Staging an intervention might be something that you have seen on TV or in movies. But when you think that you need to have an intervention for someone in real life, it’s very different. It’s not something entertaining, but a serious situation that is needed to help you convince your loved one to get help. Rushing into an intervention could be a mistake. Although you might have seen them in the media, that doesn’t mean you necessarily know about how to stage an intervention. The best thing to do is get some help so that you have someone to support you and your other family members or friends who will be there.

There are several people who could help to set up an intervention, including therapists, pastors, counselors, or other members of your community who might have experience with interventions. However, you can also consider a professional interventionist, whose job is to help facilitate interventions. They can assist with tasks relating to preparing for the intervention and help during the intervention too. Their role includes helping you to communicate with your loved one about their addiction but also extends beyond that into family education and more.

How to Find an Interventionist

Interventionists are professionals who are experts in interventions. Many of them are certified in some way or have credentials relating to their role. Even when looking at people with the right certifications, it’s a good idea to ensure you look for an interventionist who meets your specific needs.

A good place to start when looking for an interventionist is to see if you can get a referral. This might come from a medical professional, mental health service, or addiction treatment provider. The Association of Intervention Specialists (AIS) is also a good place to start. They have a list of credentialed members to help you find someone qualified. You can also look for interventionists who are board certified as a Certified Intervention Professional (CIP).

But what should you look for in an interventionist? The right interventionist for you will work with you and your family in a way that works for you. They should put you at ease and listen to your needs. There are different models and types of intervention available, and an experienced interventionist should work with you to ensure you come up with the most effective plan. They will spend time getting to know you and understanding your loved one so that they make the right choices.

Treatment Options for Addiction and Substance Abuse

An interventionist can help you to research treatment options before the intervention, as well as helping to set boundaries and consequences if treatment is not accepted. There are multiple treatment options available. These can include an initial detox process, outpatient treatment, and a more intensive outpatient option. Researching treatment options ahead of time can allow the individual receiving the intervention to head straight to the chosen treatment provider if possible.

Robert Alexander Center can help you with addiction treatment services. Contact us to find out more about our treatment programs.

Although addiction is a disease like any other, it still comes with some stigma. Unfortunately, addicts are still blamed for the disease and it’s seen as a moral failing on their part. This sort of attitude makes those dealing with addiction want to hide their habits. It also keeps them from seeking the treatment they so desperately need to turn their lives around.

If you’re dealing with addiction, the most important thing to do is admit you have a problem. The next step is looking for a suitable rehab center to receive addiction treatment. However, going to rehab might be difficult if you want to keep it under wraps.

There are many reasons why you’d not wish anyone to know you’re attending rehab. Maybe you’re a prominent person in the community and don’t want to put your reputation on the line. Perhaps you don’t want your friends or co-workers to know about it because they might start to look and treat you differently. Either way, you can’t afford to have people know about your addiction treatment.

Private Addiction Treatment in Kentucky

If you want to receive addiction treatment while still preserving your community reputation, you can opt for private rehab. Private addiction treatment is the ideal solution because it allows you to get treatment in an anonymous and private setting.

At the Robert Alexander Centre for recovery in Kentucky, we specialize in providing clients with private rehab treatment. Our facility and treatment programs are geared towards giving clients the utmost confidentiality to pursue their recovery.

Our rehab facility is designed to be welcoming and conducive to complement and encourage your recovery from addiction. We are situated in serene and tranquil surroundings, far from any distractions, thereby helping you and our other clients to focus on getting better.

We also have experienced medical personnel amongst our staff. These nurses and doctors provide medical assistance especially to those going through our detoxification program. Detox often comes with unpleasant withdrawal symptoms so our medical personnel is on hand to ensure you’re as comfortable as possible.

Additionally, we offer personalized addiction treatment programs, whether you opt for the residential program or the outpatient rehab. As part of our intensive outpatient program, we will conduct a pre-admission test to find out your treatment and recovery needs then come up with a treatment plan based on these needs.

Seek Treatment Today

Don’t let fear of running your community reputation stand in the way of receiving addiction treatment. Instead, choose to turn your life around by going for private rehab treatment. This way, you will still receive much-needed treatment while still preserving your reputation.

Get in touch with us at the Robert Alexander Center for recovery to get started on your addiction treatment and recovery journey.

It’s distressing to watch a loved one struggling with addiction. The situation is made worse if they are also dealing with a personality disorder at the same time. It can feel as though your loved one has become a stranger overnight.

A personality disorder is a type of mental health condition that can range from mild to severe. While there are different types of personality disorders, all of them result in individuals being unable to cope with life and often affect how they relate with others.

If your loved one is battling both addiction and a personality disorder, you may feel as though there’s no hope. The good news is that help is available for them as most addiction treatment centers these days have counselors who can assist addicts with personality disorders.

The Link Between Addiction and Personality Disorders

Here at the Robert Alexander Center for Recovery, we have counselors who are trained to help addicts who have a dual diagnosis. This means the addict has been diagnosed with a co-occurring mental health condition e.g. a personality disorder, in addition to their addiction.

It’s not uncommon to find those with addiction also dealing with personality disorders. This is because the latter causes far-reaching changes in an individual’s life and how they form relationships with others. As a result, the person might turn to alcohol or drugs to cover up their symptoms or to try and deal with the upheaval brought about by the personality disorder. Unfortunately, this ends up being a negative cycle that makes the person emotionally unstable and with erratic behavior.

To help such individuals, rehab facilities have to address both the addiction and personality disorder simultaneously. As soon as the person completes a detox program, they are assigned a personality disorder counselor as they move on to an intensive outpatient or an outpatient program. Only those with severe addiction or personality disorders are admitted to residential treatment programs.

Integrated treatment incorporates different treatment methods including:

• One-on-one counseling – the individual has to attend counseling sessions for both personality disorder and addiction.
• Behavioral therapy – this is the main method used to help those with personality disorders replace their negative thought patterns and behaviors with positive ones.
• Family therapy– the individual’s family has to be involved through a family therapy program where they’ll also undergo counseling as well as receive education on how to help and support their loved one’s treatment.
• Support groups – the client will need to build relationships with others who are undergoing similar situations and that’s where support groups come in handy.
• An aftercare program – treatment doesn’t end with discharge from a treatment program. We still follow up with the individual to ensure they stay on the recovery path.

If you or your loved one is battling addiction along with a personality disorder, don’t despair. Help is available at the Robert Alexander Center for Recovery in Kentucky. Reach out to us today and start getting the help you need to rebuild your life.

In 2019, over 70,000 people died of an overdose in the United States. A majority of those individuals overdose on synthetic opioids, like fentanyl. Though Naloxone is available to reverse an opioid overdose, it is not always successful with synthetic opioids like fentanyl because of the strength of the synthetic drug. 

In cases like this, where the statistics are so overwhelming and scary for both addicts and their loved ones, the best way to get immediate help is through a 24-hour treatment center near your location.

At the Robert Alexander Center, we offer around the clock care available to those in need. Our state-of-the-art treatment facility offers support for individuals struggling with drug, alcohol, and dual diagnosis disorders. Contact us today to see how our 24-hour treatment center near Mount Washington Kentucky can support you.

What Is a 24-Hour Treatment Center Near Me?

A “24-hour treatment center near me” is addiction treatment close to home. In a 24-hour treatment facility, medical professionals offer around the clock care and support to individuals struggling with addiction. Through this process they work to support and monitor individuals as they go through detoxification and then through either inpatient or outpatient treatment. 

24-hour treatment is available to those in need at the Robert Alexander Center. 

What Are the Benefits of Going to a 24-Hour Treatment Center?

There are many benefits of going to a 24-hour treatment center. They include dedicated support teams, a variety of individualized treatment options, and a safe environment.

Having a dedicated support team that you can become familiar and connect with is one of the most important parts of going to a 24-hour treatment center. Through this process clients can become familiar with and bond with staff. This bond can create an increased sense of safety and offers greater opportunities for sharing and caring treatment.

Another thing about 24-hour treatment centers is that there are more opportunities for treatment. In residential care, clinicians make individualized health and wellness plans for their clients. These address the specific needs of each client and work to support them through their struggles with addiction by addressing their mental, physical, and emotional needs.

Finally, 24-hour treatment centers can offer a safe and drug-free environment. For those trying to get clean, returning to the same environment that fostered addiction can lead to relapse or undue stress for the individual. By going to a residential or 24-hour treatment center, clients have the opportunity to grow and develop their self-management and positive coping skills before returning to an environment that may be stressful for them.

Choosing to go to a 24-hour treatment center, like the Robert Alexander Center, may seem like a difficult choice, but it is the best for your future.

How Can You Get Help With Addiction Today?

At the Robert Alexander Center, our goal is your health. We aim to support you through the mental, physical, and emotional turmoil that substance abuse can cause and provide you with the tools and time necessary for rehabilitation. 

Our 24-hour treatment center near Mount Washington, Kentucky provides multiple treatment options for substance abuse and dual diagnosis disorders. Our trained staff create individualized treatment plans that combine the traditional, evidence-based treatment that supports your mental health, with the alternative, creative therapies that speak to your soul. They also support your physical health with movement therapy like yoga, a nutritionist, and designated gym and recreation areas. 

Our comprehensive 24-hour treatment center is available to support you through the highs and lows of addiction treatment and rehabilitation. Available around the clock, our compassionate and knowledgeable staff can address your substance abuse needs.

If you are wondering whether or not it is time to go to residential alcohol treatment, the answer is probably yes.

Residential alcohol treatment can provide medically monitored and supported detoxification and addiction treatment in a functional and encouraging manner. Through residential alcohol treatment, individuals can learn coping skills and self-management skills to maintain sobriety. 

Residential alcohol treatment centers, like the Robert Alexander Center, are equipped to support and facilitate life-long recovery.

Is Alcohol Addictive?

The short answer, yes, alcohol is addictive. The long answer is much more complex. Every individual that drinks alcohol is not an addict. However, due to the addictive properties of alcohol, individuals can easily and even unknowingly become addicted. 

Factors like genetics, environment, and other mental health disorders can make the likelihood of becoming an addict more prevalent. Studies have shown that individuals who start drinking alcohol before the age of 15 have a higher likelihood of becoming an alcoholic. 

Knowing that alcohol is addictive, it is important to learn and maintain responsible drinking habits, like limiting alcohol consumption at one time, not drinking and driving, and knowing your personal limits.

Signs that a loved one may be drinking include, delayed responses, slurred speech, altered mood, increased risky behaviors, and lack of coordination. Individuals can even “black out” from drinking too much alcohol.

What Are the Signs of Alcoholism?

If you are concerned about yourself or a loved one, it is important to know the signs of alcoholism. 

MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, created the following list, indicating that if you respond ‘yes’ to two or more of the following indicators, you may have an alcohol use disorder. 

In the past year, have you

• Ended up drinking more or for a longer time than you had planned to?
• Wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn’t?
• Spent a lot of your time drinking or recovering from drinking?
• Felt a strong need to drink?
• Found that drinking – or being sick from drinking – often interfered with your family life, job, or school?
• Keep drinking even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?
• Given up or cut back on activities that you enjoyed just so you could drink?
• Gotten into dangerous situations while drinking or after drinking? Some examples are driving drunk and having unsafe sex.
• Kept drinking even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious? Or when it was adding to another health problem?
• Had to drink more and more to feel the effects of the alcohol?
• Had withdrawal symptoms when the alcohol was wearing off? They include trouble sleeping, shakiness, irritability, anxiety, depression, restlessness, nausea, and sweating. In severe cases, you could have a fever, seizures, or hallucinations.

Alcoholism is a mental health disorder that impacts over 15 million people in the United States. In fact, a 2017 study by JAMA Psychiatry indicated that 1 in 8 adults may be an alcoholic. Additionally, 95,000 people die per year due to alcohol-related causes. 

How Do You Know When It’s Time to Go to Residential Alcohol Treatment?

If you feel that alcohol is controlling your life, it may be time for residential alcohol treatment. Individuals who participate in residential alcohol treatment are less likely to relapse based on the skills and support received while in residential alcohol treatment. 

Residential alcohol treatment is medically monitored and all individual, group, and family therapy can be completed in a safe, drug- and alcohol-free environment. 

Residential alcohol treatment is also especially beneficial for those suffering from a dual diagnosis disorder in which alcohol use is prevalent. In a residential alcohol treatment center, individuals can access support for their substance abuse and additional mental health needs in a controlled and structured environment.

Can Robert Alexander Center Support My Needs?

The Robert Alexander Center is a comprehensive addiction treatment center supporting individuals through residential alcohol treatment. Our state-of-the-art addiction treatment therapy, combined with our compassionate care, create a healing environment where our clients can focus on personal mental, physical, and emotional health. 

Contact the Robert Alexander Center today to see how our residential alcohol treatment can support you on the path to recovery.

Addiction, it’s a heartbreaking experience for the families who discover their loved ones suffering from it, and sometimes it can feel as if it’s a helpless situation. For some, it may feel as if they can’t do anything to help the ones they love. Others will try their best to help but find the experience frustrating or overwhelming. No matter what side of the struggle you’re on, it’s worth getting help for your loved ones. 

It might feel as if you’re failing when things get tough, but sweeping things under the rug won’t make things any less hard, and out of sight and out of mind will only lead to you losing the one you love even more to their addiction. Remember: 

• You don’t have to do this alone. 
• When in doubt, ask a physician. 
• Take care of yourself too. 
• Knowledge is power. 

If you’re looking for a way to get help for a loved one, here a few things you can do:

Keep Offering Your Support to Them 

It can be overwhelming when you’re trying to help someone with addiction, and it can be even worse if you’re trying to help someone who doesn’t seem to want your help. But, You must keep giving them your support. Even if they tell you they don’t want or need it. Giving them your support shows them that you care about them and will have their back even if they aren’t ready to accept your help. Remember that giving them your support doesn’t mean enabling them. Talk to your loved ones about your concerns, and let them know that you are with them on their journey to recovery. 

Take Care of Your Well-being Too

Helping someone with an addiction can be stressful and emotionally draining at times. So, you must remember to take care of yourself, so you don’t become overwhelmed and stressed. You won’t be any help to anyone if you’re emotionally drained. It helps to talk to someone about your worries and concerns. If you find yourself getting stressed, it helps to try stress management strategies. You can also get in touch with a mental health professional who may be able to give you advice on how to manage your mental health.  

Educate Yourself About Their Addiction 

Addiction is a disease, and the more you know about it, the best chance you have of learning how to beat it. Fortunately, we live in a world of information, which means you can access information on treatments, rehab centers, and mental health specialists. However, it is easy to miss things. If you aren’t sure what to look for, you can find a list of symptoms to particular addictions, so you’re aware of any changes. Most importantly, it is okay to ask for help in dealing with their addiction. You won’t find everything online, so calling a rehab center or physician can always help shine a light on what you’ll need to help. 

Get Help

Addiction is a complex issue and is something that needs to be handled with care. It’s a long road to recovery, and it is a lot to do on your own. But you don’t have to. There are rehabilitation centers that can help. All you need to do is ask to get your loved ones to get the help they need. 

Wondering how addictive methamphetamine is? The answer is simple: Methamphetamine is very addictive, and if you use it regularly for even a short period of time, you could end up with addiction before you even know what is happening.

So many people who come to us for treatment have been quickly caught up in addiction. They start out by using it recreationally for an extra buzz at parties, but pretty soon they’re seeking it out more and more often, and they can’t stop.

This is not at all surprising because methamphetamine causes the body to build up a tolerance. When this happens, the person using the drug needs to take more and more of it to get as high as they did last time, which means they can very quickly get to a point where their usage is out of control. Many people will resort to eating, smoking, or even injecting meth in a bid to get a faster, stronger high, which is not a good position to be in.

Many individuals who attempt to quit methamphetamine use will experience various symptoms of withdrawal, which can be extremely uncomfortable, and which may include the following:

• Being extremely fatigued but unable to sleep (or get enough sleep)
• Depression
• Nervousness
• Anxiety
• Intense methamphetamine cravings

If you have tried to quit your methamphetamine habit, but you have been unable to do so, and/or you have experienced any of the symptoms above, it is likely that you have developed a methamphetamine addiction, and you will most likely need support to overcome your addiction.

What are the impacts of methamphetamine addiction on your body?

When you are addicted to methamphetamine, your body may undergo a number of changes, including the following:

In the short-term

If you are using methamphetamine, in the short term, you may notice the following effects on your body:

• Low or no appetite
• Intense alertness and activity
• Irregular heartbeat
• Faster than usual heart rate
• High blood pressure
• Unusually high temperature
• An attention boost
• Euphoria

In the long-term

If you continue to use methamphetamine and become addicted, the impact on your body could be as  follows:

• Addiction
• Rapid and extreme weight loss
• Insomnia
• Mood swings and violent behavior
• Extreme dental issues including tooth decay, also known as meth mouth
• Psychotic episodes where you see and hear things that are not real
• Sores and extremely itchy skin
• Memory loss
• Emotional issues
• Brain fog
• Extreme paranoia

As you can see, when casual meth use becomes an addiction, the impact on your body can be severe and long-lasting, even after you have given up your use of the substance, which is why you should, if you can, stop before you are addicted, and get help as soon as possible if you think you may already have developed an addiction.

Impacts of Methamphetamine Addiction on Your Brain

All drugs act on the brain and change the way it works. They do this by changing how nerve cells communicate with each other. Nerve cells, or neurons, send out messages to one another via the release of chemicals known as neurotransmitters which direct our behavior. They do this by attaching to a type of neuron known as receptors.

There are various neurotransmitters in the body, but it is dopamine which is usually responsible for addictions because it reinforces the cravings your brain has for pleasurable experiences, whether that be eating a piece of chocolate, checking your social media account, or taking a drug like methamphetamine.

When you take methamphetamine regularly, it can cause havoc to your brain’s dopamine system, reducing the amount of pleasure you are able to get from everyday activities like eating cake or exercising, as well as the high you get from the drug itself. This can lead to you building up a tolerance to the drug, which means you will have to take more of it each time to get the same level of high you are used to. This is how addictions happen, and why you should seek help as soon as possible. 

How can The Robert Alexander Center for Recovery Help?

If you, or someone you care about, is struggling with a methamphetamine addiction, and you want to get help, we offer a number of inpatient and intensive outpatient treatment options, which include monitored detoxification from the drug.

Friendly and compassionate, we use evidence-based techniques to support you through the detoxification process both physically and mentally. If you want to get well, get in touch with us and we will do everything in our power to help.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 23 million Americans are dealing with a substance abuse problem. Of the 23 million, only roughly 10 percent are getting some form of help because they can afford it somehow.

And even then, that number is enough to fund and support the almost $20 billion industry. Unfortunately, substance abuse is no respecter of persons or age, and the treatment costs are prohibitive. This is why many parents are currently in dire straits right now.

Addiction treatment costs are barely affordable even when you’re working full time and have a considerable income. Not to mention now that you’re retired, and living off your retirement income. Retirees who have to find ways to foot the bills for their child’s substance, often struggle because of the overwhelming costs. 

So what can you do to get your child the treatment that they need?

Check for Financing Options

Some addiction treatment centers have financing options for people who require it. This way, you can schedule a monthly payment that’s more affordable. Financing makes the cost of rehab bearable and doesn’t decimate your finances. 

The downside is that these financing options are somewhat like loans, so you’ll have to pay interest on the payment on a month-to-month basis. If you don’t mind this option, then financing the treatment costs is definitely a good option.

Seek Rehab Clinics With Sliding Scale Payment Plans

Most people assume that private rehab clinics are usually out of reach for individuals with a meager income. Not so. Most centers have a sliding scale program for those who cannot afford the total cost of their top-tier programs. 

They may also have different programs like detox, psychotherapy or the use of medications. Private and public rehab centers are often open to working out something with you regardless of your current financial situation. 

The thing is you may need to explain your particular financial situation. When you do, they’ll check to see if they can work something out with you. If they can, they’ll let you know. If not, they may be able to refer you to a substance abuse treatment clinic that can work with you.

Use Health Insurance

If you have health insurance, see if you can pay for the treatment from there. Most rehab centers will take health insurance if the plan covers the specific treatment. Health insurance might be able to cover part or all of the addiction treatment costs. 

Most rehab clinics allow for this and will bill your insurance provider directly. It takes away a lot of the stress from you. Just make sure to talk to your provider about the limits of your health insurance policy. Most health insurance policies provide coverage for a ward or select beneficiaries of their client. 

Some Extra Financing Tips

If the options listed above don’t work, you can explore the free or low-cost addiction treatment options like outpatient treatment. They’re not usually as intense as private rehab clinics, but they can provide some help –always better than not doing anything at all. 

You can also seek alternative funding sources like setting up a crowdfunding campaign. No one likes airing their dirty laundry, but you can’t afford to be ashamed when you need help. Also, consider selling some stuff that you’re not really using to raise cash.  

For years, drug use has been treated as a crime rather than a medical condition, in spite of medics and other professionals having stated that addiction and substance abuse is something that needs to be treated as opposed to penalised. On top of this, it has become apparent that the penalisation of drug use is inequitable across individuals of different races. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted all sorts of societal issues, including societal issues regarding disparities in the treatment of health and wellbeing between different races. Black Americans have experienced notably worse consequences of the virus during the pandemic and have continued to die at a greater rate than White Americans in regards to the illness. Alongside this, they have also suffered disproportionately from a whole variety of associated acute and chronic illnesses. An area in which these disparities are particularly apparent is  the aforementioned area of substance use and substance use disorders. It is apparent that social stigma and punitive approaches have resulted in Black individuals not being able to find the appropriate medical care to treat their condition. Though addiction is a medical condition that can be treated, a mass of data has shown that Black people and other communities of color have struggled with this condition being seen as a character flaw or as a form of social deviance. Sadly, drug addiction continues to be criminalized and treatment and recovery are suffering as a result of this.

Inequitable Enforcement

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the enforcement of drug use laws against White individuals and Black individuals is inequitable. While levels of drug use don’t really differ between White and Black people, the legal consequences that are placed upon these individuals are very different. A 2018 study showed that while cannabis use tends to be similar between Black and White people, Black people were nearly four times more likely to be arrested for possession. While African American and Latino individuals only account for one quarter of the US population, of the 277,000 people imprisoned nationwide for a drug offense in 2013, more than half (56 percent) were individuals of these races.

Drug misuse follows a similar pattern. If we take a look at the opioid crisis, arrests for heroin massively exceeded the number of arrests for prescription opioids. Something to note? Prescription opioids were more widely misused, but were more commonly used by White people. During the 1980s, more harsh penalties were given to those found using crack cocaine (more commonly used in communities of colour) than powder cocaine (more commonly used by White individuals), despite both being the same form of drug.

Ineffective Punishment

While it’s becoming increasingly apparent that penalising drug use doesn’t reduce drug use or prevent drug use, the government still implements laws to criminalise those with substance abuse issues, disorders and related problems. The nonsensical nature of this is highlighted by a stud carried out by the Pew Charitable Trusts, which found that there is absolutely no statistically significant relationship between state drug imprisonment rates and the three main indicators of state drug problems. These indicators are self-reported drug use, drug overdose deaths and drug arrests.  

Imprisonment of any kind, whether it was originally a charge for drug use or a charge for any other unrelated offense, has also been found to result in an individual engaging with drugs and they also gain a significantly increased risk of experiencing drug overdose upon their release. Believe it or not, more than half of all people in prison have been found to have some sort of untreated substance use disorder. As well as this, misuse of medication and use of illegal drugs is also seen to increase when people leave prison. As we can see, imprisonment only worsens the problem, rather than rectifying it.

An Alternative Approach To Addiction

So, how should we treat drug use and prescription drug misuse within our societies? The answer is to stop penalising addiction and to start treating it medically instead! Seeing as it is a medical condition, this is only logical. While people say that this may take a long time, seeing as the process would require the decriminalisation of drug use, which is a legal process, the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted just how quickly governing bodies can implement legal change if they want to. The drug crisis is just that – a crisis. So, there’s no reason that changes can’t be made quickly in a bid to save people’s lives and increase public health.

Of course, there’s a whole lot more to know on this subject. But hopefully, some of the information highlighted above has helped to show the seriousness of the drug problem within this country, the negative effects its treatment is having on citizens – particularly those of minority communities – and the ineffectiveness of the current process, which involves criminalisation and punishment as opposed to effective treatment.