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When selecting a treatment center, there are many different factors that you want to look into. Long-term success in recovery has been shown to meet individual’s needs not just by focusing on a person’s mental illness or addiction, but also by exploring other areas of a person’s life that may have been negatively effecting them. Recovery is a time to learn how to deal with challenging emotions better, gain a greater sense of clarity, and identify goals that we can work towards achieving for the future. There are several necessities that are needed for healing and restoration – and it’s important to incorporate these into treatment instead.   Previous studies have emphasized the importance of a client’s comfort in treatment, as well as cleanliness and hospitality to their family members and other staff as well. In addition to having a space that minimizes errors, falls, and infections, places like Avalon Malibu really emphasize comfort and security. The rooms at Avalon Malibu are very spacious and beautiful, which makes it even easier for patients to feel relaxed and to spend time focusing on their recovery.  Recovery involves a person’s willingness to become sober, change their lifestyle and behaviors, and work on developing tools that are better for their health and wellbeing. Nutrition helps to restore the balance of the mind and body, which is why Avalon Malibu will provide the nutritional assessment and guidance that a person needs. Through eating the right food and getting adequate exercise, you can work towards replenishing your overall health and well-being.  No matter your circumstance, you’ve likely experienced ups and downs that have affected you in one way or another. It’s important to work through those issues so that you can heal and move forward with your life – something that psychotherapy and a host of other holistic activities can help you achieve. If you’re ready to seek help, speak with a professional from Avalon Malibu today.

With the holidays coming up, it can be easy to feel nervous about the urge to abuse alcohol or drugs. Whether potential usage is with family or friends, or whether we may feel lonely during the holidays, the desire to want to use may still be there – and it can be hard to overcome at times. If you’ve been in recovery for quite some time or if you’re just wanting to ensure your health and safety this holiday season, there are several steps that you can take to ensure that you stay on track with sobriety. Know what your boundaries are. If your friends or family are abusing substances, plan out exactly what you want to say or do if you become uncomfortable. If you already have a set plan for what you’ll say and do, it will become much easier to say “no” if you need to. You may also want to establish a trusty ride home if you need to head out.  Understand what you are getting into before you go. If you know that the people you’re about to spend time with will not respect your recovery and will try to get you to drink or use drugs, reconsider the decision to go. Never compromise your values or your health to feel comfortable around others. Feel free to say “no” if you don’t feel that it would be a good idea for your recovery, health and safety – you’ll thank yourself later.  If you’re at a holiday event, go ahead and make yourself a non-alcoholic drink. Most of the time, it will look like you have a drink already in hand – and you’ll be less likely to be asked if you’d like something to drink. If people begin asking you why you’re not drinking, tell them “I’m not drinking tonight” or “I have plans early tomorrow” or “I took medication and alcohol doesn’t mix well with it”. It’s perfectly find to tell other people that drinking doesn’t fit within your plans for the night. Never be afraid to stand up for yourself.

Many people struggle with feeling anxious or depressed or angry, and they find it hard to talk about it. For many previous generations, it’s been a challenge to talk about feelings because we’re told to suppress it and hold it deep inside. We hold it in, expecting the pain to fade away – but when it doesn’t, we find ourselves searching outside for solutions, and in many cases, that’s when addiction becomes part of our daily routine. Recovery is a time when we can release some of what’s been holding us back – to talk through the challenging emotions and find healing. Expressive therapy uses music, art, dance, poetry and other creative instances within the context of psychotherapy or rehabilitation. Addiction recovery is about working through some of the hardest experiences and emotions that we’ve held onto for so many years, and expressive arts therapy can help us reach this place in a way that simply talking about it can’t. Previous studies have shown that expressive arts therapies can work wonders for those in recovery, especially alongside other treatment practices like meditation, yoga, nutrition management and more. Other studies have shown that expressive art therapies can help those in recovery understand their thoughts and feelings better, which helps a person become stronger in moving towards healing and restoration. For those who are seriously considering expressive arts therapy, it’s important to understand the many factors that go into it, such as:

Celebrities are often looked at by people all around the world, in magazines, the TV screen, in books and more. They have a considerable influence on how people think about themselves and life. Celebrity stories do have the power to change people’s lives, whether for good or bad. Fergie is a singer with a very powerful addiction story that needs to be told. Fergie previously struggled with crystal meth addiction, and she has told numerous sources that she dealt with daily hallucinations. Understanding what Fergie went through and what led to her 18-year sobriety may help others in recovery to remain diligent in their healing journey. Crystal meth can cause hallucinations, strange behavior, panic attacks, psychosis, and more. Fergie has even told sources that she dealt with substance-induced dementia at some points in her life. The singer was addicted to the substance back when she was part of the group Wild Orchid and was still addicted even after leaving the group. Fergie, 42, once told the story of a time when she was so high on crystal meth that she thought the CIA, FBI, and SWAT teams were following her. She explained that these agencies were trying to kick her out, and she was so paranoid that an infrared camera was in a church trying to look for her. She had to explain that at that moment, she thought everyone was chasing after her – even people in the church that she was in were trying to run down the aisle and catch her. In reality, it was all the substances she’d been taking – but it was so hard to differentiate those feelings because she was so intoxicated. That moment really stood out for Fergie, and that’s what showed her that she needed to seek treatment and begin healing.

Everyone who goes through the addiction recovery process knows that it’s challenging. There is a lot involved – not just the physical detoxification component of it, but also in identifying people, places, and situations that could push someone to want to revert to old addictive patterns of behavior. The beginning of our recovery journey can be particularly difficult, especially with the fear of relapsing. Relapsing is defined as the recurrence of symptoms of a disease after a period of improvement. There’s a common misbelief that relapse means a person has failed – and that’s not true. It’s simply part of recovery.

Despite the fact that addiction and substance abuse can take years to develop and to become severe, many people expect that recovery will be a quick fix. Nobody wants to really go through all of the pain and discomfort that are often associated with detoxification and becoming used to a life of sobriety – and if you were to ask most people in addiction recovery, they’d probably snap their fingers to make it happen if they could. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work that way – and, technically speaking, the greater the effort you put towards your recovery, the more rewarding your journey will be in the long run. Long-term residential treatment programs are incredibly beneficial because they give us the time, space, resources, and support that we need to develop a life in recovery – and if you’re looking for an in-depth program that is tailored to your needs, a residential program at Avalon Malibu could be a great option for you.  Long-term, residential treatment programs tend to take more time than people realize because it takes time to undo the damage that addiction has caused; residential programs take approximately 6-12 months total and require that clients live in a comfortable, home-like environment during this time. Clients who choose this option won’t even need to drive to treatment because their treatment will take place near their living facility. Meals are provided and around-the-clock care is also provided to ensure that clients feel stable throughout the duration of their stay. Those in long-term treatment programs have sincere mental, physical and spiritual needs and because the treatment program at Avalon Malibu is incredibly comprehensive, clients who choose this option will be supported throughout their time in the program and beyond. Long-term residential treatment programs provide stable housing, which involves staying in a comfortable room designed for optimum healing and restoration. Nutrition management also becomes a major part of the program, with vitamins and minerals needed to replenish the mind and body; in cases of medical supervision and other addiction-related concerns, there is 24/7 support for individuals in recovery. Both individual and group sessions are held to help foster thinking and personal development, and a person can become involved in a variety of holistic recovery-related activities, such as equine therapy, music therapy, art therapy, massage therapy and much more. Every client has their own unique needs, and that is why residential treatment should be personalized to the individual. Previous sources have interviewed people in addiction recovery to learn more about the problems they face, the obstacles they’ve had to overcome, as well as advice they have for others in seeking out treatment. A common consensus amongst those in addiction recovery is that if you think you have a problem – be it an addiction with alcohol, drugs or other substances – you probably do. Many people let their fear and denial of their issues get in the way of breaking through and seeking help, and this is what holds people back from living a sober, healthy life.   Residential treatment often provides a pathway for clients to find themselves, their purpose and their path in sobriety. In this type of treatment program, it’s typical for a person to follow a strict “routine” that’s set – and there may be rules (such as no technology) to follow too, depending on where you go. These routines often try to help a person go to sleep by a certain time, wake up at a specific time, and attend various recovery-related ventures throughout the day so they can become used to getting involved in different components of treatment.  Residential treatment programs are extremely beneficial for people who don’t have solid support systems at home or who don’t have a stable home environment where they can practice sobriety and be positively reinforced in doing it. Individuals who struggle with severe addiction often find that residential treatment programs are better for them because they’re able to be monitored more closely, and they can receive more guidance in daily living habits for sobriety. Those who are able to make arrangements for other responsibilities such as work projects, children, household duties and more find that residential treatment is most conducive to their healing. Residential treatment programs often have different phases, and each phase holds different levels of activity and expectations; in addition to this, a person may find that aspects of residential treatment aid in getting them back into daily life such as job-seeking assistance, volunteer opportunities to make new friends and develop skills, after-care support, alumni services and more. If you’re ready to take charge of your life and overcome addiction, speak with a professional from Avalon Malibu today. There’s an entire team of people here ready to support you – and the residential treatment programs provided allow enough support and resources for a person to become stronger in living a life of sobriety.

Note: If you are having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Your life matters and you are not alone. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) affects people all across the world, with many of them being women. BPD is typically characterized by an intense fear of abandonment, unstable self-image, self-harm, anger and irritability, and more. Unfortunately, death by suicide takes many people in this community. It’s common with this type of disorder to feel misunderstood and feel an inner sense of turmoil that can’t easily be addressed. For those diagnosed with BPD, self-harm is another devastating occurrence – and the more support that is provided to these individuals, the higher the recovery rate can be. Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is a program typically used to help treat BPD and is a structured program that features cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. For many with BPD, the world is seen in “black and white” – that is, people or events may be seen as “one thing” or “another” and it’s rather challenging for those with this disorder to see the in-betweens. There are 4 major areas of DBT that can really help people with BPD in recovery:

When selecting a treatment center, there are many factors you want to consider. Long-term success in recovery has been shown by many studies to help people achieve their recovery goals, but there are still some important components to consider when selecting where to go. Recovery is a time to develop new coping skills, understand ourselves better, and identifying goals that we can work towards leading happier healthier lives. While you’re researching which treatment center to go to, consider the following factors:

There is so much pain that we experience throughout our lives, yet many of us haven’t been taught healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with these challenging, heartbreaking situations. We spend months, sometimes years, searching for something that will ease the discomfort that we’re feeling; we begin abusing alcohol or drugs to numb the pain and take away the agony – and while it seems to work temporarily, the reality is that over time, we find that we’re not able to get rid of the hurt completely. If you’re ready to dive into some creative, holistic approaches to healing in addiction recovery, you’ll find that music therapy is worth looking into. On the surface, music therapy may be depicted as simply listening to music and finding relief from it; while this could certainly be true, it takes a much stronger precedent in addiction recovery. In fact, music therapy could be defined as a health profession where music is used for therapeutic healing – to address cognitive, emotional issues, physical concerns, and social needs of people in recovery. While addiction recovery is certainly the main focus of treatment, music therapy can also tend to the unique needs of individuals such as those with emotional or behavioral concerns, depression, anxiety, and other related issues. Music therapy is holistically a creative process that could involve more than simply listening to music, but could also involve activities like creating songs, singing, dancing, interpreting the lyrics to songs, and so much more.   Music therapy truly provides a unique mode of communication in which those in recovery can discover some of the core beliefs they’ve picked up throughout their lives – and even for instances in which it’s difficult to talk about, music can bring out important messages through emotion.  Music therapy sessions are always led by a licensed therapist, and it often begins with the therapist trying to get ot know the client a bit better and what their needs are. From there, a variety of activities may be scheduled over a longer period of time and the therapist and client may work together to break through some of the things that have been holding them back – even some post-traumatic growth periods of triumph may occur. Previous studies have found that unique treatment approaches, such as songwriting and lyric analyses, can bring about emotional changes in patients by giving them time to think and reflect on not only the songs and their meaning but also on what they’ve personally gone through – and sometimes greater insight is gained from it. The willingness itself to participate in music therapy offers clients in recovery with a powerful opportunity to harness what they’ve gone through and redefine their story – or, at a fundamental level, to understand what they’ve been going through a little better. Despite many people’s views that music therapy is simply about “strumming a guitar,” it goes beyond that to provide more deeply connected tools for a person, that can be used to gain greater meaning from pain or to help individuals like family members heal from painful situations.  Music therapy sessions tend to have a therapeutic component that involves a sort of structure or system that the therapist and client set in place, but they also have a portion of therapy that involves direct application of music to bring thoughts, feelings, and emotions to life. Everyone’s experience in music therapy will be different – but for many, the journey is worthwhile. Many people in music therapy treatment fear that they need to be an “artist” or to have musical talent, but that’s not the case. In fact, even a person with no musical ability can benefit from music therapy because it’s more about emotional healing than it is about the practicality of being able to play or interpret music. There are several benefits that can derive from music therapy, such as a person being able to have a sense of community and understanding as others may be involved as well. Music therapy can help create positive rifts in the way a person views themselves, especially as they discover that they’re not alone in recovery. Music therapy can also help promote self-discovery and release tension that may be held inside; in most cases, music therapy has a wonderful effect on addiction recovery and can foster safe opportunities to work through a variety of feelings. If you’re ready to seek help, speak with a professional from Avalon Malibu today.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects so many people around the world, and the symptoms can truly be debilitating. Many people with PTSD experience nightmares, flashbacks, paranoia, anxiety, depression and more, with some individuals relying on substances to help ease their physical, mental and emotional pain. When PTSD is involved, there is typically a lot of tension throughout the body – a person then becomes easily-startled, stressed, angered, or has trouble sleeping. If this is something you’ve been struggling with, addiction recovery is the time to begin working on some of these issues so that you can go on to lead a healthier, happier life.  Holistic practices are often used to help individuals work through some of the mental, physical and spiritual turmoil that they may go through not just with PTSD, but also with addiction recovery. Without treatment, a person with PTSD may go on to exhibit behaviors that only make things worse – and by pursuing holistic treatment options alongside addiction recovery, like massage therapy, meditation, yoga, art therapy and more, a person can develop a stronger understanding of the PTSD they’re battling and tools they can use to work through it. A common group of people who struggle with PTSD includes those in the professions of police work and firefighters, including people in social work because of the constant trauma they may experience as they save others’ lives. In other instances, childhood trauma can have a significant impact on a person’s well-being even well into adulthood.  Massage therapy reduces cortisol (a stress response) and increases serotonin (which regulates mood, sleep, appetite, etc.) and dopamine (the chemical that makes us feel good). This type of practice can help the body relax, which then translates into the mind relaxing as well. For someone who struggles with both addiction and PTSD, holistic practices are a safe route to go – and can be personalized depending on the person’s needs. Now is the time to take a firm hold on your self-care; it’s time to get your life back.

Previous research has shown that depression can have a significant effect on our mental, physical and spiritual standing. Many people diagnosed with depression also battle sleep issues like insomnia, appetite problems (such as over or under-eating), lack of energy, difficulties concentrating, low self-esteem, and more. In other instances, there are a number of other physical symptoms that may be experienced such as migraines, joint pain such as fibromyalgia, digestive problems such as constipation and bloating, chest pain, back pain with tension in the neck, and more – which can certainly have a negative impact on daily life. Previous studies have shown that nearly 70% of people with depression also experience aches and pains; if you’ve been struggling with symptoms of depression, massage therapy at Avalon Malibu could help you greatly. A relaxing, full-body massage involving massage oil and lotions can greatly help reduce symptoms of depression that weigh heavily on a person’s daily life. Another major benefit of massage therapy is that there are different types of massage that can help people depending on their needs. For example, therapeutic massage can help a person achieve a full-body sense of relaxation, while a sports massage can help those who are quite active throughout the day or participate in particular sports. Whatever your needs are, you can speak with your therapist to see what would work best for you moving forward. Massage therapy has been shown to relieve stress, reduce anxiety, manage lower back pain, reduce muscle tension, relieve tension headaches, improve balance, lower blood pressure, and so much more. Avalon Malibu offers an exceptional massage therapy program alongside traditional treatment for addiction recovery – and having this alongside your regular program activities, including other holistic practices like meditation and yoga, you’ll feel more confident in moving forward in healing. As previous research has shown, massage therapy benefits the mind, body, and spirit. A relaxing environment in massage therapy can help you to release pent-up stress and other emotions that may be weighing heavily on your body as you progress through treatment. If you haven’t already, speak with a professional from Avalon Malibu to learn more about massage therapy and treatment programs that could assist you on your journey to recovery. It’s never too late to seek the help you need.

Many people consider diary writing to be “stupid” when indeed it can be very helpful. In fact, diary writing has been used for so many years – and by so many people - to uncover deeply hidden feelings, make sense of behavioral patterns, and find new ways of understanding events that have happened in the past. Have you ever tried diary or journal writing before? While it may seem “silly” or “childish”, there are so many benefits in doing this. Who knows, you may learn something new about yourself that could aid in greater strength and healing while in recovery.