America’s Youths Following Parent’s Footsteps to Alcohol Rehab Center

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Womens Drug Rehab

Alcohol rehab centers need to prepare for the next generation of alcoholics as a study reveals that more than one in ten kids in the United States is living with a parent with an alcohol addiction. The research team at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that during the years of 2005 to 2010, over 10 percent of the country’s minor population was living with a parent who was abusing alcohol during any given year. This is incredibly worrisome as any addiction treatment specialist at any quality alcohol rehab center will tell you that children exposed to addiction in their home will be increasingly likely to develop a host of mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, not to mention being four times as likely to develop an addiction of their own.

What Alcoholism In the Home Can Do to Children

Children can almost be considered our little army of observers. When we think no one is watching, we forget how often that our children actually are. They’re young, inexperienced and wildly impressionable. They look to us for guidance on how they’re supposed to live their life. We serve as their example. And as anyone who’s ever spent any time in an alcohol rehab center will tell you, without realizing, we can let them down. Our alcoholism will affect each child in their own way, but emotional struggles and inner turmoil is common. It’s so common because they have all of these questions and feelings arising in them, but they cannot go to their parents for support or guidance in how to address them. Destination Hope, a Florida alcohol rehab center will advise signs and symptoms to look for to assist the child living with an alcoholic parent below, but before that, The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry tells us the most common feelings the children of alcoholics struggle with include:

Guilt- The child may see themselves as the cause of their parent’s drinking.
Anxiety- The child may worry constantly about the situation at home including that the parent may become sick or injured or fear fights and violence between the parents.
Embarrassment- Parents may give the child the message that there is a terrible secret at home. The ashamed child in turn doesn’t invite friends over and is afraid to ask anyone for help. The more hush-hush the problem is, the less likely the alcoholic parent will get themselves to an alcohol rehab center.
Inability to have close relationships- The fact that the child has been disappointed by their alcohol abusing parent so many times, they begin to lose trust in others.
Confusion- The demeanor of the alcoholic parent can change suddenly from loving to angry, regardless of the child’s behavior. No regular routines and structure, which are incredibly important to a child can exist because bedtimes and mealtimes are constantly in flux.
Anger- The child feels anger at the alcoholic parent for drinking, any may feel anger at the non-alcoholic parent for lack of support and protection.
Depression- The child feels lonely and helpless to change the situation.

Florida Alcohol Rehab Center

Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is a premier alcohol rehab center for women in Florida. If you are struggling with alcoholism and have a child at home, we implore you as a parent to seek treatment for your addiction before the implications of your illness can have a devastating effect on your child. Behaviors including failure in school, withdrawal from classmates, delinquent behavior like stealing, aggression towards other children, risk taking behaviors and depression are all signs that your child is already being affected by your drinking and getting yourself to an alcohol rehab center is more critical than ever. It’s not too late to become that positive role model for your child you always wanted to be. Call the kind folks at Destination Hope at 1-866-808-7111 and we’ll show you how.

Understanding Postpartum Depression

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Womens Drug Rehab

Postpartum depression is defined by the National Library of Medicine as moderate to severe depression in a woman after she has given birth. It may occur soon after delivery or up to a year later. Most of the time, it occurs within the first three months following delivery. A new baby can bring an influx of emotions and a whirlwind of unfamiliar feelings into the household, especially for the mother. Many new moms will experience mood swings and crying spells after giving birth, but those are quite common and usually go away on their own and shouldn’t cause concern. Postpartum depression is different than these common, fleeting episodes though, even though it can look similar at first. While the baby blues don’t need much care to fade away, postpartum depression can be a bit more complicated, and in severe cases when left untreated, downright dangerous.

Signs of Postpartum Depression

The first thing to know about postpartum depression is of course, what are the symptoms? How can you tell if you or a loved one is suffering from it? Some of the common signs of postpartum depression are as follows:

Loss of appetite
Insomnia
Intense irritability and anger
Overwhelming fatigue
Loss of interest in sex
Lack of joy in life
Feelings of shame, guilt or inadequacy
Severe mood swings
Difficulty bonding with the baby
Withdrawal from family and friends
Thoughts of harming yourself or the baby

Like most illnesses, the earlier you seek treatment for your postpartum depression, the simpler it is to get a handle on. Untreated postpartum depression can last up to a year or longer not to mention can cause a host of complications for the baby and mother alike, so it’s definitely not one of those things you want to ignore or be too proud to admit you’re struggling with. It’s just not worth it. Especially in light of the fact that with proper treatment, postpartum depression usually goes away in just a few months.

Are Some Women More At Risk for Postpartum Depression?

Yes, some women are more at risk than others. Risk factors that increase the chance of developing postpartum depression include a history of depression either in the pregnant woman or in her family, a history of substance abuse, stressful environmental factors, and being depressed during pregnancy. These factors don’t necessarily mean that you will develop postpartum depression, but if you or a woman you care about have increased risks, it’s a good idea to educate yourself and pay close attention for signs and symptoms after childbirth.

Treatment of Postpartum Depression

After postpartum depression has been diagnosed by a medical professional, traditional treatment of counseling and in certain cases medication can begin. Counseling is often found very helpful by women suffering from postpartum depression as it can teach them new, healthier ways to process and channel their feelings and emotions as well as coping strategies when they’re feeling stressed or upset. Antidepressants are also proven to work for the treatment of postpartum depression, but it is important to note that these drugs will pass to your baby through your breast milk if you intend on breast-feeding. That said, there are a few antidepressants available today with minimal risk of side effects to the baby so be sure to discuss these options with your doctor if this is a route you’re interesting in taking.

Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is a Joint Commission accredited dual diagnosis substance abuse treatment center in Florida for women. If you are struggling with postpartum depression and substance abuse, you are not the first woman to do so and you certainly will not be the last. Please call our caring counselors today at 1-866-808-7111 to help get you on a healthier track for you and your baby’s sake. You’re both worth it.

To learn more about postpartum depression, visit the US Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health.

Why You Should Choose A Gender Specific Women’s Drug Rehab

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Womens Drug Rehab

Women’s drug rehab and women’s alcohol rehab first and foremost needs to represent a safe, worry-free place for women to heal. If you don’t feel safe in your environment, then there is about a zero percent chance that you’ll feel comfortable enough to open up and be vulnerable, which are core essentials when it comes to substance abuse treatment. Trust is key, and without feelings of safety and security trust simply cannot happen. Keeping in mind the sheer number of women who developed substance abuse issues as a result of traumatic experiences with men like child abuse or sexual assault, it is just not realistic to think that a group of drug and alcohol addicted females could ever feel as safe and comfortable in a co-ed treatment environment as they will in a strict gender controlled women’s drug rehab.

That’s the first issue. The second falls along similar lines but goes a little deeper than the threat of physical safety. And this is the very honest truth that men and women are not truly themselves in mixed-gender environments. It goes against our DNA. Men will traditionally always want to be found impressive by women just as women will traditionally always want to be found desirable by men. With all of these ulterior motives burned into our genetics at work, it’s unreasonable to think that individuals are capable of consciously ignoring all of those distractions in any environment other than women’s drug rehab or men’s drug rehab.

Take those genetics and add fuel to the fire with the fact that individuals who enter treatment are typically in pain. A member of the opposite sex could distract them from their pain and bring pleasure into their life. A great idea, right? Wrong! Entering into any sort of emotional or physical relationship with another while in treatment only means that you’re not giving yourself all of the focus and attention your recovery deserves, and the fact that it will probably be short lived. Women’s drug rehab is not supposed to be a torturous experience by any stretch of the word but it’s also not supposed to be an overtly pleasurable one. There is a lot of serious work that needs to be done here that simply cannot and will not be done if you’re distracted by the opposite sex.

The final main issue at play in why gender specific women’s drug rehab is so critical is because there are a myriad of health issues that predominantly affect women, and a treatment facility needs to be cognizant of them and cater specifically to them. These include but are not limited to eating disorders, sexual abuse and battery and postpartum depression. A rehab that caters to both men and women will never be able to give these specific women’s health issues the time and attention they need. Since they all can have a monumental impact on an individual’s sobriety, making them a priority is a must.

Women’s Drug Rehab in Florida

Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is the premier women’s drug rehab in Florida specializing in the treatment of alcoholism, drug addiction and dual diagnosis disorders. If there’s a woman in your life who could benefit from the female needs-based focused treatment of our staff, please don’t hesitate to contact us today at 866-808-7111. We pride ourselves on providing the safe, nurturing environment you need to heal.