Drug Rehab Blog

Addiction treatment for alcoholism and drug problems comes in many forms, depending on the provider. Therapies and programs are used to treat an alcoholic or addict in an effort to get them to abstain from the need of addictive substance. The more effective programs focus on a personalized care. There are many advantages to personalizing an alcohol or drug rehab program. This post talks about a few of these.

Personal and Individual Concerns

To properly treat an alcoholic or addict, it is best to take it on a case-by-case basis. While those in addiction treatment all share the common malady and problems of substance abuse and chemical dependency, the reasons for this problem can be very different. Personalized care is based upon individual needs. Programming is tailored to meet these needs more effectively. While some in rehab will really connect with therapy groups, others may require more one-on-one help to properly connect. A personalized program should be able to adapt and meet these specific needs.

Mental Health Concerns - Most individuals who have a drug addiction can also be diagnosed as having a co-occurring mental health disorder. This can be a preexisting condition that led to the drug abuse, or can be something that is developed over a period of abusing harmful drugs and alcohol. Many alcohol and drug rehab treatments provide diagnosis, therapy and medication of such disorders and integrate it into personalized care.

Addiction Treatment for the Underlying Concern

Personalized addiction treatment is also essential at addressing the underlying concerns of substance abuse or chemical dependency. There are different factors, influences and experiences that can lead to self-medication. Traumatic experience, such as divorce, a death of a loved one, or childhood abuse can very painful and difficult to cope with. Drugs or alcohol can be a brief respite from the pain. In the long run, this reprieve is complicated by the development of addiction and dependency. Personalized therapies with a clinical professional are a platform for talking about these difficult things. When combined with other caring drug rehab therapies the individual can develop the skills needed to cope and heal from such underlying conditions.

Personal Support and Care

Coming into an addiction treatment facility or program can be very difficult in the beginning. The alcoholic/addict may have difficulty fitting in at first. In many folks that is a common problem with alcoholism and substance abuse; they feel like they don’t fit in or belong. Personalized care gives them a one-one-one support for those initial difficult transition stages from chemical dependency to recovery. This personal support of an addiction professional can be built upon with the community of the alcohol or drug rehab program, or with the fellowship of 12-step recovery groups. Over time the recovering individual can find they do belong and have a system of support in place to carry forward.

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There are many other areas where personalized care is a great benefit to those who struggle with drug addiction or alcoholism. When looking into treatment for yourself or your loved one, we encourage you to ask them questions about individualized care and ask them to be specific. It is an effort that can greatly help the struggling individual with their immediate concerns both personal and related to substance abuse.

A lot of times, family members can be researching alcohol and drug rehab treatment for their loved one. The web is full of information and research on drug and alcohol treatment. Cirque Lodge has created some informational help for those seeking to help their loved one struggling with drug addiction to either illicit drugs or prescription drugs. It is our hope that this info will be a foundation for understanding and helping that individual. For specific information and help from the Cirque Lodge alcohol or drug rehab facility, please call us at any time, 1-877-997-3422.

Becoming aware of the signs – There are many signs and indications that your loved one could be battling drug abuse and even addiction. However, some individuals may not be aware of what they are looking for. Here are 10 signs of drug abuse to help you become more aware of the current situation.

Is your loved one showing any of these signs? – Cirque Lodge has developed a short questionnaire to help you. By determining the indications of drug abuse in your loved one it can help you to become more aware of the situation. Take the Does my Loved One Need Drug Rehab Assessment and see where you stand.

Ways you can help – When you discover that there is a drug or alcohol problem in your loved one, you can be searching for ways that you can help them. There are many ways that you can begin to help them that can ultimately lead to getting them into treatment from an alcohol or drug rehab program. Here are 10 ways you can help your drug addicted loved one and yourself through these struggles.

Ways Drug Rehab Can Help – People lose their lives each and every day to the struggles of addiction and overdose. In this case, getting a loved one into treatment can be a lifesaving intervention. There are many ways that effective alcohol and drug rehab treatment can help the addicted individual. Learn about 5 ways drug rehab can help your loved one.

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We hope that this information can be a benefit to you in looking for ways to help the addict in your life. However, there is no substitute to talking to a professional. When you call Cirque Lodge you are put into touch with a caring professional who can supply information and an assessment right over the phone. 1-877-997-3422. Treatment has shown a remarkable ability to arrest addictions and restore hope and recovery. We encourage you to call today.

At Cirque Lodge, we strive to provide an effective and inspirational addiction treatment program, within a comfortable and caring facility. The issues of alcoholism and drug addiction are quite complex and can require different levels of care to properly be treated. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says that: “Effective treatment programs typically incorporate many components, each directed to a particular aspect of the illness and its consequences.” (DrugFacts: Treatment Approaches to Drug Addiction). This post takes a look at 10 different approaches of drug rehab at the Cirque Lodge and how we strive to treat the addict / alcoholic.

1. Counseling: Counseling is a fundamental aspect to most alcohol and drug rehab treatments. At Cirque Lodge, counseling is provided by a licensed and professional staff. Different behavioral therapies and groups are offered to residents. Individual counseling helps to address the personal struggles of addiction. This is coupled with group sessions, as well as family sessions during our Family Program.

2. Dual Diagnosis: Many individuals who struggle with drugs and alcohol also have other forms of mental health disorder. Cirque Lodge offers dual diagnosis for residents. This brings attention, care and solutions for co-occurring mental health problems that can be present. Sometimes, the individual is not aware they have such a condition. It has either been masked by the self-medication, or has been created over an extended period of substance abuse. Once in alcohol and drug rehab, these serious concerns are properly diagnosed and cared for. This is done both through counseling care and also through medications when appropriate.

3. Personalized Treatment Planning: Each individual who comes to Cirque Lodge is unique. The program must be able to adapt to each resident and supply them with the care they stand in need of. To do this, addiction treatment planning is personalized to help the individual. It is a plan that is continually changing as the individual continues to process and progress through the program. Residents work personally with a Primary Counselor who they are assigned when they are admitted into the program. This primary counselor oversees the treatment plan and works with the clinical team to offer the best approaches to care for each individual.

4. 12-step Program: Cirque Lodge is an alcohol and drug rehab facility founded on the 12-step program. Part of the treatment experience is to get the struggling alcoholic / addict entrenched in this modality and focused on their recovery process. One of the unique aspects to the Cirque Lodge experience is how we combine the efforts of 12-step recovery with the clinical models of behavioral care. This has in part to do with the balance of clinical and experimental aspects, but also the efforts of our staff in recovery working with clients throughout their stay.

5. Experiential Therapy: In addition to the clinical aspects of addiction treatment, Cirque incorporates daily experiential activities that involve the residents. This gives the addict / alcoholic hands on opportunities to apply what they are learning. It is done through engaging and unique means. The location in the mountains is ideal for this kind of work. Residents have opportunities to get out into the surround of nature and to apply step-work and to meditate. We do this as we go hiking, biking, climbing, rafting, and snow shoeing. Residents also work with horses and have different challenges through an experiential ropes course. All of these activities are equipped with vital lessons to help the individual in treatment to develop the tools needed for long-term recovery.

6. Support Groups: Both the Cirque Lodge and Studio facility function as different communities. These communities provide a strong foundation of support for one another as they work on recovery. Throughout each day, the communities of men and women residents get together for different groups and meetings. These groups are used to help educate individuals on different aspects of the disease of addiction, and also on different focuses of the recovery effort. This type of work helps them to engage one another and to develop a support system. Community comes not only from the residents, but also the efforts and involvement of the drug rehab staff of the facility.

7. Fitness and Nutrition: Alcohol and drug rehab is care for the body, mind and spirit. Cirque Lodge offers very much an active treatment program. With experiential therapy, residents have a chance at some exercise, but there are also opportunities and facilities to exercise if the client desires. Addiction can have very negative effects on the physical wellbeing of the individual. When coupled with a well-balanced nutrition program, physical recovery from addiction can be obtained. Exercise is also a useful tool in the recovery process after someone leaves the care of the treatment facility.

8. Family Program: Alcoholism and addiction are a family concern. As sad as it may be, a lot of times the abuse of drugs or alcohol can be tied to various problems that can stem from within the home. Drug rehab at Cirque Lodge involves a Family Program for residents. They are encouraged to invite their close loved ones to participate in this educational and therapeutic program. Family Week is four days of involved workshops, groups and family counseling. This can be a difficult process, but has shown to be quite foundational in the recovery of our residents.

9. Spiritual Program: The 12-steps are spiritually based and Cirque is very much a spiritual program. Through the use of experiential therapy, we try to give individuals opportunities to obtain a vital spiritual experience while here in the mountains. When addiction treatment is completed, the recovery process is oftentimes continued the anonymous communities of the 12-step program. Cirque Lodge strives to give residents a solid spiritual foundation for continuing this effort during their alcohol or drug rehab stay.

10: Alumni Help: Recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction is a process. A lot of times it can take more than one alcohol or drug rehab stay to address the problem. Cirque Lodge has programs in place for alumni to help them with recovery. If a former resident is in need of further care or a refresher, they can return to the facility and Guest with us for a few days. For those how have relapsed, we offer a relapse track program to help them get back on course and reevaluate their efforts of aftercare and recovery.

Intervention can be a valuable tool in helping someone you love struggling with addiction. Family members can be in shock when they uncover the situation of drug abuse or alcoholism. They can be uninformed about how to go about helping their loved one. Sadly, some of them can also be enabling their loved one to continue the abuse and chemical dependency.

This is where intervention can be involved. By intervening and confronting the individual, it can provide the motivation needed for that person to enter treatment.

Cirque Lodge would like to help you this where we can. Keith Fierman, Director of Family Services at Cirque Lodge, has served many years as an interventionist and counselor. He still serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Intervention Specialists. He is happy to work with you on solutions for your loved one. Even supplying help in cases when an interventionist is not needed. As a member of the Board of Directors, Keith can also assist you with recommendations on intervention specialists that would best suit your needs.

Questions about Intervention

You may have a number of questions when it comes to performing an intervention, as well as how to go about planning one. We encourage you to get a hold of Keith by email at kfierman@cirquelodge.com for answers to your questions. Cirque Lodge also has a Q&A Forum located on this site for public help tips about intervention. Intervention Q&A can be a place to anonymously ask questions, with answers from Keith available as soon as it is possible.

Questions and Answers about Treatment

Cirque Lodge admissions department looks forward to helping you with any questions you may have about treatment here in our private mountain alcohol and drug rehab facility. You can direct your questions to them in a number of ways. The simplest is to call them at 1-877-99-REHAB. They will take the time to provide you with any information you require. You are also welcome to direct any questions you may have regarding the Cirque Lodge program to info@cirquelodge.com.

Addiction is a devastating malady, but there are caring solutions for the problem. It is our hope that these contacting tools can be a means to getting your loved one the care and program they need to recover from this difficult struggle.

Cirque Lodge encourages all to have a healthy, happy and sober New Year. Those in recovery from alcoholism can find it particularly difficult this time of year. A lot of the celebrations and parties thrown tend to be centered around, drinking. This can be tough. That is why there are sober options when it comes to New Year’s celebrations for the recovering alcoholic. Those in recovery can contact their local intergroup or fellowship to learn about any gathering or meetings they can be involved in. For those who are located close to the Cirque Lodge Studio drug rehab facility, you can participate in a hosted event on Dec. 31st.

Cirque Lodge is hosting an AA Speaker Meeting on New Year’s Eve. Cirque alumni in the local recovery community are invited to come and participate. We are grateful to have John M. from Nashville as a guest speaker this year. The Studio is located on the corner of 8th North and Palisade Drive in Orem. We hope you can join us to ring in a safe and sober New Year. If you have any questions, call our Alumni Director Chris Rueckert @ (801) 222-9200 ext. 120

Address: 777 N. Palisade Drive Orem, Utah 84097
Time: 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Coffee and Hors d’oeuvres: 7:30pm
Speaker Meeting 8:00pm – 9:30pm

Whether you are freshly out of alcohol or drug rehab, or have been attending AA Meetings as a means to getting sober, your recovery must be central in your life. It is when focus is lost, or the stresses of life begin to takeover, when relapse begins to creep in. In conjunction to recovery meetings and working with therapists and counseling, there is prep work the individual can do each and every day that can greatly assist them in the recovery process. This preparation can be done in the morning and evening, or throughout the day as needed to continue the efforts of sobriety. Here are six preparation methods/exercises to assist you. Likewise, you can share what you do to help to prepare yourself for daily sober goals.

1- Take the Time to Do It – The stresses and struggles of life can be very taxing on your time. If your recovery is a central part of your life you will take the time to prepare each day for the day. Taking this opportunity can prepare you for stresses that arise and possible triggers that can show up. Just like many of the habits that are developed through daily routine, taking the time to prepare each day for your recovery can become second-nature.

2- Prepare with Media (READING) – The Second Suggestion I originally had as “Reading”, particularly Big Book study. However, there are many recovery resources, books and media that can help you as you plan and review your day. Online audio resources are out there in the form of recovery podcasts, workshops and video blogs that can help you focus. So, there is much more than just studying the Big Book and reading to help you focus and prepare for the day. This is where suggestion #1 comes back into play. Take the time to do it.

3- Meditate/ Breathe /Pray – As you do your step work, there are many opportunities to pray and to meditate as you improve on your life. This preparation can be used throughout the day to help you get focused back on recovery. You can start the day with meditation or prayer to get you ready. When you are presented with stresses and have resentments during the day, a little time spent focusing on your breath or praying for strength can be quite beneficial. At the end of the day, you can also take the time to do this to help you wind down.

4- Exercise – Is always a positive, even to those in recovery. It can also be foundational to your prep work on daily recovery goals. Getting up in the morning and going for a run, or to the gym, requires a commitment, similar to a commitment to sobriety in some ways.

5- Prepare for Service Opportunities – In recovery work, there are many opportunities to serve. When you prepare for such opportunities, you can be more sensitive to them when and wherever they occur. This service provides just so many positives as you work at your recovery. Whether it is in your home, work, or on a 12th step call, the opportunities will present themselves. By being prepared you can take full advantage.

6- Write and Reflect – Some individuals can benefit from taking the time to write down their feelings and occurrences during the day. These things can be reflected upon over time to help the person with different problems or experiences that can occur throughout the recovery process. In this day and age of social networking your therapeutic writing can be a medium for helping others if you so choose. It can be used for a recovery blog, or similar outreach to help others. It is up to you.

There are many other ways you as an individual in recovery can do your prep work for dealing with the daily struggles and triggers that come in sobriety. We encourage you to share the things that you do in your own personal preparation.

September is set aside each year around the country as “Recovery Month”. Throughout this month you find communities and programs promoting recovery, prevention and drug rehab treatments for those struggling with addiction and also mental health disorders. It is a month that helps to raise awareness about the efforts and benefits of these programs. It is also a means raising funding, community outreach and awareness about the struggles of substance abuse and addiction treatment helps within communities.

There are many ways to become involved with Recovery Month activities. A database for these activities and tools to help with creating your own can be found at recoverymonth.gov. Here you can find listings in communities and states about existing evens and also tools for posting your events or organizing a recovery activity. These aspects can be a helpful tool in raising awareness in your community, becoming educated about alcoholism, drug addiction, drug rehab and mental health disorders.

Cirque Lodge Drug Rehab Activities for Recovery Month

The Cirque Lodge alcohol and drug rehab center offers activities for Recovery Month for Alumni. The central event for this is an Annual Reunion. Cirque Lodge celebrates their 13th Alumni Reunion this year, held the weekend of August 28-30th. It is a chance for Alumni to return and rekindle that flame of recovery. The weekend is filled with workshops, recovery meetings and activities to help with maintaining spiritual connections on the mountain.

In conjunction with the Alumni Reunion and Recovery Month Cirque Lodge is hosting the first annual Ripreza “Race for Recovery” a 5k event intended to help raise awareness and funding to assist with treatment. Saturday Morning September 29, 2012 at 8am the Race for Recovery sets off from the Cirque Lodge Studio Facility in Orem Utah (777 N. Palisade Drive). Proceeds go to help individuals obtain alcohol or drug rehab treatments who lack the ability to pay. You can register by going to repreza.com or by clicking the banner below.

As an addiction treatment provider and an advocate for recovery, we encourage you to become involved with Recovery Month in any way that you can. It can be a means to helping others get into treatment. It is a way to honor those who have overcome so much in their lives to find health and sobriety. It can also be a way to help communities become more aware of the struggles of substance abuse, addiction and mental health concerns. We encourage you to “join the voices of recovery it’s worth it.”

Whether it has been going on for some time, or just started, a loved one’s substance abuse can become a significant problem. When addiction to drugs or alcohol is a part of the lives of a relation or friend, it becomes a part of your life too. Their behavior and actions can concern you, involve you and sadly all too often hurt you in ways beyond your control. A damaging element to this is to spend too much time trying to place blame instead of getting them the help they need. A family’s struggle with addiction can be helped in many ways. It can start with treatment or drug rehab for that loved one. But more importantly, it should involve programs that help the family as well. It can be integral to get an alcoholic or addict to ask for help and accepting they have a problem. It is also imperative that family members do the same in this process.

Help for Them

The immediate concern is getting help for that loved one. The behavior of abusing harmful and addictive substance can escalate and become fatal if not properly treated. Getting a loved one help can require intervention. A successful intervention can move the process along in getting that person into an appropriate treatment program. Intervention services can help by many means. This can include services with sober transportation, monitoring and also recommendations on an appropriate alcohol treatment or drug rehab provider.

Sending a family member or loved one to treatment can be a difficult decision in itself. There are many public and private programs available, so it can be difficult to choose. Intervention and medical professionals can help with recommendations, but it can also be helpful to do a little homework online and research drug rehab facilities. One should focus on the needs of your loved one in your research. Many of the leading treatment centers provide aspects of family programming as a part of their treatment curriculum or schedule. The professionals at these facilities can also help with the proper length of stay and therapy approaches. A common problem with alcoholism and drug addiction is a co-occurring mental health disorder that can have a hand in substance abuse. Many treatment providers will incorporate services that address such co-occurring concerns. They are often referred to in this industry as dual diagnosis or co-occurring treatment.

The nature of addiction is one that requires a long term effort to overcome. Even after treatment or drug rehab, continuing programs can be needed throughout the process to assist in this. This can involve continuing therapy programs, counseling and support groups. A community of those in recovery is available for long term support and help through 12-step groups and programs. There are also services and support through sober living environments, companions and community outreach/outpatient drug rehab programs.

Help for You

The struggles of your loved one can have negative impacts on the family and yourself. Even when you get a loved one into treatment or drug rehab, it can be a benefit to get yourself help and family members help as well. There are counseling services that can focus on a family in recovery and addressing any underlying concerns that can be involved in this. Counseling and programs for the family can also help individuals with unhealthy home relationships. Family members can mean well, but behaviors in home can be very codependent and enabling to the alcoholic/addict. Proper family counseling and help can educate and strengthen the family for their role in the recovery process.

When you send your loved one off to alcohol or drug rehab, you have taken a proper effective step. However, the work is just beginning. Many treatment facilities offer family programming for their clients. Family counseling can be offered over the phone or in person throughout the treatment stay. Family programming can also require loved ones to come to treatment for a few days and be involved in educational workshops and face-to-face therapy sessions with loved ones. This can be very difficult for some, but the healing impact in the long term can be foundational to recovery.

Long term support is not just for the family member struggling with addiction. In the early stages of the 12-step program and Alcoholics Anonymous, the wives of the alcoholic men found support from each other. This evolved into the Al-anon program. For adolescents there is Alateen. This support can be helpful not only to you as you deal with personal concerns, but also to your loved one who is taking drastic life changing steps in their recovery process. Counseling professionals, treatment providers and even research on the internet can get you pointed in the right direction for involvement in these support groups and programs like Codependents Anonymous.

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Take the steps to help yourself and your loved one today. Many times it can take the concern and efforts of a loved one to get the individual the help they need with drugs or alcohol. Covering it up or pushing it to the side does not help the problem, it fortifies it. And whether you like it or not it is a family problem that can require a family effort to overcome. These efforts can be life changing not only for your loved one, but for your family as well. The struggles and despair can be repaired and the joys of life can be found again.

Effective addiction treatment can require a combination of approaches to address the substance abuse issues and behavioral problems. To help with this, most addiction programs focus on the individual with their care. A proper assessment or screening process can help to determine needs of the individual on emotional, physical, psychological and upon a clinical level. Such a screening can also determine the intensity of treatment required to address the concern.

Many addiction treatment providers can offer an initial screening right over the phone. A few answers to questions can help to determine the struggles of the individual and what approach to take in helping them. If treatment is needed, an alcohol or drug rehab program will continue the assessment to determine a proper course for intervention and approaches to treatment. Many of the online referral services that offer help with addiction will provide this initial phone assessment and then refer to proper programs. It can also be beneficial to contact drug rehab facilities directly for this assessment.

Many assessments are also administered when the individual enters the alcohol or drug treatment facility. It can depend on the provider, but different screenings and inventories are taken to best understand the individual and determine their course of action. This assessment can involve sessions with therapist or psychiatric professional, tests and interviews. The purpose is to get a professional analysis of what this individual needs from an addiction treatment stand point. A dual diagnostic facility, or programs that treat co-occurring mental health disorders like depression, will use these assessments to determine whether medications are needed for the co-occurring concern.

All of this assessment and screening goes into providing a treatment plan for the individual. This plan begins with the addiction treatment stay, but can also involve continued care to help the individual through a long term process. It depends on the rehabilitation program. Individualized approaches to alcohol or drug treatment will involve a great deal of personal therapies within the treatment plan. This can be balanced with group therapies and workshops intended to educate and support a sober outcome for the individual.

Most addiction treatment programs operate on a recovery oriented system. This means that the program is based a lot of times upon the 12-step program and the foundations created by Alcoholics Anonymous. A recovery oriented treatment plan will combine clinical therapies with aspects of 12-step work, support, community and meetings. This planning can help with a long term approach to treating the addiction. After rehabilitation is completed, enrollment and involvement in AA, NA and similar support communities can be integral to remaining sober and prevention of relapse.

Daily planning and activities can be very helpful for those in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction. Part of the drug rehab program at Cirque Lodge is to teach individuals how to do this. Also involved in this program is introducing positive sober activities that the recovering alcoholic/addict can utilize to help them through the process. The drug rehab blog offers six suggestions or activities that can be a helpful piece to living each day sober.

1.Prepare for the day - A helpful tool is to plan out each day and prepare for anything that may arise. A good means of preparation is to take time in the morning to meditate, pray and study out of recovery literature like the Big Book.

2. Involve a Friend - Honesty and responsibility are crucial pieces to the recovery process. When participating in activities or outings it can be quite helpful to involve a sober friend, family member, companion or sponsor in these elements.

3. Get out, Be Active - Physical activity can be a positive and helps the body produce natural rewards. There are many ways to get out and be active, whether it is going to the gym, being involved in athletics, having a picnic at the park, or another summer activity it is good to involve exercise and being active.

4. Nature - The Cirque Lodge drug rehab program incorporates a lot of the mountain and being surrounded by nature. Being out in surround of a natural environment does have a number of positives. Involving a natural surrounding does not have to be much. It can be a hike along the mountain trail. It can be a short walk on the beach. People can even find connection by going fishing, boating, or working out in a garden. The key is to get out into the environment and make connections to a power greater than one’s own.

5. Attend a Meeting - For those in recovery attending an AA or NA meeting should be a common practice anyway, but on particularly tough days it can be helpful to plan on meetings perhaps you weren’t going to attend. Also with attending meetings come responsibilities and ways to serve others that can be helpful in the recovery process.

6. Help Others - The Cirque Lodge quote for today was “No amount of prayer or meditation can do what helping others can do” (Meher Baba). Service is central key to continuing the process of recovery. Service can come in so many ways. In can involve being a sponsor for other AA’s. It can be assisting in the community or with youth. It can involve helping out with those in drug rehab programs. Serving others allows you to share your story, which can greatly help your own resolve for sobriety.

There are many ways and activities that can help each day with sober living. These suggestions are just a few. If there are other ideas that you may have, please share them in the comments.