Expanded Family Therapy Program

The staff at Destination Hope has always prided themselves on having one of the best family therapy programs around. That said, it’s about to get even better. Currently, Destination Hope provides group family therapy every week and individual family therapy which is as often as needed. But in a couple of months, they will also be offering family weekends! What that entails is having a pre-determined amount of client’s families with us over the weekend. In order to be eligible for a family weekend, clients must be clinically appropriate, emotionally stable, sober, motivated and have family that is interested in actively participating in their treatment.

The family therapy weekends will be rather intense. The therapists will talk to the family about their loved one without the addict present and address the good, the bad and the ugly. They’ll discuss what the process for the weekend is and what everyone, therapist, family and client hopes to accomplish at the end. Group family therapy shows up in many forms in family weekends: group process therapy, group within a group, even separate group therapy just for the moms, dads, siblings, clients etc.

The purpose of the different types of family therapy is to teach all the members of the family about active listening and how to improve their communication with one another. Here, the family will re-enact their family of origin and sibling relationships in an attempt to shed some light on some of the larger issues that are affecting everyone that need to be worked on. The family needs to learn to heal themselves as a unit and then work on how to move forward as one, rather than falling back into old habits which perpetuate the past, bad behavior and outcomes.

Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is a Joint Commission accredited drug, alcohol and dual diagnosis treatment facility in Florida for women with substance abuse issues. We firmly believe that the client with the best chance of beating their addiction is the client who’s family is engaged and recovered before they have. When the family is setting the example, doing the work, changing their perception, communication and behaviors, the attitude and environment is completely different than the one the addict previously used in, and that can make all the difference in the world. If you have any questions about Destination Hope’s family therapy programs, give us a call today at 1-866-808-7111 and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Common Types of Sleeping Disorders

Insomnia- This is one of the most common sleeping disorders reported. Insomnia is essentially the inability to get enough sleep so that you wake up feeling refreshed and energized. Insomnia is very often a symptom of an underlying issue like excess stress and anxiety.

Sleep Apnea- This sleeping disorder is also common and is easily detectable as the individual suffering from it stops breathing periodically during their sleep due to blockage of the upper airways. The interruptions in breathing cause the sufferer to wake up several times during the night and usually leave them tired throughout the following day.

Treatment for Sleeping Disorders

Our society as a whole is having trouble sleeping. Whether it’s due to excess stress and anxiety or other mental health conditions or a physical ailment, more and more people in the United States are visiting their doctors every day complaining of sleeping disorders. The trouble is that physicians are prescribing medication like Ambien and other mind-altering drugs like it that have an alarmingly high rate of abuse and addiction. So, what is an individual suffering from a sleeping disorder to do when they don’t want to risk getting hooked on an addictive sleeping pill?

Non-Medication Techniques- There are many behavioral changes that people can make that actually have a profound effect on sleeping disorders, and many of these changes are small. For example, going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning will help your body get into a rhythm. Not doing anything stressful a few hours before bed will allow your mind to relax. Not eating for a few hours before bed will allow your body to relax as it doesn’t have to perform the functions of digesting food. Exercising during the day is also incredibly beneficial for treating sleeping disorders. Turning off all electronics including televisions, smartphones and computers several hours before bed is also crucial as their bright display screens actually stimulate the brain making it harder for you to fall asleep.

Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is a full service drug, alcohol and dual diagnosis treatment facility for women in South Florida. We have seen countless women end up on our doorsteps as a result of going to their doctors and complaining of sleeping disorders, not realizing that they were being prescribed highly addictive sedatives. This is a serious problem that the specialists at Destination Hope want to help you solve. If you have a loved one who’s become dependent on sleep medication, please put her in contact with us today at 1-866-808-7111.

While the larger media campaign is focused on how being a mentor especially benefits the youth of America, we at Destination Hope: The Women’s Program wanted to fine tune the message a bit with regard to how valuable the role of mentoring plays in the realm of substance abuse treatment and prevention.

Why Is Having & Being a Mentor Important to Recovery?

Let’s start with the more obvious of the two which is having a mentor. Having a mentor is critical when navigating one’s way through addiction recovery. Here is an individual to guide and support you through your efforts who has been through everything you’re going through before and more importantly come out the other side. Having someone to relate to, look up to and model your recovery efforts after can prove to be invaluable. Many struggle with understanding why being a mentor to someone battling addiction can be beneficial to their own recovery. Well, take a look at all of recovering addicts who decide their time is best spent working and volunteering with newcomers at substance abuse treatment facilities. For starters, nothing will remind you of how hard you fought to recover from your addiction like mentoring someone in the thick of their fight. It can actually serve as a very prominent part of one’s relapse prevention plan. Constant reminders of where you don’t want to go back to can absolutely bolster your own recovery efforts. Many former addicts also feel happy and fulfilled by “paying it forward” to honor the individuals who served as a mentor to them when they were in treatment.

Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is a full service drug, alcohol and dual diagnosis treatment facility for women in Florida that celebrates the proud tradition of mentorship. If there’s a woman in your life in need of the guidance and support, please don’t hesitate to put her in contact with the kind folks at Destination Hope today at 1-866-808-7111. Only by investing in others can we truly invest in our future.

Christina Ricci recently opened up to entertainment television show “The Talk” and discussed her personal battle with the eating disorder and how she credits the anorexia treatment she received with helping her to recover from it. She mentioned how fortunate she was that she was able to receive treatment very early on and what an impact it had. “Well, I was lucky. I only really suffered from it for about a year and a half. I was put into therapy very quickly, so I was able to overcome it,” Ricci said.

Why Do Individuals Develop Anorexia?

People often make the mistake of thinking that anorexia is centered around food. Anorexia is in fact an extremely dangerous and unhealthy way a portion of the population attempts to cope with emotional problems. Many sufferers will starve themselves in an effort to exert some control in their life or to relieve certain tensions or anger. But the end result is always the same. People with anorexia equate thinness with feelings of self-worth. If they’re not thin then they’re worthless so they’ll resort to extreme measures to try and become it.

Christina Ricci was asked as a former anorexia sufferer what advice she’d give to young girls currently battling the disorder. Her reply signifies how important a role anorexia treatment played in her ability to move past the illness. “I would say that if you feel like you are starting to obsess too much about the way you look, then definitely get some kind of therapy or help very quickly. Because that can just grow into an obsession that you can’t control,” she said. An obsession that often leads anorexics down the path of substance abuse. Drug abuse especially is quite common among individuals with anorexia, sometimes being the catalyst for the eating disorder but more often coming as a result. Cocaine, speed and methamphetamine are often abused by people with anorexia looking to suppress their appetite and speed up their metabolism. Addiction is just the natural progression.

Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is the premier drug, alcohol and dual diagnosis treatment facility for women with substance abuse issues in South Florida. If there’s a woman in your life who is abusing drugs and alcohol as a result of co-occurring anorexia, it is imperative you put her in contact with the counselors at Destination Hope today. Their highly specialized dual diagnosis substance abuse and anorexia treatment can put you back in the driver’s seat of your life. Don’t be a passenger to substance abuse and eating disorders any longer. Call us today at 1-866-808-7111 so we can help.

Definition of Alcoholism

Alcoholism is diagnosed by the US National Library of Medicine as someone who has “signs of physical addiction to alcohol and continues to drink, despite problems with physical health, mental health, and social, family or job responsibilities. Alcohol may control your life and relationships.” Pregnancy absolutely falls into the category of a physical health issue that many women with alcohol problems continue to drink in spite of because they haven’t undergone successful alcoholism treatment. It’s no different than women with drug addictions who continue to abuse substances throughout their pregnancy simply because they don’t know how to stop.

There has often been confusion centered on what constitutes “safe” amounts of alcohol for a pregnant woman to consume. Historically, researchers have thought that light drinking during pregnancy wouldn’t pose a serious risk to the mother or child, but excessive drinking should always be avoided. What we have just learned however is that there is no such thing as any safe amount of alcohol, especially during the first trimester. This new finding is critical to all women who currently suffer from alcoholism and are in their child-bearing years. A study recently completed by the University of California at San Diego just reported that “for every one additional drink the mothers consumed between their 43^rd and 84^th days of pregnancy, their babies had a 16 percent greater chance of being born smaller than average, which may put them at greater risk for mental and physical problems. Their infants were also more likely to have birth defects.” This makes things especially challenging in light of the fact that over 50 percent of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, and therefore many women don’t even realize they’re pregnant until the end of their first trimester, and are therefore unaware that they need to stop consuming alcohol.

If you or a loved one suffering from alcoholism is trying to have a baby or has found herself pregnant, it is absolutely imperative that you get in contact with the experts at Destination Hope immediately to begin your alcoholism treatment. Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is a full service drug and alcohol addiction treatment facility for women in Florida. Having a baby should be a joyful, uplifting time in the life of a woman. Don’t allow that experienced to become threatened because you couldn’t stop drinking. Call us today at 1-866-808-7111 so we can start working on your recovery plan tonight.

Mental health conditions like depression and anxiety disorders from which Locklear has suffered have a long and sordid history with drug and alcohol abuse. The co-occurring disorders of depression, anxiety and substance abuse are so commonly found together that it is now common practice for doctors to screen patients for substance abuse if they have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and vice versa. Any quality drug rehab for women must be well staffed and prepared to handle the dual diagnosis patients as they require a special kind of care in order to recover from their issues. Since mental health disorders and substance abuse problems are so intertwined and have a very direct impact on one another, treatment will not be successful if they are treated separately, one at a time. Both of the conditions must be treated simultaneously if they are to have any real hope of being effective.

Heather Locklear should serve as a real life example to women across America that addiction can happen to anyone, regardless of stature. Even someone who to outsiders seems like the world is her oyster can suffer from this terrible disease and need the support of a drug rehab for women to recover from it. Depression and anxiety disorders just like alcoholism and drug addiction can also happen to anyone and cross all walks of life. If you or another woman in your life is feeling the effects of any of these illnesses, you do not need to suffer alone.

Florida Drug Rehab for Women

Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is the premier alcohol and drug rehab for women in Florida. Our knowledgeable and caring addiction treatment specialists have an extensive background in the treatment of the co-occurring disorders of substance abuse and mental health conditions and can provide you the support you need to recover from whatever ails you. At Destination Hope, we pride ourselves on being aware of the unique issues that pertain to women and providing an environment that caters directly to them. Our focus is centered entirely on the individual and all of our clients receive a personalized treatment plan designed solely for them. If you or a loved one could benefit from the specialized care at Destination Hope, give us a call today at 1-866-808-7111. The rest of your life is waiting.

PTSD and Women

PTSD is twice as likely to affect a woman as it is a man. While we can’t be 100 percent certain as to why that is, the main culprits agreed upon by scientists are the following:

• Women are more likely than men to experience a sexual assault
• Sexual assault is more likely to cause PTSD than many other traumatic events
• Women may be more likely to blame themselves for traumatic events they experience than men

PTSD Treatment

The goal of PTSD treatment is to help the sufferer alleviate their symptoms by dealing with and oftentimes fleshing out the details of the traumatic event experienced with a knowledgeable therapist. Many individuals who experience PTSD will try and avoid any and all reminders of what happened to them as it brings on the symptoms. PTSD treatment does the exact opposite. Treatment usually involves the individual recalling and processing the emotions and sensations experienced during the event in great detail, giving the sufferer their first opportunity to really explore their thoughts and feelings about the event. It then provides an arena to discuss those feelings and work through some of the issues of guilt, self-blame and mistrust that often accompany the condition.

After some of the feelings of the event are worked through, PTSD treatment will then teach you valuable tools on how to cope with and control intrusive memories of the traumatic event and will also provide an avenue to discuss how certain aspects of your life and relationships have been affected by the disorder. The primary purpose of PTSD treatment is to give the sufferer the sense of control back over their life by minimizing the damage that the memory of the event can cause.

One of the most common after effects of a woman experiencing PTSD is substance abuse. Women will often turn to drugs and alcohol to try and numb the pain and lingering feelings associated with the traumatic event they endured. Subsequent addictions and dependencies sprout up every day as a result of untreated PTSD.

Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is a Joint Commission accredited drug, alcohol and dual diagnosis treatment facility for women in South Florida with substance abuse issues and the plethora of other conditions that come along with them. Our counselors are very well trained in PTSD treatment and co-occurring substance abuse problems and can help put you back in charge of your life. If you or a loved one has begun abusing drugs or alcohol in an effort to cope with the symptoms of PTSD, please get in contact with us today at 1-866-808-7111. You don’t have to live another day in fear. Call us today so we can help.

When the Sexual Abuse Comes First

Sexual abuse is defined by the American Psychological Association as unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators using force, making threats or taking advantage of victims not able to give consent. Sexual abuse falls under the category of trauma, and people who have undergone a serious trauma such as sexual assault often experience high levels of stress as well as other severe psychological implications as a result of the abuse. It is unfortunately common that drugs and alcohol be utilized by these individuals in an attempt to cope with the pain and stress of what happened to them. When someone is abusing drugs or alcohol in an attempt to block out a painful part of their past, it’s plain to see how easily an addiction can develop as a result.

When the Substance Abuse Comes First

According to the Center for Disease Control, there is a group of behaviors that increase an individual’s risk in becoming a victim of sexual abuse. Substance abuse is very high on that list. For example, when a person is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, immediately their ability to make decisions is impaired and they can be unable to give their consent. Estimates of sexual assault victims being under the influence of alcohol at the time of their attack ranges from 30 percent all the way up to 79 percent. Women who drink are considerably more likely to be victims of sexual abuse than women who do not. This is thought to be due to the perpetrator’s perception of women who drink as being more vulnerable to their attacks than women who do not.

Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is a Joint Commission accredited drug, alcohol and dual diagnosis facility in Florida for women with substance abuse issues. Being that sexual assault largely targets women who abuse drugs and alcohol, if you have a substance abuse problem, you are unwittingly putting yourself at a much greater risk for becoming a victim of such an assault. Do yourself a favor and get clean. Destination Hope can help. If you are woman who started abusing drugs or alcohol in an ill-fated attempt to escape the mental anguish and horrors from experiencing such an attack, Destination Hope can help you too. Their recovery experts specialize in teaching women how to take back control of their lives from addiction as well as all any trauma or other co-occurring illnesses that come along with it. If there is a woman in your life who could benefit from the concentrated care of Destination Hope, please put her in contact with us today at 1-866-808-7111. You may just be saving her life.

The Parallels of Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse

Domestic violence and substance abuse have many things in common. For example, both have a way of infecting people’s lives without prejudice. All races, walks of life, socioeconomic classes, education levels and age groups are affected by domestic violence. Much like addiction, domestic violence usually begins very slowly and then gets progressively worse in terms of frequency and severity. Domestic violence and substance abuse both affect the entire family and often result in social isolation. Finally, involved parties of both typically deny the existence of a problem altogether.

While men can without question be on the receiving end of domestic violence, women experience it at a much greater rate. In America, a woman is beaten every 15 seconds. It’s estimated that three million children witness their mothers being beaten every year. Again, like children who witness their parents abusing drugs or alcohol, they learn through observation and assume it’s an acceptable way to behave. That said, children who witness a parent being assaulted by their spouse can begin to think that it is an acceptable tactic to take when they’re feeling angry or upset, so it’s not surprising to learn that domestic violence is estimated to be passed on from generation to generation in the upwards of 30-40 percent.

Research has shown that somewhere between 25 to 50 percent of men who commit acts of domestic violence also have problems with drugs or alcohol. It’s estimated that approximately 80 percent of child abuse cases are associated with substance abuse as well. Women who abuse alcohol or drugs are substantially more likely to become victims of domestic violence than women who don’t. And on the flip side, women and children both are much more likely to develop substance abuse problems as a result of being a victim of domestic violence, often in an attempt to cope with the abuse.

Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is a Joint Commission accredited drug, alcohol and dual diagnosis treatment center for women with substance abuse issues in South Florida. Abusive relationships can tear lives and families apart in the blink of an eye much in the way addiction can. That’s probably why the two are so often found in conjunction with one another. Substance abuse can predicate domestic violence and domestic violence can predicate substance abuse. Whichever came first, it is NOT okay and it is imperative that you remove yourself from that dangerous environment. If you or a loved one has started abusing drugs and alcohol to cope with domestic violence, call the caring folks at Destination Hope immediately at 1-866-808-7111. You deserve to feel whole again. Let us help.

Making this short-sighted assumption would do the drug addiction recovery world a great disservice as it would completely ignore those who abuse OTC drugs, or over the counter medications. You’ve probably heard about people who abuse OTC sleep medications like NyQuil and cough syrup like Robitussin to get a hallucinogenic high, but you may not have heard about the growing portion of the population that’s abusing diet pills.

Diet pills account for one of the most dangerous and unhealthy ways an individual can attempt to lose weight. The general public again can falsely assume that since these pills are sold everywhere from grocery stores to gas stations, they won’t be able to develop a drug addiction to them. Sadly active ingredients like Ephedrine, Caffeine and Phenylpropranolamine are some of the most widely available addictive substances. Many individuals will start taking a few diet pills here and there, and before they’ve realized what’s happened, they become physically and mentally dependent on them.

What Makes Diet Pills So Dangerous?

Individuals can need to enter drug addiction recovery programs for dependence on diet pills, because like so many other harmful substances, diet pills affect the central nervous system. These substances act as stimulants similarly to how speed and cocaine do and they can have incredibly dangerous side effects that include cardiac arrest, strokes, seizures and even death. People can become addicted to the rush of adrenaline these substances bring to them, and they can then start to feel extremely depressed without them, further reinforcing their need to take more.

Drug Addiction and Eating Disorders

Let’s also be sure and not forget the undeniable connection between eating disorders and drug addiction. Over half of the individuals in this country with an eating disorder also engage in drug or alcohol abuse. The quest to be thin can take an awful, frightening turn with the aid of substances like diet pills and can lead to eating disorders Anorexia, Bulimia and Binge-Eating Disorder. Diet pills can also serve as a bit of a gateway drug to harder stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine when the users stop getting the results they want from the OTC pills.

Destination Hope: The Women’s Program is the premier drug, alcohol and dual diagnosis treatment center for women in South Florida. This gender-specific rehab caters strictly to the unique needs that women possess. If there’s a woman in your life who’s developed a problem with OTC drugs or other substances, please put her in contact with Destination Hope today at 1-866-808-7111. By doing so, you could help save her life.