Are Gateway Drugs Real?
Many people have heard of gateway drugs and seen government-sponsored advertisements on television throughout the years that have spoken of the influence that a single drug can lead to a lifetime of abuse. But are gateway drugs real? What Are Gateway Drugs? “Gateway drugs” is a term applied to any type of drug that acts as a stepping stone to later using other drugs. In this context, that means any type of drug that leads to another drug. Theoretically, this means that trying one type of substance or drug could lead you to trying another and another, and eventually working your way to drugs that are the most highly addictive and potentially damaging. Are Gateway Drugs Real? Yes, gateway drugs are real. However, it’s important to take into consideration aspects like: For example, marijuana is not necessarily a gateway drug, even if it is portrayed that way, as it does not change the way the brain functions the same way that other drugs do. In order for a drug to be considered a gateway drug, it has to have a profound enough change in the brain size, structure, and function that leads to issues with impulse control and addiction. Certain drugs can change the sizes of parts of the brain like the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. The prefrontal cortex is a part of the brain responsible for impulse control and good decision-making. Under normal circumstances, this part of the brain is physically balanced with the amygdala, meaning that they are around the same size so they can balance each other out. But with gateway drugs, changes are made such that the amygdala gets bigger and the prefrontal cortex physically shrinks. When this area of the brain gets physically smaller, it can’t work as hard as bigger areas like the amygdala. The amygdala is responsible for impulsivity, and it can lead to poor decision-making, such as choosing a more addictive substance like heroin when you are out of your prescription opioids. There is another way that gateway drugs can affect you: using a drug that may have been mixed with another. The more often you use illegal drugs, the less control you have over the purity of the drug, and this can result in unexpectedly or unintentionally consuming more addictive drugs. One of the biggest gateway drugs in America is opioids. Opioids are often prescribed for chronic pain or pain management after surgery, but a person may develop a dependence on their opioid medication, leading to the development of an addiction. Over time, that addiction can mean that someone who originally started with a low dose of a prescription opioid might turn to higher doses from other prescriptions and eventually toward illegal opioids like fentanyl and heroin. Getting Treatment for Addiction Evidence indicates that some drugs do act as a gateway, particularly things like prescription opioids. If you find yourself addicted to substances like alcohol or opioids, you might need medication-assisted treatment. Medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, can help reduce cravings and lessen withdrawal symptoms. MAT with The Differents At The Differents, our team specializes in a wide range of services and addiction treatment programs. One of our treatment services is MAT. As a qualifying facility, our team will work with you to devise a unique treatment plan that incorporates initial detox and subsequent therapy. Starting with detox, we will provide FDA-approved medications that help to reduce the severity of your withdrawal symptoms. Over-the-counter medications are also used to help keep you as comfortable as possible during this process. Our team will make sure that your vitals are monitored and any changes or potential complications are treated accordingly. After you get through detox, we will help you transition to your next steps with reimagined treatment programs. Our goal is to incorporate evidence-based practice alongside holistic care to give you a complete mind-body approach to your treatment. A big part of this is recognizing the factors that may have contributed to starting with gateway drugs and the steps that led from one drug to another. Understanding this process can help you reflect on what changes you might want to make in your lifestyle moving forward. Overall, gateway drugs can be real, and abusing one substance may often lead to abusing additional substances, which increases your risk of addiction and further complications. However, with the right type of treatment, you can get help for addiction today and start living a happier, healthier life. Contact our team to learn more about our programs.
The Importance of Finding Professional Drug Interventionists
A drug intervention is an opportunity for family members to confront a loved one about their addiction, to explain the ways in which addiction has impacted each member of the family, and to ask their loved one to get support. These can be very challenging things to plan, especially because of the emotional difficulties involved. For that reason, many families decide to work with a professional drug interventionist, someone who helps them plan the intervention and facilitate the intervention. Why You Need Professional Drug Interventionists Deciding to confront a family member is a very difficult decision, and it can be fraught with challenging emotions. Sometimes family members don’t know where to begin, they aren’t sure how to collect their thoughts and put them down on paper, or they just need someone else there to act as a mediator. Preparations It’s not uncommon for people in close relationships to predict how their loved ones might react and subconsciously become defensive or harbor annoyance or anger in response to these predictions. Many of these traits are small and subconscious, so family members don’t realize that their tone might change as soon as their loved one makes a certain face, but a professional drug interventionist can help family members be more aware of these subconscious changes and put them to the side during the intervention. In this way, finding professional drug interventionists can help you with all of the preparations. Location Professional drug interventionists might also offer alternative locations. It’s important that the location where you have your intervention be on neutral ground so that it doesn’t prompt unnecessary emotional reactions. When you find a professional drug interventionist, they can typically provide a third-party location like their office or another community location where you can hold your intervention. Mediation Another reason why finding a professional drug interventionist can be beneficial for family members is the simple mediation that they provide. Someone who is struggling with addiction might be slightly more respectful of a third-party professional who is facilitating the discussion and mediating responses to a small degree. Finding Professional Drug Interventionists Finding professional drug interventionists might seem difficult; however, there are plenty of qualified treatment centers that also offer drug interventionist services directly or can connect you to third-party services that are highly qualified and vetted. Once you have a list of potential contenders, feel free to reach out about consultations, to go over how they would offer support for your family and planning the intervention, what they might offer in terms of location, and the overall price and availability. If a particular drug interventionist works with a treatment center they will be able to answer questions about treatment in a more informative way than you or your family might be able to. They can also help guide your loved one toward their treatment if they make the decision to seek help. Having the Right Treatment Center When you plan an intervention, one of the most important and often overlooked steps is to have a luxury addiction treatment center on hand and ready to accept your loved one for treatment if they decide to move forward. You want to be able to capitalize on the momentum your loved one has if they agree to get help. The best way to do that is to have a facility where they can go immediately to start their program. With The Differents, our facility is one with flexible schedules and a wide range of effective therapies. We want your loved ones to be comfortable, which is why we provide luxury amenities throughout their stay with access to trained professionals who can not only provide insight into how addiction works but what type of life skills and coping mechanisms will be most important moving forward. Overall, finding a professional drug interventionist can take a lot of the burden off families who are trying to intervene in addiction for a loved one. The right type of interventionist will be able to offer support in planning the intervention, deciding on the location, and facilitating the discussion when the time comes. Most important, of course, is to have the right treatment center ready and available if your loved one seeks help. Contact our team today to learn more about our treatment programs.
Exploring the Role of Medication-Assisted Treatment in Outpatient Rehab
Outpatient rehab programs provide many benefits, such as a more flexible schedule and a lesser time commitment. These programs also serve as an important source of ongoing support for those in recovery, and they can provide this care through a range of innovative therapies and treatment modalities. One of those methods is medication-assisted treatment. In this blog, we’ll explore the role of medication-assisted treatment in outpatient rehab and how it can help those in recovery maintain their sobriety. What is Medication-Assisted Treatment? Medication-assisted treatment is a federally managed program that includes medications approved by the FDA. These programs provide medication to help you manage long-term cravings and reduce the risk of relapse as you continue with outpatient treatment. A requirement for medication-assisted treatment is participation in psychotherapy during your outpatient care. The reason for this is that studies indicate medication is more successful when used in conjunction with therapy, especially for substance abuse. The Role of Medication-Assisted Treatment in Outpatient Rehab Medication-assisted treatment can take one of two forms, and many clients choose to utilize both: Detox The role of medication-assisted treatment in outpatient rehab generally starts with your detox process. For some, the detox process can come with serious risks of complications and extremely unpleasant side effects. The likelihood of getting through those can be increased with certain medications that ease discomfort. This is especially true for the withdrawal process from substances such as: This medication must be administered by a qualified facility. After completing detox, you can transition to the second stage. Cravings Drugs and alcohol have a profound impact on the way your brain functions. Substance abuse can change the size of your brain, its structure, and the way in which certain parts of your brain operate. It takes a long time to reverse these changes, and during that time frame, you can experience unpleasant side effects and particularly strong cravings unlike anything else. In order to minimize your likelihood of relapse, to help you actively participate in your treatment program, and to reduce your risk of overdose, medication-assisted treatment in an outpatient program can provide options that can: This medication must also be administered by a qualified facility while you continue to participate in your outpatient program, including the requisite therapy. What to Expect with Medication-Assisted Treatment If you participate in medication-assisted therapy, your treatment program will involve the administration of medications either orally or with injections for most medications. You’ll come to the facility for your doses as well as your ongoing therapy sessions. Therapy sessions typically involve individual and group therapy with moderate participation requirements depending on the level of care you are receiving. As you transition up or down throughout the different levels of care, your requirement for therapy might adjust accordingly. The role of medication-assisted treatment in outpatient rehab is to be a tool that you use while also learning long-term life skills and coping mechanisms that will eventually replace your reliance on any medication. Getting Professional Care with The Differents The Differents is offers outpatient rehab services and medication-assisted treatment. When you work with our team, you get personalized care with our 1:3 staff-to-client ratio. At our private, luxury addiction treatment center, you can participate in activities like: Hoping you make the most out of your time with us and beyond, we incorporate medication-assisted treatment in our outpatient rehab programs to help you to combat cravings and triggers. Overall, the role of medication-assisted treatment in outpatient rehab is to provide you with additional support as your brain’s neurobiology reverts back to what it was before substance abuse. With the help of ongoing medication, you can also manage co-occurring mental health disorders during outpatient rehab. Contact our team today to learn more about our programs.
Tools for Managing Cravings in Recovery
The addiction recovery journey is a lifelong process. As such, it requires lots of tools for managing cravings in recovery that you can use at different stages. Each tool you acquire can help you achieve and maintain your sobriety. You may continue to experience cravings immediately after treatment, as your brain chemistry and body continue to revert back to how they were before addiction. But this can be a slow process, one which requires reliable tools to help you get through it. Top Tools for Managing Cravings in Recovery So, what are the best tools for managing cravings in recovery? Therapy The best tool is therapy. Therapy can help you understand any underlying mental health disorders contributing to your addiction and give you individualized resources for managing cravings. Group therapy can also help you develop the peer support that is so important to your long-term success. Support You can find support from: Support from others is important because it gives you people you can turn to when you are triggered, stressed, overwhelmed, or just need something positive, like a quick coffee visit and a chat. Peer support also gives you access to people who understand what you have been through and respect your sobriety goals moving forward. It can be difficult to maintain friendships with people who you used to regularly do drugs or drink with, because it may be likely that the environment in which you socialize will be full of triggers. Routine A healthy routine is among the most important tools for managing cravings in recovery. When you attend treatment at The Differents, one of the first things you will notice is the use of a rigid schedule for each of your services and sessions. Why does this matter? Psychologically, having a routine takes away a lot of guesswork and decision-making throughout the day. The more structure you have, the less likely it is that you will find yourself with idle time and distractions. Moreover, the more structure you have, the less willpower you have to invest in making decisions like: Each time you have an established routine for a meal, an activity, or your schedule, you free yourself from having to use willpower and can instead use that energy for the inevitable stresses or triggers that can surprise you. Medication For many people, one of the best tools for managing cravings in recovery is medication. Medication can be a very useful tool in preventing relapse by helping you control cravings. In extreme cases, medication through FDA-approved programs can inhibit the positive and euphoric effects of drugs like opioids or cause you to get very ill if you drink alcohol. Medications like these go a long way toward helping you control any possible relapses. Exercise Exercise is an often underappreciated tool, but it can help you manage cravings nonetheless. At some treatment centers, you can learn about yoga and outdoor therapy, which can help you establish exercise routines that you can use in recovery. Yoga, for example, is particularly useful in aiding with cravings because it teaches you to accept the temporary nature of discomfort as you hold physically demanding poses. Concurrently, it teaches you to focus on your breathing, which is inside of your control, when you are at your limit. These skills can be applied to any situation where you experience extreme cravings or stress. Diet What you eat matters in recovery. Your mind and body need to heal after substance abuse, and it is during that vulnerable healing process that you will experience cravings. Giving in to foods rich in sugar and additives will only make it harder on you. But by learning which foods can help manage different emotions or which foods indicate a missing nutrient (like how a craving for chocolate might actually indicate a magnesium deficiency), you can control cravings big and small. Building Tools in Treatment When you attend outpatient rehab with The Differents, you will learn about several tools that help you manage your cravings. At our trusted drug rehab, we help you build a routine so that you are familiar with the structure when you transition back to your regular life. As part of our levels of care, we give you access to several forms of holistic tools for managing cravings like: There are many tools for managing cravings in recovery. When you work with reliable, professional treatment centers like The Differents, you can learn which tools work best for you, practicing them in real-time during your program. Contact us today to learn more about our substance abuse treatment programs and how they can help you.
Exploring the Role of Medication-Assisted Treatment in Outpatient Rehab
If you are struggling with addiction to opioids or alcohol, it can be very difficult to control your cravings or prevent a relapse because of the powerful grip that these substances have on brain chemistry. Thankfully, you can find relief in the form of medication-assisted treatment in outpatient rehab. This type of program gives you flexible scheduling and access to medication that can help you while your brain and body adjust to normal. What is Outpatient Rehab? Outpatient rehab doesn’t require you to reside at your treatment center full-time. This type of treatment can take several forms, including: These different outpatient programs offer a step-down approach through several levels of care, but they all offer greater flexibility to work with your schedule. If you only have a few weeks off for a holiday or vacation time, you can use that to complete a more intense partial hospitalization program. If, instead, you have the flexibility to work and go to drug and alcohol rehab on a part-time basis, intensive outpatient programs may be a better option. Once you have completed either of those, you can transition down to a traditional outpatient program when you no longer need as much support. What is Medication-Assisted Treatment? Medication-assisted treatment refers to programs where you receive medication as part of a comprehensive treatment plan, and is usually used when treating opioid addiction or alcoholism. These addictions come with several significant risk factors, such as serious withdrawal symptoms and ongoing cravings. To help with that, the FDA has approved prescription medications that can be used in different ways. For alcohol addiction, some medications might block the favorable impacts that alcohol has. This can help disrupt the pleasure and reward cycle in your brain because you no longer get the pleasure or reward connection from alcohol. Other medications might cause negative side effects if you imbibe, which means that if you drink alcohol, not only will you not have any pleasurable effects, but you’ll also have nausea and other sickness. Common medications for treating alcoholism include: For opioid addiction, medications can similarly block the euphoric impact of opioids and help you adjust. Some medications also relieve significant cravings, which makes it easier to remain sober long-term without the higher risk of relapse associated with opioids. Common medications include: How is Medication-Assisted Treatment Different? Medication assisted treatment means that medication may be prescribed during your detox or during the rest of your treatment. If you participate in a medication-assisted treatment program, you must receive treatment from a certified clinic, and you have to complete ongoing therapy as part of your access to the medication. Getting Medication-Assisted Treatment in Outpatient Rehab With The Differents At The Differents, clients have an opportunity to participate in several therapies overseen by a one-to-three staff-to-client ratio. Our trusted drug rehab in Reno takes medication-assisted treatment seriously as it provides an opportunity for clients to get the resources they need for long-term success. Unlike other treatment centers, we reimagine drug rehab, offering a whole-person approach toward medication-assisted treatment that includes withdrawal management as well as other programs, such as: Once you complete your medication-assisted treatment in outpatient rehab, you’ll be able to participate in our alumni program as well. After completion of your treatment, you are invited to participate in groups once a month, virtual ongoing peer groups, and individual sessions with your primary counselor if you continue to reside in Nevada. One of the more unique features we offer is a relapse prediction biometric wearable option, which can go a long way toward not only keeping you aware of when you might need ongoing help. Overall, medication-assisted treatment in outpatient rehab is a simple way to access the prescription medications you need while continuing to get the therapy required as part of your treatment program. Call our team today to see how our flexible outpatient programs can work with your schedule.
