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Picture yourself surrounded by sunshine, swaying palm trees, and the paradise that awaits. At Calusa Recovery, we offer a unique opportunity to start your recovery treatment in a setting that inspires healing and renewal. Say goodbye to the bitter cold and embrace a therapeutic environment where the sun’s warm touch complements your journey toward a brighter, healthier, sober future.
Make the choice to step into warmth, both in climate and recovery, by starting your journey to recovery down in Fort Myers, Florida at Calusa Recovery.
Substance abuse is a highly intricate condition that results in compulsive behavior, repetitive substance use despite adverse consequences, and an inability to manage daily life. When you have a substance abuse disorder, you persist in using substances despite harmful outcomes and repeated efforts to control or cease substance use.
The issue with substance misuse for many individuals is that it often gradually evolves into full-fledged addiction. Many people commence with minor experimentation, engaging in the recreational use of substances or using legal substances prescribed by a medical professional. Unfortunately, for some, this progression leads to a substance use disorder, where the necessity for substance abuse becomes entrenched.
Substance use and addiction are intricate phenomena as each individual responds differently to substances based on unique physical attributes and life experiences. Since each person’s brain is distinct, the overall susceptibility to addiction and the pace at which someone develops a substance use disorder can vary significantly.
If you or someone you love is battling drug addiction, it’s perfectly normal to feel lost and hopeless. Also known as a substance use disorder, this debilitating disease triggers uncontrollable urges to misuse drugs. Any substance that produces a psychoactive effect has the potential to cause addiction, including illicit drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine and prescription medications such as opiate painkillers and benzodiazepines.
The team of supportive substance abuse experts at our drug rehab in Fort Myers can help you overcome drug addiction and learn to live a happy, health sober life. Get in touch today for more information.
Addiction is included in the DSM 5 manual of mental health disorders, and just like other types of mental illness, a range of risk factors are at play. In the past, people saw addiction as a simple matter of poor decision-making or weak will power, but we now understand there’s much more to it.
People who are susceptible to addiction have the perfect storm of genetic, environmental and mental health characteristics that put them at a higher risk of developing a substance use disorder.
The way your mind and body respond to drug abuse is partly determined by your genetics, which are traits inherited from your parents. They play a major role in how susceptible you are to developing drug addiction. Experts estimate that genes account for as much as 50% of a person’s risk of developing a substance use disorder. Three specific factors are thought to be instrumental in determining your predisposition to a particular behavior such as drug addiction:
Environmental factors are instrumental in the onset of addiction, and the interplay between genes and environment is highly complex. This is why many people who’ve had adverse experiences don’t get addicted and many who haven’t experienced trauma develop problems with substance use.
Some of the environmental factors that contribute to your likelihood of getting diagnosed with a substance use disorder include:
Mental health issues and drug addiction are closely tied and feed into each other, with many people who have a mental disorder turning to substance use as a means of self-medicating. Unfortunately, due to the way substance use affects the chemicals in your brain, it inevitably magnifies any existing mental disorders and contributes to the cycle of addiction.
Lots of people with a mental health disorder are undiagnosed, and drug abuse can lead to feelings of shame and inadequacy that feed into the cycle of addiction. Some of the mental disorders that are often seen alongside alcoholism and drug dependence include ADHD, PTSD, depression, anxiety, mood disorders and personality disorders.
Drug addiction is considered a disease because both legal and illegal substances lead to physical changes in the brain. In the same way diabetes is a disorder of your hormones and high blood pressure is a disorder related to the heart, addiction is a disorder of the brain. Just because someone doesn’t have physical symptoms you can see doesn’t mean they’re not present. Addiction is included in the DSM V, along with around 297 other mental disorders.
While scientists still don’t fully understand the mechanism of addiction, they know it’s partly a disorder of the brain’s reward system. Addiction changes nerve cells in your brain known as neurons, which communicate using neurotransmitters. These chemicals, such as dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine, are responsible for mood, movement and motivation. Substances alter the ways these chemicals interact, throwing the body off-balance and forcing it to adapt to repeated interference.
Biological changes in the brain account for a person’s inability to resist cravings, not strength of will power or morality. Luckily, although addiction is a chronic disease, it’s possible for anyone to gain control over their symptoms and find a healthy balance.
One of the major reasons people seek help for a substance use disorder is the impact it has on personal and professional relationships. Addiction is often called a family disease because it’s unlikely to only impact the addicted person, unless they’re already completely isolated.
People with a substance use disorder are prone to deception because of the warped high value they place on inebriation. Many addicts will go to great lengths not only to get hold of substances but also to hide the extent of their drug abuse from family members. For the affected loved ones, it can seem like the person they once knew has been torn away from them, and anger, resentment and sadness are common reactions.
This is why family involvement is so important in drug addiction treatment. Addiction affects family members just as much as the sufferer, and conflict in personal relationships can make the cycle of addiction worse for both parties. Learning to understand each other’s viewpoint and communicate in a healthy, effective manner is one of the most important factors of long-term recovery.
Here are some statistics about substance abuse in Lee County and the areas surrounding Fort Myers to give you insight into the scope of the drug problem:
Drug use is dangerous and harmful, but that doesn’t stop millions of people from using them each year. There are alternative, non-harmful ways to cope with life and have fun, but it can take working with a team of addiction experts to develop these tools.
Calusa Recovery is located in Fort Myers, Florida, and offer outpatient rehab services to people in the following locations:
Substance Abuse is serious and recovery isn’t simple, but it’s possible for anyone. No matter how long you’ve been using or how high the quantities are, with the right care and support, you can get sober and maintain good health in the long term. Most people require several different types of counseling in addition to psychoeducation, family therapy and experiential approaches that help you rediscover joy in sober life.
We offer the following treatment modalities at our addiction treatment center in South Florida.
