Drug Rehab Seal Beach, Orange County California
There are many Orange County drug treatment centers. However, residents of Orange County, California who live in Seal Beach, and who want help with their drug or alcohol disorder, don’t have to look far for treatment. Seal Beach has many treatment centers that are comparable to other Orange County drug rehab centers, and that can address all levels of addiction. Extreme drug or alcohol addiction can seem to creep up on you. Here’s how it happens.
Beginnings of Addiction
The first phase in addiction is the tentative experimental stage where people indulge once in a while, but once people have experienced the high that drugs give, and find that they like it, they start taking drugs at parties or other informal events, and after a while, they start to take them more regularly. The same goes for drinking alcohol, many young adults binge drink while at high school or college parties. Prescription drugs are another gateway to addiction. If people were initially on prescription drugs for pain management, they may start taking them more and more for fun until they become a habit. And once the habit sets in, they can’t wean themselves from it.
Dependence and Addiction
Dependency is the next stage on the road to full-blown addiction. It means that people are completely hooked on their drug of choice and depending on the nature of that drug, they can reach this stage in days or months. That’s because they no longer feel the high that they experienced by simply taking in the controlled amounts. So, they add more and more and may even mix their favorite drug with other drugs and may get introduced to the more lethal drugs such as heroin and fentanyl. At this stage, even if they want to stop, they’re afraid to because of the serious and debilitating withdrawal effects they could suffer.
The natural progression from dependency, is chronic use or addiction. At this stage, drug use has become a compulsion, irrespective of its terrible debilitating health effects. It now has a complete hold on the drug users and it severely impairs their day-to-day lives, as illustrated below.
Results of Substance Abuse
When a person keeps on taking drugs and alcohol, the substances spread toxins around the body causing damage to their cells. Once their cells stop working properly it’s almost impossible for them to function mentally or physically. Here are some of the effects of the drugs on the mind and body.
Physical and Mental Effects
- Loss of concentration
- Vomiting, nausea
- Too much or too little sleep
- Lethargy or bursts of energy
- Eyes are unfocused, glassy, red
- Weakening of the liver, kidneys, brain, lungs, heart
- Slowed speech
- Lack of coordination
Other Serious Effects
Substance abuse, in its extreme form, turns people’s lives upside down in many other ways as noted below:
- Most of their money goes towards securing the substance.
- They always have an urgent desire to indulge.
- They ignore the bad effects of the drugs on their health and relationships.
- They are secretive about your drug use.
- Most of their conversation is drug-related.
- Their preoccupation with drug use causes them to neglect their chores and important events in their lives.
These effects are as important as the physical and mental effects. Financial difficulties are almost inevitable with substance abuse. People’s preoccupation with substance abuse means they spend fewer hours making money, and when they do make money, they spend most of on their habit. Their performance declines whether they’re at school or at work. They start coming in late or not at all. Their habit is all-consuming and they spend their time feeding it or recovering from its effects. As a result, their relationships become strained or collapse altogether, even when both partners are abusing substances.
Why medical detox is central to recovery
Addiction has many phases, and help for any of these is available at a Seal Beach drug rehab facility in Orange County, California. But first, a person has to commit themselves to seeking help. Once they do, the essential first step is the medical detox.
This is the process of flushing out all the toxins that the substance use disorder has spread around the body. This happens under medical supervision, at any of the Orange County drug rehab centers in Seal Beach. After this detox, patients go through intensive therapy to prepare them mentally for an addiction-free life.
Outpatient and Inpatient Medical Detox in Seal Beach, Orange County
Medical detox can take place in an outpatient or inpatient facility. There are several Orange County drug rehabs to choose from, whether inpatient or outpatient. It’s important for patients to have a clear idea of what the two options involve so that they can make the choice that’s best for them.
Outpatient medical detox
The outpatient detox process at a drug rehab in Orange County, is where a person with a substance use disorder detoxes without having to stay at the drug rehab facility. Instead, they stay home but commute to and from the facility, a few times a week and for a few hours each time.
This choice is ideal for:
- those with manageable forms of addiction
- those wanting to regain abstinence following a minor relapse
- those who fear a relapse and want to shore up their defenses
- those seeking an aftercare or transitional program between inpatient treatment and a return to normal life.
Once patients decide on the outpatient rehab option, they have to commit to adhering to the rules of the outpatient institution even when they’re away from the institution. The onus is on them to exercise the necessary discipline. In the Orange County drug rehab system, this option is cheaper than the inpatient option, and it allows the patient to arrange their treatment around their day-to-day activities such as going to work or school.
Inpatient/Residential Medical Detox
This is the alternative to the outpatient detox program. With this option, the substance user must stay at the Orange County drug treatment center during the entire detox phase to ensure a safe transition to a drug-free state. Trying to achieve this from outside could prove fatal. Inpatient detox is crucial for those whose addiction is far gone. At these Orange County drug rehabs, patients get the benefit of medical and behavioral therapy, all in one place.
At a Seal Beach inpatient rehab, and at any Orange County drug treatment center, doctors monitor the patient around the clock, doing whatever is necessary to control any side effects or complications. This inpatient care is more costly than the outpatient alternative but many satisfactory results have been reported because of the intensive care and professional treatment that patients get.
Below are the various stages of the medical detox process at the addiction treatment centers.
Assessment
When a person arrives at an Orange County drug rehab facility for the first time, they start with an evaluation done by medical professionals. This is where their drug use and habits are assessed. They fill out a questionnaire on their medical history, and on the onset and development of their substance use They’re then physically examined by a physician, after which tests may be done to determine the form and shape that detox should be done. There may also be psychological tests to determine the persons frame of mind.
All the information gleaned from the evaluation is important for working out the most suitable addiction treatment plan for that individual. Each detox program is unique.
The most successful inpatient rehab programs are those that use a combination of therapies to meet the varied needs of each client. Orange County drug treatment facilities are increasingly offering personalized treatment plans that are a mixture of evidence-based therapies and alternative solutions. This is a holistic approach that deals with the mind, body and spirit all at once so a person can be strong enough to cope with a sober life following the end of treatment.
Stabilization
Stage 2 of the medical detox program at a drug rehab in Orange County, is stabilization. This is when the body has been fully prepared for treatment and it starts to naturally eject the toxins within. If need be, doctors may allow for medication to get this process to go faster.
The doctors might also allow small doses of the substance the patient was taking or they could use an alternative drug, and any other type of support that will allow the body to adjust to the chemical changes taking place within, as well as the accompanying withdrawal effects that may include nausea, sweating, anxiety, muscle pain, headache, severe cravings and cramps. Withdrawing abruptly from a substance of long use can be dangerous. Medical detox programs at the Orange County drug rehabs, including those in Seal Beach, put the safety of the patients front and center.
It’s not possible to speak in absolute terms about the length of the full detoxification process at the Orange County drug rehabs. Suffice it is to say that depending on the severity of their addiction, patients will need between a week and a month to become completely toxin-free. The question of duration is crucial when people consider inpatient care at an addiction treatment center in California. They’re wary about putting their lives completely on hold but they could change their minds when they think back and realize how addiction played havoc with their lives and how it made it difficult for them to do things meaningfully and responsibly.
Treatment at the Orange County drug rehabs, can equip them with skills to help them live their lives more significantly. Additionally, while success is possible with short-term programs, it’s the longer programs that achieve the better results.
Treatment options in Seal Beach and other Orange County drug rehab centers, may include programs that last anything from a month to 6 months, and others may even go on for a year and beyond.
How detox clears up the system
Detox at an Orange County drug rehab center may be difficult for many people, but its benefits far outweigh the unpleasantness felt. Here are some positives that happen during detox.
Cell rebuilding
Once toxins start to leave the body, damaged cells are restored and the body begins to function normally.
Muscle and tissue restoration
Toxins wreak havoc to the tissues and muscles but once they leave the body, the tissues and muscles begin healing again and their normal functioning is restored.
Body organ relief
Organs such as the liver and kidneys take a severe battering during addiction as they have to work double time to stop germs from spreading through the body. However, during detox at an Orange County drug treatment center, the toxins leave the body completely, allowing these organs to start working the way they should.
Boost to the immune system
Bingeing on drugs and alcohol weakens the immune system but during detox, the system is rejuvenated so that the patient can once again be more resistant to disease and infection.
Better relationships
Once family members realize that their relative is serious about getting help with their addiction, they naturally pledge their support. This makes it easier to begin mending relationships that may have become fractured due to the addiction.
Rethinking life’s goals
During detox at one of the Orange County drug rehabs, there’s plenty of time for self-reflection and this is helped by the counseling sessions. The patient has a chance to think over their mistakes and make a plan to do better going forward. Detox is a time for rejuvenating not just the body but the mind and spirit, too.
Stops organ failure
Once the medical detox starts, at a drug treatment center, the bad effects that the toxins will have wrought on the body are slowed and they gradually stop. This prevents the body organs from being damaged further.
Supplemental Care/Therapy
Once the toxins have been withdrawn from the body, specialists at the Orange County treatment centers, usually turn to counseling to prepare them for the next stages in their treatment protocol. Psychological care takes place. Patients are made to understand that they must look for healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety without resort to substance use, and to also figure out the triggers that promoted the substance abuse. Medication may also be continued if it’s needed to treat physical issues that may arise during treatment.
Behavioral therapy is normally trans-formative. It calls on people to strengthen themselves emotionally. At the drug rehab centers in Orange County, therapy is done individually, with a therapist or as a group. But both options have been found to be rewarding, helping the patient to understand themselves better, become self-confident and improve their communication skills. Other programs include family therapy to try and mend broken relationships.
Orange County drug rehabs may offer additional treatments to enhance this kind of therapy. These include, massage, yoga, stress management and mindfulness. Some programs can offer more, depending on a person’s preferences or unique needs. They could include art, music or pet therapy, religious solutions, and 12-step programs. It’s important for the individual to know and understand what will benefit them in the long run.
Aftercare
Putting together a strong recovery skill suite is an essential part of treatment at the drug rehab centers in Orange County. A person needs to develop skills that will prevent relapse but as their lives change and they experience more testing times, they need to hone those skills and diversify them. Aftercare services at an Orange County drug rehab, can give a person a chance to achieve this. There are peer support groups to link people to other people in recovery in their communities, whom they can interact with and learn from. Other aftercare support systems include sober living homes (to help people make a seamless transition from rehab to normal life), self-esteem classes, internet recovery resources, as well as group, individual, and family therapy sessions.
In Conclusion
Seal Beach is located in Orange County, in Southern California. It’s about 28 miles to the east of Los Angeles, between Huntington Beach and Long Beach. Seal Beach is so-called because of the seals that once populated its beachfront. However, this serene community of 24 000, with its endless sandy beaches is beset by a substance use problem which is pervasive in that region. Hence the strength of drug rehab in Orange County. In fact, Orange County has a far higher rate of death due to opioid use than any other county in Southern California. A report on this crisis found that overdose deaths were more prevalent along the coast and in south county which would include Seal Beach, and that heroin and fentanyl were among the opioids most commonly found in opioid overdose deaths. From 2011 to 2018, heroin caused 29 percent of deaths and fentanyl 14.3 percent.
Medical detox in the city of Seal Beach, California, and at all Orange County drug rehabs, is extremely useful for people who want to get alcohol or drugs out of their system. Some of the rewards are instant, others are gradual.