Addiction

“Awe” is defined as “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder. Awe is often synonymous with wonder or wonderment. “Wonder” is defined as a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.” Recovery, in any of its forms, is all of these things. There is a clearly inexplicable process which can bring relief to depression, security to anxiety, healing to trauma, and an end to substance abuse. Having lived entire lifetimes with unmanageable symptoms, the transformation of recovery is unexpected and certainly unfamiliar. Yet, through the process, there is a reverential feeling with that something beautiful is happening. With a healthy sense of fear of what has been before the awe-inducing wonderment of the what is now, people live their lives in happy bewilderment at the miracle of recovery. Cultivating awe in your life is part of making meaning, which is essential to happy and healthy long term recovery. Mindful cites, “research suggests that awe has numerous psychological benefits, including increased life satisfaction, a sense of time slowing down or standing still, and  greater desire to help others.” In addition, experiencing awe regularly can improve one’s health. Recent studies have found that experiencing awe more frequently can reduce inflammation, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease. “Awe may help people cope better with stress,” the article expands, “by promoting curiosity and exploration, rather than withdrawal and isolation.” What Is Awe? “...Awe involves feeling interconnected with others and broadening our horizons,” Mindful poetically describes. Awe is “...like a camera lens zooming out to reveal a more complex and inclusive picture. From this vantage point, everyday concerns tend to feel less overwhelming- as we get smaller, so do they.” Typically, we feel awe when we experience something greater than ourselves. We feel wonder, and a little bit of fear. Mountains, lakes, rivers, vast horizons, and nature tend to induce a feeling of awe. The miracle of birth, watching children grow, seeing healing in others, witnessing a proposal on a random afternoon- when we see life happen in all of its fullness, we are filled with awe. For this reason, the process of recovery is awe-inducing in itself. Being part of a life-saving transformation which takes the broken spirits of those who have been coping with life through the abusive use of drugs and alcohol is nothing less than a wonder. How is it that chronic addicts and alcoholics can stop drinking and using? How is it that people who have felt afflicted with great emotional pain their entire lives can find a profoundly realistic sense of peace and serenity? It is, indeed, a wonder. Creating Awe In Recovery A combination of gratitude and mindfulness are two of the most practical tools which could be applied to creating awe in recovery. Being mindful helps you to be aware of and notice the world around you. The more attention you pay, the more you will see. Finding and developing gratitude for that world helps you realize just how much awe there is to be had for everything from the satisfying taste of your favorite breakfast food to the gentle way a leaf falls from a tree in autumn. Drugs and alcohol create a small, specific world. Recovery opens your world up and invites you be be amazed. Recovery is possible. Avalon Malibu invites you to call for a confidential assessment and for more information on how our transformative healing treatment programs can help you find the wonder in life again. 1 888-958-7511.

Self-condemnation is a powerful tool. We have leverage on ourselves our entire lives when we believe we’ve done something worth punishment. No matter our victories, accomplishments, or joyus, we will always have that lingering sense of guilt there. Reminding us of worser times, we cna’t allow ourselves to be present, to develop in our self-worth, or be happy. Convicted for life, punishable by guilt, never to be redeemed. Coping with extreme feelings of guilt and shame is not something that we do particularly well as individuals with substance use disorders and mental health conditions. Often, the reason we develop such issues is out of a need to cope with such heavy guilt. Guilt that becomes dysfunctional and invades other areas of our lives is considered toxic. Toxic guilt is nothing more than how it sounds. Living with toxic guilt and shame feels like living with an active virus. Anything will set it off and cause it to spread. We feel toxic guilt and shame in our minds, our hearts, our souls, and even our bodies. Carrying around the weight of the entire world’s punishment by not forgiving ourselves and moving on becomes exhausting. Though we might grow calloused under the pressure and get used to the consistency of self loating, it isn’t sustainable. How To Forgive Yourself Possibly, you deserve the blame. You did something wrong, something unforgiveably wrong, and there’s no denying that. In the height of our mental illnesses and addictions, we can make some very prone decisions. Some people live with the nowledge of taking another person’s life when they were in a drunk driving accident. Others have hurt and abused the ones they love. Forgiveness is not about changing the past or condoning what has happened. Instead, forgiveness is about accepting the fact that it happened and making a commitment to do better in the future. You must start by accepting what has happened because there’s no going back and changing it. Recognize that like all people, you’re humans, and humans, thankfully, are not perfect. As such, imperfect people should be expected to make perfect mistakes. Next, you must be able to let go of that punishment and realize that you are now seeking treatment, are in treatment, or are working a program of recovery. Actively, you are creating change in your life to ensure you never have to act that way again. Avalon By The Sea is here to help you make that journey toward self-forgiveness and healing. Our residential treatment facility is one of the few certified to treat primary mental health conditions. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs of treatment, call 1 888-958-7511.

Unless you are familiar with depression and other mental health conditions, it is hard to know when it is happening to someone close to you. Taking their actions and behaviors personally can cause a giant rift in your relationship as you become resentful toward them. Do any of these behaviors sound familiar? Your loved one might be struggling with depression.

Early recovery is the first six months to a year of sobriety, or recovery from any mental health condition. During these months, overcoming triggers is the most difficult. As you navigate the choppy waters, keep these things in mind. It’s True, Alcohol Is Everywhere And That’s Hard At some point of your life, alcohol wasn’t part of your life. Though you might have been young, you did live without alcohol for many years. It wasn’t until you learned what alcohol was, how alcohol affects you, and had the experience of consuming alcohol, that things changed. Early sobriety can feel like you’re running through a tactical maze, trying to survive every hurdle, distraction, and attack that comes your way. Remember, you’re making an important choice every day not to consume alcohol because you’ve learned it can be life threatening for you. Recovery Has To Be Your Priority “It’s a selfish program” you often hear about recovery. Recovering from drug addiction and alcoholism is incredibly self-centered. More than ever before, you have to care about yourself above everyone else because your life depends on it. Conflictingly, alcoholism and addiction are often described as selfish diseases of self-centeredness. Here’s the trick to differentiating the two: before you were focused on destroying yourself. Today, you’re focused on helping yourself heal and live. You Still Have To Accept The Things You Cannot Change The changes you experience in early recovery feel miraculous. Cravings, the longstanding chemical reactions which used to disrupt your life over and over again, are gone. Things which used to disturb you no longer do. You have a clarity you haven’t felt in years. It can be easy to start thinking you’re some kind of superhero. If you can be changed, then everyone else can,too. If everyone could change the way that you have, the world would be a better place. Your path to recovery and personal growth was personal and unique. The world will move at the pace it is supposed to. Unfortunately, despite your growing wisdom, that isn’t up to you. Continue Being Honest Honesty is what got you to treatment. You had to be honest with yourself about your problem with drugs and alcohol and how your life had been taken out of your control. The honesty doesn’t stop there. Bringing honesty into every area of your life helps you to maintain manageability. Lies can spread quickly because the brain is programmed to attract negativity. Keep working on growing that positivity magnet inside your head. Avalon Malibu is a certified dual diagnosis treatment center providing primary residential care for both substance use and mental health disorders. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs, call 1 (888) 958-7511 today.

America is finally focused on therapy. With the rise of life-taking addictions like the opioid epidemic, there has been a great change in the way people approach the topic of mental health. Addiction is no longer considered a character or personality problem. Today, as mandated by the government, it is regarded as a mental health condition. Additionally, mental health disorders can no longer be discriminated against and treated differently. Parity laws have made mental health disorders as important as any other medical issue. As a result, there is a greater focus on providing more people with the mental health treatment they need, from residential rehab programs to therapy. Unfortunately, there is a severe lack of therapists and counselors available in some areas where they are needed the most. People who are in need of mental health treatment the most are also some of the most busy. The millennial generation has a great amount of responsibility and stress on their shoulders, which also contribute to their failing mental health. In contrast, their parents, the baby boomer generation, is rapidly retiring. Moving away from the work force and responsibilities which have kept them busy, they are forced to reckon with themselves. People do have circumstances which prevent them from entering treatment or committing to typical therapy treatments. In response, online counseling, online therapy, and even texting therapy has grown. Can these methods replace or be as effective as traditional therapy? Pluses Of Online Therapy

Neuroscience has given mental health treatment an unprecedented edge. Never before has there been such an intimate understanding of the brain, how it works, and how it doesn’t work. *It seems as though a new neuroscience report is coming out every day. The world is more literate in regards to the brain inside their heads than they have ever had the opportunity to be. Inspiration for these endeavours is a combination of desperation and capability. Science is advanced, especially neuroscience. Equally, there is a mental health crisis all over the world. People are struggling with their mental wellness. Very many of them are turning to destructive substances like drugs and alcohol to medicate a problem they don’t understand. The more we can understand about mental illnesses, the better we can treat them. New promise for bipolar disorder comes from South Korea where researchers have specified a protein in the brain which interferes with moods and emotional reaction. Reporting on the breakthrough, Medical News Today writes: “There appears to be a neurochemical chain reaction that leads to the disease. The synapses that do not have enough PLC?1 are unable to fulfill their inhibitory function properly in excitatory neurons, because the BDNF is not working properly either. This causes a disproportion between excitatory synapses and inhibitory ones, eventually leading to bipolar symptoms.” In more simpler terms, some synapses in the brain are lacking a specific protein, the PLCy 1. Those synapses aren’t able to do their jobs in helping calm down excited neurons, leading to an imbalance of excited neurons and inhibited neurons. Bipolar disorder is often called manic depressive disorder. Think of manic as “excitatory” and depression as “inhibitory”. A collection of dysfunctioning synapses in each of these categories could be the cause of bipolar systems. Conclusively, the researchers found, the lack of PLC y1 is the cause of manic behaviors. Treating Bipolar Disorder Bipolar disorder can be treated pharmaceutically with prescription medications of different kinds. Lithium was a long standing treatment for bipolar and is sometimes used today. Antidepressants and mood stabilizers are more frequently prescribed. To properly treat bipolar, there needs to be a thorough diagnosis process by a psychiatric professional. Residential treatment programs are helpful for those who have been off medication and need help to stabilize, learn practical coping techniques, and heal any wounded emotions. Avalon Malibu provides residential treatment for clients with a primary diagnosis of Bipolar disorder. If you are struggling with bipolar and substance abuse, we offer dual diagnosis programs as well. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

Heart damage is a little known side effect of eating disorders. After years of binging, purging, and restricting cycles, the physiological effect of eating disorders takes a toll on the heart. When someone who has lived with ongoing eating disorder issues suddenly dies of a heart attack or heart failure, their cause of death is rarely labeled with their eating disorder. As a result, heart problems remain a hidden and deadly secret for eating disorder recovery. Anorexia Nervosa Anorexia is an eating disorder with the typical traits of starvation, restriction, and extreme compensation for food. Malnutrition and the actual physical state of starvation is common for those struggling with anorexia. The heart slows down during phases of starvation and restriction to create a condition called “bradycardia”. Heart failure is a high risk for severe cases of anorexia. Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia nervosa does not rely on restriction as much as it relies on purging. Someone with bulimia will not necessarily binge. When they do, they turn to purging to relieve themselves. Through dehydrating diuretics, or exhausting vomiting, people with bulimia can turn to extreme exercise and putting stress on the heart. “Tachycardia” is a condition where fluid loss makes the heart beat faster, causing someone to faint or have heart problems. For people whose bulimia includes purging and extreme exercise, they are in a constant state of dehydration, lacking in electrolytes which can cause arrhythmia. Arrhythmia can cause cardiac arrest. Binge Eating Disorder People with poor eating habits are aware of the damage they can cause their hearts. Cholesterol problems, clogged arteries, heart stress, blood pressure, and more can result from a poor diet like binge eating disorder. Constant changes in metabolism can make the way the heart functions change, causing a heart attack. EDNOS Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified can also have an effect on the heart. Any extreme changes in dieting, exercise, and food consumption will affect the strength and integrity of the heart. Staying Heart Healthy Treatment programs for eating disorders are placed under careful medical care. Doctors, cardiologists, and dieticians are always on hand to help restore the body and heart to a natural state. Avalon Malibu provides primary residential treatment for eating disorder recovery. Our private chefs help create heart-healthy meals according to each client's needs, determined by their work with dieticians and nutritionists. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

Bipolar is perhaps one of the most widely misunderstood and misdiagnosed mental health disorders. Previously referred to as manic depressive disorder, bipolar is primarily characterized by shifting moods or “mood swings”. There are two different types of bipolar: bipolar I and bipolar II. Bipolar one has moods that shift frequently, whereas bipolar II has moods that shift every so often. Additionally, the mania and hypomania are experienced differently in each type of bipolar. Bipolar I will have severely high mania whereas bipolar II will have what is called hypomania. Mania is considered an “up” swing, followed by depression which is considered a “down” swing. People who live with bipolar feel as though they do not have any control over their emotions and moods. Once they get into a manic state, they feel great, if a little out of sorts. When that manic state comes to an end and heads toward depression, they come crashing down and can even become suicidal. Bipolar depression and clinical depression are two different kinds of depression, though they can share similar symptoms. Mania and Depression The symptoms of both the mania and the depression can be difficult to manage. Feeling out of control of one’s emotions and behaviors is triggering, frustrating, and overwhelming. Bipolar disorder is frequently co-occurring with alcoholism and addiction because of the way it soothes a variety of symptoms. According to Yahoo Finance, “It's estimated that as many as half of bipolar disorder sufferers also struggle with some form of addiction. The extreme mania and depression of bipolar disorder makes it easy to see why turning to drugs or alcohol is a natural choice; warding off the lows and enhancing the highs can be accomplished almost immediately by self-medicating.” Though self-medication can be relieving for a time when someone is abusing drugs and alcohol while living with bipolar, they are likely making matters worse. Popular prescription treatments for bipolar like Lamictal do not interfere well with substances like alcohol. Self-medicating “may only exacerbate the brain chemistry that makes bipolar disorder so overwhelming in the first place.” Treating both bipolar disorder and addiction is essential for full recovery and long lasting sobriety. Without assessing both processes in the brain, one might never be sorted out from the other, causing an ongoing interaction. Avalon Malibu is one of California’s only primary mental health treatment facility. Our estate houses both our mental health and substance use disorder facilities, making dual diagnosis treatment easy and accessible. For a confidential assessment, call 1 888-958-7511.

Eating disorders are complex and complicated mental health issues which can become life threatening without treatment. Supporting a loved one who has an issue with one of life’s necessities, food, can be challenging. Help Them Stop Talking About Weight Since weight and body image has been such a hyper-focus for so long, it might feel like a natural area of conversation to bring up when your loved one is in treatment and recovery for an eating disorder. Learning not to focus on weight and body image is something they are working very hard at. Even if they had reached dangerously low weights through anorexia nervosa and you want to comment they are looking healthier as they gain some weight- try to avoid these comments in the beginning. On the other hand, if someone had gained a dangerously high weight through an eating disorder like binge eating disorder, try not to comment on how thin they are looking. Underneath the surface of obsession regarding weight and body image are serious psychological issues they are working hard to sort out. For now, encourage them to keep working so hard in treatment. Leave The Guidance To The Therapists Getting a call from a loved one in treatment is a special yet also a frightening moment. You want to support them and help them in every way you can. Making sure those ways you chose are healthy is important. Remember, that though you are a parent, a spouse, or a dear friend, you are not a licensed professional certified in treating eating disorders. What you can do is:

Social media gets a lot of attention because our lives are becoming increasingly intertwined in it. You can sign up for just about anything with a Facebook account login. All channels of social media somehow connect to one another so you can post across multiple platforms. Your phone can ring all day with notifications and alerts regarding activity within your social media world. Soon, Facebook has leaked, there will even be virtual reality hangout rooms where you can interact with your friends in a virtual space, interacting with mixed media and more. What about real space, where real people live? Reports of the way social media affects the human brain are varied. Some reports reveal that social media engagement, from receiving a “like” on a photo to scrolling through a news feed can activate our brains the same way drugs like cocaine do. Other reports have found that social media can boost our self-esteem. Contrastly, reports have found that social media is devastating for body image and confidence. Every list of sleep recommendations includes staying away from social media before bedtime. Productivity suggestions emphasize not getting on social media first thing in the morning. It seems there’s no right way to balance social media use and continue to maintain mental health. According to On The Mind, these are some of the key ways we are affected by social media use: “Likes” Various research has found that the power of the “like” function, or any other function on social media which indicates a positive reaction to something we posted, stimulates the brain. It creates a reward circuit pattern, not unlike drugs and alcohol. Essentially, the article explains, we’ve trained ourselves to react to those positive reactions. When we don’t receive the response we think we do, we feel insecure and lose that quick boost of self-esteem we had just achieved. Social Media For Good Social media has produced a lot of positive movements which have helped to shift paradigms and unravel decades old way of thinking. From body positivity to wider acceptance of mental health, trending hashtags and challenges online have helped create conversation that might have taken decades more to have. Social Media For Bad On a similar coin to how social media has promoted unity and acceptance it has also created divides. Hidden behind the strength and security of social media platforms and screens, people can act in ways they might not normally act. Primarily, that means they can become online bullies. Online bullying, broadcasting live videos of violent acts, and other troubling uses of social media have come about, harming people’s lives, costing people’s lives, and more. Avalon Malibu is a residential treatment center for primary mental health diagnosis as well as dual diagnosis substance use disorders. If you are struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, or bullying due to your social media use, help is available. Call us for a confidential assessment at 1 888-958-7511.

It’s true. Recovery is a lifestyle change. Changing your life for the better might seem like a difficult choice to make. Here are some of the best reasons why you should choose recovery. Your Story Will Help Others You may not think you have much of anything to offer anyone right now. That’s understandable. You’re at the beginning stage of something you can’t even understand yourself: recovery. Here’s a crazy thing about it: the fact that you are even thinking about getting yourself some help is already a story enough. Should you choose to seek treatment and build a lifestyle of recovery, you are making a decision that millions of people shy away from every single day. Your ability to choose to help yourself and stop the struggling is monumental. Your story starts right here, right now. It is almost guaranteed that there is at least one person out there who can identify with just one part of your story. You’re Going To Keep Getting Better The coolest thing about recovery is that you don’t have to just stop recovering once treatment is over. Recovery isn’t just something you learn how to do, it becomes part of who you are. Recovery is ongoing. You will always be learning, growing, improving, healing, and changing. Who you are today will be unrecognizable in who you will be thirty days, 90 days, six months, or even a few years from now. Great changes come when we are willing to let them happen. You Aren’t Losing Money (Or Respect) Living with untreated mental health disorders can be a lot more costly than going to treatment. Drug and alcohol addiction, for example, can rack up quite the bill. Depression can cause you to lose a job, bipolar can cause overspending, and more. Most importantly, you are losing out on time, memories, and major parts of your life. You’ll Have Better Control Of Your Emotions Recovery is about gaining back parts of who you are. You will be able to feel like yourself again with better tools for managing, regulating, and understanding your emotions. Through therapy and treatment you’re going to learn how to be at peace with yourself, mind, body, and spirit. Recovery is always going to be better than suffering. If you or a loved one are suffering from addiction, alcoholism, and a dual diagnosis mental health disorder, call Avalon By The Sea today. Our residential treatment programs are available for dual diagnosis care. Healing is what we do. Call 1 (888) 958-7511 for a confidential assessment today.

30 million Americans use sleep medication. That’s a lot of people who have a hard time falling asleep. During treatment for recovery from a mental health or substance use disorder, sleep can be challenging. Living with new thoughts and feelings, dealing with physical symptoms of withdrawal, and general restlessness can all cause a difficulty falling asleep. Maladaptive behaviors before bedtime and throughout the day can make sleeping more difficult as well- like that 5 pm coffee. Here are some best tips for getting to sleep without the use of a heavy sleeping medication. It’s important to note that using sleep medication during treatment is common and often encouraged. For many people, the medication quickly becomes unnecessary and causes more drowsiness the next day than it does quality sleep.