Stonewall Institute Treatment Center

Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center in Phoenix, AZ

Dating in Recovery

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Stonewall Institute Treatment Center

Thinking of starting your first intimate relationship post-drug or alcohol addiction? The right relationship can strengthen your alcohol and drug recovery. At the same time, dating the wrong person can push you towards relapse. Here are a few things to consider before you start a new relationship.

Build Positive Self-Care Habits First

While you take time to reflect on past dating habits, work on loving and caring for yourself. Loving another person in an intimate relationship starts with loving yourself. Build a foundation of self-love and positive self-care habits before you move on to your next relationship.

One of the biggest threats to a successful addiction recovery is stress. The passion of romance can be stressful, especially for those recovering from alcohol and drugs. Jumping into a new relationship before you master fulfilling your own emotional needs can lead to addiction relapse.

Ask yourself:

“Am I happy most days?”
“When I get upset, do I keep it in perspective?”
“Do I feel just as happy alone as I do with other people?”
“Am I excelling at work without feeling stressed out?”

If you can answer “YES!” to these questions, then it’s a good sign that you’re ready for a relationship.

Take Care of a Plant, Volunteer, Start a Project

Once you’ve taken care of your own happiness, try adding on some extra challenges. Taking care of a plant is a classic addiction-recovery cliche. If plants aren’t your thing, try taking on a volunteer project. This can be fulfilling in itself. If you can’t sacrifice a few hours every week to help others, do you really think you’re ready for an intimate relationship? Relationships are time-consuming and can present a lot of emotional challenges. Volunteering is a nice stepping stone.

Before you move on to a relationship, pick up a hobby or start a passion project. It will also help keep you sober and on track with your addiction recovery journey. When you start a new relationship, you’ll have less time to go around. You don’t want to feel like the relationship is preventing you from doing what you love. Once you’ve proven that you can donate time to others and dedicate time to your passions, it may be time to consider dating.

Recognizing Past Relationship Habits

As a recovering alcoholic or drug addicted individual, there’s a chance that you’ve developed some less-than-healthy relationship habits. Before you jump into a new intimate relationship post-addiction, it’s important to press pause and see if you can find any negative patterns that you’d rather not repeat.

Dating instincts are mostly subconscious. The relationship patterns you witnessed your parents engage in can have a significant impact on your dating habits as an adult. If you had parents who were addicted to alcohol or drugs, you might have absorbed some unhealthy dating tendencies. Relationships in the fog of addiction play out differently than when you’re dating with a clean brain and a clear head. By identifying negative patterns in past relationships, your next one will have a better chance of going well.

Avoiding Toxic People

It’s never time to start a new relationship with someone who isn’t emotionally healthy. When you feel like you’re ready, you need to be confident that your new partner will have a positive influence.

Negative interpersonal interactions have an adverse effect on mental health. How do you know that the person you’re interested in is healthy? Take a look at their life as a whole. Do they have a healthy social life? This looks different for every person. They don’t have to have a ton of friends, but they do need to be satisfied with the ones they have. Do they talk positively about life?

People tend to put there best foot forward in the early stages of a relationship. If you’ve only known someone for a few weeks and they’re already complaining, it’s not a good sign.

Start Slow, Love Can Be a Drug

There’s no reason to jump the gun. Take things slow. It can be easy to get too absorbed in your first relationship as a recovering addict. While you were using, you may have deprived yourself of close bonds and genuine emotional connections. Time was spent interacting casually, catching a buzz, and going about your day.

The authentic love of your first intimate relationship can be a drug in itself. In fact, love is a drug — oxytocin to be exact. Oxytocin is a hormone that acts on opioid receptors. It’s activated when you experience emotional and physical intimacy. Oxytocin is influential in the formation of social bonds. The desire to give yourself over to the satisfaction and relief that oxytocin provides can be powerful. Romance has the potential to distract you from your drug and/or alcohol recovery. Your affection should feel like a choice, not an addiction.

Communication is Key

Date someone who is an excellent communicator. Make sure that they’re open to answering questions about their past and answering difficult questions. As somebody working on your addiction recovery, you may have a tumultuous past. Dating someone who’s uncomfortable talking about it isn’t conducive to a healthy and positive addiction recovery. The person you date should be willing to discuss the impact that the relationship is having on your recovery.

Recovery needs to be your priority, and the person you date has to understand that. After all, if you relapse, it’s only a matter of time before the relationship becomes strained.

The High Stakes of Relationships in Recovery

You have to be ruthless with relationships in alcohol and drug recovery. The stakes are high. As your relationship grows, it can impact you in one of two ways. If communication is open and fearless, it can lead to success in recovery and make you a healthier person. If you or the other person doesn’t feel comfortable talking about the hard stuff, it will inevitably strain the relationship and your recovery.

By recognizing past relationship habits, avoiding toxic people, focusing on yourself first, and starting slowly, you can build a relationship that will strengthen your addiction recovery journey and bring joy into your life.

If you or anyone you love is seeking an individual counseling, intensive outpatient treatment program, or are just seeking more information, Stonewall Institute Treatment Center is glad to help. Please, give us a call today at (602) 535 6468 or email us at [email protected].

An Explanation to Dual Diagnosis

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Stonewall Institute Treatment Center

An Explanation to Dual Diagnosis

Around twenty years ago, dual diagnoses began to see light. The simple definition for one is when a drug or alcohol addiction co-occurring with a mental disorder. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has claimed that individuals who abuse substances are twice as likely to suffer from a disorder of some sort.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, close to nine million Americans are currently experiencing dual diagnoses. The unfortunate truth is, only 7.4 percent of those Americans receive drug and alcohol treatment for both their drug and alcohol addiction and co-occuring mental disorder. More than half don’t receive any treatment at all.

These statistics give us some insight as to how dual diagnoses are still all too unknown. More often than not, individuals suffering from substance addiction don’t realize there are drug treatment options out there to care for both issues. Therefore, it becomes very difficult to treat one issue when another one is still present.

Drug Abuse and Mental Illnesses are Commonly Combined

As mentioned above, it’s very common for individuals struggling with substance use to also face some sort of mental disorder. There are also instances where drugs can commence a mental disorder. In an example, psychedelic substances (such as LSD, PCP, or mushrooms) have been known to cause schizophrenia in certain individuals.

More commonly, however, the opposite is true – a person with a mental disorder will seek out alcohol and/or other substances to self-medicate which in turn may cause dependence or addiction. This is not only true for alcohol and street drugs, but also for prescription drugs given to them by their doctor. Benzodiazepines tend to be the most commonly abused prescription drugs, specifically Xanax. Xanax treats anxiety disorders and can be highly addictive. Even those with a prescription from a doctor can fall into dangerous dependence on the drug and experience serious withdrawals after even one week of continued use.

And even if somebody with anxiety doesn’t go to a doctor, there are substances widely available that make people feel more socially calm. The most notable being alcohol.

Diagnosing and Integrated Treatment

In order to properly dual diagnose an individual, they must undergo an integrated screening protocol or a clinical evaluation for drug and alcohol use. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), these individuals who’re admitted into addiction treatment should immediately be screened for both addiction and mental health. With each problem being assessed at the same time, only then can a solution be worked towards.

It should be noted that treating an addiction and nothing more tends to be less effective than that of treating both an addiction and mental illness. The reason being – as the statistics above have told us – many individuals who suffer from addiction usually suffer from a mental disorder as well.

Further, individuals who only get treated for one issue generally don’t have the tools to handle the other. Let’s say someone has recovered from drug addiction, yet, continues to face a large amount of anxiety. If they do not seek proper medical attention for their anxiety, this can lead them down either of two paths:

Relapse; going back to substances as a means of relieving anxiety.
Absolute confusion; without proper guidance, individuals are still in danger of harming themselves and others (even without drugs) due to the fact that they are unaware of how to control their emotion.

The purpose of integrated drug treatment is to reduce an individual’s use of substances while improving their mental health. It can be expected that integrated treatment will help one problem in relation to the other. The goal of dual diagnosis is to let individuals understand the source of their past experiences as a means of discovering how to solve future dilemmas.

Though drug therapy sessions can be expected in addiction treatment, with dual diagnosis, one can expect pharmacotherapy as well. Along with this, one can expect psychotherapy (or talk therapy) as well. The purpose of this is to help patients discover the true influences of both their addiction and their mental illness.

Which Treatment is Best for Dual Diagnosis?

One of the most prominent ways to treat individuals who’re dual diagnosed is through behavioral interventions. The following are commonly found in treating dual diagnosis:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A means of creating healthier thinking and behavioral patterns for the sake of individuals staying sober. It can be expected that this will work at minimizing problematic beliefs and behaviors.
Integrated Group Therapy: A conversation amongst other dual diagnosed individuals that seeks to treat the symptoms of both substance abuse disorders and mental health conditions.
Dialectic Behavioral Therapy: Often, substance abuse disorders and addiction go hand-in-hand with self-harming behaviors. This is an effort to diminish that.
Individual Psychotherapy: Treats the behaviors often associated with mental health issues and substance abuse.

Due to the fact that everyone has different needs and preferences on how to carry out their treatment, it’s very likely that people will undergo different methods as a means of treating their dual diagnosis. The only way to properly determine which form of addiction treatment will be most beneficial to you is to speak with a professional substance abuse counselor.

Below, we will look into the options of inpatient treatment and outpatient, however, it is highly recommended you complete an evaluation with a trained mental health professional to figure out which method of treatment will serve your specific circumstance the best.

Inpatient Treatment

More often than not, inpatient treatment is recommended for individuals with a dual diagnosis. This is when a person is placed in a residential rehabilitation program where he/she will live under the supervision of professionals. It was mentioned earlier that individuals in certain environments will react to their addiction or mental health differently.

In an inpatient program, individuals will be in not only a safe environment, but one that’s supervised by professionals. Dual diagnoses aren’t an easy matter to handle. Therefore, these professionals along with ongoing support are very much a necessity.

Given, there will be times when the drug and alcohol treatment can feel very intensive. Dual diagnoses are complex when one is trying to find a solution. To cure two diseases in one session is to completely change one’s perspective on life and that of which is around them. With inpatient treatment, individuals will have the opportunity to stay in one place and focus on their dilemma.

With an inpatient treatment, you can expect the following:

Daily therapy sessions.
The chance to be apart of support groups on a daily basis.
A community of a variety of individuals who’re in the same position.
The opportunity to receive consistent and professional about substance abuse and mental health.

Outpatient Treatment

The difference from an inpatient treatment is an intensive outpatient treatment allows individuals to get the care they need without committing to residency. Usually taking around 10 weeks, individuals in outpatient treatment are allowed to go about their day-to-day lives if they have important responsibilities; work, school, a family, etc.

You can expect to receive the same kind of counseling and professional help you would from an inpatient treatment, but since you aren’t living in a facility, there’s a larger degree of personal responsibility. In other words, how seriously you decide to take the treatment is entirely up to your willingness for a change.

Just like the inpatient program, it’s important to have the right motivation. Individuals shouldn’t be forced into this situation out of their own will.

There’s one vital factor that’s also important to be aware of. Being that your environment isn’t as controlled, there’s more of a chance to give into substances. Keeping this in mind, it’s essential to have self-control through an outpatient program. That responsibility is the key to a successful treatment.

With an outpatient treatment, you can expect the following;

Group therapy three times a week for three hours a session.
The ability to live independently.
Peer support, community group, or 12-step program involvement.

If you or anyone you love is suffering from addiction and/or co-occuring mental disorder(s), or would like more information on the topics discussed above, please, give Stonewall Institute Treatment Center a call today at (602) 535-6468 or email us at [email protected].

Change is possible, Stonewall Institute Treatment Center can help you change your life.

Healing Toxic Emotions through Vulnerability in Recovery

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Stonewall Institute Treatment Center

One of the main obstacles to drug and alcohol recovery is the shame associated with substance abuse. A lifetime of addiction can leave behind a wake of regretful actions, damaged relationships, and poor decisions. It can feel overwhelming to face the reality of what life has become, but by sharing your story in Alcoholics Anonymous and other formats, you can move past your shame towards a healthy recovery.

What Is Shame?

Shame is different than guilt. When you feel guilty, you recognize that you did something wrong and act to correct it. Guilt is usually a healthy, motivating emotion. You may say to yourself, “I shouldn’t have done that, but it doesn’t represent who I am.”

Shame is different. It results in negative self-talk such as “I’m so terrible, I can’t believe I did that.” You see your regretful action as a reflection of who you are as a person. Unlike guilt, with shame, you may not try to repair the damage you’ve caused. Instead, you attempt to hide from or ignore the pain. You may disconnect from yourself and from others.

Healthy Shame vs Toxic Shame and Addiction

Believe it or not, not all shame is bad. Shame can serve as a moral compass and a reminder that you are not the all-powerful being you sometimes think you are. Good shame comes in the form of “innate moral shame.” When shame gets out of control, it becomes “internalized shame.” Internalized shame is toxic.

Healthy shame can guide you in the right direction when you have a difficult ethical decision to make. You may lie to your coworker and take a larger percentage of the profits than was agreed upon. The shame you feel for doing this can direct you to be more honest in the future. This type of shame is the foundation of humility and spirituality. Healthy shame can even push you to seek help for addiction when you recognize that substance abuse is the driving force behind your immoral behavior.

But shame isn’t always positive, and this is what makes it such a complicated emotion to understand. It’s internalized shame, or toxic shame, that fuels addictive behaviors. When shame consumes you and makes you feel that you are inherently a bad person, that’s when it can destroy you rather than motivate you towards recovery.

The Destructive Nature of Internalized Shame

Internalized shame makes you feel that you are the problem rather than the decisions you make and the actions you take. Rather than feeling regretful or embarrassed for a short period, you feel like a flawed person. Maybe you even go so far as to feel that you’re not worthy of love. Internalized shame can make you feel inherently defective. At that point, trying to improve yourself is a lost cause. The only way to escape your shame, and yourself, is to use substances to hide from what you’ve become.

Toxic shame is one of the most destructive emotions because it’s all-encompassing and becomes your state of being. Shame is soul sickness at its worst. Internalized shame is at the core of addictive behaviors.

Coping with Toxic Shame Through Substance Abuse

As toxic shame gets worse, you may take every means necessary to isolate yourself from the people who care about you. Distance is the only way to create a separate version of yourself and experience a break from the pain.

What better way to distance yourself than to abuse drugs and alcohol? It’s the easiest, fastest solution. If you’re already genetically predisposed to addiction, the combination of toxic shame and substance can be a lethal one. On one end you have the shame pushing you to seek something outside of yourself in order to feel okay. This can come in the form of money, power, sex, drugs or alcohol. Although these behaviors provide a momentary escape, they only add to the shame and regret after the buzz wears off.

The disease of addiction can take what would have been a healthy shame and turn it into toxic shame. This is especially true with young addicts, especially if their entire adult life has been consumed by addiction. Addiction is their identity. It can lead to a compulsive cycle that fuels more shame and more addictive behavior.

The Healing Power of Vulnerability

Healing toxic shame can be a painful process, but it’s an essential part of drug and alcohol recovery. If you’ve been using substances to escape from your feelings of shame, healing can be especially difficult. You’ll need to completely reverse your relationship with shame and meet it head-on.

It’s okay to recognize the shame that you feel for the decisions you’ve made. Healing begins when you admit that your shame doesn’t represent who you are as a person. Only then can you move forward in recovery.

Shame thrives when you’re in isolation. To beat it, you’re going to need to connect with others and share your story. By externalizing your shame and being vulnerable in front of people you trust, you can begin to recover. Psychologist Brene Brown is a massive proponent of the power of vulnerability to transform your life and become a leader in your community. Vulnerability is also an essential part of healing shame. When you trust someone to accept you for all your flaws you can start to change the negative beliefs you have about yourself.

Alcoholics Anonymous: Healing through Human Connection

Alcoholics Anonymous is a 12-step recovery program that works. Why is it so effective for so many people?

It relies on the power of vulnerability and human connection to heal toxic shame. Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are full of people who know the shame of addiction all too well. You can feel safe to share your experience, get feedback, and start to disconnect from the shame that you’ve identified with for so long.

With that being said, Alcoholics Anonymous isn’t for everyone. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to a group of people you’ve only recently met, the same power of vulnerability can be experienced by sharing with another support group, mentor or therapist. For most recovering addicts, however, Alcoholics Anonymous is the most effective route to take.

Other recovering addicts will need more than just Alcoholics Anonymous. Inpatient and intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment programs can provide a solid foundation for addiction recovery.

Stonewall Institute Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center in Phoenix, Arizona provides services for drug and alcohol dependency and co-occurring issues. Services are delivered in a private upscale outpatient treatment setting using evidence-based treatment methods. Our program allows clients to sustain life responsibilities while providing an intensive treatment environment 3 evenings per week for 10 weeks. Clients in our Drug and Alcohol Treatment program will learn about underlying issues that contribute to substance dependence and obtain the vital skills necessary to sustain long-term sobriety and recovery.

If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse, Stonewall Institute Treatment Center is available to answer any questions you may have. Call us today at 602-535 6468 or email us at [email protected].

DUI Evaluation Phoenix

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Stonewall Institute Treatment Center

According to alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics and facts, alcohol abuse is a pattern of drinking that results in situations that can result in the failure to attend to important responsibilities at school, work, or at home; ongoing alcohol-related relationship problems; the experience of recurring alcohol-related legal problems; and/or physical injury.

Stonewall Institute offers DUI evaluation services in order for individuals to be considered for the reinstatement of driving privileges in the state of Arizona.

To schedule an appointment to meet with a counselor regarding DUI substance abuse evaluation Phoenix, contact the Stonewall Institute at 602-535-6468.

DUI Substance Abuse Revocation Evaluation Phoenix

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Stonewall Institute Treatment Center

Regrettably, the full extent of the destructive and pervasive manifestations of alcohol abuse and alcoholism are not typically realized until various alcoholism statistics and alcohol abuse statistics are explicitly stated. As a consequence, the following alcohol abuse statistics and alcoholism statistics and facts, established via an assortment of online surveys and research studies, will be listed below:

* The World Health Organization estimates that about 76 million people throughout the world suffer from alcohol-related disorders.

* According to recent studies, it has been discovered that approximately 53% of adults in the United States have reported that one or more of their close relatives has a drinking problem.

* Alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse cost the United States an estimated $220 billion in 2005. This dollar amount was more than the cost associated with obesity ($133 billion) or with cancer ($196 billion).

* The overwhelming majority of youth (74% of 8-17 year-olds; 74% of 8-12 year-olds; 74% of 13-17 year-olds) cite their parents as the primary influence in their decisions about whether they drink alcohol or not..

* The 25.9% of underage drinkers in the United States who are alcohol abusers and alcohol dependent drink 47.3% of the alcohol that is consumed by all underage drinkers.

* Problem drinkers are mostly found in young adults between the ages of 18 and 29. Conversely, the age group with the fewest alcohol problems is adults who are 65 years old or older.

* The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that there were 17,000 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in each of the last three years.

Stonewall Institute offers DUI evaluation services in order for individuals to be considered for the reinstatement of driving privileges in the state of Arizona. State law requires all persons who seek the reinstatement of Arizona driving privileges following an alcohol or drug-related revocation to provide the Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) with a current substance abuse evaluation.

To schedule a DUI substance abuse revocation evaluation Phoenix, contact Stonewall Institute at 602-535-6468.

DUI Substance Abuse Revocation Evaluation Phoenix

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Stonewall Institute Treatment Center

Many people think that alcohol abuse and alcoholism are the same. This is misinformation that is not a reflection of accurate alcoholism and alcohol abuse information, alcohol abuse statistics, or information about alcohol facts.

Although both concepts are similar, they are not the same. Alcohol abuse, unlike alcoholism, does not include physical dependence, loss of control due to drinking, or an extremely strong desire for alcohol.

A Definition of Alcohol Abuse. Alcohol abuse is defined as a pattern of drinking that results in one or more of the following circumstances in a twelve-month period of time:

Drinking in situations that can result in physical injury. Examples include driving a vehicle or operating machinery.
Failure to attend to important responsibilities at work, home, or school.
Experiencing recurring alcohol-related legal problems. Examples include getting arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, for damaging someone’s property, or for physically hurting someone while drunk.
Continued drinking in spite of ongoing relationship problems that are the result of drinking.

To schedule a DUI Substance Abuse Revocation Evaluation Phoenix, contact Stonewall Institute at 602-535-6468.

DUI Substance Abuse Evaluation Phoenix

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Stonewall Institute Treatment Center

According to alcohol info and substance abuse research, alcoholism, also known as “alcohol addiction” or alcohol dependency, is a disease that includes the following symptoms:

* Craving: A strong and continuing compulsion or need to drink.
* Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms when a problem drinker stops drinking after a period of excessive drinking. Such symptoms include: anxiety, sweating, nausea, and “the shakes.”
* Loss of control: The inability to limit one’s drinking over time or on any given occasion.

* Tolerance: The need to drink increasing amounts of alcohol in order to “feel the buzz” or to “get high.”As stated above, alcoholism and alcohol abuse are similar, but not identically the same concepts. Perhaps the best way to explain this is to make the following statement: whereas all instances of alcoholism involve the abuse of alcohol, not all instances of alcohol abuse can be called alcoholism.

In other words, all forms of alcoholism involve the abuse of alcohol, but not all those who engage in the abuse of alcohol exhibit alcoholic behavior. The key difference in the two concepts is this: those who abuse alcohol, unlike alcoholics, are not necessarily physically dependent on alcohol, they do not necessarily crave alcohol, they are not necessarily out of control regarding their drinking, and they do not necessarily develop tolerance.

Perhaps an example will help. A person who only drinks once per year and gets drunk on his or her birthday is clearly not an alcoholic because he or she does not exhibit a strong and continuing need to drink, is not physically dependent on alcohol, and does not develop tolerance for alcohol. He or she has definitely exhibited an inability to limit his or her drinking this one time (i.e., a loss of control), but the other three aspects of alcoholism necessary to call him or her an “alcoholic” are missing.

In this example, the person who gets drunk only once per year has exhibited alcohol abuse or binge drinking but not alcoholic behavior. In the truest sense of the word, however, this person still could be labeled as having a drinking problem due to the fact that he or she engaged in abusive drinking.

To schedule a DUI Substance Abuse Evaluation Phoenix, contact Stonewall Institute at 602-535-6468

DUI Substance Abuse Evaluation Phoenix

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Stonewall Institute Treatment Center

A question that has been raised by numerous individuals is the following: why can some people drink alcohol without experiencing any major difficulties, negative alcohol-related outcomes, or drinking problems while others cannot? One answer to this question involves genetic make-up. More specifically, substance abuse researchers have found that having an alcoholic family member increases the risk of developing alcoholism.

In fact, alcohol info and research show that there may be a genetic predisposition for certain individuals to become dependent on alcohol. In addition, alcoholism scientists have discovered that different environmental factors can interact with one’s genetics, the result of which is a complex system of dynamic variables that can lead to alcoholism or to the abuse of alcohol.

Examples of these environment factors include an individual’s family and friends, an individual’s culture, the relative ease of getting alcohol, where and how an individual lives, and peer influence.
Drunk driving and alcoholism statistics and relevant alcohol info report that alcohol-involved crashes accounted for 10 percent of property-damage-only crash costs, 21 percent of nonfatal injury crashes and 46 percent of fatal injury crash costs.

To schedule a DUI Substance Abuse Evaluation Phoenix, contact Stonewall Institute at 602-535-6468

DUI Substance Abuse Evaluation Phoenix

Posted on September 11, 2010 by Stonewall Institute Treatment Center

To schedule a DUI Substance Abuse Evaluation Phoenix, contact Stonewall Institute at 602-535-6468

DUI Substance Abuse Evaluation Phoenix

Posted on September 11, 2010 by Stonewall Institute Treatment Center

According to alcohol info and substance abuse research, alcoholism, also known as “alcohol addiction” or alcohol dependency, is a disease that includes the following symptoms:

To schedule a DUI Substance Abuse Evaluation Phoenix, contact Stonewall Institute at 602-535-6468