Detox from Oxycodone at home safely You have taken the brave step to break free from the chains of addiction. You are committed to making the necessary changes to put your life back on track and to create a healthy and stable lifestyle. It would be...
Outpatient detox at home offers increased privacy Imagine trying to rebuild a house that has crumbled due to an earthquake without first clearing the debris and stabilizing the foundation. The outcome would just not be very solid, would it? The same analogy can be applied to...
Orange County Home Detox Program For residents of Orange County who fear they are in the early stages of alcohol or drug addiction, there is now an alternative solution besides checking yourself into a detox facility. MD Home Detox, an innovator in home detoxification treatment, is now...
San Diego is often called “America’s Finest City” because of its location by the Pacific Ocean, mild climate, excellent economy and wide range of entertainment venues. It’s not so fine if you live there under the duress of being addicted to drugs or alcohol. All of...
By Jose Hernandez You may have completed a treatment program, finished detox or even have some time in recovery under your belt. You possibly even had a relapse prevention plan in place. However life-long sobriety from alcoholism and addiction is contingent on the daily maintenance of...
By Jose Hernandez If you’ve been through any type of treatment for drug addiction or alcoholism, you’ve probably heard the term cross addiction. This is a common occurrence following the treatment of ones addiction, but it can be addressed and treated. In this blog, we will...
Let’s face it; any way you look at it detoxing is not an easy thing to do. Whether you’re coming off cigarettes, sugar, alcohol or crack who wants to do go through the intense cravings, the sweaty nights of lying awake, chills or the flu-like symptoms that can make you want to crawl up in a hole and die? I have experienced all of the above and really hope I never have to go through it again.
In the early nineties when I got clean and sober, after having used for years, it took a while for the fog to lift. However, when it finally did, I had a profound realization that was crystal clear, ‘I wanted to help other addicts and alcoholics get clean as well’. After taking a series of required courses I got a job as a counselor in a local detox center at Brotman Hospital.
Twenty. That’s how old my daughter was when she never woke up one day. Oxycodone. The pill slowed her heartbeat, it stopped, and before anyone could revive her, she died. My heart was broken. That was eleven years ago.
The drugs didn’t define who she was. Stephanie was a vibrant young woman who loved helping others; art, music and animals comforted her when she felt depressed. Since she was so young and away at school, we were shocked she was experimenting with drugs. My family has survived with faith, hope and love. The support was overwhelming for a tragedy that has become an epidemic. Young people get addicted to opiates every day. There are many places with skilled people who can help them survive. I’m proud of the hard work my daughter did with a talented team once we realized she needed more support than what we could give her. She wasn’t lucky enough.
Deciding to stop drinking or using drugs is the first step toward recovery, but the most feared and physically challenging step is detoxification, particular for those abusing opiates. Detoxing from opiates is so challenging that it's often the reason a person relapses. However with supportive physical and emotional care and by understanding what to expect, detoxification can be successfully accomplished and recovery can begin.
Opiates and synthetic opiate-like drugs are substances that latch onto opioid receptors on the surface of certain nerve cells like keys fitting into locks. When drug and receptor connect, the reward circuitry in the midbrain turns on, and there's a flood of the feel-good brain chemical, dopamine. The dopamine surge creates an intensely pleasurable sensation, a mix of relaxation and elation. In fact, researchers have found that the amount of dopamine resulting from opiate abuse is 2 to 10 times that of naturally rewarding experiences like sex or eating!
My parents forced me into rehab and I stayed for 90 days. I would have left sooner, but I had nowhere else to go. My counselor told me that my next step was a 'sober living' place. I didn't know what that was but I learned that I could go there and learn how to have friends, work, and start to become an adult all without getting loaded. I learned how to budget, go grocery shopping, started a part-time job at a skateboard shop, and started to pay for my own cell phone bill. The sober living house took me and my friends to AA and NA meetings in the area. I went to meetings and met other guys who skate, and look like me, but don't drink or get loaded either.