10 Nutrition Tips to Keep Addicts in Tip-Top Shape

When addicts seek help for substance abuse in residential recovery programs, their treatment includes a number of elements. Along with the counseling sessions and attending 12-step meetings, clients learn life skills to help them undo some of the damage caused by poor diet and irregular eating.

Nutrition Tips to Help Addicts Continue to Improve Their Health Once They Leave the Addiction Nutrition Program:

  1. Set up a regular schedule for mealtimes. Having a routine is important for people in recovery, and eating at the same time every day provides much-needed structure.
  2. Be sure to stay well hydrated. It’s important to get enough fluids throughout the day. Use a refillable water bottle and make a point of drinking water regularly to avoid dehydration.
  3. Eat a balanced diet that includes lean protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and low-fat dairy products.
  4. Plan to eat three meals and two healthy snacks each day. Some addicts don’t recognize the normal feeling of being hungry when their appetite returns in recovery. Going too long between meals may be interpreted as a drug craving, which can trigger the urge to start using again.
  5. Avoid high-calorie foods packed with sugar and which have little nutritional value. People who were taking stimulants may be drawn to these types of foods, but they will only cause blood sugar levels to spike and then drop off quickly.
  6. Taking a multivitamin supplement helps to ensure all necessary elements for good health are present. No one eats a perfectly balanced diet all the time, and the addiction nutrition program instructor will explain there will be times when clients make better choices about nutrition than others. Rather than deciding some foods are “good” or “bad,” a better option is to make good choices most of the time and take vitamins every day.
  7. Choose high-fiber foods more often. They create a fuller feeling that will carry a person through to his or her next scheduled meal or snack and make it easier to resist sugary treats in between meals.
  8. Reduce caffeine intake. It can interfere with normal sleep patterns when ingested later in the day. Be aware that it is found in soft drinks and coffee, as well as chocolate.
  9. Consider taking a fish oil supplement to increase the body’s magnesium levels. It contains the omega-3 fatty acid EPA, which can improve mood.
  10. Consult with a nutrition counselor to work up a diet plan. Individual and group sessions may be helpful to stay on track with a healthy eating plan.

Following these nutrition tips and the strategies learned at the substance abuse recovery program will help clients stay on the right track to long-term sobriety and better health.

How To Find Spiritual Awakening Through The 12 Steps of Recovery

At first glance, it may seem as though going to a 12-step recovery program and gaining a spiritual awakening might not have very much in common. It’s human nature to want things to come quickly and easily, and recovery is no different. Working through the 12 steps is a difficult endeavor, but the results are always worth the effort.

If you take a look at the wording of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, 4 of them refer to a Higher Power or to a spiritual awakening directly. You don’t have to be a member of a specific religious faith to follow these steps to sobriety. They are written in a way which makes them adaptable for people of any denomination. The third step addresses this idea when it allows participants to make a decision to turn their will and their lives “over to the care of God as we understood Him.”

No One Way to Sobriety

While each person may be walking along similar steps, their journey is a unique one. The 12-step program refers to tools like prayer and meditation, which can be used to get in touch with one’s self during and after any formal treatment at a drug and alcohol program, has been completed.

Once a client becomes familiar with using tools like prayer, meditation, and mindfulness as part of his or her everyday life, they can be used regularly. This combination of personal resources is an excellent way to reduce stress and stay focused on what is happening in the present. Addicts need to learn to take life “one day at a time.” For some people in recovery, the time frame needs to be shortened to an hour at a time.

Using these strategies can help them stay centered when difficult situations arise and they are tempted to give in and start using drugs or alcohol as a way to cope with boredom, stress, anxiety, grief, or any difficult situation they are facing. Addiction recovery programs include 12-step programs along with counseling (individual and group sessions), equine therapy, and group outings to help clients learn how to adjust to life without drugs or alcohol.

Working the 12 steps is a way of life and the riches that can be discovered on the spiritual journey are numerous. All that a person needs to get started is the willingness to make a change and then everything falls into place from that point.  The greatest gifts of recovery include letting go of shame, guilt, and fear and experiencing more peace, joy, and happiness than ever before.

Alcohol 12 Step Program Proves Human Touch Works In Addiction Treatment

With science trying to crack the key to addiction to find a simple solution to this complicated disease, will we ever get to the point where sufferers will simply be able to go to the doctor, be prescribed a pill, and pronounce themselves cured?

There certainly is a place for scientific research in the field of addiction and the results of a 2007 British report released by neuroscientist Jeffrey W. Dalley and several colleagues in ScienceMag found that rats with fewer dopamine receptors are more likely to exhibit impulsive behavior, including using cocaine.

However, alcohol addiction treatment needs to include something more than just looking at the science of what happens to a client’s brain before he or she seeks help at a facility. The 12-step model is still being used for one very good reason: it helps people get and stay sober.

Working the 12 Steps as Part of Recovery

The first step on the road to recovery for someone who starts going to meetings is to admit that he or she is an alcoholic. Making this simple statement is a very simple and powerful act, since it often comes in the face of years of denial and lies about there being a problem at all.

The meetings are intended to be a safe place, and anything discussed in that context is supposed to remain private. Members are free to share anything they wish about their past or current struggles, fears, hopes, and triumphs when they start going to 12 step recovery meetings.

Simply being in a room with a group of people who understand exactly what it’s like to be an alcoholic creates a type of mental shorthand between members. They already have something in common that they can start to build on.

Other Steps in the Process

As time goes by and clients feel ready, they can move through the other steps in the program to find spiritual truth, accepting one’s own character defects, making a list of all those who have been harmed because of drinking, asking for forgiveness, and more. .Everyone works through the list of steps at their own pace. Sobriety is a lifestyle, and it’s not a specific destination or a goal that a client can achieve.

Unfortunately, there is no point at which someone can be pronounced “cured” from his or her addiction. Recovery is a lifelong process, and clients can continue to attend 12 step programs as often as they feel is necessary to get the help and support they need.

However, the good news is that addicts will learn how to live without drugs or alcohol, and the other destructive character defects they used to cover up their addiction.  Addicts will learn how to live with increasing levels of peace and joy, while at the same time repairing the damage they have done to those they love most.

Above It All Treatment Center Company Newsletter Vol. 1

It has already been a busy summer for us here at Above It All Treatment, as we have been hard at work redesigning our website to offer a more concise design and better experience for those visiting our site, seeking information, and are ready for consultation. In addition to redesigning our website, we have also been busy all over the web and in social media. As the summer goes along, expect to see more of a presence for Above It All across all platforms.

WELCOME TO OUR FIRST NEWSLETTER

ANNOUNCEMENTS | AIA EVENTS | NEWS | EQUINE THERAPY PROGRAM

A Visual Tour of Our Facility

The area in and around Lake Arrowhead, CA — where our treatment center is located — is beautiful and pristine; so beautiful that we couldn’t help but take some great photos. We have made these photo galleries available online; to view our online photo gallery CLICK HERE.

Addiction Information

A new feature on our newly-revamped website is our “Addiction Information” area. This area is a wealth of information on various drugs, warning signs of their use, and resources for family members and friends that are struggling with an addicted individual. To browse through our Addiction Information area, CLICK HERE.

Join Us On Pinterest

We are on Pinterest! Join us on this social media platform where we share photos of Lake Arrowhead, inspirational photos, health living ideas, nutritious recipes, and more. To check out our Pinterest, CLICK HERE.

Kellers Peak Campfire

On May 23rd the Above It All group had a great time getting out and taking-in nature. We drove up the mountain to the fire lookout tower and climbed to the top of the tower — 8500 feet in elevation. After we came down off the tower, we got together in a group and we all talked for a while. The views were amazing in every direction. After our group, we did some swimming in the lake — water temperatures were quite pleasant. We had a campfire and a cookout as the sun began to set. After dark — literally in the middle of the National Forest — the stars came out, very bright, and we all relaxed and stargazed. Our Campfires are great treatments and are very relaxing for both our guests and staff.

Beach Trip and Upcoming Activities

On the 21st of last month we had one of our regular trips to the beach. . It is always interesting and inspiring to go to one of the big meetings down there, to see all the recovery that happens. We plan to do a big group trip to the beach once every three weeks from now on, so there will be plenty more memorable beach trips in the future. In addition to our beach trips, now that summer is here, we plan to put together more group activities and recreational activities for the future; these group trips are not only relaxing, but does wonders for the recovery process. We are currently planning a few hikes in the San Bernardino National Forest, we plan a hike to Deep Creek (a gorgeous hike), and hikes to other destinations around the area.

Get Well Pluto

A bit of sad news, poor little Pluto — our recovery center’s loyal dog — has a hurt leg. He got his little leg run over, and is limping and in a bit of pain. The vet, however, said that the leg was not broken, and he is getting better and better all of the time. Get Well Pluto!

Equine Therapy Program

We are pleased to announce our Equine Therapy Program is available now at our treatment center in Lake Arrowhead. Animal therapy is a powerful tool in treating any disorder, whether it be a physical ailment or psychological disorder. The interactions between a person and a horse comes very naturally, and the relationship between the two develops just as an addict has to re-develop a relationship with his/herself. Equine therapy is beneficial to both the equine and the recovering addict, and we are proud to use this technique in our recovery options.To view information on our Equine Therapy Program, CLICK HERE.

Lake Arrowhead Events

Fireworks Spectacular!
When: Thu, July 4, 9pm – 11pm
Where: Lake Arrowhead
Description: The annual 4th of July fireworks show presented by the ALA

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Le Grand Picnic
When: Sun, July 28, 3pm – 8pm
Where: Mountains Community Hospital
Description: A Lakeside Garden Affair at Mountains Community Hospital Rose Garden!

Above It All Drug Treatment Center Helps People Addicted To Prescription Pain Medication

A dependence on prescription medications for pain can start innocently enough. They may be prescribed following surgery or to treat an acute injury. In some instances, the medication is used to treat chronic pain. When the level of medication is not high enough to provide relief from the pain, you or your loved one goes back to the doctor to either ask about using a higher dose of the drug or to change to a different medication entirely.

No one wants to be in pain, and it’s understandable that you would be looking for ways to make the hurting stop. Unfortunately, it’s possible to develop a tolerance for these drugs over time, which means that you have to take higher doses to in an attempt to get relief from the pain. Some pain medications result in a physical dependency, where you must keep taking the drug to avoid going into withdrawal.

Signs of Prescription Medication Addiction

Some people think that they can’t have a problem with pain killers or other medications because they have been prescribed by a doctor. Nothing could be further from the truth. How can you tell there is a problem with prescription medication addiction that may require treatment or drug rehab in CA? Here are some signs that you or someone you care for may have a problem:

•Continuing to use the drug after the pain it was prescribed for has resolved
•Lack of interest in alternative treatment methods other than taking medication
•Seeing more than one doctor to get prescriptions for pain medication
•Taking a higher dose than the level recommended by the doctor
•Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when a dose is missed. These may include night sweats, muscle aches and insomnia
•Using prescriptions prescribed for other people
•Buying medication off the street

Prescription medication addiction is not “better” than any other type of addiction. It’s an addiction – period. Someone who is an addict needs help to get well.

Find a Treatment Center to Get the Help for Yourself or a Loved One

Often the hardest part of the process when dealing with any type of addiction is admitting that there is a problem. This disease is so wrapped up in guilt, shame, and embarrassment that it is difficult for people who are hurting to get treatment.

This is a problem that millions of people have had to deal with, and it’s more common than you realize. You don’t have to stay stuck in the cycle of addiction when you can get help from caring professional drug counselors. Contact the Above It All Inpatient Treatment Center today. Our phone lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

California Rehab Centers Offer Help for Addicts and their Families

Addiction is not a disease that exists in a vacuum. It affects entire families, and involves the whole family. You could even say that without the help of the family members, it can’t exist. If someone you love is struggling with dependence on drugs or alcohol, your focus should be on getting them into drug rehab in CA or a facility where they can get help to break free from the bonds of their disease. Since the disease also affects other family members, you should be looking for a facility that can offer programs to help everyone move forward into a new, drug-free lifestyle.

Types of Alcohol Inpatient Addiction Treatment Programs

There are a number of types of treatment that can help a person who is dealing with a substance abuse issue.

  • For a person who needs to focus on alcohol recovery, inpatient programs can be very effective. They provide a different environment and structure. Your loved one doesn’t have the convenience of being able to visit his or her usual hang outs to drink, and no alcohol is allowed on the premises.
  • Going to 12-step program meetings can be helpful to a recovering alcoholic. They offer support from people who are going through the same types of challenges. Spending time in a room with people who have “been there” can be a very positive experience.
  • One-on-one sessions with a substance abuse counselor may also be part of an inpatient program. A client can discuss his or her concerns with someone who understands and can offer guidance.
  • Group therapy sessions are another type of treatment that may be offered at an inpatient center. Clients can share anything they wish with the group to get advice or feedback about how other people would deal with certain situations. These sessions would be moderated by a counselor to help the group stay on track or focused on a particular topic.

Family Therapy Sessions

The addiction treatment center should also offer some treatment options for family members, either individually or as part of a group. By the time your loved one goes to treatment for alcoholism, the problem has probably been affecting your family for several years. During that time, you and your family members have developed some strategies for dealing with it that are probably not very healthy. Your coping mechanisms may include:

  • Denial
  • Anger
  • Covering up the problem
  • Being a martyr

You may have started drinking or using drugs yourself to deal with the stress of living with an alcoholic. None of these ways of coping are your fault, but they aren’t very healthy.

You and your loved one need to change to learn a new way to live and relate to each other, since alcohol won’t be a factor anymore. Let Above It All Alcohol & Drug Treatment Center help you and your family make that fresh start you want – and need.

Get Treatment from Alcohol Rehabilitation Centers in California

Rolling Hills and views

Are you concerned about your own or a loved one’s drinking? Alcoholism is an insidious disease that winds its way through families, destroying lives as it goes. If you look back over time to try to determine exactly when you or your loved one became an addict, you’d probably see that it was a slow, gradual process.

It’s all too easy to get caught up in a dependence on alcohol. The fact that it is easy to obtain alcohol and socially acceptable to drink doesn’t make it any less dangerous to you or the people around you. Once drinking becomes something that controls you or someone you love, it is a problem that needs to be dealt with.

While having the illness take hold didn’t happen overnight, don’t wait for your loved one to hit rock bottom before you start trying to get them some help. Likewise, you don’t want to wait until you have lost everything near and dear to you before you start to look at addiction inpatient treatment center in California to see how they can help you move away from addiction.

Inpatient Recovery Centers for Alcohol Abuse

Seeking treatment at an inpatient recovery center means you or your loved one will be able to focus on getting well, away from the distractions and stressors that accompany regular life. On arrival at an alcohol recovery inpatient facility, the first step for all clients is to go through detoxification.

After this process has been completed, an individualized treatment plan is set up for each client. The 28-day treatment program allows clients to focus on getting well. While at first glance it may seem as though people can’t interrupt their busy lives to take time away from their responsibilities to get help, the Above It All counselors will work with you and your family to find solutions so that the focus can be on getting well for those precious days.

When you consider that alcoholism is a chronic, life-threatening disease, nothing should stand in the way of clients who need help getting all the support they need to get well. Everyday life is full of distractions, stresses and triggers that will only make an alcoholic want to continue to use the same coping strategies, which involve drinking as a means to get comfort, deal with stress, or whatever the payoff is for continuing to abuse alcohol.

Get a Fresh Start from an Addiction Treatment Center

Recovery from alcohol abuse is possible. To be successful, you will need to seek treatment from the best alcohol and chemical dependency centers. Los Angeles residents and clients from other parts of the state and out of state come to Above it All Treatment Center. Contact us now to find out more about our programs. We have recovery specialists available to take your call.

Alcohol Centers Offer Help by Treating the Underlying Cause of Addiction

Are you concerned about the amount of alcohol that your loved one is drinking? Has the problem gotten to the point where the problem is harder to hide? Since drinking is legal (for adults) and socially acceptable, it can be difficult to determine when someone you care for has crossed the line to alcoholism.

Denial Part of the Problem

It makes matters worse when people don’t come right out and say the word “alcoholic.” We tend to talk around the issue instead and use words that sugar coat the issue of addiction, rather than face it head on. How many of these expressions have you used or heard around alcohol abuse?

  • “Joe sure likes to tie one on.”
  • “Mike can really hold his liquor.”
  • “Kim has a bit of a ‘drinking problem’.”
  • “It’s a good thing that Sam only drinks beer. I’d be concerned if he was drinking hard liquor.”

When people don’t come right out describe alcohol abuse as exactly what it is – alcoholism, it is much harder to get people into alcohol treatment centers where they can get the help they need.

Don’t Wait to Get Help for Alcohol Addiction

If you know someone who has a problem with drinking, the best thing you can do for your loved one is to admit it to yourself first. Get the person you care for into a treatment program.

All they need to get started is a willingness to change. The treatment will start with alcohol addiction detox. During this stage, your loved one will stop using alcohol. He or she will be monitored as the toxic physical effects of the substance wear off. The process is closely monitored by fully trained personnel. If medical attention is needed, clients are transported to the local hospital emergency room.

Alcohol Addiction Counseling

After the detoxification stage is finished, the focus of the treatment turns to helping clients identify the factors that made them turn to alcohol. Through individual and group counseling sessions, your loved one will be able to learn about the emotional triggers that make him or her want to pick up a bottle and drink.

A California alcohol rehab center provides 12-step programs to clients. They offer fellowship and support through sharing personal accounts of struggles with alcohol. Many people find being in the room with other people who have been through similar experiences very helpful. They feel a real connection with other clients who are going through recovery at the same time.

Unless the underlying root of the problem is dealt with, a person will leave the treatment center and slip back into his or her familiar ways of coping with stress, boredom, anxiety or depression after the course of treatment has been completed. This is the best way to tackle the issue for long-term recovery.

You don’t have to wait one more day to get help for a loved one’s drinking. Contact a recovery specialist at Above It All Recovery Center today.

12-Step Treatment Programs: Spiritual Principles for Addiction Recovery

Are you looking for help for yourself or a loved one who is struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol? A treatment program will include a number of elements, and 12 step programs are commonly used to help people who want to move away from addiction into recovery. Such a program offers fellowship and support to people who are hurting from those who truly understand the pain of addiction.

Not a Religious Approach to Treatment

Even though the second step in the process talks about turning oneself over to a Higher Power, this program is not meant to conform to any specific religious faith. It can be practiced by anyone. Each person can interpret this step and the Higher Power in the manner he or she chooses.

Service to Others Part of the 12 Steps

It will take time to work through the 12 steps, and the final one involves being of service to others. People in the midst of addiction can be very selfish and self-centered. Making a point of performing acts of service to others helps to keep the addict mindful they cannot slip back into their old behavior.

Find Drug Rehab in California

Along with a 12 step program, drug rehab in California also offers other types of help to addicts. If you are looking at an inpatient program, the facility will be able to customize a specific course of treatment for you or your loved one.

The first step when arriving at the facility is to go through detoxification. This is when the body is freed from the physical effects of drugs. The process is closely supervised by trained personnel, and medications are given if necessary. If medical attention is required, you or your loved one would either be given a higher level of care or transferred to a local hospital, as appropriate.

An addiction treatment program may also include the following:

  • Individual counseling sessions
  • Group therapy
  • One-on-one therapy
  • Life skills training

The exact program for each client is determined when he or she arrives at the treatment facility. Since each person’s needs and goals in treatment are different, no two treatment plans will be exactly the same. The treatment schedule would depend on the number of treatment days, whether there is a dual diagnosis that needs to be dealt with, and other factors.

A person who embraces the 12-step program can find peace and serenity in walking through the steps that they were unable to find while they were actively using drugs. This is the anchor they were likely seeking (but could not find) in their addiction. A 12-step approach can help you or someone you care for today – just call Above It all Treatment Center.

The Spiritual Malady

The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says: “But we found that such codes and philosophies did not save us, no matter how much we tried. We could wish to be moral, we could wish to be philosophically comforted, in fact, we could will these things with all our might, but the needed power wasn’t there. Our human resources, as marshaled by the will, were not sufficient; they failed utterly. Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power?  Well, that’s exactly what this book is about. Its main object is to enable you to find a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem. That means we have written a book which we believe to be spiritual as well as moral. And it means, of course, that we are going to talk about God. Here difficulty arises with agnostics. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoholic problems and explain our fellowship. But his face falls when we speak of spiritual matters, especially when we mention God, for we have re–opened a subject which our man thought he had neatly evaded or entirely ignored. We know how he feels. We have shared his honest doubt and prejudice. Some of us have been violently anti–religious. To others, the word “God” brought up a particular idea of Him with which someone had tried to impress upon them during childhood. Perhaps we rejected this particular conception because it seemed inadequate. With that rejection we imagined we had abandoned the God idea entirely. We were bothered with the thought that faith and dependence upon a Power beyond ourselves was somewhat weak, even cowardly.” (Pg. 45-46 from the chapter  “We Agnostics”)

Discover Your Higher Power

Many of us come to find out after receiving help from Above It All Treatment that alcohol is but a symptom of this disease we suffer from. If alcohol was our main problem and it was just a matter of not drinking then most of us would not have to go to a detox, AA, or alcohol drug rehab we would just have to stay away from alcohol, our life would go back to normal, and our problems would go away when the booze were taken out of the equation but For most of us it didn’t work like that. We suffer from a spiritual malady that no matter how much willpower we exert it is not enough to fix our thinking problem. We found that when the drinking stopped our lives were still unmanageable if not more so. It’s not until we do the work to recover from this disease that centers in the mind that we can begin to function normally. It isn’t until we turn our will and life over to a power greater than ourselves that we can begin to live free, and stay sober.

Here at Above It All, we believe in the spiritual awakening that occurs as you go through your recovery. Do not put off your rehab because you do not believe in or are mad at God. Find your own version of faith; in all things including yourself. We believe in the 12 Step process and we believe in you.