is deadly, and many things could go wrong. Some individuals think they can do a self-detox because there was no complication the other 3-4 times they went through the process. If you a continuing to go through this process, it’s time to reach out for professional help. You are missing the education and experience that drug and alcohol addiction treatment centers provide. These provide the best chances for long-term recovery.

There are many factors we take into place at our alcohol and opiate detox centers in Los Angeles and Palmdale, California. One of the most important factors is what type of drug is being misused. Then other factors may determine your rehabilitation path. Certain drugs may have stronger withdrawal symptoms than others. Some of the symptoms could lead to serious complications without medical supervision and intervention. When speaking with your doctor, they will consider the following factors (and potentially others) before making a treatment recommendation:

  • Age
  • Physical health
  • Body type
  • Drug(s) abused
  • Length and severity of the addiction
  • Potential behavioral issues

If you are at risk for more serious discomfort and withdrawal symptoms, medical detox provides you with around-the-clock medical supervision. You may also be given medication to reduce pain or treat severe symptoms. This process can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks.

What is Sub-Acute Detox?

In less severe cases, you might be able to use a sub-acute detox facility in Los Angeles, California, like the one at Cycles of Change. Sub-acute detoxification still provides you with supervision and a controlled environment, but you are typically allowed more freedom. You can move about the drug rehabs Los Angeles facilities, take walks outside, participate in group and individual therapy, and generally have more interaction with the world. As with medical detox, your timetable can range from a few days to a couple of weeks.

Generally speaking, while detoxing from heroin, you may experience flu-like symptoms for 1-2 days. Cocaine withdrawals can include depression and restlessness lasting 7-10 days. Alcohol detox may take 3 days to several weeks and can cause the following symptoms:

  • Headaches
  • Tremors
  • Seizures
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting

Some individuals withdrawing from alcohol may experience delirium tremens (DTs), which is a more severe reaction including convulsions and hallucinations. Having a good understanding of the detox process and how different drugs change the process is critical. You can read the NCBI article explaining four specific treatment regimens for specific substances for more information.

Sub-Acute Drug and Alcohol Detox Centers in Palmdale, CA

Our sub-acute drug and alcohol detox centers in Palmdale, California, are higher educated and experienced. We utilized credentialed counselors and the highest qualified medical staff. We believe in providing the best medical care. The professional staff understands addiction. They know what it’s like to be chained to addiction everyday. At Cycles of Change, our team includes:

  • Licensed clinicians
  • Family therapists
  • Medical staff
  • Other industry professionals dedicated to helping you succeed

We will meet with you and discuss your personalized treatment plan. The initial evaluation will help determine any substances currently in your system, co-occurring disorders, and behavioral issues. Then, our detox team will explain what you can expect during treatment and recovery. Once that process is complete, you will move into a residential rehabilitation program that fits your needs. Throughout it all, our team will be with you to provide the support and encouragement you need to complete your journey to a renewed life.

If you’ve tried to detox on your own and failed, you are not alone. The good news is that research shows those who commit to a rehabilitation program can succeed. Check out some of the drug rehabs Palmdale testimonials on our addiction treatment centers successes. They do it every day! We care about you and want to see you succeed. Take that first step, and contact us today. Fill out a form, or give us a call at (661) 270-7740.

Playing with Fire: Trauma and Addiction After Being on the Job

It’s the third time this week you’ve been called to deal with an overdose. The last two pulled through, but it looks like this one won’t even make it into the ambulance.

You don’t understand why anyone would ever start using heroin. You’ve seen too many families devastated as you wheel their loved ones away—unsure if they’ll ever see them alive again. How would your spouse, father or mother react if they found you lying there unresponsive?

Your partner seems numb to all this. He’s been at it for years. Maybe you get used to it?

He could be self-medicating—popping a painkiller at the end of the shift to dull the pain and heartache of all the trauma that’s piled up over the years on the job. The situation is all too common among first responders.

Unfortunately, that relief is only temporary. Drugs and alcohol can’t keep the repressed trauma at bay forever. In fact, he could be entering a self-destructive cycle where that trauma and addiction fuel one another until he’s the one taking a ride in the ambulance…or worse.

It Could Never Happen to Me

When you encounter people struggling with addiction on a near-daily basis, it can become easy to overlook your own trouble areas. After all, you’re not shooting up after a long day on the job. You’re just having a few drinks to relax with the squad.

It’s important to remember that addiction is not a choice someone makes. It’s a complicated disease with a variety of contributing elements, including environmental factors like traumatic experiences.

First responders experience a number of risk factors for addiction more often and more harshly than other people, including:

  • Peer pressure. Your colleagues may make you feel pressured to drink and have a good time after work. A few drinks can quickly turn into a binge with serious consequences, and can become a regular activity needed to help you feel normal.
  • Ease of access. Such easy access to drugs removes an obstacle that’s often present for the general population. Painkillers originally prescribed for injuries on the job can develop into addiction, and EMTs might be tempted to abuse their access to various medications.
  • Social norms. While we’re beginning to see a culture shift in how people talk about addiction and mental health, there are still social norms that might prevent you from discussing troubling emotions or situations—things you encounter often on the job. Fears of looking weak or like you can’t cut it might cause you to bottle up your challenges.

Trauma, PTSD and Addiction Are a Potent Cocktail

When you don’t deal with the stress and trauma of the job in a healthy manner, negative coping mechanisms may develop. That temporary rush of dopamine and adrenaline can make you forget about the things you’ve witnessed in the field for a moment, but it doesn’t last.

As the drugs leave your system, your body struggles to find balance, and you feel even worse than before. This can lead to an escalating pattern of substance abuse and emotional and even physical pain.

You’re Not Alone

You might feel too embarrassed to seek help. You don’t want your team to think you’re weak, so you hide the problem. However, chances are, someone close to you is probably going through similar struggles.

  • Nearly a third of firefighters are estimated to have dependence issues with alcohol.
  • Police officers show increased risk of alcoholism the longer they’re on the force, and a quarter of them report issues with a co-worker’s substance abuse.
  • More than a fifth of EMTs struggle with PTSD, and nearly half abuse alcohol or other drugs.

Do You Need Rescuing from Trauma and Addiction?

When someone is suffering with a combination of conditions like stress, anxiety or PTSD along with addiction, it’s commonly referred to as a co-occurring disorder. Treating only one often leaves you vulnerable to the other, which increases your risk of relapse.

At Cycles of Change, we provide customized treatment plans that help first responders heal from both conditions at the same time. This dual diagnosis approach can lead to better outcomes and lower rates of relapse.

Our compassionate staff has years of experience dealing with the unique needs of EMTs, police officers, firefighters and other first responders. You don’t have to face this battle alone. Contact us today for a confidential conversation about how we can help.

 

Detecting the Fire Within: Signs of Alcoholism in Firefighters

You get the call during one of your late shifts. A house a few miles from the station is on fire and you and your crew are needed immediately. Your adrenaline kicks in as you throw on your gear and pile onto the truck with your men.

“Here we go again,” you think to yourself as you wipe away the remaining exhaustion from your eyes.

By the time you get to the scene, the house is engulfed in intense orange and red flames and thick, heavy smoke. The foul, putrid smell of burning rubber, wires and other parts of the house hits your nostrils as you jump out of the truck and frantically unload the equipment.

You hear the frightened cries of the family to the right of you as they watch their home disappear before their eyes. You catch sight of one of the family members – a girl no more than five years old, screaming at the top of her lungs. She reminds you of your little girl.

You turn back to the inferno in front of you and try to tame the flames. The fire hisses at you in anger and you feel the insufferable heat try to suffocate you. You don’t know how or why the fire started. You don’t care. Right now, all you care about is putting it out and making sure everyone comes out of this unscathed.

This isn’t the first time you’ve encountered a traumatic fire like this, and it won’t be the last. You’ve even encountered some worse than this. You carry those moments with you and turn to distractions to help you cope. Sometimes, that distraction is alcohol use.

Firefighter Alcohol Use. Everybody’s Doing It, But Some More Than Others.

Drinking alcohol is a pretty normal activity for anyone, no matter what line of work you’re in. In fact, more than half the general male population is estimated to have a drink on a monthly basis. And nearly a quarter of them binge drink within that same time frame.

1. When looking at just firefighter alcohol use, 10-20 percent more male firefighters drink on a monthly basis compared to the general population. And twice as many firefighters are estimated to engage in binge drinking.
2. The problem arises when a firefighter’s drinking turns into a way to try to cope with trauma caused on the job.

Why Is Firefighter Alcohol Use So High?

With long periods on and off the clock, drinking might help you avoid dealing with anxiety and trauma experienced on the job. Sometimes, there are things you can’t un-see, but alcohol makes it go away, if only for a moment.

The problem is that alcohol doesn’t actually address those difficult emotions and memories or keep them away for good, leading to additional problems like:

  • Increased anxiety
  • Depression
  • Brain damage
  • Memory loss
  • Higher rates of multiple types of cancer

How Do You Know When to Call for Help?

There are a few questions you can ask yourself or your fellow firefighter if you’re concerned about drinking too much:

  • Do you ever feel guilty about how much you had to drink?
  • Are you hiding how much or how often you’re drinking?
  • Have you tried to drink less and failed?
  • Are hangovers a common occurrence?
  • Do you need a drink to feel normal?
  • Are you using alcohol as a way to feel better when past or recent traumatic memories pop up?

As a firefighter, what you do is noble and heroic. But that doesn’t mean you’re immune to trauma or PTSD. If you’re turning to alcohol to help cope with what you’ve experienced as a firefighter, you’re not able to do your job or live your life to the very best of your abilities. It’s okay to ask for help!

We’ve Got Your Back at Cycles of Change

When you’re in the field, you need to know that your crew is operating at peak capacity. If someone’s struggling with alcoholism, that puts you all at risk. Do you need help with your drinking problem? Cycles of Change has your back.

Our recovery services include special programs for first responders. Here, you’ll receive treatment customized to meet your unique needs as a firefighter, administered by staff who have extensive experience helping those who fight to keep our communities safe.

Addiction is a disease, but you can fight this fire and put it out with the right treatment, education and relapse prevention training. Don’t forget to take care of yourself. If you’re struggling, contact us today.

cycles

Not sure if our treatment program is right for you or your loved one?

We have counselors standing by to answer any questions you have 24/7.
Call Now (661) 630-4176
close-link