Author: New Day Recovery

Each individual who develops an addiction does so for unique reasons. As such, each person’s care must be approached from the proper perspective and intensity level for where they’re at in their recovery journey. Traditionally, people believed that a 30-day stay in rehab was a comprehensive treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. Since science confirmed addiction is a disease, health care specialists understand the importance of a continuum of care in successfully treating substance use disorders.

What Is the Continuum of Care for Addiction?

People with severe addictions might need to go through each step of the continuum, while those with a less intense condition would benefit from the final two stages. Whether you’ve received a diagnosis of a severe or mild substance use disorder, you’ll need to ensure you attend treatment long term for the best chances of success.

Detoxification

Detox is the first stage for many people, especially individuals suffering from alcohol, benzodiazepine or opioid addiction. It purges toxins from the body and prepares you for rehab.

Residential Rehab

We recommend residential rehab for anyone who’s been struggling with addiction for more than a few months. Not only do substances alter the way your brain works, but your lifestyle also adapts to facilitate your habit. Residential rehab allows you to hit the reset button and relearn a healthy routine, attitude and approach to self-care.

Partial Hospitalization

Once you’ve been through residential treatment, you might step down to a PHP program. You could also begin your recovery journey here. You’ll spend most of your days getting individual and group therapy, as with inpatient rehab, but you’ll sleep at home.

Intensive Outpatient

You might start your recovery journey here or step down from PHP. You’ll usually spend several hours a day a few times a week in treatment, leaving time to find part-time work or study.

General Outpatient

Mild cases of addiction might require general outpatient as the first step, and it’s also the next stage after IOP. You’ll usually spend a few hours a week attending treatment so your caregivers can observe you, but you’ll be free to work or study full time.

Aftercare

Aftercare is the final stage, but arguably this is the part of the continuum you’ll spend the longest amount of time in. Rehab centers that offer a continuum of care keep in touch with every family member who completes a treatment program. You’ll attend social events and have opportunities to catch up and celebrate sobriety together.

Addiction Is a Chronic Disease

Like cancer, heart disease or diabetes, addiction is a chronic disease. As such, rehab isn’t the beginning and end of treatment. You should attend maintenance checkups with a health care professional regularly and participate in 12-step meetings and individual therapy if necessary.

How Long Should Aftercare Last?

The majority of individuals who successfully overcome the symptoms of addiction stay in treatment indefinitely. As you get further along the journey, you develop your ability to help people who are just starting. We’d recommend attending group meetings and checkups for at least two years.

Get Help for Substance Use Disorders Today

If you’re ready to bring about change in your life and overcome setbacks that prevent you from realizing your potential, call New Day Recovery today at 330-953-3300.

As we learn more about addiction, we realize how integral customized care is to a successful recovery. Men and women have different socioeconomic experiences and respond distinctly to emotional stimuli, so treatment for substance use disorders should take that into account. When men and women are treated for addiction separately, they tend to feel more comfortable opening up and find the course material is better directed towards their needs.

Women and Addiction

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has released the following statistics relating to women and substance use disorders:

• Women are less likely to respond to nicotine patches when giving up cigarettes.
• Although women are more likely to seek help for sleeping pill abuse, they’re less likely to seek help overall.
• Evidence suggests that women develop substance use disorders more quickly than men.
• Women are more likely to suffer from co-occurring anxiety disorders.

Men and Addiction

NIDA reported the following statistics of men and substance use disorders:

• Men are more likely to develop a severe substance use disorder, although it takes longer for it to develop.
• Men have a higher risk of becoming addicted to alcohol or drugs than women.
• Men are more likely to have a co-occurring personality disorder.

Differences Between Men and Women in Addiction

Men and women don’t just respond distinctly to disease as an illness, but they also react differently to substances. Of course, each individual has their own unique responses, and there are exceptions to the rule.

Alcohol

Alcohol is the most frequently abused substance in the country. While adult men are more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder, adolescent girls have higher rates of underage and binge drinking. Women are also at risk of developing an alcohol-related disease faster than a man who drinks the same amount.

Crystal Meth

Studies in animals have shown that estrogen plays a role in dopamine, so females are more susceptible to taking higher quantities and get addicted faster than men.

Opioids

Women might be more sensitive to pain than men, which is possibly why they develop addictions faster. Women are more likely to become addicted to opioid medication than men, who are more likely to become addicted to heroin.

Ecstasy

Men’s and women’s bodies respond differently to ecstasy and MDMA, with men’s blood pressure becoming significantly higher but women being more likely to experience depression after using it.

Cocaine

Men are more likely to incur reduced blood flow to the front of the brain than women, but women seem to develop a substance use disorder faster than men.

Due to these subtle but significant differences in the way men and women develop addictions and respond to alcohol and drugs, gender-specific rehab is an effective way of providing customized treatment.

Find Out More About Gender-Specific Rehab

If you’d like to hear more about gender-specific rehab from one of our addiction experts, call New Day Recovery at 330-953-3300.

When you suspect that someone you love is abusing alcohol, it’s important to be aware of the signs of alcoholism and understand when it’s time to intervene. These signs can vary drastically depending on the severity of the substance use disorder, and while some signs seem to be more obvious, others can be discreet and difficult to recognize. By familiarizing yourself with common signs and symptoms of alcoholism, you may be able to encourage your loved one to seek help through addiction treatment before their alcohol addiction spirals out of control.

Early Warning Signs of Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a disease that has many faces. For most people struggling with alcoholism, the first sign of the disease is that they continue to drink even after they’ve experienced negative side effects in their lives. For some, this might mean they miss work, while others may have run-ins with the law or frequently neglect their health or responsibilities. In addition to this, they may become violent or depressed or show other extreme shifts in behavior while under the influence and be unable to remember events that occurred during that time.

Physical Signs of Alcoholism

The physical signs of alcoholism are plentiful and can range from moderate to severe, depending on how long a person has been drinking and how often they are drinking alcohol. These symptoms may include:

• Weight loss
• Dry skin
• Brittle hair and nails
• Yellowing of the eyes and skin
• Broken capillaries on the skin, in particular around the nose

During withdrawals, people tend to experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms. These may include:

• Increased heart rate
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sweating
• Insomnia
• Tremors or seizures
• Shakiness
• Visual or auditory hallucinations

In addition to these physical signs, one may frequently smell of alcohol. This smell can remain on their skin and breath for several hours after a binge drinking session. Often, as alcoholism progresses, hygiene begins to noticeably deteriorate.

Other Signs That Point to an Alcohol Use Disorder

Often, when a person has an alcohol use disorder, they tend to withdraw from their normal routine and neglect obligations such as their relationships with friends and family members. They may ignore any physical health problems or mental health issues, including those that are a direct result of alcohol abuse, such as liver problems, depression or heart conditions.

Many alcoholics find it difficult to limit the amount of alcohol consumption. Due to their drinking habit, they may decide to have just one drink and end up unable to stop drinking, or they may experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms and cravings that they’re unable to resist. As a result of alcohol dependence, many people battling an alcohol substance abuse disorder end up going to extreme lengths to obtain alcohol. This may include putting themselves in dangerous situations or breaking the law which can result in negative consequences.

If you or someone you love is struggling with an alcohol addiction, call our Ohio drug rehab helpline today at (330) 886-4744 to get help now. At New Day Recovery, we accept most insurance plans, including Ohio Medicaid and Medicare, and offer a broad range of residential treatment and outpatient rehab options to help you or your loved one get life back on track.

Alcoholism always has a starting point, whether it gradually takes hold over time or happens as a response to stressful stimuli. Unfortunately, determining the issue in the early stages is incredibly tricky, and as it progresses, you become significantly more likely to fall into a state of denial. Talking openly with the people closest to you, seeking professional advice and researching the disease itself can help determine whether you have an alcohol use disorder, as well as what stage it’s at.

First Stage of Alcoholism

Initially, a pattern of drinking is established — whether this is regularly drinking too much in one sitting or drinking with increased frequency. This often occurs while the person is in social situations, such as in the first year or two of college or when moving away from home. Many people go through a phase of binge drinking at these stages, but you’re more likely to develop a problem if you continue this behavior or seem more inclined to get drunk than your friends.

Usually, for people who are prone to alcoholism, there are underlying reasons for drinking that aren’t present in everyone. These include:

• Drinking to relieve boredom
• Having a high tolerance for alcohol
• Experiencing frequent blackouts
• Using alcohol to mask emotions

Progression of Alcoholism: Middle Stage

During the first stage, you may brush off excessive alcohol use as a phase, and it’s easier to hide from the people closest to you. By the time you’ve reached the middle stages of alcoholism, your loved ones may have begun to comment on the frequency and amount you drink. You may also start to feel cravings throughout the day and think about alcohol regularly as your body becomes dependent. Dependence can also lead to withdrawal symptoms. These include:

• Sweating
• Tremors
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Increased heartbeat
• Cravings
• Loss of appetite

Late Stage Alcohol Use Disorder

Late-stage alcoholism is characterized by physical dependence, psychological dependence and withdrawals. Alcohol is prioritized above the most critical aspects of a person’s life, and their relationships will be suffering significantly. If you’re at this stage, your physical and mental health will be showing the signs of chronic alcohol abuse, and sustaining a routine is usually difficult or impossible. Appearance and hygiene tend to take a back seat to drink, and motivation will be a serious issue.

The Final Stage of Alcohol Addiction

It’s highly unusual for people in the end stage of alcohol addiction to be able to maintain a job, although in rare cases they can. Each day will begin with a drink and end in the sufferer passing out from alcohol consumption. Long-term chronic alcohol abuse causes severe damage to vital organs, including the liver, heart, lungs, brain and kidneys. People at this stage of alcoholism are at an increased risk of liver cirrhosis, delirium tremens, suicide and polysubstance abuse.

Even in the final stage, recovery is possible, and medical help can address many of the associated health issues by helping you introduce a lifestyle overhaul and encouraging you to attend ongoing therapy. If you or someone you love needs help changing their drinking habits, call New Day Recovery at (330) 886-4744 today to get advice from an addiction expert.