Marijuana Treatment Program at True Life Center

When entering the marijuana treatment program at True Life Center, the highly skilled staff will assess you to determine the level of care that you need to start. We offer a partial hospitalization program and an intensive outpatient treatment program. Neither program requires you to live at the facility. In fact, by providing these types of programs, our recovery center can provide care at a quarter of the cost of a residential facility.

During treatment, you will address the psychological side of the addiction in addition to the physical side. Therefore, we offer therapies to help with a variety of mental health problems, including:

• Anxiety disorder treatment programs
• Acute stress disorder treatment
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment
• Major depression treatment
• Bipolar disorder treatment

Helping you to overcome any underlying mental health struggles can make quitting cannabis easier for you. Additionally, you will learn skills to help you to avoid future addictions.

Signs of a Cannabis Addiction

An addiction to any substance can happen when you no longer have control over your use, even if it negatively impacts your life. In fact, a significant percentage of people who use cannabis develop an addiction to it. Those who start using the drug as teenagers or earlier have a higher chance of developing a dependency or marijuana use disorder.

Potential signs of a cannabis addiction include the following symptoms and behaviors:

• Not being able to quit using marijuana on your own
• Marijuana use negatively impacts school, work, or relationships
• Isolating yourself to indulge in cannabis use
• Lying about marijuana use
• Dependence on cannabis use to feel normal

Dependence happens when the brain compensates for the artificial intake of endocannabinoids through marijuana use by reducing its natural production of these neurotransmitters. When someone with dependence on cannabis stops use, they may experience physical and mental discomfort. However, some people can have a physical dependence on marijuana without showing behavioral signs of addiction. Dependence and addiction, though, both require help to overcome.

Why Marijuana Addiction Is a Problem

One of the significant reasons behind cannabis addiction today is the increased potency in modern marijuana compared to in the past. Today’s drug has much higher levels of the psychotropic component THC, which contributes to its mind-altering effects.

Suddenly stopping cannabis use after habitual intake can lead to withdrawal symptoms, indicating dependence on the drug. These side effects last for several days and include cravings, mood swings, restlessness, loss of appetite, and sleep problems.

However, these withdrawal symptoms are mild compared to the potential long-term effects of marijuana addiction. Exposure to THC over time can increase the chances of difficulties learning new things, reduced verbal abilities in children, and a drop in IQ in young people. The worst effects appear in children and adolescents whose brains have yet to finish growing. However, getting help early for this problem can lower the chances of these adverse effects of marijuana addiction.

Find Help for Cannabis Addiction at True Life Center

If you have a cannabis addiction, help is close at hand. You don’t have to continue to let marijuana use harm your body and mind. Find out about our marijuana addiction treatment program and other options by either calling us at 858.202.1822 or completing our confidential online form.  Get the help you need to stop your cannabis use and unlock a life free of the burden of drug abuse. 

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What Are Benzodiazepines?

Benzos are drugs that have a sedating effect. Often, doctors may prescribe Valium (diazepam), Xanax (alprazolam), Klonopin (clonazepam), or other benzos for insomnia or anxiety. However, people often misuse these drugs to take advantage of their relaxing, hypnotic effects.

The longer someone takes benzos, the higher a chance of dependency. Also, withdrawal symptoms will more likely occur in those who take these drugs for several months than those who temporarily use them. Benzo harm reduction starts with stopping the use of these drugs on a tapered schedule to prevent problems caused by use and minimize withdrawal.

The Dangers of Benzo Use  

Both short and long-term effects can occur from benzo use. For example, immediately after taking these drugs, the user will feel tired and have problems completing complex tasks. Additionally, other side effects of taking benzos include:

• Dizziness
• Slowed breathing
• Needing to take more to get the same effects
• Difficulty concentrating
• Confusion
• Overdose

If an overdose occurs, it is a medical emergency. Call 911 and tell the dispatcher that you suspect a benzo overdose. First responders should have a medication, flumazenil, to treat overdose from benzos. However, after an overdose, the person should seek benzo addiction treatment to avoid severe withdrawal symptoms.

Benzo Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawing from benzos also causes problems. Some people may experience anxiety, sleeplessness, psychosis, muscle spasms, hypersensitivity, or seizures. Professional assistance with tapering off the drug can reduce these withdrawal symptoms. Plus, when getting benzo addiction treatment, you learn methods to break from your dependence on the drugs psychologically.

Benzo Addiction Treatment

Benzo harm reduction requires addiction treatment with experts who know how to help you stop these drugs. A benzo taper program will help ease your transition to sobriety. By customizing the tapering to suit your needs, you can enjoy the best treatment possible for your case.

When you slowly taper off these drugs, you can avoid the most serious side effects of stopping cold turkey. Plus, when you eventually stop taking these medications after completing the tapering program, you can eliminate benzo harm from your life.

Since all addictions have physical and mental components, treating them requires an integrated approach. Therefore, at True Life Center, we use our unique neurobiological integration (NBI) approach to address the mental issues that plague those with addiction while promoting lifelong mental health. Components of this include various treatment programs such as:

• Acute stress disorder treatment
• Anxiety disorder treatment program
• Bipolar disorder treatment
• Depression treatment program

By combining treatment for diagnosed mental health concerns and helping you through the physical effects of benzo withdrawal, our team at True Life Center can help you to feel in control of your recovery.

Connect with True Life Center for a Unique Approach to Benzo Addiction Treatment

If you have an addiction to benzodiazepines, you need help to lower the effects of these drugs. Benzo harm extends through the withdrawal period, too. Therefore, you will need extra support to keep you on track when you quit. Contact True Life Center to find out about our treatment options for addictions, mental health issues, and more. We have several means of treating those in our program to help them overcome their addiction and reduce the harm done to their body and mind from the drugs. Start your way on a healthier path today by calling True Life Center at 858.202.1822 or completing our secure online form.

The post Do Benzodiazepines Cause Harm? appeared first on True Life Center.

Q.) I’m finally ready to get help for my depression, but I’m confused as to whether I need a psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist, or counselor. Don’t they all do the same thing?

A.) First of all, I want to commend you for having the courage and awareness to seek help. Reaching out to any of the professionals you listed would be a good place to start. All have the training and insight to refer you elsewhere if need be, depending on the severity of your depression and the kind of support you are looking for. Generally speaking, you will need to see a psychiatrist (all of whom hold M.D.’s) if you are interested in exploring medication as part of your treatment. Psychologists, therapists, and counselors are differentiated mainly by their education, training, and licensure. As you begin making phone calls, inquire about the credentials, specializations, and treatment approach of each. It’s most important that you find someone you trust and feel comfortable with. If, after a conversation or initial session you find yourself thinking, “this person gets me,” that’s usually an indication of a good fit. If you’re still unsure, I recommend contacting a comprehensive treatment center like True Life, where all of the professionals you mentioned are under the same roof, and a team member can listen to your unique story before providing recommendations.

Q.) A friend suggested I attend rehab for my bipolar disorder. Isn’t rehab just for addiction?

A.) I’m guessing your friend is using the term “rehab” to refer to inpatient treatment programs (also known as residential treatment), which require that patients live-in the facility for the duration of treatment. Though a majority of inpatient facilities deal primarily in addiction, residential mental health treatment programs do exist. Whether or not inpatient is the right solution for you depends on a number of things including the severity of your illness, the stressors in your environment, your financial situation, and your treatment goals. If you’re looking to focus solely on recovery, without worrying about the distractions of daily life, inpatient programs offer a controlled environment, close supervision and highly scheduled days. Alternatively, outpatient mental health treatment centers like True Life typically offer programming that allows patients to spend several hours a day, several days a week at the facility. These type of programs, commonly called Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) are often more affordable than their residential counterparts, provide increased schedule flexibility, allow patients to maintain work and family commitments while receiving treatment, and give patients the opportunity to immediately incorporate what they learn at treatment into their real lives.

Q.) Therapy is expensive! Can’t I just talk to a friend about my problems for free?

A.) You’re right – good mental health care is not cheap, nor should it be. You are paying for the time and expertise of a professional who will remain objective and confidential while listening for understanding, encouraging independent thinking and self-reflection, and delivering feedback designed to promote long-term, sustainable growth. Your friends, wonderful as they may be, are simply unable to provide the same type of guidance. I encourage you to consider the cost of not seeking professional help. Ignoring or delaying treatment often comes at great personal cost in terms of job performance, broken relationships, physical health and more. Your life and wellbeing are worth investing in!

If you have any questions about mental health care, please give our admissions team a call at 858.202.1822. We are happy to assist you in finding the care you need, even if True Life isn’t the right fit.

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