Category Archives: Mental Health

Drug Addiction, Holistic Health, Mental Health, Website Design

Holistic Recovery and Alternative Treatment

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Holistic addition treatment is marked as an efficient method to treat substance abuse as it weaves together integrative medicines to boost a client’s physical well-being, emotional levels, and prevent relapses in the future. In many cases, depending on a prescribed medication from doctors can hide more serious addiction symptoms which hurts a person’s through recovery in the long term. The point of alternative treatment, and especially holistic recovery, is for a person to start from within and break away from using foreign chemicals in the form of medications, They focus on bettering their exercise habits, dive into meditation, improve their nutritional diet, and strengthen their spirituality. For example, starting a routine of doing aromatherapy, music therapy, and joining a local sports group would be advised as a perfect mix of holistic recovery methods. When combined, these activities energize the mind, body, and soul for true healing that will last a long time.

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How Can You Start Holistic Recovery

The first step to practicing holistic recovery is setting a consistent time throughout the day to practice the act of mindfulness. This involves reflecting on your thoughts and feelings for a few minutes every day and focus on your body right there in the present moment. Treating yourself with care and taking a short break can help lower stress levels that may be built up and strengthen the bond you have with changes occurring within your body. Another great method for mindfulness is by tapping into yoga or dance, as it combines the physical body and directions from the mind to transport strength and develop flexibility as an exercise. Yoga also helps a person to build more internal discipline and strength as well.  Each yoga session a person undertakes involves having an intense focus on inhales, exhales, and being more concentrated on various aspects of the body that are pushed throughout each position.

Practicing your breathing can also increase your levels of energy, lower stress, and develop a better sense of clarity. Introducing more exercise is also extremely beneficial to holistic recovery, whether it’s running, tennis, or even basketball. Training in sessions with others and competing together helps build rapport to keep you accountable. You will sense that you are developing a stronger sense of confidence as you are consistently improving as well.

Holistic Benefits

Putting together multiple approaches in the idea of holistic recovery is backed up by various researchers who have observed its effects in long term studies. One study published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine in 2013 found the result that participating in yoga and mindfulness-based meditation during addiction recovery for drugs and alcohol made a huge difference with patients who can become much less vunerable to relapses. Two years later, in 2015, a report published in the Australian Journal of Primary Health also supported that there is a powerful link with mental and physical health. These support the many benefits associated with holistic treatment as it plays a role on whether a client will gain long-term sobriety.

Holistic therapy is also extremely easy to plug into as it doesn’t involve uncomfortable hospital tests, countless pills, and intense therapy sessions to get negative feelings out of the mind. Relying on medication, while based in science, may provide a powerful psychological or physical dependency which is difficult to break away from over time. That is why many people opt for holistic therapies instead. People are also more comfortable where fun activites like running therapy or yoga classes are widespread and accessible in their local community. Along the lines of the holistic recovery method of treating the mind, body and soul, these programs encourage their clients to learn new skills and use them as a building block of their long-term recovery. If a patient is willing to take the time to consider their overall health, they can pay attention to more details like their breathing, hydration, and food that together build a stronger and more disciplined body. Throughout the entire process of holistic treatment, each client is the tooled with a variety of relapse-prevention skills which they can put to good use even after they complete their recovery program.

Becoming Well

If you feel that you can identify as a patient who is struggling to overcome your substance addiction, consider the holistic therapy approach for a more effective recovery. The perfect way to learn more about holistic recovery and traditional addiction treatment is to speak with experts. Find a rehabilitation center that understands the importance of catering to each person’s specific needs and are enthusiastic to discuss their various methods.

 

 

 

Drug Addiction, Holistic Health, Mental Health, Women's Health

The Benefits of Aromatherapy

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The Benefits of Aromatherapy

Oftentimes keeping up with all our responsibilities can be tough as we’re constantly moving from one task to the next throughout the day without rest. If you are finding trouble balancing your job, relationships, or even just getting to all your chores, there’s a big chance you are overly stressed.. Experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress can be damaging to your psyche if left untreated. With its negative effects to your mind and body, not taking enough time to relax leads to a high risk of vulnerability to perilous disease and a negative and hindering mentality overall. However, there are ways to meditate that are proven to help manage even the most extreme amounts of stress when done right. One method of meditation that is not as commonly mentioned by the mainstream media is regarded by stress management experts as aromatherapy. Involving the use of a variety of essential oils, it is a highly effective segment of therapy and is often used alongside the process of peaceful breathing meditation. Your body will reap the benefits of a more stable mood, lower anxiety, and most importantly, a jumpstarted energy level.

The Basics of Aromatherapy

As a tried and true method of practicing mental rehab and stress management, aromatherapy has been around for thousands of years and weaved into the culture of several Western and Eastern countries throughout the globe. It is frequently used each week by people who seek to improve their negative mood, change uncomfortable anxiety, and as a natural supplement to medicine. A significant part of aromatherapy is the process of creating synergy with substances that aren’t processed or man-made. Synergy is a known term for the combined use of a variety of natural essential oils that can together provide a far higher level of mental healing than each oil would have provided on their own. However, because some specific oils can lead to the body having severe allergies or other side effects that are very uncomfortable, it’s highly important to dilute the oil mixture with another carrier oil to make the concentration less strong when it comes in contact with your body. For managing stress specifically, there are aromatic compounds from different essential oils that are known by therapists as relaxants which soothe the mind after a few inhales.

What’s Essential About Oils?

Essential oils are an important asset to complete any aromatherapy regime. Although they may sound peculiar or even smell odd at first, they hold the amazing ability to provide positive sensations to our bodies. Certain natural oils derived from different herbs like chamomile, bay, basil, lavender, anise, eucalyptus, rose, and thyme in particular all provide great effects to help aid consistent stress management. From strengthening the immune system, decreasing allergen levels, or slowly releasing a sedative effect to fall asleep easier, these oils are crucial for meditation to become even more effective. Some of the best essential oils for igniting stress relief are lavender, bergamot, peppermint, vetiver, and ylang ylang. These are all very affordable and can be purchased at any local wellness or organics store like Vitamin World, Walgreens, CVS, or Whole Foods in your area. To incorporate it into your weekly regimen, it is recommended by aromatherapy experts to first procure a couple small pieces of rock salt and place them in a small glass or plastic vial. The rock salt serves as an important absorbent to avoid any spills from your vial happening in the future. Add a couple droplets of the oil of your choice to the rock salt, and store the vial in a safe, dry, and relatively cool place. Whenever you feel stressed and need some extra help to rewind, twist open the vial and slowly breathe in the scent for a few minutes.

Along with carrying a vial around for managing stress, essential oils can also be added to your lifestyle via an oil diffuser in different rooms of your home. To begin using one, fill the tank of the diffuser with warm water. Then, make sure to add about ten to fifteen drops of the essential oil of your choice, close the tank lid, and turn the diffuser on for a few minutes. Most diffusers can run for several hours with a single charge and distribute the scent of the oil almost immediately. Affordable diffusers can be found across the web at stores like Urban Outfitters, Amazon, Walmart, and Target. At the end of the day, choose which method is most convenient and effective for your personal needs. With more tips about using diffusers, Elevate Rehab explains in more detail with this infographic about different essential oils one can experiment with to aid their meditation.

The Change Starts With You

Whether you decide to practice aromatherapy or choose another mediation route, it’s easy to see that the practice offers a wide variety of mental and physical benefits that lead to a lasting improvement in stress levels, daily energy, and overall mood. Take action and seek out what types of meditation methods work best for you and your lifestyle!

 

Drug Addiction, Mental Health, Women's Health

The dangers of a refreshing beverage

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Today, alcohol is easily accessible in our world today. While many people use a drink here and there to ease their levels of stress and to relax, over the long term it can lead to a range of physical and mental problem. What’s more, a person can become dependent on a strong substance like alcohol if they drink frequently each week. There is no doubt that our culture is one that promotes social drinking, whether it’s to get “lit” for raging college parties, prepare for a music festival, have fun at happy hour, or just survive a family reunion.  Many people believe that there are no penalties or long term consequences from having a casual beer from time to time. Yet, some statistics clearly show that alcohol is in fact causing a dent in the welfare and overall health of our society.

Damaging Effects from Alcohol

Scientific research shows that as much as 86 percent of all people in the United States will drink alcohol at some point their lives. Around 70 percent will drink at least one time in any given year. This shows that alcohol is present in many Americans lives, and thus from that starting point an addiction can spawn. It only takes one time for someone to gain an addiction to a substance. Therefore, as it is a legal drug it’s very hard to recognize if someone has an addiction problem.

So, why is it exactly so important that we stay on the lookout for a loved one or friend who may be suffering from alcoholism? The haunting consequences that come with consistent alcohol consumption is enough to make a difference. We all are granted one life to live, and as the traditional saying goes, our body is a temple that must be taken care of. As a result, binge drinking alcohol on a daily, or even weekly basis would be just like treating your fragile body like a waste outlet. While drinking alcohol, a person will experience a range of damaging short term and long term impairments on their mind and body.

Long Term Consequences

If you were initially unaware, alcoholism is documented to kill five times the number of individuals annually than all other drugs known to man put together. In fact, more than 80,000 deaths are directly linked to  drinking every single year according to national health records. These deaths are often drawn out and very painful since alcohol slowly degrades the body by eroding critical health systems. For example, on alcohol can cause irreversible damage in the form of fatty liver disease. This condition is often unspoken of, but is basically caused by excessive fat in the liver, making it harder for the organ to process toxins effectively and do its job normally. Another long term illness directly linked to frequent alcohol use is alcoholic cirrhosis. With this condition, the liver becomes so damaged that it scars. These wounds inhibit the function of the liver and are the last stage of the chronic liver disease. Along with this acquiring, alcohol hepatitis is always a possibility. This refers to high swelling of the liver, which in turn causes damage. This disease affects as many as 35 percent of heavy drinkers and can be mild to severe. In the latter, it can cause life-threatening complications or death.

These are just a few of the fatal diseases that alcohol can cause. Binge drinking on a regular basis can lead to someone developing a dangerous alcohol addiction and should be taken seriously. Just because you may be young and your body seems to recover from alcohol abuse quickly, doesn’t mean it will always be this way. Before you drink, please think about how your body will react to these dangerous substances and what damage it can do.

Recognizing the Signs

If you think someone you know may be suffering from alcoholism here are some of the signs to look out for. There are many signs that someone may be struggling with an addiction. First of all, if someone is starting to go out less and less for no apparent reason, they may be staying in to drink by themselves. If these actions are coupled with irregular mood swings and eating habits, there is a strong chance some type of substance abuse addiction is present. Furthermore, if you find out they are lying to you about their activities and the amount they drink, it is likely they are ashamed of an addiction or just don’t want you to know about it. If someone is conveying these signs, getting in touch with a rehab center to help out may not be a bad idea. Trained professionals will work closely with you to make sure you are doing the right things every day. It is worth having the correct support, addictions are a tough uphill battle, and you should get the help you need today.

Drug Addiction, Mental Health

Abuse across all social backgrounds – time for a drug and alcohol assessment

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Sometimes it is a common mistake to assume that only the poor and misled can have alcohol and drug issues. There are countless examples of the children of wealthy people and wealthy child actors falling victim to alcohol and drug abuse. Drew Barrymore’s story is one which highlights the idea that social background plays no part in your likelihood to be an addict, it can happen to anyone, and you always have to have an ability to say no. Drew began acting at a very young age and saw great commercial success thanks to projects like “E.T.” However, following her success, something quite the opposite of what you could imagine happened. After attending many parties with Hollywood celebrities and American elites she was led down the wrong road at a very early age. By the age of nine she started smoking, by eleven she was drinking alcohol, and at thirteen, she was using cocaine and marijuana. Drew begin attending rehab at the tender age of fourteen, during these years she quit and almost committed suicide, although some that experience she went back to rehab, finished the course and has remained sober since. This just shows you that no one is above alcohol assessment, and definitely not above using a drug and alcohol rehab center to help you. They are there for support aunt here is nothing wrong with attending one to help get you back on the right track.

Signs of alcoholism

It is always better to catch addictive behaviors before they start to grow. As time goes on the cycle of addiction becomes more ingrained in their daily lives, making it much tougher to escape when the time comes that they decide they want to quit. This means that seeing some of the signs early, whether for your own good or a loved one, is a very important factor in how smooth the recovery process will be. Some signs that alcohol consumption is getting out of hand are:

You are budgeting more money for alcohol each month

Your drinking is hindering your performance at school or at your job

Arguing frequently with friends or family about your alcohol consumption

You have lied about the amount you consume to family members

You have chosen to drink over various other activities on multiple occasions

If any of these signs are present in your life or someone you know, it could be time to start intervening and trying to put a stop to this addictive behavior. The longer you leave it the cycle of addiction only becomes stronger and therefore is just tougher to break. If you are unsure about yourself or someone you know take this free online alcohol assessment provided by the Dunes at East Hampton. It can aid you in determining if you or a loved one has began to develop dangerous drinking habits!

The misconception of drug and alcohol rehab centers

As Drew’s story showed, sometimes giving yourself over to a drug and alcohol rehab center can not only help you through the recovery process, but also save your life in the process. Many people think drug and alcohol rehab centers are run down, nasty places where only the lowest of the low go. This is not the case at all! Some are even luxury rehab centers where the atmosphere is pleasant and the scenery is beautiful. This can be a great option for anyone looking for a push to get their recovery started!

Drug Addiction, Mental Health

College students and common street drug abuse

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College campuses across the country have to battle the many issues that come with students who are abusing their drug policies. Not only is drug use on the rise, but it is at one of the highest points it has ever been in American history. This means that if there was ever a time to get clued into what your son or daughter is up to at college it’s now! It can be very stressful when you first send them off to college and begin to wonder what they are up to. However, it is probable that many high school students are secretly engaging in illegal behaviors that their parents have no idea about. In a recent survey that was taken approximately 1 out of 16 high school seniors admitted to daily marijuana use, and 60% had admitted to having tried alcohol. These figures speak for themselves showing the prevalence of common street drugs in our society, starting as young as high school. I am sure that not all of these parents knew that their child was actively using marijuana, however if they did there would have been serious consequences. So the first question we need to answer is, “How are so many young adults getting away with illegal drug use in today’s world?”

Different names for common street drugs

The first answer to that question is that many of these drugs have street names that have no relevance at all to the substance they are using. There are many slang terms for drugs that students may come across over. As an example drugs like cocaine and codeine are currently being called by other names such as blow c, coke, freeze, sizzurp, purple, and lean. Another example of different terminology being used to describe a drug is when Adderall is referred to by addy, study buddies, dexies, zing, pep pills. Finally, another very well-known street drug such as marijuana has many different names like weed, pot, herb, broccoli, green, and many more are used throughout high schools campuses. In my personal opinion broccoli seems the most suitable fit, because at the end of the day everyone needs their daily dose of green right? (That’s called irony). It might seem light-hearted but it really is a serious issue. The college use of drugs has grown 11.8% and will continue to rise if nothing is done about it. Therefore as a parent or older adult it’s very important that you become aware of some of the highly used slang phrases for these drugs. It can protect you from dangerous activity going on in your area and give you a better idea of how to detect if these drugs are being used by a loved one who doesn’t want you to know. Finding the full list of illegal drugs and street names online can be a good starting point to use as a reference.

How to combat drug abuse

College campuses are always the hardest place to stop the distribution of common street drugs; they are readily available and too easy to come into contact with. With the current situation, there is a good chance that more than one of your son or daughters friends has access to such drugs and may even be using them. Therefore equipping them with the right information before and during school can always have a major impact on the decisions you make. This means it is extremely important to continue to educate yourself on the drugs that are out there and the effects they can have. With that being said there is only a certain amount you can do as a parent to keep your children safe, as the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink it. At the end of the day, if they want to find drugs and use them on a college campus there is no way of truly stopping them. So in that case, using a drug and alcohol rehab center may be the best decision for you. If you feel unsure about what to do, giving a specialist a call is never a bad option. There are some warning signs that drugs are present in your son or daughter’s life, these can range an increase in aggression, abnormal sleeping or eating patters, unusual scars or bruising on the body or a constant need for money. If you feel they are demonstrating some of these signs then it is never too early to give a drug and alcohol rehab center a call. Common street drugs can be life threatening and the sooner this issue is treated the better.

Drug Addiction, Holistic Health, Mental Health

The effects of binge drinking in college

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Wine glass and Bottle on a wooden background

Alcoholism in college these days is a growing problem; campuses around America are just starting to implement different types of programs to raise awareness of the dangers and negative effects it can have on your heart long-term.

Many college students actively engage in partying. We have all been to a crazy party sometime or other in our college careers where at least one person leaves feeling pretty sick and can’t remember what happened. At first glance, this doesn’t seem like too much of a problem, and these young adults tell themselves it’s an easy mistake to make and hopefully they just drink more responsibly next time. However, sometimes a person’s affinity for alcohol can become too much and it eventually turns into an addiction we all know too well – alcohol abuse.

Woman playing outside

Many colleges know this can be a major problem, especially with how easily alcohol can be obtained on a college campus these days. For example, the University of Illinois has a page called “rethinkthedrink” where information can be found about the serious risks of drinking alcohol and attempts to educate students on how to drink responsibly on a night. It helps you make a plan for the night by asking how much you plan to spend on drinks and what you plan to consume per hour, thus reminded the individual to maintain a safe and responsible drinking pace throughout the night. Campuses know they will never be able to fully put an end to drinking in college (and the use of other drugs for that matter), but they are trying their best to reduce the number of injuries and even casualties per year because of drinking accidents. As the saying goes, it’s all fun and games until something bad happens. Recently I had to bear the horrible news that a friend’s friend at a party had drunkenly stumbled off the dance floor and is now in the hospital needing major surgery.

 

There are multiple reasons why people may become alcoholics over the course of their college career. These reasons could range from exam pressure, loneliness and even just becoming psychologically dependent on it, as it is a drug after all (which most people seem to forget). According to the statistics “in 2015, 26.9 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they engaged in binge drinking in the past month; 7.0 percent reported that they engaged in heavy alcohol use in the past month”.

If you think you have fallen into this trap and slowly beginning to consume an unhealthy amount of alcohol Elevate Rehab can help you overcome an addiction and treat the mental health issues that often go hand in hand with drug and alcohol abuse. Based in the beautiful landscape of northern California, it is one of America’s prominent alcohol rehab facilities.

 

Making sure to stop the addiction before it goes too far is key, as alcohol can have a wide variety of negative effects on the body. Most of all it can impact your heart. There are many types of life threatening heart problems alcohol abuse can give you, one of these being atrial fibrillation. Alcohol poses a unique threat to heart health because it increases a person’s risk of this issue by 60%. This is a dangerous form of arrhythmia which makes the heart incapable of efficiently moving blood into the heart’s ventricles making the individual more susceptible to blood clots, strokes, heart failures and other life-threatening complications. These are not issues that you want to have to deal with; binge drinking alcohol is clearly not worth the risks that come with it.

 

Along with dangerous short term and long term heart problems, alcohol abuse can also contribute to cancer, anemia, cardiovascular disease, dementia, seizures, depression, memory loss and many other health problems. These diseases are a steep price to pay for what started out to be a little bit of fun at a party. If you currently drink, please drink responsibly and if you think you have an alcohol addiction please seek treatment and help right away.

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Drug Addiction, Holistic Health, Mental Health

My personal experiences with decreasing anxiety and living in the present moment

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Feeling contemplative today

As a young adult who is attending college, life can be rather hectic as you move from day to day with no breaks. School work can pile up and before you know it, you’re swamped with assignments and exam pressure with no time to yourself. I know this from past experiences and having the same issues many other college students face, the question of what truly is important in this time, and if you don’t give yourself a chance each day to answer that question then you could find yourself slipping into an unhealthy place.

There are days where I am so busy I don’t even allow one thought into my brain that isn’t focused on the task at hand or jumping to the task ahead thinking about what I need to do. This is a very stressful way to live from day to day and can eventually lead to a negative outcome for many college students. They seek a way to escape the present moment that they are in instead of truly cherishing it for what it is and connecting their senses with the world around them. This can lead to different types of substance abuse, ranging from alcoholism to the use of hard drugs and many more. This is definitely not the right answer to dealing with college stress and there are many other positive ways to cope wit these pressures.

High Cost of Healthcare

To help cope with anxiety there are some techniques you can practice to become more mindful in your day to day life.

One relaxation technique to handle stress is awareness meditation. This means you sit or stand still in a place that is comfortable and safe for you, and allow your most and mind to relax and almost go numb. This is a way to get in touch with the senses of your body and tap into having present moment awareness, it is almost like you are hitting the reset button during the day and giving yourself a chance to relax and ease the anxiety. Having time like this is a necessity through college life, personally I used to become way too caught up in exam pressures and never gave myself a chance to zone out and feel each emotion strongly, if you are stressed let it pass through your body and be ok with it, when this sensation passes during the meditation process you come out of it in a much more relaxed state. This is a way to detox the body of negative emotions instead of masking them with the mind-numbing use of substances. It is good for your overall physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Another method I use personally to cope with some of the college pressures is exercise. If your stressed go to the gym and get a good workout in and sweat. Working out releases endorphins which can release tension and overall anxiety. Not only this, it also improves your confidence and gives you belief in yourself that you can handle whatever is on your plate. Many times I have done this before studying for a large exam and my mental state has good clarity and I feel confident in my ability. Therefore I seek the present moment and the challenges it brings, instead of trying to shy away from them and finding a coping method to hide them.

beauty portrait

Being mindful in our day to day lives is key to our overall happiness. Don’t let any sort of stresses push you to the point where your anxiety is almost unbearable. Take time out of your day to reflect and reset and focus on what truly matters in the present moment.