Charlie Carlson, Author at Best Rahabs In Arizona

July 18, 2021July 23, 2022

What is Meth Mouth?

Meth Mouth

Many people are surprised to find that bad breath is a common consequence of drug abuse. We talk extensively about the physical and mental health impairments related to drug abuse. But these are not the only impairments that we have to worry about.

Oral problems, including bad breath, are particularly common among meth users. Users call this meth mouth. Meth mouth is characterized by damage in and around the mouth, to the teeth and gums, and the lips.

What Causes Meth Mouth?

Meth mouth occurs for several different reasons. Neglected oral hygiene is one of the most common. Drugs as powerful as meth can make you forgetful, sleepy, and distracted. It is unlikely that someone on meth will remember to properly take care of themselves.

In addition to a poor diet and a lack of exercise and proper hydration, the oral hygiene habits of drug users often suffer. It is easy to forget to regularly floss and brush your teeth when you are under the influence of an overwhelming substance.

Meth also causes dry mouth, a significant contributor to developing cavities and eroding gums. It is acidic, which damages the teeth more directly. And it can make you crave sugar and grind or clench your teeth.

These are the primary drivers of meth mouth: poor oral hygiene, dry mouth, acidic erosion, sugar cravings, grinding and clenching your teeth. The symptoms of meth mouth can be a source of insecurity, discomfort, or even pain.

Meth and Bad Breath

Bad breath in meth users is caused by dry mouth and poor oral hygiene. But bad breath is only the start of meth mouth. What’s more concerning are the side effects that come next. These side effects can be mild to severe, depending on the level of use and other individual factors.

They can also occur both inside and outside of the mouth. Damage to the lips, tongue, cheeks, and gums is common. It is not just your breath or your teeth that suffer when you use meth. There is no safe way to use meth. Using meth will always put your oral, mental, and physical health at risk.

Other Symptoms of Meth Mouth

Dry or cracked lips, damaged gums, tooth decay, cavities, and missing teeth are all common among meth users. In one study, medical professionals examined the mouths of 571 meth users. They found that nearly everyone in the study had poor oral health.

Among them, the three most common oral health impairments were cavities (present in 96% of participants), untreated tooth decay (58%), and at least six missing teeth (31%). Meth mouth is often one of the most apparent physical changes that occur when a person uses meth.

Dentists often characterize meth mouth by the presence of severe tooth decay and gum disease. This combination often causes teeth to break, blacken, rot, crumble, or fall out. Lesions are also typical among meth users.

These side effects are often apparent from the outside. Meth users often experience alterations to their facial features, as well as skin damage. The sunken look that accompanies meth use is one of the most obvious signs of trouble.

How Common is Meth Use?

Methamphetamine is a Schedule II drug. This means that it is too dangerous for medical use and has a high potential for abuse and severe dependence. But this classification has done little to curb meth use over the years.

In 2017, roughly 1.6 million people reported using meth in the past year. Most users tried meth after becoming addicted to prescription opioids. One study confirmed that this connection was present in 80% of participants.

Other Side Effects of Meth Use

Learning about the effects of meth is an important step in keeping ourselves and each other safe. Meth mouth is a common and concerning condition among users. But there are other side effects that you should also be aware of.

Aside from meth mouth, some of the most common side effects of meth use include:

Weight loss
Body tremors
Increased or irregular heartbeats
Confusion
Paranoia
Hyperactivity
Insomnia
Anger
Anxiety

These side effects can vary depending on many individual factors. The method of use, frequency, mental health, and medical history of the user are some of the most impactful. Some side effects are specific to certain methods of drug abuse.

For example, injecting meth comes with the additional risks of collapsed veins, infections at the injection site, and HIV from shared needles. Snorting meth can damage the nasal cavity and sinuses, causing issues like loss of smell and painful nosebleeds.

Over time, more troubling side effects become more likely. These include potentially fatal health problems, like central nervous system damage, seizures, strokes, heart attacks, and overdoses. But you do not have to live in constant fear of the impacts of your meth use. Help is available.

How to Prevent Meth Mouth

Preventing meth mouth comes down to altering your habits. There is no foolproof way to prevent meth mouth while you continue to use meth. These oral health impairments will always be linked to meth use, and they will only get worse the longer the abuse goes on.

If you have already stopped using meth and want to prevent further damage, there are a few changes you can make. Building a healthier oral hygiene routine, staying properly hydrated, eating nutritious meals, avoiding excessive amounts of sugar, and checking in with your dentist are all good ideas.

Treatment for Meth Mouth

Treatment for meth mouth can help reverse or improve the damage done. But meth addiction treatments should come first. After all, there is no point in improving your oral health without improving your habits.

Once you have stopped using meth and developed a healthier routine, your dentist can help you determine which treatments will make the biggest difference. Depending on the level of damage, it may be as simple as brushing with a certain toothpaste, using a prescription mouthwash, avoiding sugar, drinking more water, and eating healthier meals.

But for long-term users or users ingesting high volumes of meth, there may be more damage than can be undone with such simple changes. Our medical staff can help you analyze your options and find the right dental care provider. They will guide you from there.

Getting Help for Meth Addiction

Recognizing that you need help is the first step in addiction recovery. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant. No one expects you to overcome it on your own. At Best Rehabs In Arizona, we understand how difficult it is to break the chains of addiction, and we are here to show you the way.

At each step in your recovery journey, you will have access to the expert-level care, support, and guidance that you need. We will help you break down the barriers between this life and a healthy, happy, sober one. We will help you find a way to live that doesn’t involve meth or its many potential consequences.

If you or someone you love needs help overcoming meth addiction, you have come to the right place. At Best Rehabs In Arizona, we believe in high-level, holistic, and personalized treatment programs. Call our addiction counselors at 866-576-4892 to get started building yours.

July 10, 2021February 1, 2022

Does Drug Use Speed Up Aging?

Can Drug Use Speed Up Aging?

One of the earliest signs of drug abuse is a drastic change in someone’s physical appearance. From dry skin and wrinkles to rapid weight loss and glassy eyes, many illicit drugs make themselves known through your appearance.

Drugs and alcohol can alter your appearance in different ways. While the alterations may vary depending on the type of drug, method of use, length of abuse, medical history, and other individual factors, one thing remains the same.

Individuals who abuse drugs almost always look older than others at the same age. There are a few different reasons and many different ways that drug use speeds up aging.

Why Do Addicts Age Faster?

The three primary reasons that addicts age faster than others include:

Health conditions and diseases induced by drug-related toxicity.
Neglecting your physical and mental health and hygiene due to drug use.
Nutritional and vitamin deficiencies caused by a poor diet and lack of hydration.

While these are three of the most common ways that drugs can accelerate aging, there are many different causes. Drug and alcohol abuse can cause you to become dehydrated, inflamed, and malnourished.

They can weaken your immune system, leading to damage on the cellular level, cognitive decline, and other concerning health impairments. Your organs, including your skin, take a hard hit in both short and long-term drug or alcohol abuse.

This can leave you feeling and looking far older than you are.

Drug Abuse and the Skin

How does drug use speed up aging? Drug abuse can cause dehydrated, dry, patchy, flaky, or scabbed skin. Sores are also common in certain types of drug abuse. This is due, in part, to the tendency of drug-addicted individuals to pick or scratch at their skin.

Skin picking is a side effect of several different illicit drugs. The feeling that something is crawling all over you can lead you to scratch away at your body’s outer defensive layers. Other effects of drug abuse on the skin include:

Rashes and other irritations.
Color changes.
Dry, swollen, inflamed, or cracked lips.
Gum and tooth decay.
Dry, red, itchy, and inflamed skin patches.
Extreme acne breakouts.
Open sores.
Scarring after picking at the skin or sores.
Skin infections.

No one wants to age faster than we already are. We worry about skin damage and fret over our appearances, but we forget that what we put into our bodies is often more important than anything else in the aging process. Here are the facts about how drug use speed up aging.

Drugs and alcohol can age you far faster than normal and cause far more extensive damage than everyday wrinkles. These side effects may start as mild irritations or causes of lost confidence, but they can escalate into health concerns that are far more troubling.

Over time, open sores and skin infections can take a toll on your immune system, making it harder for your body to fight off common illnesses and diseases with long-term impacts.

Nutritional and Vitamin Deficiencies in Addicts

When it comes to the impacts of drug and alcohol abuse, nutritional and vitamin deficiencies are common concerns. Prolonged abuse can deplete your body of the essential vitamins and nutrients that it needs to function properly.

Without these essential vitamins and nutrients, your body has trouble with certain functions. Cellular growth, rejuvenation, and repair are three functions that suffer and will worsen the aging effects on the skin.

But these deficiencies do not only impact your skin. These effects can also damage your bones, organs, and brain. With a weakened immune system, it is harder for your body to heal and renew itself. You become more prone to get sick and to stay sick for longer.

Drug Abuse and Your Teeth

Speaking of bones, let’s talk about the toll that drug abuse can take on your teeth. Among drug users, decaying, broken, or missing teeth are common. Drug abuse can also cause dry and cracked lips and damaged gums.

Oral health issues are particularly common among meth users. That is where the term meth mouth comes from. One study of nearly 600 meth users revealed that the majority had oral health issues. More specifically, 96% had cavities, 58% had untreated tooth decay, and 31% had six or more missing teeth.

The risk of dental and periodontal diseases is higher among drug-addicted individuals because drugs are linked to dry mouth and poor oral hygiene. Others are acidic, which wears away at the tooth’s enamel, while others make you crave sugar, grind your teeth, or clench your jaw.

Drugs like meth also cause bouts of unconsciousness, which makes it easier to lose track of time. After waking up, it is more likely for a user to go back for more than to get up and brush their teeth. Each of these effects can wreak havoc in and around the mouth.

Drug Abuse and the Brain

If you think drug use speed up aging only, then you are wrong. The impacts of drug abuse aren’t limited to the skin, bones, body, or mind. Drug and alcohol abuse can affect a person from head to toe. But some of the most concerning side effects are the ones that affect the brain. After all, our brains are what keeps us functioning every day.

Drug and alcohol abuse can age our brains, causing memory impairments or loss, inability to concentrate, overall cognitive decline, and permanent brain damage. Confusion is also common. These impairments can range from mildly distracting to crippling.

Drug and alcohol abuse can also impact our brains in another way. Common mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety, are intrinsically linked to these types of abuse. And they can occur in either order.

Some people develop mental health disorders after abusing drugs or alcohol. Other people abuse and end up addicted to drugs or alcohol to cope with the overwhelming symptoms of an untreated mental health disorder.

Whichever condition comes first, this combination can create a vicious and crippling cycle. We can help you break it.

Drug Abuse and Your Physical Health

Depending on the drug, method of use, frequency, medical history, and other individual factors related to the user, drug abuse can cause a wide variety of physical health impairments. One of the most common is the heightened risk of cardiovascular disease.

Many different types of cancer, strokes, and heart attacks all occur at higher rates among drug and alcohol addicts, as well. People who regularly abuse drugs or alcohol often show and feel pronounced signs of physical decline.

From memory loss and wrinkles to heart attacks and overdoses, there are many different reasons to quit using drugs. There are no positives to long-term drug abuse. When you are in it, it may seem like there is no way out. But we are here to show you the light.

Best Rehabs In Arizona

Getting help for drug addiction is easier than it has ever been. With proven and personalized programs in our safe and convenient facilities in Arizona and Colorado, we make it easy to get the help you need when and where you need it.

We offer a wide range of inpatient and outpatient programs, proven and holistic treatments, and personalized guidance to ensure that you have access to everything you need on your recovery journey. Why wait another day to see the difference a Best Rehabs In Arizona approach can make?

Call our addiction counselors today at 866-576-4892.

July 4, 2021November 17, 2022

Cocaine and Bad Breath

Does Cocaine Use Cause Bad Breath?

The phrase cocaine abuse often conjures up images of powder trails, dollar bill straws, mirrors, and credit cards. We think of the 1980s when cocaine abuse was common and unquestioned. But many don’t realize that this illicit stimulant is staging a comeback.

From 1999 to 2019, fatal overdoses involving cocaine rose from 3,822 to 15,883. Cocaine is a powerful and addictive drug that can impair every aspect of life. From mental and physical health complications to financial and relationship troubles, its impacts know no bounds.

But it’s not just the major, life-changing events that cocaine abusers have to worry about. There are also everyday annoyances like hyperactivity and difficulty sleeping, and other side effects that land somewhere in between. One of those side effects is something called coke mouth.

Cocaine and Bad Breath

On top of its many other potentially uncomfortable, unpleasant, painful, or even fatal side effects, cocaine causes a troubling oral condition. For users who rub the substance over their teeth, cocaine and bad breath are intrinsically linked.

But bad breath is not the only oral concern when it comes to cocaine use. This bad breath is a symptom of a deeper and more concerning problem: dental decay. From bad breath to the loss of teeth, dental decay comes in varying stages and can cause many different problems.

Cocaine Effects on the Mouth

Users can snort, inject, smoke, or rub the substance over their teeth. The side effects that you experience can vary depending on the method you use, the dose, how often, and for how long. Coke mouth is a side effect that is unique to users who ingest cocaine orally.

Many users do this to produce a faster high. The short-term side effects of cocaine include euphoric feelings and increased energy and focus. But these side effects never last for long. And what comes next is not worth the tradeoff.

Cocaine’s effects on the mouth include:

Bad breath
Sores in and around the mouth
Tooth decay (either from tooth and gum erosion due to rubbing cocaine there or from neglected hygiene due to cocaine use through other methods)
Gingivitis and other oral diseases
Wear to the teeth and jaw from grinding and clenching
Tooth loss

Snorting cocaine can also interfere with your oral and nasal health. It can cause you to lose your sense of smell, promote nosebleeds, make it harder to swallow and cause regular hoarseness. It can also cause an overall irritation of your sinuses, which often results in chronic runny noses.

Other Symptoms of Cocaine Use

Different methods of cocaine use can cause different symptoms. Not all of them will be related to the mouth or sinuses. Other side effects of cocaine use include:

Irritability
Paranoia
Hypersensitivity to touch, sound, and sight
Bizarre or unpredictable behaviors
Increased feelings of anger that may escalate to violence
Constricted blood vessels and dilated pupils
Nausea
Fast or otherwise irregular heartbeats
Increased blood pressure and body temperature
Muscle twitches and tremors
General feelings of restlessness

Smoking cocaine can cause asthma, respiratory distress, and a higher risk of infections. Injecting cocaine puts you at a higher risk of contracting hepatitis C, HIV, and other diseases, as well as infections, scarring, and collapsed veins.

Over time, left untreated, the side effects of cocaine use only get more severe. It also becomes more likely to suffer life-threatening health impairments and a fatal or non-fatal overdose.

How Addictive is Cocaine?

Cocaine is a Schedule II drug, which means that it has a high risk for abuse and addiction. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) maintains that using cocaine has the potential to lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. Schedule II drugs are considered dangerous.

Other drugs in the Schedule II class include:

Vicodin
Methamphetamine
Methadone
Hydromorphone or Dilaudid
Demerol
Oxycodone or OxyContin
Fentanyl
Dexedrine
Adderall
Ritalin

As the drug class numbers get lower, they get more dangerous. This means that there is only one class of drugs considered more dangerous or with a higher potential for abuse and addiction.

Schedule I drugs have no currently accepted medical uses and a high potential for abuse. These drug classifications are there to shed light on the potential dangers of different drugs. Certain Schedule II drugs may have accepted medical uses in the appropriate doses, but they are still considered addictive and dangerous.

And cocaine is not one that has approved medical purposes in the United States today. Illicit drugs have been more carefully regulated since the drug trade boom of the 80s, but it is still difficult to regulate them fully.

How to Prevent Bad Breath from Cocaine

The best way to prevent bad breath, tooth decay, and other oral health problems is to stop using cocaine. For many people, this may be easier said than done. But we are here to help. It can be hard to change your life, but it is always worth the effort. A happier, healthier, sober life is a recovery program away.

Treatment for Cocaine Addiction

Treatment for cocaine addiction starts with a detox. At Best Rehabs In Arizona, we offer personalized detox programs to suit your unique addiction, withdrawal symptoms, and needs. There are three stages to every personalized detox:

Evaluating your situation
Stabilizing your condition
Getting you ready for primary treatment

Personalized and professional drug detox is an excellent first step in the recovery process. Drugs that are as powerful and addictive as cocaine often comes with troubling and overwhelming withdrawal symptoms.

We can help you manage and overcome these symptoms so that you can stay strong and focused through the vital stage of early sobriety.

What Happens After the Detox?

Cocaine detox takes an average of one week. This timeframe and the severity of your withdrawals can vary depending on how long you were using cocaine, how frequently, and how much each time.

We will guide you through your detox to ensure that you stay safe, strong, comfortable, and hydrated. After your detox, we will help you evaluate your options and decide if you are better suited for one of our personalized inpatient or outpatient programs.

Inpatient programs are generally best for patients with moderate to severe addictions and overwhelming or otherwise concerning withdrawal symptoms. Those who are surrounded by drug triggers and temptations could also benefit from a change of pace.

Those with milder addictions, more manageable withdrawal symptoms, support at home, or work or family obligations that prevent a full-time stay are better suited for outpatient programs. But it is not always easy to tell which program will work best for you.

We do not expect you to have the answers already or face your recovery on your own. Our team of addiction experts will guide you through making this decision.

Best Rehabs In Arizona

Today is a great day to make a change. When you choose Best Rehabs In Arizona, you never have to walk the road to recovery alone. Our compassionate and knowledgeable teams, comfortable facilities, and personalized programs have helped thousands change their lives.

Now, it is your turn. Call our addiction counselors today at 866-576-4892 to get started. They are on call to answer your questions, verify your insurance, and start your intake.

June 28, 2021March 6, 2023

What is a Functioning Alcoholic?

Functioning Alcoholics

Across the country, nearly 18 million adults have an alcohol use disorder. With such a high number, it would be impossible for each of these disorders to look the same. Before we talk about the different types of alcoholism and signs of functioning alcoholism, let’s go over what it means to be a functioning alcoholic.

Unlike the defeated scenes we see on TV, many alcoholics in real life aren’t living at rock bottom. They are getting up and going to work each day, often in high-paying careers. They have meaningful relationships and are generally well-educated.

Functioning alcoholics can appear, on the surface, to have their lives in order. Many maintain a relatively normal life, including a full social circle, home life, and career. You may not ever know that functioning alcoholics were averaging five drinks or more just about every other day.

While people in this category may function better than others, that does not mean that this is a sustainable way to live. Alcoholism is a severe, chronic disease. The disease and its side effects only get worse over time.

Other Types of Alcoholism

We talk a lot about functioning alcoholics, but did you know that this is only one type of five? The other four are young adult, young antisocial, intermediate familial, and chronic severe alcoholics. You may notice that two out of five of these categories mention a specific age group.

That is because young adults account for over half of the total number of alcoholics in the country. In the past, alcoholics were generally imagined to be middle-aged, divorced, and otherwise down on their luck.

But this is not always the case. In fact, it is not even the case half of the time. In the same way that every person is unique, every addiction is, too. It is time for us all to learn more about alcoholism so that we can be better prepared to overcome it, no matter how it looks for you.

Signs of a Functioning Alcoholic

As we mentioned above, functioning alcoholics average five drinks in a day about every other day. They are generally working, older adults with stable social and familial relationships, more education, and higher incomes.

Additionally, they will carry out daily tasks of living with minimal disruptions. Work, hygiene, childcare, bill paying, and social activities can be completed without exhibiting the impairments that are normally associated with an alcohol use disorder.

But the compulsive drinking of a functioning alcoholic can make it harder to tell when you’ve crossed a line. If your drinking tolerance has increased, you have started to hide your drinking from others, or you become defensive when your drinking is questioned, these are all signs of a functioning alcoholic.

Additional Functioning Alcoholic Symptoms

An increased tolerance to alcohol, the compulsion to hide your drinking, and becoming emotional when asked about your drinking habits are three signs of trouble. Other behaviors that you or someone you love has high-functioning alcoholism include:

Regularly experiencing blackouts after drinking.
Going to work in the morning still drunk or hungover.
Sneaking drinks before or after a social event or at an event that doesn’t involve alcohol.
Getting drunk alone at home or hiding alcohol from your loved ones in the house.
Drinking even after you have developed mental or physical health problems.
Denying that you have a problem because you still go to work and or perform other important tasks.
Drinking at work or in settings that could be dangerous, including while or before you are driving.
Drinking excessively to cope with stress.
Getting overwhelming alcohol cravings when you are not drinking.
Lying about the extent of your drinking to yourself or those who care about you.
Comparing yourself to others who have experienced more severe alcohol-related problems.

Are You a High Functioning Alcoholic?

As you can see, there are many signs that you may be a functioning alcoholic. You may experience a few of these events or circumstances or many of them. No two functioning alcoholics will have exactly the same experience.

But chances are good that if you see yourself in this list, it is time to seek help. Our expert medical staff can help evaluate your concerns and look objectively at your drinking habits. They will help you determine which of your behaviors are problematic and how to fix them from there.

You do not have to face high functioning alcoholism alone. And the ability to carry out daily responsibilities does not mean that you will be safe from more serious side effects down the line. Over time, alcoholism impairs your mental and physical health.

Living with alcoholism long-term will not do. The sooner you decide to change your life, the sooner your life can begin to change.

How to Help a Functioning Alcoholic in Denial

If your spouse, parent, child, or sibling is exhibiting concerning drinking behaviors, you would not be the first person to wonder how to live with a high functioning alcoholic. Many people who battle alcoholism will hide their drinking and become defensive or angry when questioned.

These are two signs of an alcoholic in denial. It is not always easy to approach someone who is battling addiction. But early interference and treatment can save someone from years of struggles.

It can help prevent further mental or physical health complications and ensure that your loved one can live a happy, healthy, sober life. For a mild alcohol use disorder, treatment is minimally disruptive.

They can attend outpatient treatments, including behavioral therapy sessions, stress management training, and support groups. This type of program is ideal for those who have work and family obligations to attend to at home.

Before considering a professional intervention, consider having an open, honest conversation with them about their drinking habits. Calmly and supportively encourage them to speak to a professional about these habits.

It can be a counselor at our facility or their regular doctor. Getting them talking is a great first step. Talk to them about what you have learned here. And know that denial is normal at first.

Seeking Help for Yourself

If you are seeking help for yourself instead of a loved one, the suggestions listed above also apply. Outpatient care is ideal for those with milder addictions, full-time jobs, or family obligations that make it difficult to commit to a full-time program.

Because you have already demonstrated that you can maintain a relatively normal life and schedule as a high functioning alcoholic, full-time care isn’t typically necessary. But it is available if you need it.

Functioning Alcoholic Treatments

Behavioral therapy and medication are two of the most common treatment methods for functioning alcoholics. The medication will help ease withdrawal symptoms, including alcohol cravings, to help set you up for success.

And behavioral therapy will help you understand and overcome the stressors, situations, and feelings that lead you to drink in the first place.

Choosing Best Rehabs In Arizona

If you or someone you love is battling high functioning alcoholism, help is available. Through various personalized addiction programs and treatments, we provide everything you need to build a better life.

Call our addiction counselors today at 866-576-4892 to get started. Today is a good day for a fresh start.

June 20, 2021February 1, 2022

Types of Alcoholics

Am I An Alcoholic?

If you’ve ever felt like alcoholics on TV and in movies all resemble each other, you’re not alone. In reality, alcoholics come in many different forms. Addiction, whether to alcohol or drugs, is a chronic disease.

Researchers and medical professionals are still working hard to determine why some people become addicted while others do not. But one thing we do know is that every addiction is unique. Your experience and side effects won’t look the same as anyone else’s.

Nearly 18 million American adults have an alcohol use disorder. These disorders are never one-size-fits-all. Alcohol disorders can range from mild to severe. Many alcoholics continue to go to work, spend time with family and friends, and manage other daily responsibilities.

In the following sections, we will break down the risk factors and different types of alcoholics to give you a better idea of where you stand.

Risk Factors for Alcohol Use Disorders

The exact cause of alcohol use disorder is unknown. Currently, we have a deeper understanding of the risk factors that can increase your risk of developing it. Some of the most common risk factors for alcohol use disorder include:

Having over 15 drinks per week if you’re male and over 12 drinks per week if you’re female.
Having more than five drinks on the same day at least once per week.
Having one or more parents with an alcohol use disorder.
Having pre-existing mental health concerns, including anxiety disorders, depression, or schizophrenia.
Having a high pressure or stressful work or school life.
Having low self-esteem.
Facing consistent peer pressure or spending time with others who treat alcohol abuse as something normal.

Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder

The same way that your risk factors and side effects can vary, the symptoms of alcohol use disorder can vary, too. You may notice that you or your loved one has been drinking alone or dodging responsibilities to spend more time drinking.

You may also notice that you need to drink more to get drunk because your tolerance is higher than it used to be. Others battling alcoholism can become angry or violent when questioned about the frequency of their drinking.

Continuing to drink after problems arise, whether in your relationships, work, or finances, is another symptom of alcohol use disorder. And neglecting your hygiene or developing unhealthy eating habits due to uncontrollable alcohol intake are other signs of trouble.

Different Types of Alcoholics

Individuals battling alcoholism fall into several different categories:

Young adult alcoholics
Young antisocial alcoholics
Functional alcoholics
Intermediate familial alcoholics
Chronic severe alcoholics

According to the same research that helped identify these different types of alcoholics, young adults account for more than half of alcoholics in the United States.

Young Adult Alcoholics

Young adult alcoholics are the largest group. They account for a total of about 32% of alcoholics in the country. This group is characterized by binge drinking rather than frequent drinking and has an average onset alcoholism age of 20.

Young Antisocial Alcoholics

In the young antisocial alcoholics’ group, the average age is 26. This group also tends to start drinking earlier than alcoholics in other categories, with most starting to drink by 15 and becoming alcoholics by 18.

More than half of the individuals in this category also have an antisocial personality disorder. Most also smoke marijuana or cigarettes. Because of these notable differences and the age gap, individuals in the young adult and young antisocial categories don’t overlap.

Functional Alcoholics

Functional alcoholics are often closer to middle-age. Functional is the keyword here. Most individuals in this category have stable marriages or relationships, are educated, they work, and have higher incomes than those in other groups.

Most functional alcoholics average five or more drinks per day every other day. Despite many media portrayals of alcoholism, it is possible to maintain a relatively normal social life, schedule, and career while battling alcohol use disorder.

Intermediate Familial Alcoholics

The intermediate familial group is about the same size as the functional alcoholics’ group. Each account for nearly 19% of all alcoholics in the country. In the intermediate group, individuals often start drinking around age 17 and become alcoholics early in their 30s.

Chronic Severe Alcoholics

At just 9% of the total, this is the smallest group on the list. Chronic severe alcoholics are typically men. Individuals in this category experience the highest divorce rates and are often also illicit drug users.

Many people are surprised to find that this stereotypical category is so small. When many of us imagine alcoholism, someone who fits into this category may be the first person that comes to mind. This proves that our first judgments are not always the most accurate.

Alcoholism is more common among youths and young adults than most of us previously realized. No matter what it looks like, alcohol use disorder is a severe disease that can have a significant impact on your physical and mental health.

Types of Alcoholics – Slang Names

Most people are more familiar with slang names than the groups listed above. You might recognize the terms binge drinker, weekend warrior, drunk, or wine-o rather than recognize the difference between a functional alcoholic and an intermediate familial alcoholic. And that’s okay.

We offer the knowledge, guidance, and care you need to leave your addiction behind you. No one expects you to have all the answers or to face your addiction on your own. The expert team at Best Rehabs In Arizona has decades of experience in addiction care.

The first step in getting help and building a better life is learning more about the problem itself. No matter what type of alcohol use disorder you have or what category you fall into, alcoholism gets worse over time and will not go away if you ignore it.

Determining What Types of Alcoholics You Are

If you are worried that you or someone you love is an alcoholic, the signs, symptoms, and risk factors listed above could help you make that determination. Not every alcoholic will struggle to get out of bed in the morning or hold down a job.

But not every alcoholic will find it easy to function, either. Every addiction is as unique as the person who is experiencing it. No matter which type of alcoholism you are battling, it is a battle just the same. And help is available to make it easier to overcome.

While the risk factors, signs, symptoms, and side effects may vary, each type of alcoholism can be improved with the right addiction treatments. At Best Rehabs In Arizona, we offer personalized and proven addiction treatments.

From full-time inpatient care to convenient and flexible part-time programs, we will meet you where you are in your recovery journey and help you get where you need to be. With safe, comfortable, and luxurious facilities in Colorado and Arizona, help is closer than you might think.

Seeking Help for Alcoholism

If you have experienced the symptoms above or are worried about someone you care about, don’t wait another day to seek treatment. Alcohol and drug addictions only get worse and harder to combat over time.

Call our addiction counselors any time, day or night, weekday, or weekend at 866-576-4892. They are on call to help confirm your insurance and start to put together a program that meets your unique addiction, goals, and recovery needs.

June 11, 2021February 1, 2022

Drug Addiction and Hair Loss

Is There a Link Between Drug Addiction and Hair Loss?

Hair loss is a natural part of life. We lose hair as we age, from genetic conditions, and under high levels of stress. But not all causes of hair loss are natural ones. Alcoholism and drug addiction, for example, are two conditions that few people know may also cause hair loss.

How Does Drug Abuse Cause Hair Loss?

For many years, experts have examined the link between drug addiction and hair loss. While there aren’t many studies that prove a direct link, there are studies that show a connection. The connection lies with drug use and the body’s production of adrenaline.

Adrenaline, in turn, affects the hair growth cycle. This is proof that drug addiction does not just impact one aspect of your life or another. It impacts all of them. Your mental health, physical health, relationships, career, and even criminal record can all be impaired by drug addiction.

What to Know About Drug-Related Hair Loss

It is far more common to talk about the health impairments of drug abuse. Conditions like lung disease, liver damage, and problems with our mental health take priority, as they should. Our health should always be more important than our looks.

But that does not mean that cosmetic issues are easy to ignore. Drug-related hair loss can damage your self-esteem and confidence. It can also be triggering for individuals who have or are prone to depression or anxiety.

In turn, these negative feelings can lead you to continue abusing drugs to cope. It is the same with drinking to ease anxiety. Sometimes, we drink to feel better or boost our moods. But over time, drinking often does the opposite.

So, we drink more to improve our moods. And as the alcohol impairs our moods rather than improving them, we come back around for another drink. On paper, these cycles are illogical. But they are much harder to identify and avoid when you are in them.

We create these detrimental cycles for ourselves. And the longer we allow them to continue, the harder they become to break out of. From top to bottom, drug addiction can change you. But once you choose to live a better way, we can help you find it.

Ways Addiction and Hair Loss Are Linked

We mentioned earlier that hair loss is triggered by an increase in adrenaline. Additionally, drug users regularly add harmful toxins to their bodies that may prevent them from getting the nutrients they need to stay healthy.

And when they do get the nutrients they need, the drug use may interfere with the way the body uses them. Whether the lack of nutrients is from a poor diet or the inability to properly absorb and use those nutrients, drug abuse can damage your appearance, including your hair.

Addiction can cause hair loss or other changes in its growth. In long-term use, drugs can interrupt the hair’s growth cycle, causing them to pause temporarily or stop growing permanently.

Drugs may enter hair from multiple sites through multiple mechanisms and at different times throughout the hair growth cycle. Strands of hair grow at different rates, and there is no way to tell where on the head or how much hair will be lost due to drug use. Everyone is different.

How Bad Will Drug-Related Hair Loss Get?

The type and severity of hair loss that you experience can vary depending on many individual factors. Some of these factors include:

The type of drug used.
The frequency and dosages of the drug used.
Family history of hair loss.
Other health conditions.
Stress levels and age.

Family history, certain health conditions, and high stress levels can make it more likely for you to lose your hair prematurely. And age is a factor that affects each of us when it comes to hair loss.

While there is little we can do about aging or our family history, we can take steps to improve the other areas. Living an overall healthy life starts with ceasing drug abuse, eating nutritious foods, and learning how to cope with stress and other negative emotions.

We can help you achieve each of these goals in any of our drug addiction treatment programs. We offer full-time and part-time programs, as well as support meetings, to ensure that you have access to the help you need when and where you need it.

What Drugs Cause Hair Loss

A large number of drugs may interfere with the hair cycle and produce hair loss. Two of the most common and illicit drugs that cause hair loss are cocaine and LSD. One study tested hair samples from users of cocaine, heroin, cannabis, and LSD under electron microscopes.

In this study, the drug-free hair shafts from the control group were intact, regular, and undamaged. However, when it came time to examine the hair from the cocaine users, the keratinized structures were damaged in 97.2% of the samples.

And the outer layer of the hair was damaged in 95.8% of the samples, as well. They found that hair shafts from cocaine abusers are very thin and fragile. Meanwhile, the hair samples tested from the heroin and cannabis abusers were intact and regular.

The LSD samples told a different story. In nearly all the tested samples (97.9%), the cuticle layer was destroyed, and cuticle cells were lifted from the hair shaft. In 95.8% of the samples, the hair was fragile, broken, and detached.

The hair fibers from the LSD users were very weak and fragile, similar to the results of the tests on the hair from the cocaine users. The researchers who performed these studies maintain that further research and a more comprehensive analysis of hair samples from different illicit drug abusers is necessary to gain more information.

How Do the Drugs Get to Your Hair?

Illicit drugs, through any method, accumulate in the hair in a few different ways. They may build up there by entering the bloodstream, absorbing through the sweat, or attaching to the strands from smoke vapors. However they get there, it is clear that certain illicit drugs can cause hair loss, no matter what method you use to ingest them.

Treating Your Addiction to Prevent Hair Loss

Addiction programs like the ones that we offer can help you address and overcome a wide variety of issues. Cosmetic concerns, like hair loss and weight changes, often improve as you work on building an overall healthier lifestyle.

From there, there are several different options for treatment for hair loss if it is still needed. But one of the best ways to reverse the damage done and prevent further damage is to stop abusing drugs first. As you detox, you flush toxins from your body.

Your body learns how to find its balance, regulate itself, and return to normal. The effects of building a healthy, sober life will be felt from top to bottom.

Getting Started at Best Rehabs In Arizona

At Best Rehabs In Arizona, we offer a unique variety of personalized addiction care programs to help you meet your goals and improve your quality of life. With a helping hand, recovery is possible. And a new life is just a phone call away.

With centers in Arizona and Colorado, we make it easy to get the help you need where and when you need it. Our addiction counselors are available now to answer your questions, perform your intake, or verify your insurance. Call them at 866-576-4892 to get started.

June 3, 2021February 1, 2022

Ways Drugs Are Abused

What Constitutes Drug Abuse?

Drug abuse is not always straightforward. It is not always about illicit drugs like heroin or cocaine. What are the ways drugs are abused? Drug abuse is often more about the method or the approach than the drug itself. Many people are surprised to find how frequently prescription drugs are abused, too.

For example, prescription drugs like antidepressants that are given by doctors to improve mental health can also be addictive. They have a high potential for abuse due to their powerful side effects and chemical structures.

Both prescription and illicit drugs are abused every day. When it comes to prescription drugs, what matters more is how and why you take them. But when considering illicit drugs that have no approved medical uses in the United States, any use constitutes abuse.

Methods and Ways Drugs Are Abused

Whether illicit or prescription, there are many methods of drug ingestion. Some are more common than others. The most common methods of drug administration include:

Injecting
Smoking
Snorting
Swallowing

Now, let’s talk about which methods are the safest and which carry the most risk.

Taking Drugs Orally

Swallowing pills, tablets, capsules, or other forms of medication is the most common way to take drugs. When you swallow something, it must pass through the stomach before absorbing into the bloodstream.

This gives your body time to gradually absorb and disburse the ingested drug rather than flooding the bloodstream with it right away. For this reason, oral ingestion of drugs is generally considered to be the safest method.

Requiring a pass through the stomach before entering the blood also gives your body the chance to rid itself of substances that it does not agree with. The digestive system will reject substances that do not belong or substances that belong in smaller quantities.

This reflex is the reason why we vomit when we drink too much alcohol or eat spoiled foods. As a defense mechanism, purging helps keep the body safe and avoid poisoning the blood. As such, swallowing drugs also decreases the likelihood of an overdose.

Although, that does not mean that it is not possible. With a high enough dose or a history of certain health complications, swallowing drugs can still be problematic or even fatal. While it is the safest method of ingestion, it is still important to only take drugs orally when they are prescribed and at the times and quantities that they are prescribed.

Why Smoking Drugs is More Dangerous Than Swallowing Them

Drugs enter the body’s system faster than they are smoked rather than swallowed. Instead of traveling through the digestive system, they enter the lungs and quickly move into the bloodstream. This makes it a more dangerous method of drug ingestion than swallowing.

Smoking also carries the additional risks of certain cancers, including lung cancer, throat cancer, and cancer of the mouth. Some other common health conditions associated with smoking include:

Heart disease
Cardiac arrest
Chronic bronchitis
Emphysema
Stroke

Not all drugs are smoked. Some of the most commonly smoked drugs are marijuana, crack cocaine, heroin, and opium. Smoking either prescription or illicit drugs can cause addiction, long-term or permanent damage to the lungs and various other health complications.

Snorting Drugs to Get High Faster

When you begin to develop a dependence on drugs, you may feel the need to push for more frequent or intense highs. Many drug abusers start by taking prescription drugs through the appropriate methods.

Some studies found that nearly 80% of heroin users reported using prescription opioids first. Powerful prescription drugs like opioids and benzodiazepines are often gateways to more dangerous drugs and methods. Therefore, it is critical to follow prescriptions closely.

Over time, prescription drug users may become addicted and desperate for more. They take higher or more frequent doses, mix them with alcohol or other substances, or find ways to intensify their highs, boost their moods, or relieve their pain.

Snorting drugs is one way that drug abusers try to achieve these goals. Heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, and ecstasy are some of the most frequently snorted drugs. When you snort a substance, it enters your bloodstream through the mucus membranes in your nasal passages.

Through this method, side effects typically begin to appear around 15 minutes after ingestion. Nasal ingestion is a method that is only recommended for certain prescription or over-the-counter medications, such as allergy sprays.

Snorting drugs can deteriorate the nasal cavity lining, leading to significant and permanent nasal damage. It can cause swelling of the nasal lining, lung infections, nasal blockages, and compromised respiratory tracts.

Another danger of snorting drugs is that powdered drugs are often tainted with other substances. Impurities like talcum powder and caffeine may be mixed with certain drugs without the user’s knowledge.

This is a common practice among drug producers and dealers looking to increase their profits. And sharing tools to snort drugs with can cause the transfer of additional conditions like HIV and hepatitis C.

Why Injecting Drugs is the Most Dangerous Ingestion Method

Of all the ways people take drugs, this is the fastest method for producing a drug high. Injecting drugs puts them directly into your bloodstream. The effects are almost immediate. Because it enters your bloodstream so quickly, it also moves to the brain quickly.

This rerouting allows the drug to avoid your body’s natural defense mechanisms. Injecting drugs causes many preventable drug overdose deaths. It may also cause infections at the injection site, HIV or hepatitis from shared needles, collapsed veins, or arterial damage.

Drugs should not be injected unless recommended by a medical professional. Certain prescription medications may involve injections. But these should either be administered by a doctor or nurse or under the guidance of one.

What Other Ways Are There to Abuse Drugs?

Outside of ingestion methods, two of the most common ways to abuse drugs are to take more than you are supposed to or take them more frequently than you are supposed to. These two methods are particularly common with prescription drugs.

When a medical professional prescribes medication after an accident, for chronic pains, or to reduce the symptoms of a mental health disorder, their guidelines should be carefully adhered to. They will tell you how and how often to take your medication to achieve the best results.

They will tell you what can be taken with this medication and what cannot. Despite popular belief to the contrary, prescription drugs can be highly addictive and dangerous. Following professional medical guidance can help mitigate these risks. Avoiding illicit drug use can do the same.

Finding Treatment for Drug Abuse and Addiction

It is easy to give in and consider the outcome bleak, but hope is not lost. Addiction is a treatable disease. And recognizing that you have a problem is truly the first step toward recovery. The team at Best Rehabs In Arizona Recovery is uniquely qualified to offer a compassionate and well-rounded approach to addiction recovery.

We will work with you to determine the best treatment plan based on your unique addiction and needs. Everyone is different. Our one-on-one approach ensures that you get the type and level of care best for you, not what might be best for someone else.

Call our addiction counselors today at 866-263-1808. Someone is available 24/7 to provide insurance verification, guidance on choosing the right program, and answers to common questions. Today is a good day to get the help you need and deserve.

May 27, 2021February 1, 2022

Alcoholism and Hair Loss

Does Alcohol Cause Hair Loss?

There are many different causes of hair loss. Family history, hormonal changes, medications, and aging are among the most common causes of hair loss. These are the cited the most when people ask, ‘ Does alcohol cause hair loss?’

With these other reasons in mind, it comes as no surprise that many people do not realize that alcoholism and hair loss are also linked. Hair loss can affect your scalp alone or your whole body. It can be a temporary loss or a permanent one.

Alcohol and Hair Loss

While alcohol abuse or addiction is not a direct or common link to hair loss, there is a connection between the two. It is important to note that alcoholism affects everyone differently. No two people will experience the same side effects or symptoms each day.

Alcoholism alone will not cause you to lose all your hair. But chronic alcoholism does put you at a higher risk for hair loss than others. Primarily, this comes down to the tendency of alcoholics to suffer from physical or nutritional deficiencies.

Ways Alcohol and Hair Loss Are Linked

Alcoholism has a way of taking over your life. This makes it harder to focus on things like work, family, friends, and your mental and physical health. As such, chronic alcoholism patients are typically deficient in certain vitamins due to a poor diet.

Vitamin deficiencies that are often associated with inadequate dietary intake and alcoholism include vitamins A and B6, thiamine, and folate. While alcoholism itself isn’t the only cause, it is a contributing factor.

Alcohol impairs the way your body absorbs, stores, metabolizes and activates these vitamins. Alcohol also raises your estrogen levels. This elevation of estrogen is, in part, what causes hair loss. People who struggle with alcoholism typically do not follow a healthy or balanced diet.

The loss of vitamins, the deficiencies that follow, and the increase in estrogen contribute to increased rates of hair loss, along with other troubling symptoms. In addition to vitamin deficiencies and estrogen production, elevated stress levels and chronic dehydration are other links to hair loss.

Alcoholism and Chronic Dehydration

Because it is a diuretic, alcohol can cause dehydration. When we drink socially, we often forget to drink enough water to avoid a hangover the next day. When someone is battling chronic alcoholism, it gets even harder to remember to drink the appropriate amount of water each day.

Water is a crucial component in the growth of hair follicles. This means that regular dehydration can damage these follicles, causing your hair to become brittle and break. When your hair grows back, it is thinner than it was before, which makes the hair loss look more noticeable.

To recap, alcohol and hair loss are linked through:

Vitamin deficiencies from a lack of a healthy diet.
An increase in estrogen levels.
Chronic dehydration.
Elevated stress levels.

Other Side Effects of Alcoholism

Alcoholism can alter your mind and body in many ways. You may experience mood swings or other concerning personality changes, including depression, anxiety, excessive worrying, paranoia, or full-blown panic. Memory loss and impaired judgment are also common.

And on the physical side, alcoholism can lead to an increased risk of:

High blood pressure and stroke.
Heart or liver disease.
Cancer of the liver, colon, mouth, throat, esophagus, and breast.

These conditions are part of a longer list of potential health risks associated with alcoholism. From your relationships and work habits to your diet, mental health, and physical health, alcohol can wreak havoc on your routine. It does not impact just one aspect of your life or another. It impairs all of them.

Treatment for Hair Loss

As we age, we naturally begin to lose our hair. But this happens faster for some than for others. If you believe that you are losing hair faster than you should be for reasons other than alcohol consumption, there are things you can do to improve it.

In recent years, there has been a major push for aging gracefully. Accepting your hair loss and allowing it to run its course untreated and unhidden is admirable. You can also improve its appearance with a strategic hairstyle, makeup, hat, or scarf.

If these tricks are not sufficient, there are options for hair loss treatments. They may help prevent future hair loss, restore growth after hair loss, or do some combination of the two. Your doctor can help you find the best treatment options available to you.

But if you are losing hair due to alcohol abuse, your options may look a bit different. Thankfully, avoiding hair loss with alcoholism treatments can help you prevent further damage and improve existing damage, too.

Avoiding Hair Loss with Alcoholism Treatments

When it comes to alcohol-related hair loss, the good news is that there are ways to regrow your hair naturally. But first, you will need to address your alcohol intake. After all, what good is addressing your hair loss if you continue to do the thing that causes it in the first place?

When you address your alcohol intake first, your body can relearn how to properly absorb the vitamins it needs, regulate the production of estrogen and other important hormones, and find the right overall balance.

Once you address the root of the problem, there are several things you can do to correct or improve your hair loss. Low-level laser therapy is a method that helps restore the health of your scalp, stimulate hair growth, and regenerate old cells.

There are also supplements you can take to address and restore any nutrient deficiencies that may be contributing to your hair loss. These supplements contain nutrients that improve your hair, nails, and skin naturally.

And of course, building a healthy routine in the kitchen will help, too. Vitamin-rich foods like avocado, nuts, and eggs can help improve the health of your hair. While hair loss can be unpleasant and uncomfortable, it does not have to be permanent.

Treatment Options at Best Rehabs In Arizona

If you or a loved one is struggling with alcoholism, reaching out for help is the first step. And at Best Rehabs In Arizona, we have everything you need to meet your short-term and long-term addiction recovery goals.

With our well-rounded and personalized programs, we help you improve each aspect of your health and routine. From our first phone call through aftercare and support group meetings, we will be with you every step of the way.

Among other research-based and proven treatment methods, our alcohol addiction treatment programs feature:

Monitored detoxes.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Contingency management.
12-step facilitation therapy.
Motivational enhancement therapy.
Community reinforcement.

Getting Started

The best recovery outcomes start with a personalized approach. We will help you learn how to take care of your mind and body so that they will take care of you. Whether you need full-time, inpatient care, part-time outpatient treatments, or sporadic support through peer meetings, we have options here for all different types and levels of addiction.

And we will tailor the program you choose to better suit your unique needs from there. Call us today at 866-263-1808 to get started. Why spend another day wishing that things could change? A new life is just one phone call away.

May 19, 2021February 1, 2022

What is the Meaning of Rock Bottom?

What is Rock Bottom?

We hear the phrase rock bottom a lot when the topic of drug abuse or addiction arises. But what is it? What is the actual Meaning of Rock Bottom? And why do so many people use it to carry such a negative connotation? Although it is often riddled with warning signs, the journey to rock bottom can happen quietly and subtly.

It is not always easy to recognize in yourself or a loved one that you are losing control. Drug addiction occurs when you cross the line between casual drinking or drug use and alcohol or drug dependence. Rock bottom can sneak up on you before you realize it.

But that does not mean that hope is lost or help is unavailable. Rock bottom is not the end. It is not a finish line or a reason to stop trying. It is simply a turning point and an opportunity to take a different approach.

What People Think Rock Bottom Is

The media portrays rock bottom as something disastrous. In movies or TV series, we see recovering addicts drowning in guilt over irreparably damaged relationships, accidents, and other life-altering experiences.

While this is certainly a possibility for someone who is abusing or addicted to alcohol or drugs, rock bottom is not a one-size-fits-all situation. It is not always defined by an accident, death, or divorce. Sometimes, rock bottom is less obvious than that.

The Real Meaning of Rock Bottom

For many people who abuse alcohol or drugs, rock bottom may be marked by an eye-opening event. But how do you identify the reality of rock bottom when everyone’s rock bottom is different? Just like addiction, rock bottom is unique to the person facing it.

Rock bottom in addiction is the point where you feel like you are at your lowest. It can mean mild life changes, or it can mean life-altering consequences. For some, rock bottom can be a dramatic drop in your daily quality of life. For others, it can be milder negative consequences.

We have mentioned a few of the more concerning events that might be considered rock bottom, like a divorce, a fatal or non-fatal accident, or a job loss. But what about some of the less permanent life changes associated with rock bottom?

Signs That You’ve Hit Rock Bottom from Addiction

Rock bottom looks different for everyone. But there are certain life events that people frequently cite when they talk about the day that they realized that they had a drug or alcohol problem. Some of these more common and less permanent rock bottom events include:

A job loss or work suspension.
Mild to severe financial strain.
Losing your home.
Getting arrested for driving under the influence, stealing, or participating in another illegal activity.
Suffering from a non-fatal overdose, injury, or accident under the influence.
Leaving or being asked to leave school.
A breakup directly due to your alcohol or drug abuse.
An uncharacteristically angry or violent outburst.
An impairment to your ability to function in day-to-day life.

The Levels of Rock Bottom

Some “rock bottom” life events are less severe, like a suspension at work or falling a bit short in your finances. Others are more severe, like becoming homeless, getting arrested, getting hurt, or hurting someone else. The most severe, as we mentioned earlier, would be fatal accidents, health conditions, or overdoses.

As some of the milder life changes suggest, rock bottom does not always mean that your life has spiraled out of control. Your rock bottom may simply be when you notice that your alcohol or drug use has begun to negatively affect your life.

No matter what rock bottom looks like to you, one thing is common across the board. People who feel that they have hit rock bottom from addiction know that they want it to stop. They know that unchecked addiction only gets worse over time. Thankfully, help is available.

How to Help Someone Who Has Hit Rock Bottom

If someone you know or love has hit rock bottom from addiction, they need your support more than ever before. Blaming, shaming, or getting angry at someone who is experiencing rock bottom will only make matters worse.

Addiction is a chronic illness, similar to others like type 2 diabetes, that can be managed but not yet cured. Overcoming it requires a delicate approach. Whether you approach them alone, with other family members or friends, or with the guidance of a professional during an established intervention, addicts are vulnerable.

A calm, compassionate, and understanding conversation will always be more effective than one that features shouting, bickering, or finger-pointing. It can be hard to stay calm in such emotional situations.

But doing so can ensure that your loved one feels supported rather than attacked. And when they are at their worst, that is precisely what they need. Additionally, someone who feels supported is more likely to listen, while someone who feels attacked is more likely to shut down or tune out of the conversation.

Getting Out of Rock Bottom

Getting out of rock bottom starts with accepting the help that is available to you. While it may feel like you are at your lowest point now, rock bottom is not an entirely negative event. Some good does come out of it.

Often, reaching rock bottom is the point when the denial stops. Until now, you may have convinced yourself that your drinking or drug use was under control. But when you hit rock bottom, the truth of your substance abuse becomes clearer.

In this sense, rock bottom may be a turning point for you. Many people avoid getting help until they feel like there is nothing else left. When you recognize that getting help is the best option in front of you, you are on your way to a happier, healthier life.

You can live a life that is free from the grip of alcohol and drugs. You are capable and worthy of a better way to live. And our expert teams are here to help you build it.

Seeking Treatment Before Hitting Rock Bottom

Sometimes, you may see rock bottom coming before it finds you. If you recognize the signs, do not wait for it to get any worse. Over time, untreated drug or alcohol abuse does not get better. And eventually, you may find yourself in a hole that feels too deep to pull yourself out of.

Before or after you reach those depths, we can help. With a variety of inpatient, outpatient, and supplemental treatment programs, we offer options for all different types and levels of addiction. And we customize each of these treatment programs based on your unique needs.

Get Help at Best Rehabs In Arizona

Today is a good day to leave rock bottom behind you. Let us help you move from rock bottom to a new beginning. There are no one-size-fits-all treatment methods that work. When you choose Best Rehabs In Arizona, you choose customized and holistic addiction treatments.

From behavioral therapies to family sessions, support groups to individual meetings, and creative therapies to exercise classes, our well-rounded approach helps improve your body, mind, and soul. That is what makes Best Rehabs In Arizona different.

To learn more about our unique approach to addiction, various programs, treatment options, or payment methods, including insurance verification, call our addiction counselors at 866-263-1808. They are available 24 hours per day, seven days per week to ensure that our clients get the help that they need when they need it.

May 11, 2021February 1, 2022

Why Is a Medically-Supervised Heroin Detox Center Necessary

The Importance of Supervised Detox

For anyone using the street opioid heroin, a supervised heroin detox center is an absolutely vital resource. That is true for a couple of reasons. First, to avoid severe possible outcomes such as addiction, overdose and death, you must stop using heroin. Detox centers make this possible. Just as importantly, supervised centers are staffed by experts who specialize in helping people halt their drug use.

But why is a supervised heroin detox center near you a necessity? Without help from trained personnel, you make it much less likely that you will succeed in quitting heroin. And that is not all. If you try to quit on your own, you increase your chances of experiencing an overdose. No one wants to face such a frightening and potentially fatal event. The assistance provided in supervised detox helps keep you safe as you take the first steps toward lasting sobriety.

What Causes the Need for Detox

Why is detox even an issue for people who use heroin? The answer to that question lies in the addictive nature of the drug. Like all opioids, heroin is capable of making short- and long-term changes in the way your brain works.

In the short-term, the most important change is the creation of a profound state of pleasure. This state, called euphoria, is much stronger than other kinds of everyday pleasure. In fact, it is so strong, that you may feel the urge to experience it again and again. Problems begin when you fulfill this urge.

If you take heroin often enough, you will start to become tolerant to its effects. When this happens, you will need to use the drug in larger amounts to feel the rush of euphoria. In turn, this action sets off a repeating cycle of more tolerance and increasing heroin use. Eventually, you will become dependent on the drug.

When you are dependent, you cannot stop taking heroin without experiencing negative consequences. Those consequences come in the form of heroin withdrawal symptoms. Examples of the symptoms that may affect you include:

Spikes in your normal blood pressure
A rapid heartbeat
Heavy sweating
Spasms in your muscles
Unusually rapid breathing
Stomach cramps
Sleeplessness
Pupil enlargement
Muscle and bone aches
Nausea
Vomiting
High fever
A runny nose
Continued cravings for more heroin

There is no way for an addicted person to stop using heroin without experiencing at least some of these issues. That is why detox, known formally as detoxification, is an essential part of recovery.

How long does heroin withdrawal last? You can expect symptoms to appear pretty quickly once you stop using the drug. These symptoms tend to reach their worst in a day or two, then begin to ease a few days later. This may seem like a short time to endure heroin withdrawal. However, in reality, your symptoms may put you in a state of extreme personal distress. For this reason, you may find it difficult or impossible to cope with withdrawal on your own.

A Heroin Detox Center Vs. “Cold Turkey”

There are two basic choices for anyone who wants to quit using heroin. The first option is enrolling at a heroin detox center near you. The other option is quitting on your own. You may try to gradually reduce your consumption or stop all at once. This second method is known as going “cold turkey.”

A Heroin Detox Center

Supervised detoxification is a coordinated approach to helping you halt your drug use. It is designed to take you from a current intoxicated state all the way through to initial sobriety. All aspects of your health are taken into consideration while you are enrolled. That includes addressing the effects of your withdrawal symptoms. It also includes:

Helping you stay safe and secure
Supporting your general health
Getting you prepared to take further steps toward recovery

“Cold Turkey”

“Cold turkey” is an unsupervised way of quitting heroin. If you choose this option, you run several unnecessary risks. That includes lack of basic support for your well-being. It also includes lack of help for any emergencies that might arise. In addition, you lower the odds of coping with withdrawal and reaching a sober state.

Addressing Withdrawal in a Heroin Detox Center

Doctors in a heroin detox center near you take certain steps to ease your withdrawal symptoms. To help make the process more comfortable, they do not remove all of the opioids from your system at once. Instead, they prescribe controlled doses of a safer opioid option. The two such options now in use are:

Buprenorphine
Methadone

Both of these substances are weaker than heroin. When you receive them in limited amounts, they will not get you “high.” On the contrary, they will support your body while you go through heroin withdrawal. In this way, they help keep your symptoms within a tolerable range of severity. As you make progress in withdrawal, your need for buprenorphine or methadone will drop. When you reach the end of withdrawal, you can stop taking the option prescribed to you.

Some detox programs may use a non-opioid alternative called clonidine. However, clonidine does not relieve as many withdrawal symptoms as methadone or buprenorphine. Specifically, it will not help you cope with:

Opioid cravings
Achy muscles
Sleeplessness

Going Through Withdrawal “Cold Turkey”

You cannot legally gain access to buprenorphine or methadone without doctor’s supervision. This means that, if you try to detox on your own, you will not be able to rely on these medications for help. That is a serious issue. Why?

When you stop taking heroin, it may only be a matter of hours before withdrawal sets in. And without any medical help, withdrawal symptoms often take a severe form. Severe opioid withdrawal can be a brutal experience. It usually does not threaten your life, but it can make you feel worse than you have ever felt before.

This explains why many people who go “cold turkey” never successfully quit using heroin. They simply find their withdrawal symptoms too difficult to bear. When that happens, they start using the drug again.

How a Heroin Detox Center Helps You Avoid a Relapse

Relapses are a possibility for anyone recovering from heroin addiction. However, there are things you can do to lower your relapse risks. One of the most important steps to take is enrolling at a heroin detox center near you.

How does a heroin detox center help you avoid a drug relapse? By reducing the severity of your withdrawal symptoms. When those symptoms are less intense, you will find it easier to stick with your program. In turn, by sticking with your program, you steer clear of any relapses.

The same benefits do not exist for people who try to quit on their own. For this reason, you are much more likely to relapse and fall back into heroin use.

How a Heroin Detox Center Helps You Avoid Overdosing

Heroin overdoses happen when the amount of the drug in your body begins shutting down your system. That amount differs from person to person. This means that you may overdose in circumstances where others do not.

Many parts of your body are affected during an overdose. The most crucial and dangerous effects occur in your:

Brain and spinal cord
Circulatory system
Respiratory system

Your brain controls your heart and your lungs. If you take too much heroin, this process of control is interrupted. The result is an abnormal slowdown of your breathing and heart rate. Some people survive these and other consequences of an overdose. However, every year, thousands of Americans die.

How does a heroin detox center help you avoid an overdose? By reducing your chances of relapsing while going through withdrawal. When you do not have excessive amounts of opioids in your system, you cannot overdose.

Again, the situation is starkly different if you try to detox on your own. There is no one there with the professional experience needed to help you avoid a heroin relapse. In turn, there is no one there to help you avoid overdosing on the drug.

Overdose risks are a particular concern for people trying to quit using heroin. Why? As the drug leaves your system, you become less tolerant to its effects. This is a big deal if you relapse and start using the same amount of heroin you did before. That is true because your system may no longer be able to tolerate that much of the drug. The result can be an unexpected overdose that hits you when your defenses are down.

Learn More About the Necessity of a Heroin Detox Center

A heroin detox center provides some undeniable benefits. By enrolling in one, you provide a major boost to your ability to get sober. At the same time, you decrease your risks of relapsing before you complete the withdrawal process. Just as crucially, you avoid the overdose risks associated with going “cold turkey.” With so many positives to consider, it is no wonder that supervised detox is the accepted standard of care.

No one should have to go through heroin withdrawal on their own. And there is simply no need to do so when you have access to skilled detox professionals. To find out how you can protect yourself while getting sober, just contact the experts at Best Rehabs In Arizona. We are standing by to help you find a high-quality heroin rehab near you. We also provide safe, effective detox services as part of our larger package of addiction treatments.