The Hills Treatment Center

Educate Yourself on Drug Abuse and Common Co-Occurring Disorders

Addiction to drugs and alcohol can result in severe physical and emotional turmoil. Unfortunately, part of the suffering usually includes untreated co-occurring mental disorders. Receiving dual diagnosis and treatment of both problems will help you or your loved one on the path to recovery. Check out these websites for more helpful information on addiction and associated mental illnesses. For drug treatment in the Los Angeles area, contact The Hills Treatment Center at (323) 319-5507.

• MedLine Plus describes dual diagnosis and points out some of the disorders that co-occur with addiction.
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness explains what’s wrong with drug treatment programs that ignore mental disorders.
• Within the context of dual diagnosis, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance offers advice for addicts who relapse.
• The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists developed the STAMP Out program to show families and caregivers how to help protect older individuals from developing an addiction to prescribed medication.
• The Mayo Clinic’s prescription drug abuse section shows you symptoms, risk factors, and reasons why adults inappropriately turn to the medicine cabinet for help coping with life.

Dual Diagnosis: A Look at Some Common Co-Occurring Disorders Afflicting Drug Addicts

For many addicts, drug abuse is not the only problem derailing their lives. In fact, a mental disorder may have been the catalyst for drug and alcohol abuse in the first place. At the same time, a drug addiction can create a mental disorder that did not exist before. In either scenario, it’s easy to overlook the mental disorder once addiction has taken over. Below are a few of the most common co-occurring disorders afflicting drug addicts.

Depression

Clinical depression can include a combination of pervasive symptoms such as crying and deep sadness, anxiety, loss of energy, feelings of guilt, and suicidal thoughts. Depression can even cause physical pain. These symptoms can make drugs appealing, especially stimulants and opiates. Individuals with mental disorders have to remember that medication is to be taken under the guidance of a doctor who can help balance chemical levels. Self-medicating with drugs and alcohol is dangerous and often leads to addiction.

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is a natural reaction to potential dangers. Healthy anxiety keeps you safe and alert. However, an anxiety disorder occurs when the feeling persists and keeps you from performing everyday functions. People with extreme worry, fear, racing thoughts, and difficulty concentrating have the mental symptoms that can lead to physical ones. Anxiety can manifest itself as panicked fits of shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, dry mouth, and sweating. Anxiety is a side effect of many abused stimulants.

Schizophrenia

Marijuana and other hallucinogenic drugs increase the risk of schizophrenia and psychosis. The risks are only compounded when the addict is an adolescent. In fact, marijuana damage sustained before the age of 18 manifests itself as schizophrenia in your twenties. The high from meth and PCP use is akin to a schizophrenic episode.

The Hills Treatment Centers believes in dual diagnosis, as addiction treatment is more effective when mental disorders are being attended to as well. Our supportive staff understands how addiction and mental illness go hand-in-hand. Call us at (323) 319-5507 to learn more about our Los Angeles drug and alcohol rehab centers.

How Alcohol Abuse Harms Adolescent Development

During adolescence, young people often find their first tastes of independence. Hanging out with the wrong group of friends can easily lead to their first tastes of alcohol as well. Some adolescents may think that drinking alcohol is a safe alternative to trying narcotics and other hard drugs. However, the human brain isn’t fully developed until adulthood, and alcohol only stunts that development. Here is a closer look at how alcohol abuse harms adolescent development.

Frontal Lobe Development

The frontal lobe develops later than other parts of the brain, so an adolescent is still forming his or her frontal lobe when alcohol addiction takes shape. Frontal lobe damage at this stage can be permanent. Alcohol impedes frontal lobe function, which includes governing idea formation, decision-making, and self-control. A serious side effect of alcoholism is loss of emotional control, which is only exacerbated in an adolescent alcoholic.

Memory Loss

Memories are created in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that alcohol directly affects. When people talk about getting “blackout drunk,” they are talking about being so drunk that they lose recollection of entire events, or even days. Hippocampus damage affects your ability to retain information, which makes adolescents suffer academically.

Physical Health Problems

Drinking leads to elevated blood pressure, hunger, and thirst as the body struggles to keep itself healthy. Because adolescence is also defined by physical development, becoming an alcoholic at a young age has long-lasting effects on the body as well as the mind. Cerebellum damage affects balance and muscle control. A weakened medulla affects automatic movements like heartbeat and breathing. Adolescents are too young to be putting these aspects of their health at such great risk.

At The Hills Treatment Centers, we have young adult alcohol abuse programs that can help your adolescent recover and understand the dangers of addiction. Call us at (323) 319-5507 for more information on our rehab centers throughout Los Angeles.

The Hills Treatment Centers' Dr. Howard C. Samuels Discusses Brooke Mueller's Drug and Legal Problems

Brooke Mueller, an actress and socialite most famous for her marriage to troubled actor Charlie Sheen, has battled cocaine addiction for years. In December of 2012, she checked into a rehabilitation facility, and the media took notice.

In this video, Dr. Howard C. Samuels of The Hills Treatment Centers addresses Brooke Mueller’s addiction and related legal problems. Dr. Samuels asserts that rehab is useless if not taken seriously, especially for celebrities and wealthy people like Ms. Mueller, whose handlers enable her abuse. Addicts have to be brought to reality by hitting a bottom. This often entails experiencing incarceration, losing children to the state, or other difficulties that elicits remorse.

At The Hills Treatment Centers, we can help you fight drug and alcohol addiction in a safe and effective setting. Call us at (323) 319-5507 to learn more or to begin treatment at one of our Los Angeles facilities.

Take Steps in Learning How to Deal With Addiction by Visiting These Links

There is no such thing as a small drug addiction. These articles help demonstrate the magnitude of the havoc that drugs can wreak on the lives of abusers and their loved ones.

• Opiates are extremely dangerous because of their depressive effects on the lungs and heart. Livestrong.com explains what these opiate consequences are.
• Opiate withdrawal can be severe, prompting both vomiting and diarrhea. The National Institutes of Health break down some common symptoms of opiate withdrawal.
• Could your spouse or child be hooked on drugs? HelpGuide.org discusses the signs of drug abuse and addiction.
• Drug abuse and addiction are lifelong circumstances that require recovering addicts to be ever watchful of dangerous triggers. PsychCentral.com describes the triggers that can lead to drug abuse relapse.
• The consequences of drug abuse stretch far beyond its physical effects on addicts. The National Center for Biotechnology Information explains how drug addiction affects families.

Our Los Angeles rehabilitation facility provides intensive and individualized drug and alcohol rehab services aimed at permanently freeing you from your addiction demons. See how we can help by calling The Hills Treatment Center at (323) 319-5507.