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A crisis is a “time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger.” An epidemic on the other hand, is a “widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.” Both are applicable to addiction, yet, it is crisis which is the more accurate fit. Addiction is reaching all time high numbers in how devastating the effect is. Difficulty, trouble, and danger, all exist for those who are addicted and those who are the loved ones of those who are addicted. There is difficulty in getting someone adequate mental health care. Trouble is often part of addiction when it gets out of hand and can no longer be controlled. Being addicted to drugs like synthetics, amphetamines, and opioids, can lead to a fatal overdose. In addition, the illegal international drug market causes violence. Addiction is dangerous. Spread of Addiction On the same token, addiction seems to be spreading to more people than ever before. The amount of opioid users since the early 2000’s has grown four-fold. Addiction is often seen as a disease but is in truth a mental health disorder. Though many people are susceptible to developing an addiction if they abuse substances, not everyone is. Addiction is only seemingly infectious, however, addiction does not actually spread. If one was to take a sip from an alcoholic’s beer, they wouldn’t “catch” alcoholism. Referring to addiction and substance specific addictions as being epidemic is inaccurate. Compared to the relatively stable mental health of the general public, addiction is still small. Addiction As A Crisis Addiction is a mental health disorder in which the brain loses its control of being able to make autonomous decisions which disregard a need for chemical substances. Chemical dependency is life altering. Unfortunately, addiction rarely just happens to someone. Though there are elements of genetics at play, addiction starts as an independent choice. In the beginning, once chooses to drink or do drugs, and continues to choose them despite negative consequences. A crisis of thought, addiction builds as a result of difficulty saying “no”. Today more than twenty two million Americans suffer from a substance use disorder. Only ten percent of them will seek any kind of treatment. Avalon By The Sea wants to help as many people as possible. Our residential treatment program is designed to help you heal in mind, body, and spirit. Let us help you end of the crisis of addiction in your life today. For a private consultation or more information on our programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

Do you ever feel like your negative thoughts are a rogue sailboat who guides itself at sea? Look to these suggestions for taking back control of your mind’s ship and navigating new waters. Throw An Anchor Stopping the perpetual flow of habitual thinking can feel like trying to stop a river with a plastic bag- it just isn’t going to work. Instead of fighting against the stream, just try to throw down an anchor. You might not be able to make it stop right away, but you can find a pause in the middle of the flow to take a look at what is going on. Notice where the thoughts are heading. Can you tell where they are coming from? After taking a few deep breaths, spend a moment reflecting on your current situation. Examine all the environmental and emotional factors. You’ll discover some insight you couldn’t have found when all of your attention and energy was being directed toward stopping the thoughts. Check Your Routes Likely, you’ve taken this route before. You were in a similar situation which caused a similar reaction and brought you to this train of thought. That is how habits are born. If you can clearly see the path make note of this pattern. See what other influences cause you to come to this place. Before you can make any changes to the way you charter your course, you have to acknowledge where you want to go first. Go Boldly Where You Haven’t Gone Before Breaking habits can seem daunting. When our habits of thinking are negative, it seems silly to experience any kind of fear when it comes to changing them. Habits are comfortable, familiar, and sometimes protective, however, that doesn’t mean they can’t be changed. Courage and audacity is required to set sail in a new direction. You have what it takes. Take a few more deep breaths and hoist the sails. Live In The Mystery Heading into uncharted territory is terrifying and exciting at the same time. Adventures wouldn't be so adventurous if you knew all the details. Recovery is an adventure. You’re exploring and living life in a way you never have before. Live in that mystery and focus on the journey. Expand Your Mind’s World Each time you confront your thoughts and look for new options, you expand what is possible in your mind. Quite literally, you are drawing the map for the places your mind has explored and the ways it can get there. Continue to pioneer this new path in recovery, and remember that this won’t be the last time you’ll have to follow the wind a different way. We are here to help you learn how to live again. Through clinical treatment and holistic healing, our residential programs equip each client with everything they need to carry on in life clean, serene, and happy. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

A study found that lies which get out of control primarily benefit the self. Meaning, when lying about something is going to help you benefit in some personal way, even at the expense of other people, you are going to run with it. If a lie is only beneficial to someone else, it is unlikely that the lie will be told enough time to get out of control. Lastly, if telling a lie meant both you and someone else would benefit, you are the most likely to tell that lie over and over again watching it get bigger and bigger. In conclusion, the study found, “dishonesty escalated over time when it was self-serving, showing that the simple act of repeated dishonesty by itself is not enough for escalation to take place…” Essentially, if we are going to tell a lie and stick to it even when it starts spiraling out of control, “—a self-benefiting motivation must also be present.” Addiction as a Motivator Addiction is often that kind of a motivator for those who have become chemically dependent on a harmful substance such as drugs or alcohol. Lying is one of the stereotyped, stigmatized parts of addiction contributing to the characterization that addiction is an issue of immorality. Unfortunately, it is true that over time chemically dependent individuals tend to tell more lies which can get astonishingly intricate, all to serve the selfish need to continue using substances. However, the lying associated with addiction fits the bill. When drugs and alcohol take over the brain, the neurotransmitter dopamine has rewired everyday processes. Dopamine, a brain chemical communicating pleasure, changes the brain to need to feel the pleasure derived from using drugs and alcohol- not want; need. The reason this happens is because a part of the brain called the Midbrain is heavily affected by substance abuse. Survival operations like eating and sleeping live in the midbrain. Too much dopamine, however, encourages the midbrain to believe that using drugs and alcohol is its most important operation of survival. Few things could be more powerful of a self-benefitting motivation than that. Addicts and alcoholics lie to protect their ability to get high or drunk. They have to protect their ability to get high or drunk because they have become completely dependent on it. For their brain, it feels like a matter of life or death. Family Heartbreak For the family members, loved ones, co-workers, and friends who know the individual who is suffering, it is heartbreaking and disappointing to watch them go through this cycle over and over again. Interestingly, the lying might have something more to do with them than they realize. As the study pointed out, the highest occurrence of lying was when a lie would benefit the self and another. Though it may not seem that way on the outside, people who are suffering truly don’t want other people to suffer. Addicts and alcoholics know they are letting everyone down when they lie and try to hide their using. Guilt and shame which prevail from this cycle can be debilitating. Many recovering addicts and alcoholics will attest that they did their best to hide their drinking and using to save their family from getting hurt, upset, and disappointed. Though the action is still self-serving, there is a certain level of consideration involved as well. Despite feeling completely out of control of their drinking and using, an addict or an alcoholic truly doesn’t want to keep hurting other people. Like a lie that escalates out of control, they simple can’t help it. Avalon By The Sea offers premiere luxury residential treatment for drug and alcohol abuse at an affordable cost. Our beautiful estate sits atop the iconic Malibu coastline providing privacy and serenity for holistic healing. Avalon offers regular family counseling, family intensive programs, and more to allow the whole family to heal. For a private consultation or more information on our programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

One of the most challenging parts about adopting a sober lifestyle is transitioning out of the old one to create a new one. Drinking and drug use becomes a major part of your life. After getting sober, many are surprised to realize just how significant of a role drugs and alcohol played. Here are a few suggestions for managing every day challenges for staying sober.

Relapse is a difficult part of recovery. It is a part of recovery but it does not have to be a part of recovery. Some say that relapse is part of the story. Not everyone relapses. If you are struggling with a drug addiction or alcoholism problem and are considering treatment know that you don’t have to relapse to stay sober forever. You just have to take things one day at a time. Understanding Relapse Understanding relapse is difficult for anyone on the outside of chemical dependency. Acting on impulse in spite of negative consequences is a characteristic of addiction. Drugs and alcohol overtake the brain in a very severe way. Many attribute the craving and desire for using to pleasure. Pleasure is only a small part of what really happened in the brain when the impulse to use arises. The pleasure which is derived from drugs and alcohol comes from the overproduction of a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine communicates feelings of pleasure to the reward center of the brain. From there, the substances causing pleasure are committed to memory. The memory channels feed into an area of the brain called the midbrain. Survival necessities like eating, sleep, and reproducing live in the midbrain. Overtime, the messages of pleasure and reward stored to memory inundate the midbrain. To say a relapse is born out of a need for pleasure is not to give the intricacy of addiction it’s fair due. Relapse is born out of a need to survive pain. Confronting Emotions Treatment and recovery can be painful. Dealing with emotions, confronting trauma, and living life each day without euphoria inducing substances can be hard. After a brain has become chemically dependent upon drugs or alcohol for providing pleasure, it is difficult to live without it. The brain has learned how to live off of drugs and alcohol. Problematically, it has learned to source all of its pleasurable sensations from it. The brain struggles to produce its own dopamine without the presence of drugs and alcohol. Essentially, when the brain feels a need for pleasure, and cannot create any on its own, it craves drugs and alcohol. When those cravings don’t get met, the brain becomes obsessive, causing more tension, stress, and chaos in the mind to which the only answer seems to be: drink or use, as soon as possible. It is true, people relapse because they want to get drunk or high. However, why it is they want to get drunk or high is more of the point. Relapse isn’t an episode , it's a process. Avalon By The Sea continuously evaluates and checks in with patients to gauge their recovery beyond the scope of clinical judgment. Your life is important to use. We know how precious this opportunity is to live it. For a private consultation or more information on our residential treatment programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

Loss is pain. Grief is pain. When we go through the motions of processing a loss, we are really going through the motions of grief, which is painful. Stress is caused by pain. Research has found that the brain reacts to emotional pain in an almost identical manner as it does physical pain. If you think about that gut wrenching, heart breaking feeling you experience after loss you can understand. Though nothing has touched you, the pain is great. Our Brains are wired with many processes to help combat both pain and stress. Thankfully, those processes usually involve eliminating the pain.

Walking depression is not a clinical term, but it aptly describes an in between phase of depression. Mental health disorders can be high functioning. Just because someone doesn’t look like they have a mental health disorder or act like they have a mental health disorder doesn’t mean they don’t have a mental health disorder. Upon learning a friend or loved one is struggling with a mental health disorder like depression, friends often have a comment to make. “You act so happy!” “You do so great in your job!” “You would never know!”. While meant to be supportive these comments can be damaging. Mental illness comes with a tremendous stigma attached to it. Some people are high functioning in their depression so that it isn’t noticed by other people. Stigma creates shame which leads many to hide their suffering. As a result, they continue to suffer without the proper psychological and pharmaceutical care. Negative Impact on Life Creativity Coach Alison Gresik writes that while someone is functioning well and taking care on the outside, “we’re doing it all while profoundly unhappy. Depression is negatively impacting our lives and relationships and impairing our abilities. Our depression may not be completely disabling, but it’s real.” Gresik cites these 8 signs as being indicators of a “walking” depression:

We know what lies ahead for you after treatment. Let Avalon By The Sea help you get there. We provide treatment to men and women at residential levels for both substance use disorders and mental health disorders. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs, call 1 (888) 958-7511 today.

Eating disorders are finally being given the attention they deserve in the media for both men and women. Once reserved for the deathly ill, eating disorder treatment has broadened its horizon. Most treatment centers offer treatment services for eating disorders as co-occurring disorders with substance use disorders or other mental health disorders. Binge eating disorder has become a nationally known eating disorder as research, celebrities, and treatment centers have come forward about its presence. Recently, Harvard University Medical School conducted what is being called the first national census of eating disorders. The survey found that binge eating disorder is the leading eating disorder compared to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

How many times a day do you check your phone or mobile device? More importantly, how many times do you check your phone at night? Many of us have developed a compulsive habit of picking up our phone, swiping through our apps, and picking the first one which seems interesting. We are constantly looking for an update, a photo, a news story, or something else to feed our brains and distract our attention. According to Forbes, “Americans check their cell phones or mobile devices over 9 billion times per day; 50% also check their phones in the middle of the night.” Are we addicted to our smart devices? Many researchers believe that is a true statement. Various parts of the interactive experience with our devices trigger the brain in a way which produces a reward, making it a pleasurable experience. For example, the blue light which hides behind our screens is meant to simulate natural daylight, telling our brains to be awake and alert. Multiple studies have found that looking at our devices late at night keeps us awake and interrupts our ability to get normal, deep REM sleep that we need. When we scroll through our news feeds late at night, numbing ourselves to sleep, the activity might seem mindless. On the contrary, we are stimulating our brains in the same way cocaine might. Some research has compared the way the brain lights up in the reward center just from scrolling through a newsfeed to the way it does after ingesting cocaine. Additionally, when we receive a notification of a like or comment on one of our posts, we get an extra boost of pleasure and reward. Unfortunately, that reward isn’t satisfying but instead leaves us hungry for more. Various research projects have evaluated the way social media interactions make us feel about ourselves in terms of body image, especially. More time spent online can be depressing and lower our sense of self-esteem, depending on what kind of media we consume. Treatment is a time where there is not a lot of interaction with mobile devices. If you feel that your distraction from digital devices is preventing you from seeking the treatment you need to help a substance use or mental health disorder, call Avalon today for a confidential assessment: 1 888-958-7511.

“Pink cloud” is the term used to describe the euphoric state of being sober. Pink clouds come and go. When a new person to sobriety is feeling good, optimistic, happy, grateful, and clear-minded, they are often told they are on a “pink cloud”. Unfortunately, at some point, the pink cloud evaporates and they are left with all the emotions from the other side of the spectrum. Not feeling good is not a favorite experience for people in recovery from both substance use disorders and mental health disorders. Especially those who have rewired their brain through substance abuse, not feeling any feelings which are pleasurable are especially triggering. After all, what is the point of staying sober if you can’t feel good all the time? It takes time to understand that “good” and “bad” are subjective experiences and that they are transitory. Each period of up will be followed by a period of down, or at least a little less up. This is the natural flow of life. As it is commonly said, “This too shall pass.”

Of spiritual matters, humans have for a long time pondered until they’ve gone mad. Where do we come from? Where do we go when life ends? We have wealth of scientific evidence regarding the ‘miracle of life’ which explains how human beings are created and born. Though we have accounts from those who have temporarily died and come back, we are not yet evidenced in what happens when we pass. Spiritual disciplines and religious faiths have their respective ideals on the meaning of life, the meaning of being a human, and what happens when we die. For the most part, people are left to come up with these answers on their own. Spirituality Questioning such existential philosophy is not a way most people would choose to spend their time. Spirituality is not about finding answers but developing a faith regarding that answer. What does it mean to be alive and to be a human among other human beings? How do we make the most of our time here- or is that even necessary? Many who enter recovery find that they are far more spiritual than they had ever known. Recovery in itself is a very spiritual process. Some programs of recovery, like the traditional twelve steps, regard themselves as spiritual programs, helping people discover a power greater than themselves and a manner of moral living. Atheist or Agnostic Those who have found themselves to be atheist or agnostic are usually turned off by all of the spiritual talk. Spirituality is a luxury for people who cannot make any other sense of life, is typically their opinion. Spirituality is not a luxury but a necessity, especially for those in recovery. Drugs and alcohol are often coping mechanisms for those who struggle to make sense of how they are and what their role is in the world. Developing a spirituality helps make sense of those larger questions and create a way of life that doesn’t require drugs and alcohol to cope. Instead, they are able to find peace, acceptance, and serenity. Avalon By The Sea supports the use of the 12 step method and the development of a spiritual manner of living for recovery. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs, call 1 (888) 958-7511 for more information.