February 17, 2020 PCI Centers
“So, what is wellness?” That is a question frequently asked at our drug and alcohol rehab center in Westlake Village. The U.C. Davis quote we have on our site explains: “wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life. Wellness is more than being free from illness; it is a dynamic process of change and growth.”
To put it simply, you can experience wellness if you are working towards living healthier and taking the journey towards a more fulfilling life. To that end, we utilize the seven domains of wellness at PCI Centers, helping our residents live the life they want.
A Large Part Of The Alcohol Rehab Process Is Taking Care Of Yourself
So many of us are conditioned to work as hard as possible. Getting up early, going to work all day, coming home, doing more work, and then going to bed to do it all over tomorrow — for so many, that’s their schedule every day. No matter what responsibilities a person might have, “play” is essential, too. Studies have shown that as human beings, we have to play fundamentally.
It is relaxing, great for meeting new people and utilizing social skills; it can help with anxiety and so much more. When you are struggling with any addiction, it can be challenging to find that space to play in, which is one more way to help our residents.
Most Alcohol Rehab Treatment Practices Include Exercise And Physical Activity
Do you have a job where you’re sitting all day? That’s not to say that your job isn’t stressful or complex, but we don’t have positions filled with physical activity for many of us. Exercise and positive physical activity can help our health and bodies in remarkable ways. When people fall into addiction, regular exercise routines and physical activity can be some of the first things to fall by the wayside. The life of an addict is stressful, and it can be tough to regulate your moods and emotions.
Physical activity can help significantly with your body. At PCI Centers, we can expose you to new exercises and positive kinds of physical activity, so you can find what works best for you. Then, you can take all of that with you once you leave.
Rest And Sleep Are Both Crucial Parts Of The Process
“Rest” and “sleep” are similar, but they aren’t synonyms. Rest is something where you are not asleep, but you are relaxing. Going for a walk, watching a favorite movie, talking to a friend on the phone — these are some examples of rest, where you let your brain take a break. On the other hand, sleep is a “good night’s rest,” where you get all of the sleep that your body needs.
If you are dealing with addiction and similar mental and physical problems, in all likelihood, you are not on a good sleep schedule, nor do you find it easy to relax and rest; thus, your brain sees the addiction and substance intake as the “new normal,” which includes lack of sleep and rest.
There are numerous treatment options when trying to cope with and recover from alcoholism.
The most common and well-known road to recovery when on the journey to recovery is support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). In these groups, you can connect with people who have similar backgrounds and stories, making it a safe space for you to open yourself to healing and recovering.
There are some other types of treatment out there, and these depend on how severe the addiction is and if there is another mental illness going on, or if there is a dual diagnosis (two or more mental illnesses occurring at the same time). For extremely severe cases, a method of treatment is detoxification, which leads to withdrawal symptoms. Detoxification often becomes a much-needed step for almost every alcoholism treatment program, especially in the United States.
In the US, alcoholism/alcohol dependence is the most common substance abuse disorder. Unfortunately, a minimal amount of those who struggle with alcoholism receives substance abuse treatment. An option for those suffering from any form of substance abuse disorder (alcoholism, drug abuse, and so on) is a residential treatment program found in your insurance list of approved treatment centers or referral by another trusted healthcare provider. These residential treatment programs allow the individual to live in the treatment facility, as it is incredibly taxing on the family of those suffering from substance abuse disorders and can have adverse effects on them. Family members often have a tough time living with people who suffer from substance use disorder, as it consumes a significant chunk of their time and lives, and, again, is very taxing emotionally and mentally, so residential treatment programs allow both the individual suffering from substance use disorder and the family to recover.
It is also prevalent for those with co-occurring disorders, such as depression or anxiety to turn to substance abuse as a way to self-medicate. In these cases, the individual needs to be assessed on the effect substance abuse has on them and what type of treatment they would require. The reasons someone with depression or anxiety would turn to alcohol to self-medicate are very similar. When someone who suffers from depression feels weighed down from what seems like having the weight of the world on their shoulders, and their emotions may seem like too much to handle on their own, they often think that alcohol is the way to go regarding numbing them.
Likewise, when someone who suffers from anxiety feels like they cannot handle that rollercoaster—its spikes and pressure throughout the day and week can seem like a lot to take—they also often turn to alcohol or other drugs to help “regulate” their emotions and reduce the anxiety spikes to a more tolerable or manageable level. It becomes a perilous path for those with those other mental health problems, as it leads to substance abuse disorder, as well as a whole host of other health problems, such as obesity, a heart attack, liver failure, and various types of cancer, to name a few.
There are some common trends when it comes to drug abuse, alcoholism included
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the effects of alcohol on someone vary depending on various factors commonly seen as alcoholism passed on generationally. For example, if someone from a previous generation is or was a heavy alcoholic, then more often than not, a majority of people in the subsequent generation(s) will become influenced by that generation and start to become addicted, as well. Likewise, if someone starts drinking at a younger age and participates in drinking more often than not, there is also a much higher chance of becoming addicted to alcohol.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), there is an emerging trend known as “high-intensity drinking,” defined as drinking alcohol in amounts two or more times the gender-specific quantities for binge drinking. Therefore a man or woman who drinks more than their specific gender can realistically handle, then they are considered to have surpassed the binge-drinking level and transitioned into the high-intensity group. Research shows that those who do drink at such a high level are 70 times more likely to visit the emergency room due to an alcohol-related incident, creating a frightening statistic, but it is the reality of the situation when it comes to alcoholism and related substance-use disorders.
There are also significantly more deaths from underage alcohol consumption. According to the National Institute of Health, there are just over 1,000 car crashes; 1,000 homicides; just over 200 incidences of alcohol-related falls, overdose, burns, or drowning; and just under 600 incidences of suicide. Again, another shocking statistic, but, again, this is the reality of the effects alcohol addiction, and related substance-use disorders have on people who do not seek treatment for the addiction(s).
When at an inpatient rehab treatment facility, it is vital to be aware of what is happening with your physical body
When someone consumes an excessive amount of a toxic substance, such as alcohol, your brain essentially becomes rewired into thinking that this is the “new normal.” Through various different treatment programs, what is most often experienced is withdrawal, which is when your body is detoxing from the toxic substance that was put into your body for the length of time it was.
Whenever someone is going through alcohol rehabilitation at an inpatient treatment center, it is important to go back to basics when listening to your body, being honest with yourself about what your body needs when healing from addiction, speaking with clinicians about what is going on, as well as taking part in physical exercise to assist in the detox process.
If you ever need any more information on the alcohol rehabilitation and addiction treatment process, please do not hesitate to call PCI Centers at 1 (747) 222-7464. There is also the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National helpline for alcohol, drug, and other drug abuse at 1 (800) 662-4357.
Please know you are not alone on the road to recovery. It is okay to reach out for help, as there will always be a helpful hand to reach back out and a safe place to talk about whatever you need.
