Sometimes the First Step is a Call

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.

For many, the first of the twelve steps is the most difficult. No one wants to think themselves powerless or their life unmanageable and yet, for alcoholics and addicts, when it comes to drugs and alcohol, there is just no other way to describe it. For some of us, the first step is something that happens without us even realizing it is happening; it happens when we look at ourselves in the mirror one day, then pick up the phone and call a rehab in Los Angeles, or anywhere for that matter, and ask for help.

You can ask just about anyone in recovery, from any walk of life, and they will tell you that asking for help was one of the most amazing things they have ever done.

What does it mean to be powerless? Do you or someone you love have an inability to control their drinking or using? Once it starts, is it difficult or impossible to stop?

What does it mean for your life to be unmanageable? Do you have difficulty paying your bills or showing up for work on time because of your drinking or using? Do you have trouble in your friendships or relationships with your family?

Powerlessness and unmanageability manifest themselves in many different ways and the only thing that is for certain is that admitting that asking for help is the very best thing you can do for your present and your future.  In California rehab centers are everywhere and the recovery rate is one of the highest in the country. It is not a coincidence that the most successful of the drug addiction detox and drug rehab centers in California are strongly rooted in the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and an understanding that asking for help is part of the miracle that happens when you’ve reached a point where enough is enough and reach out your hand.

The Start of a New Beginning is Now

Both in and out of alcohol and drug rehab centers, recovering drug addicts and alcoholics of all ages credit the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous with their freedom from the slavery of addiction. When they finally ask for help, it’s not a surprise that millions of people have found the keys to a new life in the twelve steps. Alcoholism is a threefold disease: it is physical, mental and spiritual. The twelve steps are simple and yet address the mental and spiritual problems of alcoholism. The addressing of the physical problem begins with drug addiction detox. As we address the physical aspect of the disease of alcoholism, we can look to the twelve steps as a blueprint for our new lives. In many California alcohol rehab centers and others across the country, the twelve steps are at the center of a well-designed program of recovery.

  1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
  2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
  3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
  4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
  5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
  6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
  7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
  8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
  9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
  10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
  11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
  12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Maybe some of these steps sound frightening, impossible or maybe it just sounds like too much work. But the truth is, few things more challenging than maintaining an addiction. For some people, in the beginning, it’s impossible to even read them all the way through. That’s okay. You only have to do one thing at a time and the first thing to do is ask for help.

Changes Happen in Drug Rehab

For every clean and sober person who has been through drug rehab or alcohol rehab in Los Angeles or anywhere else, there is a person inside who was once terrified of what would happen if they gave up drugs and alcohol. Each of these people, no matter where they came from, have common ground: there came a time that what their life would become if they didn’t stop became more terrifying than what would happen if they did. They asked for help. They accepted help, allowed their bodies to go through the drug addiction detox, and they didn’t drink or use, no matter what – one day at a time.

You may have people around you who don’t understand why you can’t “just stop,” why the things that keep happening will sometimes keep you straight for a day, a week or maybe even sometimes a month – but you always go back. And the cycle starts again. It can be difficult for people who aren’t alcoholics and addicts to understand. In a drug addiction rehab center, you will be surrounded by people who are doing the same thing you are: changing everything and starting fresh, getting sober and staying that way one day at a time. Surrounded by people who understand where you have been, where you want to be and how difficult the process is.

It might never seem like a good time to get sober but there is never a time better than now or a better way than surrounded by people with the same goal and professionals who make your recovery their priority.

Wise Words on Rehab from Russell Brand

Over the weekend, “Rehab” chanteuse Amy Winehouse was found dead in her home in London of causes that, as of this post, have not been determined. Over the last several years, fans around the world have watched as Amy struggled, attending numerous drug rehab centers. Sometimes she bounced back for a spell and it looked like everything was going to be okay. Then she would be in the news again, suffering the incomprehensible demoralization every addict knows, and doing it in the public eye.

Today, Russell Brand published a beautiful article in U.K. paper, The Guardian, about his friendship with Winehouse and his own experience with addiction, drug and alcohol rehab centers and sobriety. We thought we’d share a couple of powerful excerpts on our blog here, but you can read the full article here. Brand says:

“Addiction is a serious disease; it will end with jail, mental institutions or death. I was 27 years old when through the friendship and help of Chip Somers of the treatment centre Focus 12 I found recovery. Through Focus I was introduced to support fellowships for alcoholics and drug addicts that are very easy to find and open to anybody with a desire to stop drinking and without which I would not be alive.”

“When you love someone who suffers from the disease of addiction you await the phone call. There will be a phone call. The sincere hope is that the call will be from the addict themselves, telling you they’ve had enough, that they’re ready to stop, ready to try something new. Of course though, you fear the other call, the sad nocturnal chime from a friend or relative telling you it’s too late, she’s gone.”

If you’re having problems with drugs and alcohol, please understand that there are professionals at rehab centers in Los Angeles and all over the world who are there to help you go through the drug addiction detox, get sober and stay sober one day at a time. Let the call that your loved ones get be the one Russell Brand talks about, the one where you call them saying you have had enough.

Asking for Help from a California Rehab

It doesn’t matter what your particular addiction is, there are a wide variety of places for you to seek treatment in California.  If you’ve been feeling like you can’t keep going on the way you have been, then it’s time to change your life.  It’s time to cleanse the toxins from your body and take a step in the direction of healthy living.

Asking for help can be scary. The idea of rehab may not sound like anything you want to try, but California rehab facilities offer addicts a chance to face the pain, learn to cope in healthier ways and move beyond addiction.  You don’t have to spend another day locked in a tragic relationship with substance abuse.  You can make the choice to end this relationship and the addiction treatment specialists at Above it All will help you.

Maybe you think you can do this on your own.  Maybe you’ve tried dozens of times to get clean by yourself and you think this time will be different and you will finally kick the habit.  They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.  If you’ve tried ending your addiction alone and failed, ask for help this time.  There is no shame in admitting you have a problem and need a helping hand to resolve it. In fact, it is one of the most courageous decisions you will ever make.

When you choose to go to drug rehab California can be a wonderful place for your recovery.  Once you finally get clean you will be able to experience the great times life has to offer in an area featuring some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, mountains and cities. California has something for everyone, and the beauty of nature can be inspiring for many people in recovery.

In a California alcohol rehab, you will be offered some of the most inspiring facilities for addicts to get healthy and start their lives over again.  Addicts can recover from substance abuse once they make the choice and ask for help.  When you decide you want to finally face your addiction, it will help to have someone in your corner to guide you along the path of your new life because substance abuse is often about more than just not being able to control usage. Whatever led you to use in the first place will probably still be there once you are sober and you will need to face it. But the good news is that you don’t have to do it alone. That is what drug rehabilitation California facilities like Above it All Treatment Center are for; to help you in your journey.  Don’t wait another day to step onto the path of your new life.

California Offers a Variety of Drug Rehab Centers

If you are looking for a place to seek help with drug addiction in California, there are a variety of rehabilitation centers to choose from.  Getting help with your addiction is the best choice you will ever make; and when you are ready to make it, there is plenty of help available.

Drug and alcohol rehab in California offers people both in and out of state the chance to detoxify and get healthy.  Admitting you are an alcoholic or a drug addict is scary; you have to look in the mirror and face the truth.  You may feel like you have failed because you couldn’t control your substance use.  You may think asking for help is weak and that if only you are strong enough you can handle this on your own.  But no one is strong enough to beat substance abuse on their own and there is nothing wrong or shameful about asking for help.  No one can do everything without a little help now and then, and now is that time for you.

If you are in California or want to come to California, California drug rehabilitation professionals at Above it All Treatment center are there to assist you in learning about your addiction; how it started and how to finally be free. Like an old friend who is always there to comfort and console you when things are tough, your addiction will be hard to give up.  But your addiction is the most toxic “friend” you could ever make.  The thought of leaving this friend behind probably gives you a great deal of anxiety; an injured person doesn’t want to try to walk without his crutches, after all.  But you can say goodbye to this harmful friend and move forward with real friends and healthy relationships.

California drug rehab facilities like Above it All can help show you how your addiction is not a friend, but a demon that only serves to destroy you.  When you detoxify your body of the poison you’ve been living on for so long, the fog in your head will finally clear and you will see your addiction for what it really is.  You will finally understand why your loved ones have wanted so badly for you to get clean and be real with them again.  When you are in the throes of your addiction, you are not you, you are the addict.

Getting clean won’t work if you don’t want it. You have to get clean for you and not for anyone else. Drug addiction rehab treatment can do amazing things for you and bring you back to your friends and family for real this time.  It’s not too late, but if you wait any longer, it could be.  Get Clean. Do it now.

Exploring Nature and a New Life in California Rehab

Drug rehab centers in California are some of the most sought after in the world. As the fog lifts and the world becomes brighter, the natural beauty of the California mountains and beaches is perfect as you get sober, clean up the past and life begins anew.

Above It All Treatment Center believes in fully engaging this new life and venturing into the beauty of the world with a fresh perspective. Each week, our patients and counselors venture out in groups, exploring the natural beauty of Lake Arrowhead, California and all of the scenery it offers. Mountain backdrops and beautiful trees make Above It All one of the premier California rehab centers but it is the strength of the program and the focus on recovery and building a new life that truly make it a success.

A big part of the new life that begins when you decide to get sober is the discovery of self. Once you have taken the difficult step of asking for help, a supportive environment surrounded by natural beauty is a wonderful place to take those first steps into a new life. That is why we make nature walks and hikes a regular part of our schedule of activities. Any recovery professional will tell you that an effective drug addiction detox is but a part of a larger and comprehensive recovery program founded in the twelve steps and a spiritual beginning. Lake Arrowhead, California is one of the most beautiful backdrops imaginable for your new beginning.

Detox in an Affordable Rehab Center

Addiction can feel like the loneliest place in the entire world.  You know you have a problem, and you know you need help.  But what you don’t know is how to get that help.  Maybe you’re afraid that there are no reputable rehab centers available to you that you can afford.  If you know you have an addiction and you are ready to face it and get help, don’t let anything stop you from finding that help.

The process of detox can be very frightening, but you need to go through it in order to get clean.  There are experienced folks who can help you through that process; you don’t have to go through it on your own.  The right kind of support is critical to the success of overcoming your addictions.  And you can find that support at an affordable rehab center.

It’s time to check out the affordable rehab centers that are available to help you through the detox process.  Perhaps you have delayed getting help because you thought there was just no way could you afford to go to an alcohol drug rehab center.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  You can find a safe place to recover from addiction that is affordable for you.  All you have to do is look.  And you can get help; all you have to do is ask.

If you are ready to face the reality of drug addiction detox, then you know that doing it on your own can be risky.  It is much safer for you to check in to a rehab clinic and be under the watch and care of experienced people who specialize in overcoming addictions.  They can offer you the kind of support that will increase your chances of success.

Facing your addictions head on is one of the scariest things many people experience.  But in order to get clean and live a sober life, you have to deal with your addictions and the issues that lead you to substance abuse in the first place.  It has been said that you cannot change what you don’t acknowledge.  You likely will not overcome a substance abuse problem if you aren’t willing to take it on head first and really be open to facing your pain.

When you can look yourself in the mirror and admit that yes, you have a problem, and yes, it is time to deal with it, make the commitment to your health and well being by finding an affordable rehab center to help you through it.  Today may seem hopeless, but once you get help, you will be able to look back on today and see just how much you really had to look forward to.  You can’t see it clearly right now because of your addiction, but eventually you will see everything clearly once you have healed your pain.

Depression and Anxiety

Depression and anxiety are two different psychological disorders that sometimes have overlapping symptoms. Depression is characterized by feelings of sadness, unworthiness, guilt, and helplessness, often accompanied by a loss of energy, will power, overall changes for the worse in sleep patterns. Anxiety disorders are often characterized by feelings of sadness, hostility, fear, and pressured, often accompanied by a large array of physical symptoms some of which are the same for depression;  flu like symptoms,  losses in energy, and changing sleep patterns are all shown in depression and anxiety. Increasingly over the years, anxiety and depression are part of a dual diagnosis.

Depression affects not just the person who has it, but everyone around them.  It’s hard to endure watching a loved one struggle to do simple things like get out of bed or shower. Watching the efforts of a depressed loved one can create depression and other psychological problems. Depression coupled with anxiety can be even worse to watch. Instead of watching only a fight just to get moving, you have to watch your loved one fight the fears of what will happen “if” while they try to wage war with themselves. Family support, exercise, and medical/psychiatric support are important steps to overcome the crippling disorders. It is not something people can just snap out of.  In cases of long term untreated depression or anxiety, it is not uncommon for the affected to turn to substances to dull the despair and fears that accompany the disorder. When this happens, it is harder for the person to “simply” quit the drug; the drug is the treatment for a bigger problem instead of being the problem itself. If you take away the substance but do not treat the problem there is a substantially increased risk of relapse and you cut the person off from their coping resource. This does not ingratiate you to the addict. Instead as detox occurs, the patient must be treated for the bigger problem of anxiety and depression in a place that feels safe, and hopefully with love and support.

For some people, drug and alcohol use is a way to escape from the often overwhelming emotions that the two disorders bring up. A combination of therapies, like CBT and TLDP, and family support is the best way to fight depression and anxiety, and it is doubly important that those using alcohol and drugs get the same treatment. Family orientated therapy is helpful in that it addresses all the problems a family is having, not just the ones caused by the behaviors and emotions of the addict. There are good, affordable drug and alcohol rehab centers that have a combination of therapies that include the whole family, incorporate exercise, and allow the client to experience the beauty that is available in the world with new eyes; you just have to find them.

Don’t forget, it is important to treat the family members “without” a problem as well, watching these levels of emotions and actions can have long term ramifications on those who witness it. This is why family therapy is so important; it gives all members the support they need to support each other.