Have you heard of the “cycle of addiction”? It is created by changes produced in brain chemistry and perpetuated by physiological, psychological, and emotional dependency. Even with willpower and effort, people are not able to break from the influence of addiction. You may have experienced being caught in this vicious cycle before. This cycle of addiction continues unrestrained until some type of intervention occurs.

Understanding the Addiction Cycle

People use drugs and alcohol for different reasons. Some people experiment because they are curious, while others are exposed to prescription opioids as means of prescribed pain relief. On the other hand, many people use drugs or alcohol to cope with bereavement. But once individuals develop higher levels of tolerance and dependency on these substances, the cycle of addiction begins.

It starts with an emotional trigger. This can be a thought or memory that is rooted in past pain or trauma. Sometimes there are multiple triggers involved. Either consciously or unconsciously, there is an urge to suppress or shut down these unpleasant emotions. Next, the emotional trigger or triggers may lead to stronger cravings for drugs or alcohol.

By then, the body has learned to use drugs or alcohol as a routine way to turn off unpleasant emotions. Cravings are like tidal waves that can grow stronger, overwhelming, and even all-consuming. Using drugs or alcohol becomes the most important thing in life. One’s attention is absorbed by the need for substances and how to procure them.

When cravings finally give way to the actual procurement of substances and people begin using them, their senses and emotions turn off. It is as if what was triggering them no longer matters. They are consumed by the single activity of substance-induced pleasure. After the effects of substance use are gone, they may begin feeling guilty. This guilt feeds into the next cycle of stress.

Breaking From the Vicious Cycle

The first step is to identify this cycle pattern. You may want to receive a professional evaluation to help you identify common triggers of your substance use. A mental health professional can assess the severity of your addiction and whether you need certain medications to break from it. Some people may have tried rehab and treatment but later find them not working. Their cycle of addiction may even include rehab.

What they need is a thorough re-examination of the approach. Maybe the person has been closed-minded during treatment instead of absorbing all the useful techniques that are supposed to help them prevent relapses. There might be ongoing or new traumatic stress at work or in one’s marriage. Or maybe the treatment center does not use a trauma-informed approach to address deeper causes.

Breaking from the cycle of addiction means that sobriety and de-stressing are your top priorities in life. This entails setting up strict boundaries to avoid triggers, people, and places that create extra stress or trigger cravings for substances. Meanwhile, you also need to substitute time and energy for healthy activities. Below are a few practical tactics:

• Identify the most common triggers of stress and cravings
• Identify alternative healthy activities to replace bad habits
• Practice healthy habits and activities consistently
• Work with a trauma-informed therapist to explore the root causes
• Integrate the therapist’s suggestions for lifestyle modification into your routines
• Maintain a regimen of healthy practices
• Identify more triggers and repeat the steps listed above

These few steps make a “maintenance cycle” that, if implemented well, can sustain ongoing progress in your recovery. Meanwhile, you need to develop and strengthen a support network. Staying connected with a good treatment center through its extended care or alumni program is always an extra level of support.

Setting Goals for Self-Motivation

You should also set reasonable goals both for the short-term and long-term. Make these goals measurable, explicit, and applicable. Share your goals with a few accountability partners who can encourage you. Below is an example of these goals:

Short-Term Goals

• Attend weekly 12-step group meetings
• Use prepared wise excuses to decline invitations from friends who use substances
• Reward yourself with a movie after maintaining 4 weeks of abstinence
• Practice mindfulness meditation for 10 minutes each morning
• Maintain work-life balance

Long-Term Goals

• Develop a circle of sober and recovery-supportive friends
• Reward yourself with a trip after one year of abstinence
• Get involved in community services and give it back.

Some health experts say that it takes over two months to break a bad habit. You certainly need to plan more time for breaking the cycle of addiction. Although everyone’s experience is different, honesty, humility, and perseverance are the key to success.

Are you aware that even casual drinking or drug use may lead to substance dependence? Understanding the risk factors of addiction is crucial for preventing or treating the cycle of addiction. If you are concerned about yourself or how to intervene with a loved one’s substance use, we have trusted recovery experts to work with you. At Capo Canyon Recovery, near Mission Viejo, CA, we take pride in our holistic path, which is incremental to a sustainable, long-term recovery. We focus on each stage of recovery, both in terms of physical health and mental health. Our inpatient residential care and outpatient long-term care programs offer unique benefits. We provide lush comfort with an in-house chef, luxurious beds, and an onsite organic garden during your sobriety journey. With Capo Canyon Recovery, you can rely on us to help you achieve long-term sobriety. Call us at (800) 804-8714.

When you are going through addiction treatment and recovery, fulfilling parental responsibilities can be challenging. If you have felt guilty about how your addiction has disrupted the lives of your family, recovery can help you with this as well. The key is to find a balance between maintaining recovery progress and reintegrating into normal family life.

Your Recovery Is a New Beginning for Your Family

A big part of true recovery is recognizing the harm your addiction has brought to your loved ones, including your spouse and your children. In order for you all to move on, you need to own your past mistakes. Explain to them why substances have affected your behaviors and offer an apology. Meanwhile, tell them that you need a period of time to recover from addiction, but that you are also committing to a new beginning.

The foundation of this new beginning is your relationship with your partner. Try to have honest and humble conversations about how to move on. Both of you should realize that children’s personalities are developing during this time, and they are highly susceptible to what is happening in the home. Set priorities and commit to working together as a team.

Be Present and Set Boundaries for Children

Addiction makes most parents unable to fulfill their responsibilities, including being physically and emotionally present in the lives of their children. Being present means offering open communication about what is happening in each other’s lives. You need to learn how to open up and also how to engage in conversations with your child. Investing time in playing or tutoring your child can rebuild trust.

Many recovering individuals become too permissive in parenting because of guilt. You need to know that firm and healthy boundaries are the best things you can gift your children in life. This will help children form healthy habits and lifestyles, protecting them from future risks. Make sure that these boundaries are consistently maintained by both you and your partner.

Educate Your Children About the Science Behind Addiction

Most likely your children know about your substance use problems. There is no way to hide that from them. If they ask questions, do not deny the truth or feel ashamed. Instead, use these questions as teachable moments to converse with your child about why substances are harmful. Educate them early before the temptation of substance use presents itself later in their life.

Speaking openly about addiction with your child is a powerful way to dispel the harmful stigma attached to substance use. By being honest and vulnerable, you will not lose your child’s respect. Quite the opposite, you are setting an example of overcoming a complex disease. Also explain to your child that since you are recovering from this disease, you need emotional support from him or her.

Manage Stress and Practice Self-Care

Parenting can be stressful. Children have constant needs. It can be tempting to overcommit and overschedule parenting duties. Monitor your stress level, and if you need space to de-stress, ask for help from your partner or another supportive family member. Make sure not to over-burden yourself because stress is a trigger for relapse.

Do not let parenting take up all of your schedules. Even before waves of stress arrive, you should build breaks and space for self-care. Reserve one afternoon for yourself to spend time alone in nature. Begin every day with a short meditation or physical exercise. Join a monthly hobby group and commit to it. Choose activities that bring you relaxation and joy and commit to them.

Know the Warning Signs of Relapse

Before you achieve long-term sobriety, you need to be aware of possible relapses. Continue to meet with your support group or therapist who can help strengthen that alertness. Watch for triggers such as boredom, stress, isolation, or lack of sleep. Even when cravings re-emerge, make sure you have a sober support person to call. If necessary, re-enter yourself into residential treatment for some time to consolidate progress.

When you are on the verge of relapse, it is important to explain to your children that you will not be able to take care of them for an amount of time because your disease is coming back. Do not deny the problem and vanish from their lives. Instead, explain to them what you need to get better. Since you promised open communication with them, it is important to carry it out.

Many children tend to believe that the parent’s addiction is somehow their fault. You need to make it clear that they are not to blame. If your children need extra support in healing from the impact of your addiction recovery, there is also family therapy that cares for children’s needs.

Parents who are struggling with substance addiction need extra support in parenting. On the one hand, you no longer want to miss out on your children’s lives. On the other hand, you need to take care of yourself to maintain recovery progress. You need to find a treatment center that helps you back on your feet. At Capo Canyon Recovery, near Mission Viejo, CA, we know how to care for families. Your sobriety matters the most. Our holistic path helps to heal the body, mind, and spirit. We focus on each stage of recovery, both in terms of physical health and mental health. Our inpatient residential care and outpatient, long-term care programs offer unmatched benefits. We provide excess comfort with an in-house chef, luxurious beds, and an onsite organic garden during your sobriety journey. We have a support system for your family as well. Call us at (800) 804-8714.

Recovery from substance addiction is not a sprint but a marathon. With the body and mind readjusting to the absence of substances, you will likely experience changes that differ from stage to stage. Every adjustment to a new phase takes a shift in perspective. Being open to a shift in perspective may be beneficial to your recovery.

In the addiction recovery field, recovery is defined as “a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.” This definition recognizes that recovery may take place through many pathways. A holistic approach always involves a shift in perspectives on the part of the recovering individual.

Stages of Change in Addiction Recovery

Recovery experts have identified four main stages of behavioral change for people recovering from substance addiction. The first is known as a pre-contemplation stage, when people still live in denial about the harmful consequences of using drugs or alcohol. Enjoying the pleasurable side of the experience, they are not open to advice or entering treatment.

A shift in perspective happens when people move into the next contemplation stage. This is when they begin to think about cutting down or quitting their substance use. Seeing increasing negative impacts on their physical and mental health, people are open to learning about the possibility of treatment. However, some might be in this stage for many years before moving to the next one.

The contemplation stage is critical for early intervention. People in this stage typically benefit from non-confrontational and non-judgmental information from family, friends, and professional interventionists. Confrontational methods often worsen the situation and shut down the communication conduits.

The third stage begins when a person plans and prepares for treatment. They are actively thinking and making decisions about cutting down on their substance use. Finding a counselor or recovery interventionist to work with is an excellent strategy to shorten the learning curve.

The next stage focuses on taking action and making a real change. With good preparation and a strong support system, this can be an exciting time to finally achieve sobriety. This may happen in a treatment facility where medically monitored detoxification is provided. Meanwhile, this is also a stressful time, as recovering individuals battle withdrawal symptoms, urges, and cravings.

Lastly, the most uncertain stage is about maintaining progress and preventing relapse. People who have achieved early sobriety may grow complacent with time. They might relax and lose alertness about certain triggers and stressors. The old lifestyle can catch up with you, eroding your guardedness. Sometimes relapses happen, and one returns to the stage of action again.

Each transition between stages takes a shift of perspectives, which happens only when you are informed by more education about the effects of substances and how your body and mind react to them. This is why patience and humility are needed. There is so much the medical community has learned about the brain science around addiction. Being open to the many proven methods used by professional interventionists is always the best strategy.

Experiencing a Paradigm Shift in Recovery

The major paradigm shift in recovery from substance addiction is that you move from a single-dimensional lifestyle to a multi-faceted one. Recovery changes an individual’s whole life system, including body, mind, spirit, and community. You learn self-care practices, family relationship skills, self-determination in education and career, and how to seek help from health professionals.

A well-planned and diligently-implemented recovery plan involves using many resources such as trauma-informed care and gender-specific treatment programs. A strong recovery community provides the best repertoire for this kind of paradigm shift. You should participate in mutual aid groups by sharing your experiences that may help others. Giving back to the community helps further boost your self-esteem and chance of long-term recovery.

A New Perspective on Life

In time, you will gain a whole new perspective on life in general. You are again empowered to be in control by making choices to uphold your sobriety and participation in the community. You learn to forgive yourself and not be ashamed of your imperfections. Your actions are guided by honesty and humility. Learning to celebrate small victories, you embrace a positive outlook on life.

This long journey has much to offer apart from a positive mindset. It allows you to re-establish meaningful relationships built on sharing of human vulnerabilities. Together, you and your loved ones will experience the mystery of life when brokenness is woven into beauty.

People who are going through treatment and recovering from addiction are likely to experience changes that differ from stage to stage. A holistic approach always involves a shift in perspectives for the recovering individual. At Capo Canyon Recovery, near Mission Viejo, CA., we believe in a holistic, incremental path to sustainable and long-term recovery for our clients. Our trained health professionals have experience treating addiction at all stages. We know what each stage requires, both in terms of physical health and mental health. Depending on your needs, you can benefit from both our inpatient residential care and outpatient, long-term care programs. With an in-house chef, luxurious beds, and an onsite organic garden, we’re here to help you on your journey to sobriety. With Capo Canyon Recovery, you can rely on us to help you achieve long-term sobriety. We coach you to cope with upcoming challenges. Start your journey with experienced recovery experts today. Call us at (800) 804-8714.

When it comes to trauma, you might think that it only happens to a small percentage of the population. The reality is trauma is more prevalent than you think, especially among vulnerable groups such as women, children, and ethnic minorities.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in four children in the United States experiences trauma or adverse childhood experiences. Abuse and violence have been prevalent among other groups, such as women and the elderly. This requires the medical community to adopt a trauma-informed approach to care.

First Steps Towards Trauma-Informed Care

Often people are oblivious to how common trauma is in our society. The first step is to understand that every individual who struggles with mental health issues or substance addiction may have experienced severe trauma. This knowledge needs to be applied to the processes of diagnosis and treatment with a high level of sensitivity. Medical professionals need to know that to someone who has experienced trauma, the hospital or a doctor’s office can trigger fear or anxiety.

Medical professionals also need to know that trauma comes in many different forms. Often, we associate past traumatic experiences with sexual violence or abuse, but trauma can also take the form of fearing hospitalization or simple routine medical exams. Everyone has a history that impacts their encounters with the medical system.

The Presence of Trauma Symptoms

Trauma-informed care is an approach that assumes that an individual is more likely than not to have traumatic experiences in their personal history. It acknowledges the role trauma may play in one’s life.

Symptoms of trauma include flashbacks, heightened fear, and anxiety attacks. When responding to someone with these symptoms, medical professionals should ask the trauma-guided question: “What has happened to this person?” That personal history can inform how to care for the client.

Negligence of trauma in an individual may result in re-traumatization, which places the person in a situation that resembles past trauma, sometimes symbolically but still powerful enough to trigger intense emotions and reactions associated with the original traumatic experience. Both medical staff and the medical system may present sources of re-traumatization. This is why extra sensitivity is a requirement for trauma-informed care.

Understanding How Trauma Affects the Whole Person

When trauma occurs, it may affect all aspects of a person’s living experience, including one’s sense of self, safety, trust towards others, and beliefs about the world. The effects of these wounds may directly hamper an individual’s capacity to connect with others.

Trauma-informed care realizes the lasting and all-encompassing effects of trauma on a person. It rallies all aspects of services and trains staff to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in order to avoid re-traumatization. The goal is to restore a client’s sense of safety, self, and trust towards others.

Principles of Trauma-Informed Care

There are some guiding principles for how service providers not only reduce the risk of re-traumatization but also help clients heal from past trauma.

First of all, it is essential to ensure that an individual’s physical and emotional safety is addressed. Secondly, they need to know that they have control over their decision-making. Thirdly, it is vital to establish trustworthiness by holding consistent boundaries and clarity over expectations. Fourthly, individuals need to be empowered by going through coping skills training. Lastly, medical professionals need to collaborate by sharing power with the individual. The CDC also adds that peer support and cultural, historical, and gender issues need to be incorporated into trauma-informed care.

Applying these principles to trauma-informed care means:

• Creating a physically and emotionally safe environment
• Establishing trust and boundaries
• Supporting a client’s autonomy and choice-making
• Creating collaborative relationships
• Encouraging clients to participate in training that increases their resilience and power in life

Building a Trauma-Informed Support System

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), medical organizations and systems need to create a trauma-informed environment in the following areas:

• Governance and leadership
• Policy
• Physical environment
• Engagement and involvement
• Cross-sector collaboration
• Screening and assessment
• Treatment services
• Training and workforce development
• Progress monitoring and quality assurance
• Financing
• Evaluation

Another critical aspect of systemic improvement involves dismantling the stigma associated with personal traumatic experiences, such as sexual violence and abuse. Society as a whole has failed to support trauma victims by offering compassion and understanding. Instead, the effects of trauma have been often compounded by victim-blaming, silencing, and stigmatization. The harmful consequences are seen among children and women who suffer from adverse experiences.

The general public needs to understand more about the ramifications of trauma and how social stigma adds to that harm. To trauma victims who later develop substance addiction, a compassionate, trauma-informed approach is needed more than ever. Some people might have used substances as a survival method against past trauma. When considering that perspective, medical providers can also provide practical help to address both the trauma and other health conditions.

If you’ve suffered from traumatic experiences in life which contribute to the later development of substance addiction or mental health issues, it may be best to seek trauma-informed care. Not every treatment facility takes a trauma-informed approach. However, at Capo Canyon Recovery, we have experience treating clients with traumatic experiences, substance addiction, and co-occurring mental health disorders. Our treatment center near Mission Viejo, CA, is staffed with compassionate medical professionals trained to implement trauma-informed care. We care about the holistic well-being of our clients and their long-term recovery. We value personal history and manage each case with sensitivity and intentionality. Most importantly, we do not give up. If you or a loved one needs trauma-informed care, both our inpatient residential care and outpatient, long-term care programs can be helpful resources. With an in-house chef, luxurious beds, and an onsite organic garden, we’re here to help you on your journey to wellness. Call us at (800) 804-8714 today.

The traditional treatment model for substance addiction tends to emphasize time-limited intensive medical supervision followed by outpatient care. In recent years, more and more medical professionals in the addiction and recovery field recognize that the chronic nature of substance addiction and high risks of relapsing conditions call for another type of continuing, long-term care.

The Nature of Continuing Care

Continuing care for addiction includes a range of medical interventions, including routine assessments and customized treatments. These are built into a longitudinal and systematic medical monitoring and treatment structure. The intensiveness may shift in accordance with the severity of the client’s addiction. Clients also receive self-management training that includes social skills that help to ensure strong community support.

Compared to traditional treatment, continuing care is a period of lower-intensity treatment which may follow a high-intensity initial detox in residential care. Sometimes this is referred to as “aftercare.” The goals of continuing care involve maintaining the progress of sobriety and establishing abstinence more solidly in the client’s life. More specifically, continuing care builds on earlier efforts of addressing relapse and developing coping strategies used throughout recovery to reduce the risk of relapse.

Different Models of Continuing Care

In the past decade, there has been significant growth of continuing care models in the field of addiction and recovery. The most common types of continuing care include partial hospitalization programs, outpatient therapy, and other aftercare programs.

Motivational enhancement therapy and motivational interviewing are some more common approaches. The goal is to provide the client with more peer and medical support when leaving a residential facility. However, there are also newer forms of continuing care, including:

• Mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP): MBRP integrates mindfulness practices with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for relapse prevention. Clients who complete the first phase of detox treatment may continue with MBRP for twelve months. Research suggests that MBRP may be as effective as traditional aftercare programs such as 12-Step groups and psychotherapy.
• Telephone-based continuing care: Clients who complete detox treatment may participate in continuing care through regular telephone monitoring and counseling for over twenty-four months. Similarly, recovery management checkups are part of a long-term intervention program that uses standardized methods to provide in-person clinical assessments every three months.

Mobile Continuing Care

The latest development of continuing care has involved the use of mobile health technology, such as the internet, smartphones, and texting programs that deliver continuing care. These technologies can be used in conjunction with other behavioral interventions.

They are also efficient in conveying information on a client’s status back to the health provider. For example, the Addiction-Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS) app is a program for smartphones with many supportive functions that clients can access at any time.

Benefits of Continuing Care

The advantages of new continuing care models – as compared with clinic-based traditional treatment programs – lie in their ability to aggressively stay in contact with the client for extended periods of time, their systematic monitoring of treatment responses, and their integration of adaptive algorithms to guide ongoing treatment. Simply put, continuing care programs that are accessible and attractive to people may serve as more effective interventions.

New models of continuing care also allow clients to incorporate other therapeutic supports. They are better platforms for providing these components of support than formal treatment. This, of course, requires a higher level of self-management skills for the client. If appropriately implemented, continuing care can help prevent the frequent situation of fragmented care with life-threatening consequences.

Continuing Care Predicts Long-Term Sobriety and Recovery

There are some common factors that predict a recovering individual’s chance of long-term recovery. They include strong support from family and friends, high-quality care, and community support. If care is not continuous, a clients’ recovery may become less of a priority. This can take the form of discontinuing treatment or relapse after reaching sobriety.

The foundational belief in continuing care is grounded in the fact that transitioning out of detox treatment is a challenging and vulnerable time. When there is no support in place, a client’s recovery might be in jeopardy. It is responsible for the recovery community to design continuing care, which can become a lifeline for people. In moments of crisis, continuing care can help save lives.

Treatment without continuing care is less effective. Medical professionals should consider the danger of overdose when clients lose a strong support system and fall into relapse. Because substance addiction is a chronic disease, much like other types of chronic illnesses, continuing care should be a built-in part of a client’s treatment plan.

Recovery does not stop when you complete detox treatment. It takes time and patience to rebuild a healthy and balanced lifestyle while learning to cope with stress and cravings. Moreover, the risk of relapse is always there even after achieving sobriety. This is why many people prefer to work with treatment programs that offer continuing care. At Capo Canyon Recovery, we have experience in managing addiction. We can help you get your loved ones through drug or alcohol detox at our treatment center near Mission Viejo, CA. We care about the long-term recovery and well-being of our clients. That is why we do not give up on you. You can benefit from our inpatient residential care and outpatient long-term care programs. With an in-house chef, luxurious beds, and an onsite organic garden, we’re here to help you on your journey to sobriety. Don’t wait. Call us today at (800) 804-8714.