Addiction Treatment

Several years ago we had two members of our family hit their respective bottoms in rapid succession. For me, this was a brand new experience. Of course, I had put my family through the turmoil, horror, and pain of dealing with the consequences of my own alcoholism 12 years earlier.

Beginning in the early 1980’s researchers began studying individual resilience. That is, an individual’s ability to withstand and recover from traumatic experiences. Before this research, it was common to view people through a deterministic lens.

Typically in this blog, we try and bring our readers topics that will inform, educate, and inspire. At the risk of seeming self-indulgent, I wanted to spend some time today highlighting eight things I feel make Granite Mountain BHC special.

Much of the research into addiction shows that unresolved conflict within a family is a significant causal factor in the start of symptomatic addictive behavior. Within the family, we develop patterns of behavior and styles of relating that form the basis of our future social interactions and relationships.

Addiction can be defined as self-induced changes in the neurochemistry of the brain that result in negative consequences and unhealthy behavior. Many individuals employ various methods to change their neurochemistry in healthy ways such as meditation, exercise, certain forms of therapy, and others.

If you or a loved one has been through treatment for substance use disorder one or more times in one or more different facilities, and have yet to find lasting recovery, you are most likely asking yourself what will be different this time.

It can often be challenging speaking to a loved one about their substance use. In the past, when we have tried to do so we have most likely met with resistance, denial, and anger. These past experiences and the inertia of the current state of affairs can sometimes make us hesitant.

In this talk Markus Heilig presents new findings in the science of addiction, as viewed from a neuroscientific view point. Dr Heilig is a professor of psychiatry and the founding director of a new Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience at Linkoping University.

I spent a good portion of my day yesterday speaking to a potential new patient. She, very clearly, was nearing the end of her road. She was depressed, lonely, and afraid. She had a very common story to tell.

In the above video clip, Michael Botticelli makes a compelling argument for the necessity of changing the stigma attached to addiction. In it, He makes an impassioned plea from personal experience.