Why The Meadows Outpatient Center is the Best Place for Addiction Treatment

No one plans to become addicted, but after that initial interaction with alcohol, drugs or dysfunctional behavior, they may like how it makes them feel and soon find themselves spiraling out of control. Individuals who engage in these types of escapism may have initially acted on it to feel good, but then find themselves having to seek it out just to feel normal.

And that is what confuses many people who do not suffer from addiction.

Why do people become addicted?

It can often seem mystifying as to why or how other people can become addicted to substances such as alcohol or drugs; or how a person can find themselves engaging in addictive behaviors like sex or gambling. They may mistakenly believe that individuals suffering from addiction lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop their harmful behaviors simply by choosing to. In reality, addiction is a complex disease, and quitting usually takes more than good intentions or a strong will. Addiction changes the brain in ways that make quitting hard, even for those who want to.

According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, approximately 40 million Americans ages 12 and older—or more than 1 in 7 people—abuse or are addicted to nicotine, alcohol or other drugs. This is more than the number of Americans with heart conditions (27 million), diabetes (26 million) or cancer (19 million).

Addiction is more common than most people realize. Unfortunately, many people do not seek the treatment they need.

What happens to the brain of an addict?

Addictive behaviors (gambling, sex, etc.) and substances (ex. alcohol, drugs) affect the brain's "reward circuit" by flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. This reward system controls the body's ability to feel pleasure and motivates a person to repeat behaviors needed to thrive, such as eating and spending time with loved ones. This overstimulation of the reward circuit causes the intensely pleasurable "high" that can lead people to engage in their addiction again and again.

As a person continues to remain involved with their addiction, the brain adjusts to the excess dopamine by making less of it and/or reducing the ability of cells in the reward circuit to respond to it. This reduces the high that the person feels compared to the high they first felt before their addiction worsened —an effect known as tolerance. They begin utilizing their addiction of choice more and more, trying to achieve the same dopamine high. It can also cause them to get less pleasure from other things they once enjoyed, like food or social activities.

Long-term use also causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well, affecting functions that include:

• Learning
• Judgment
• Decision-making
• Stress
• Memory
• Behavior

Despite being aware of harmful outcomes, many people suffering from addiction continue to participate in these dangerous behaviors, which is the nature of addiction.

Addiction Treatment that Works

At The Meadows, we believe trauma underlies nearly all conditions. Trauma, whether related to addiction, family-of-origin issues or abuse, can reverberate through the many facets of our lives, follow us into adulthood and inhibit us from living in the present.

We believe that successful treatment combines different powerful and unique methodologies that enable support, discovery, and healing.

The Meadows’ highly trained staff and innovative therapeutic techniques have made it America’s leading treatment center for addiction and developmental trauma. For more than 40 years, The Meadows has helped over 45,000 people find healing and recovery from a range of addictions and co-occurring disorders. Our therapists, psychiatrists, and counselors look to the underlying issues to treat the cause of the problem, bringing lifelong learning and healing to each and every patient.

At The Meadows, our highly individualized treatment encompasses The Meadows Model to address emotional trauma and addiction with a multi-disciplinary emphasis. In addition to a medical integration model, our staff includes 24-hour nursing, on-site physicians, and a full-time Chief of Psychiatry. This talented team of professionals specializes in trauma resolution using a variety of cutting-edge therapeutic modalities.

The Meadows’ innovative Brain Center offers patients neurofeedback and other integrative equipment to aid in grounding and brain regulation. Patients have access to the latest and most efficient technology promoting “self-regulation” skills that can enhance and expedite the recovery process.

Recover from Your Addiction

We know that even though some people may suffer from the same mental health concerns, they each will have their own unique story and past history. This means that a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment will not work. At The Meadows, we create an individualized treatment plan for you based on your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs to help you achieve long-lasting recovery.

To learn how The Meadows can help you or a loved one, please call 866-613-1826 or visit our website. All calls and communications are kept strictly confidential.

Content Source Why The Meadows Outpatient Center is the Best Place for Addiction Treatment

Gambling Addiction Treatment in Arizona

What many people may not realize is that gambling addiction is classified as an impulse control disorder.

Individuals with impulse control disorders feel increasing stimulation before participating in the act of gambling. While gambling they probably will feel a sense of satisfaction; however, they may feel remorse or shame afterward.

Compulsive gamblers can’t control the urge to gamble, even when they know it has negative consequences that will hurt themselves and their families through strained relationships and financial problems. Unpleasant feelings can worsen the disorder, such as:

• Stress
• Depression
• Loneliness
• Fear
• Anxiety

Compulsive gamblers continue to gamble though they know the odds are against them, and they can’t afford to lose. These individuals may or may not plan to gamble, but it generally fulfills an immediate, conscious need; however, they often feel anguished and a loss of control over their lives from their actions.

Problematic Gambling

According to an article published in the Scientific American, four in five Americans say they have gambled at least once in their lives. With the exception of Hawaii and Utah, every state in the country offers some form of legalized gambling. And today you do not even need to leave your house to gamble—all you need is an Internet connection or a phone. Various surveys have determined that around two million people in the U.S. are addicted to gambling, and for as many as 20 million citizens the habit seriously interferes with work and social life.

Studies have shown that individuals who anticipate winning while gambling appear to react much like a person reacting to euphoria-inducing drugs. During one study subjects who were gambling had blood flow to the brain change in ways similar to that seen in other experiments during an infusion of cocaine in subjects addicted to that drug and to low doses of morphine in drug-free individuals.

The changes varied in accordance with the amount of money involved and a broadly distributed set of brain regions were involved in anticipating a win. The more money involved, the more excited the person became.

Signs of a Gambling Addiction

With gambling, the odds are never in your favor whether it is poker, blackjack, lottery tickets or entering a raffle; gambling is a successful industry because the house always wins.

Common signs of gambling addiction include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Feeling the need to be secretive about gambling
• Having trouble controlling gambling habits
• Gambling when you cannot afford to
• Your friends and family express concern about your gambling
• Anxiety about quitting or stopping
• Strong emotional reaction to gambling or about stopping such as:
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Self-harm
• Suicidal thoughts

Other addictions frequently co-occur with gambling addiction as they serve as coping mechanisms for individuals stressed out by their activity. Many gamblers turn to drugs, alcohol, sexual addiction, and other behaviors to alleviate the anxiety brought on by the gambling lifestyle.

Even if a person never experiences a financial loss because of gambling, they may struggle with a substance addiction for the rest of life due to self-medicating to deal with the stress brought on by the lifestyle. Also, relationships are often permanently damaged as a result of gambling.

How To Get Help For Gambling Addiction

Just as alcoholics and drug addicts develop a tolerance to alcohol and drugs, the gambler will need to gamble more and more to achieve the same effect. The continuous search for that “high” ultimately develops into an addiction.

At The Meadows, we utilize cutting-edge therapies and other techniques to help clients change unhealthy gambling behaviors. Problem gamblers learn how to control their urges, deal with uncomfortable emotions and resolve underlying issues that brought about the addiction through individualized gambling addiction treatment.

To learn more about our program or to seek help for yourself or a loved one, please call 866-331-3102 or visit our website today. All communication is kept strictly confidential.

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Young Adults Are More Likely to Develop Seasonal Affective Disorder

January. The excitement of the holidays is over. It’s time to return to your college classes after a nice, long break. For those in northern climates, there’s also less sunlight and painfully cold temperatures to contend with. It’s completely normal to feel a little bummed out about it all, right?

In most cases, yes, it is normal to feel a little “blah” during the winter months. But, if those feelings seem to be having a negative impact on your ability to complete your day-to-day responsibilities and your desire to get out of your house or dorm room and hang out with others, you may be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a type of clinical depression that strikes people in the fall and winter months. Like other types of depression, SAD often results in fatigue, loss of interest in daily activities, anxiety, overeating, alcohol and/or substance misuse, sleep disruptions, and difficulty concentrating.

Who Is Most Likely to Develop SAD?

Some evidence indicates that SAD is most likely to occur in young adults in their late teens and early twenties. Though no one is exactly sure why it may be due in part to the fact that many young adults have a lifestyle that is not conducive to a regular sleep schedule.
They often have college class schedules and jobs that require them to study or work outside of the typical 9 to 5 schedule of older adults. Young adults also sometimes struggle with the additional stress that comes with uncertainty and instability. They are typically in a stage where they are sorting out what they want to do with their lives, striving to become financially stable, and trying to determine what they want and need from romantic relationships.
SAD is most prevalent among women, and among those who have a predisposition for depression. This would include those who have a family history of depression, or who have experienced other types of depression—like major, chronic, or manic depression.

SAD Can Develop Into Something More Serious

Seasonal Affective Disorder typically comes and goes with the seasons. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should just ignore it until it passes. It’s normal to have a few days here and there when you feel a little blue and unmotivated. It’s not normal to experience more profound depressive symptoms—loss of interest or pleasure in everything, lethargy, feelings of guilt or worthlessness—for weeks on end. If these lingering and more serious symptoms are left untreated, they can lead to a major depressive episode that extends beyond the winter months.

Treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder

If you find yourself in a funk during the winter season and are unable to lift yourself out of it, it may be time for you to see a doctor and/or counselor. They can help to determine whether what you are experiencing is likely a seasonal disorder, or something potentially long-term and concerning. Phototherapy, or bright light therapy, antidepressant medications, and cognitive behavioral therapy are all commonly recommended for more severe cases of SAD. For more manageable cases, a temporary escape from your frozen landscape to a more tropical climate can work wonders, of course! But, if a vacation isn’t in the cards for you, exercising more, meditating, and bundling up to spend more time outside can also be beneficial.
Whatever you do, resist the urge to just do nothing. If left unacknowledged, the signs of SAD can have negative effects on your academic performance and on your social life that last far beyond the symptoms themselves. Mental health services are typically accessible and affordable on most college campuses, and there’s no shame in asking for help.

Treatment for Depression

If you, along with your doctor and/or counselor determine that you are struggling with something more serious than Seasonal Affective Disorder, or if you are having suicidal thoughts, you may require inpatient or intensive outpatient treatment. The Claudia Black Young Adult Center’s inpatient and comprehensive outpatient programs specialize in treating mental health disorders like depression in a way that specifically meets the needs of individuals aged 18 – 26. If you’re wondering whether we can help you or a loved one, don’t hesitate to call us at 866-442-5305 or send us an email.