Most of us know a thing or two about what rehab is and why it is vital to the recovery process, but unless you’re in recovery yourself and have learned the skills necessary to stay sober, the chances are you may not know what it takes to maintain sobriety once treatment ends. While detoxing and entering a treatment facility are a considerable part of the process, addiction doesn’t end once you exit treatment. It is a lifetime disease that requires dedication and steady improvement to stay sober. 

At Hillside Mission Recovery, we understand the struggle to stay sober and what it means to develop the right habits in recovery to prevent relapse and live a healthy addiction-free life. In this post, we are going to discuss healthy recovery habits, including what happens after treatment ends, how to avoid relapse, and what are some healthy recovery habits.

What Happens After Treatment Ends? 

When treatment ends, there are a number of options that a person has. Some people return to their day-to-day life and resume normal activities like going to work or school, taking care of children, or other responsibilities. This is typically the option for those whose addiction was less severe, and the treatment program was able to give them the tools they need to deal with potential relapse while living their normal life. 

Others sign up for aftercare programs such as family therapy groups and 12-step programs. While not as intensive as treatment, these programs help to deal with some of the issues that come with addiction and to help develop the tools and coping mechanisms necessary to live a sober life outside of a treatment facility.

Lastly, some may choose to opt for a sober living before returning to their normal lives. A sober living facility or home is a step halfway in-between treatment and returning to your old life and offers many benefits for those trying to rebuild their life before fully making the transition.

How to Avoid Relapse 

Relapse is a serious problem even for those that have been sober and recovering for years. The stress of day-to-day life and different triggers can easily lead a long-time sober person to relapse. For this reason, avoiding relapse is a multi-faceted approach. 

Identify Your Triggers 

Before you can know what to avoid to prevent yourself from relapsing, you have to be able to identify and acknowledge the things that may trigger you. 

These can be people that push you into using drugs or alcohol; traumatic experiences that leave you looking for a way to cope with regular stress that you experience on a daily basis, and even mental or emotional triggers that can come from things like music, sounds, and other stimuli. 

Knowing what these triggers won’t eliminate the potential for relapse, but it will help you know what to avoid so that you are not triggered into using drugs or alcohol again. 

Use Coping Skills 

One of the key functions of a treatment program is to teach the addict the coping skills necessary to deal with a life without drugs or alcohol. This includes skills to deal with triggers, stress, and even emergency situations. 

Learning how to implement these skills taught in rehab will make a person much less likely to relapse than not having a way to cope, making a person much less likely to turn to drugs or alcohol. 

Rebuild Supportive Relationships

Addiction has a tendency to destroy the relationships that we hold closest to us. Part of the treatment process is learning how to reforge these bonds and repair the damage that addiction has caused. 

One of the best ways to prevent relapse is by rebuilding these bonds and relying on them to support you through times when things are a struggle and you may be considering relapsing. 

What Are Healthy Habits in Recovery 

There are many ways that you can improve your chances of long-term recovery. One of them is by developing healthy recovery habits. 

One thing to consider is continuing therapy to deal with any issues from your addiction that may be still lingering or left over after treatment. It’s not always possible to address every issue, even when you’ve gone to treatment, so continuing therapy can help work these issues out. 

Another option is to take up useful and productive hobbies, such as volunteering, exercise, or even going back to school, as a way to find interesting and fun things to do that don’t involve using drugs. 

Lastly, focusing on building your relationships is a great way to improve your life and give you the support system you need to deal with the struggles of addiction. 

Hillside Mission Recovery is Here For You 

If you know someone struggling with addiction, then the first step is to get them help at a Southern California treatment facility like ours here at Hillside Mission Recovery. 

We offer luxurious accommodations at our Orange County inpatient rehab facility, focusing on a holistic approach to addiction treatment and long-term sobriety. Each visit begins with an individual evaluation, followed by detoxification supervised by our medical staff, a comprehensive treatment plan, and aftercare and support for continuing once the treatment plan ends. 
Don’t let your loved one suffer under the weight of addiction; contact Hillside Mission Recovery today.

Most of what we know of rehab and treatment is having a person go to a rehab facility to get counseling and therapy sessions. While these are certainly an essential part of the treatment process for addiction, it leaves out one crucial element of the equation, the family of the addicted person. Thankfully, there are family therapy programs in Southern California if you know where to look. Family therapy can make a difference to not just the addicted person but also their loved ones in terms of recovery. 

At Hillside Mission Recovery, we know that healing from addiction is about more than just the addict going to treatment. In this post, we are going to discuss what a family therapy program is, the benefits of family therapy treatment, and how to find family therapy and addiction treatment in Orange County.

What is Family Therapy? 

Family therapy is a type of addiction treatment that focuses on family interactions and how it relates to addiction. This type of therapy is often used to help treat adolescents with substance use disorders. Integrating the family into the treatment process makes it easier to find potential triggers for drug use as well as help reinforce family support and help heal wounds in relationships caused by the addiction. 

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) lists five different types of family therapy that are used in substance use disorder treatment. Each of the different therapy types focuses on how family and the more significant community interactions relate to drug abuse, including unhealthy family behaviors, developing communication and healthy habits between members, redefining social constructs and interactions, and how to set boundaries within the family and community based on responses to actions. 

Depending on the nature of the addiction and the correlation to family behavior, it is possible to create a plan to deal with not only potential triggers to drug and alcohol abuse, but to create emergency plans in the event the person going to relapse and to have a support network available to help someone when they do experience hard times. 

What Are the Benefits of Family Therapy? 

There are a number of ways that a person can benefit from family therapy, especially if they are struggling with addiction. 

First, as we mentioned, it can help identify negative behaviors that family members may be engaging in that can trigger substance abuse. 

It can also help to improve communication and a sense of unity between family members, as well as to help develop and maintain healthy boundaries for the relationships. 

It can identify key family dynamics that help to solve problems rather than create them, such as how parents can help their adolescent child cope with the trauma of addiction, rather than scolding them for it. 

It also helps to foster understanding of the situation the addicted person is in for the rest of the family members, and by understanding the nature of the addiction situation, you can get them the help they need and provide a better support system throughout the recovery process. 

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, family therapy helps reduce overall conflict within the family, especially regarding how to deal with the problem of addiction with one of the other family members. This can often be a difficult thing to accept amongst families, and that is what leads to fighting and conflict. By reducing conflict, it is possible to focus more on problem-solving.

How to Find Family Therapy Programs in Southern California 

If you’re looking for family therapy programs in Southern California, then the first thing to do is check with your local treatment facility, like ours here at Hillside Mission Recovery. As part of our mission to help clients on the road to recovery, we provide support and assistance not only throughout the treatment process but also have what is known as aftercare planning once treatment is over. This can help find additional support for clients and their families. 

At Hillside Mission Recovery, our Orange County rehab, we provide first-class luxury treatment, including medically supervised detox, inpatient residential stay, and aftercare planning for those who want to continue the journey after treatment. 
If you have a loved one suffering from addiction and need help, don’t hesitate to contact us today!

When we talk about addiction and the recovery process, much of the focus is placed on the person struggling with addiction, its impact on their lives, and the ongoing recovery process. While this is important, it sometimes ends up neglecting the damage that has been done to family members or the struggles that they go through. While we know about rehab and treatment programs, as well as aftercare and support for addicts, support for family members of addicts is equally important. 

Hillside Mission Recovery is here to provide resources to not only our clients, but to their family members so that the whole family can begin the healing process. In this post, we are going to take a look at family support groups, what they are, how families are impacted by addiction, and how groups for families of addicts can help the recovery process, as well as how to find family support groups in Southern California. 

Hillside Mission Recovery is a comprehensive rehab center, providing therapy and aftercare in Southern California. Contact us today to learn more.

What is an Addiction Support Group? 

An addiction support group is a form of group therapy designed to help and support those recovering from addiction. When we think about addiction support groups, we often first think of 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. 

There are many other types of support groups, such as ones that focus on self-empowerment, faith-based groups, and others. Many of these groups offer peer support, mentorships, and counseling that go beyond treatment and help with long-term sobriety. They make the person accountable for their actions and give them the tools and mindset to deal with past mistakes and move forward. No matter what type of support group it is, the methods may differ, but the goal is the same: long-term sobriety. 

How Are Families Impacted By Addiction? 

While most of the focus is put on the person struggling with substance abuse, that person’s family can also suffer greatly. For instance, relationships are often broken apart, which can mean that children become separated from parents, people can lose a stable home environment, have trouble with school, and more. In cases where the person addicted is a parent, it can be a significant strain on the children or parent.

Not only that, the loss of an income in many families can be devastating as well. When a person becomes addicted, they often stop caring about day-to-day responsibilities. A drop in performance at work or school can greatly impact a person’s financial status and future outcomes.

Additionally, family members have to be there throughout the entire addiction recovery process, and setbacks and relapses can be physically and emotionally trying to the point that it can be traumatic and reopen old wounds even when a person is trying to recover.

Are There Support Groups For Families? 

While much of the focus is put on support groups for addicts, there are groups designed specifically for families, such as Al-Anon, a sister group to AA that works to provide peer support and resources to family members of those with alcohol addiction. There are similar groups for just about every addiction type in existence, and all of them share the goal of helping family members deal with the consequences and side effects of living with someone with an addiction. 

Much like other support groups, they are able to provide not only a place to go but give family members the freedom and space to share what they are going through with p people in similar situations and provide mentorship from other members to help them get through their situation.

How to Find Family Support Groups in Southern California

The most efficient way to find family support groups is through your local treatment center like ours here at Hillside Mission Recovery. We have an aftercare program designed to help clients and their families continue sobriety after the treatment process has ended. 

Hillside Mission Recovery is a luxury residential rehab in Southern California. Our kind and dedicated staff can help family members find the support groups they need to help their loved ones stay on the path of recovery while recovering from the effects of addiction themselves. 
If you are the family member of someone struggling with addiction, reach out to us for help today.

Almost everyone knows how vital treatment is in addiction recovery, but when we think of treatment, we first think of rehab and detox. While it is true how necessary these steps are, there are more things to consider when it comes to recovery. One of the most important things that doesn’t get mentioned nearly as often is having sober hobbies to fill the time that addiction used to take up and to have ways to get new forms of enjoyment out of life. 

At Hillside Mission Recovery, we understand that addiction is a lifelong battle and that recovery is an ongoing process. We also understand the importance of doing everything you can to stay sober. In this post, we will discuss the importance of sober hobbies in recovery, what some fun sober activities might be, and how to find hobbies for addicts and aftercare in recovery.

What is the Importance of Sober Hobbies in Recovery? 

When we talk about long-term recovery, we also talk about ways to recover the damage that addiction has done along with staying sober. The trouble that many people have in recovery is filling the holes that are left in their life now that they are no longer using drugs and alcohol. 

That is where the importance of sober hobbies comes in. Those in recovery have to find things that don’t involve drinking or using drugs but that still provide some benefit and generate some form of happiness and stimulation. This promotes wellness, helps prevent relapse, and keeps the mind and body occupied should something trigger the urge to use again. 

Not only that, sober hobbies can help rebuild relationships and the social skills that go along with them that may have been lost due to addiction. Hobbies typically force us to be around other people, so finding ones that are specifically good for sober people is a step in the right direction toward long-term sobriety. Many hobbies you can choose from are a great team and relationship-building activities, which are skills that those who have struggled with addiction can often benefit from.

What Are Some Examples of Hobbies For Recovering Addicts? 

We’ve discussed the importance of hobbies for recovering addicts, but it can be challenging to know what to look for when you’re still recovering. A good idea is to find things that not only fill time but can also improve your overall wellness or teach life skills. 

For this reason, many people in recovery choose activities that involve exercise. Exercise is great for recovering your physical health after all the damage that addiction has done to your body. Depending on what you choose, many physical activities like sports, swimming, and hiking are great for forging new relationships and rebuilding social skills. 

Other activities that also work on your mental acuity and wellness are suitable too. Things like yoga and meditation are highly beneficial in promoting mental wellness and self-reflection, which are crucial skills that a person in recovery needs to stay sober long term. They also help to reduce stress and give us skills to avoid triggers that can lead to relapse. 

Lastly, consider taking part in something educational to improve your life. A simple art class is enough to pass the time, enrich your mind, and provide enjoyment, or you could consider returning to school. Anything that provides a level of fulfillment can benefit a person in recovery and help give them a reason to stay sober rather than start using again. 

How to Find Hobbies and Aftercare in Recovery

Hillside Mission Recovery is a luxury rehab center in Southern California that provides inpatient treatment, detox, and aftercare services in Mission Viejo. 

Once treatment is complete, we have aftercare programs in place that are designed to help continue recovery and are the best place to find sober hobbies and support. Plus, you can always find continued support from the staff at our facility to help you continue your journey. 
If you or a loved one are suffering from addiction and need help, contact us today.

When most of us go to the doctor, it is to treat a specific condition. This is especially for those with chronic illnesses or who have suffered an injury and need help managing the pain. Most of the time, when this happens, we are prescribed an opioid to deal with the pain. The problem with prescriptions is that many of them still have the potential to become addictive and addiction means that there is a chance of going through withdrawal. It can be difficult to get free of an addiction because of the withdrawal process. 

That’s why at Hillside Mission Recovery, we want to give our clients and their families the information they need to stay safe when using medication, even ones prescribed by a doctor. In this post, we are going to look at the timeline for opioid withdrawal, what opioids are, why users need to detox from opioids, the symptoms of withdrawal, and if there are opioid detox programs near you.

What Are Opioids? 

Opioids are a particular classification of drugs that consists of prescribed medications like Oxycontin and oxycodone and illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl. These drugs are used to treat moderate to severe pain and, depending on their specific makeup, can be prescribed for anything from broken bones to pain management for cancer patients. 

Because of the wide array of uses, opioids are some of the most heavily prescribed drugs in America and, because of this, are also some of the most widely abused drugs in America. This abuse happens for a couple of different reasons. 

The first reason why opioids are abused is that many people enjoy the way that these drugs make them feel, which means they want to keep taking them above and beyond the prescribed levels. 

Secondly, opioids interact with the brain and central nervous system to gradually change how they behave. Over time the body becomes chemically dependent on the opioids being in the body to function normally. Once the body becomes chemically dependent, this is the beginning of addiction as the person begins to experience cravings and other symptoms that make them keep using the drug. Once a person stops using the drug, especially if they do so abruptly, they experience what is commonly known as withdrawal. 

Do Opioid Users Need Detox Programs? 

The short answer to this question is yes. Any drug that has the potential to become addictive also carries with it the potential for withdrawal. The reason detox programs are necessary is because withdrawal can have severe and even deadly consequences if a person does not detox properly with medical supervision. 

The purpose of a detox program is to remove the harmful substance from the body of the individual taking it. Once you stop using a drug, the body begins to react to the absence of the drug in various ways. Depending on the overall health of the person, any underlying medical conditions, and a variety of other factors, the severity of the detox can change. 

What Are the Symptoms of Opioids Withdrawal? 

The symptoms of opioid withdrawal can depend on the person, but some common symptoms include anxiety, depression, mood swings, intense cravings, sweating, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, and muscle aches/pain. More severe complications like heart problems and difficulty breathing can also occur as well as compounding symptoms due to health conditions. 

Depending on the length of use of opioids and the dosage, the symptoms can manifest as mild to severe, which is another reason why medical supervision is always advised when going through withdrawal. 

What is the Timeline For Opioid Detox? 

The opioid detox timeline is not static, like in the case of many other drugs. For short-acting opioids, detox can start within a few hours of stopping use, and last for a few days to a week before clearing the system. 

However, for long-acting opioids, the onset of detox/withdrawal can take several days and last for upwards of two weeks. During this time, symptoms of withdrawal can go and go and range in severity. 

Are There Opioid Detox Programs Near Me? 

If you live in Southern California and are looking for an opioid detox program, then Hillside Mission Recovery is the place to go. 

We offer a luxury inpatient program in Southern California with a medically supervised detox program that helps make the process as easy and pain-free as possible before the full treatment process begins. 

Each of our Mission Viejo treatment plans is tailored to the individual, and we work to treat the cause of the addiction, not just the drug the person is addicted to.
If you or someone you know is addicted to opioids and ready to detox in Southern California, contact Hillside Mission Recovery today!

Millions of people deal with addiction every day, and for most of those struggling with addiction either don’t get the help they need or get cookie-cutter treatment plans from average facilities. Addiction is a life-long disease that affects the mind, body, and spirit. Without full, well-rounded treatment, long-term sobriety is difficult to achieve. There is a better way, holistic addiction treatment. By finding a treatment plan that works to treat the whole body and not the substance, a person has a better chance of recovering and staying on the path of sobriety. 

At Hillside Mission Recovery, we understand that addiction needs a well-rounded approach to achieve true sobriety. That’s why we aim to give clients and their families all the tools they need to overcome addiction. In this post, we are going to discuss holistic addiction recovery, what holistic addiction treatment is, some examples of holistic treatment, how holistic treatment for addiction can be beneficial, and how to find a holistic substance abuse treatment facility near you.

What is Holistic Addiction Treatment? 

Most of the time, when we think about addiction treatment, we think about getting someone off drugs and putting them into detox. While that is certainly a part of the process, isolating someone and getting them off drugs and into a group setting isn’t all there is to treatment. Holistic treatment focuses on treating each of the three areas of mind, body, and spirit by developing individualized treatment plans for each individual. 

The physical part of the process means dealing with the substance in the body and removing it safely and compassionately. This often involves detox as well as dealing with the symptoms and complications of withdrawal. 

The mind aspect of holistic treatment involves dealing with the thoughts, behaviors, and urges leading to drug and alcohol abuse. This is most often accomplished by therapy in both a group and individual setting. Individual therapy allows a trained specialist to help bring out the root causes of the addiction, and group therapy gives those with addiction a place to feel companionship and to deal with some of the behaviors they learned while addicted in a group setting. 

Lastly, dealing with the spirit involves finding peace and solace and learning how to center yourself and focus on living a drug-free life. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, such as meditation and yoga. This helps to relieve feelings of loss and regret and helps to renew the purpose of getting and staying sober. 

What Are Examples of Holistic Treatment? 

There is no one type of holistic treatment. Holistic treatment is a methodology that focuses on more than just addiction. However, there are some common practices that may be used to help treat addiction. 

Treatment may involve exercise programs like yoga or massage to improve the body. To improve the mental aspect of addiction, there are often specialized therapy sessions as well as reflectivity and mindfulness classes. 

Other examples include meditation, aromatherapy, and helping to reconnect with family and friends through emotional support and outreach. 

When is a Holistic Approach to Addiction Treatment Beneficial? 

While a holistic approach to addiction treatment is always beneficial in terms of long term recovery, for those with a particularly severe addiction, such as those who have been addicted for a long term, or those who have tried to get clean and relapsed, holistic treatment has a much higher chance of success. 

As we discussed, a holistic approach works to treat more than just the physical symptoms of the addiction; it works to heal the wounds created by the addiction and find the underlying causes of substance abuse, and give a person the tools to deal with them. Without these tools, a person is much more likely to continue using or to start using again when they return to everyday day-to-day life with the same stressors and triggers.

How to Find Holistic Addiction Treatment Programs 

You could spend a long time looking through average treatment programs, finding one that offers a holistic treatment program, or coming to us here at Hillside Mission Recovery. At our luxury inpatient rehab facility in Southern California, we combine standard treatment elements with holistic practices to offer the most comprehensive rehab program in Southern California. 

As part of our approach to rehab, we offer a calm, home-like environment with a variety of treatment options and amenities that are meant to focus on overall wellness and comfort so that the recovery process is as effective as possible. Once rehab is complete, we have aftercare and alumni programs to help clients continue on the path of sobriety. 
If you or a loved one is suffering from addiction, contact Hillside Mission Recovery today.

When most of us think about addiction, we think about a person going into rehab and getting treatment for their addiction, or we think about things like withdrawal and detox and how it affects people. One thing that is sometimes overlooked is the role that addiction support groups play in the process and the different types of addiction support groups that exist for both the person suffering from addiction and the families and friends of that person. Often an addiction support group is a crucial component of the recovery of the addict and the family unit. 

At Hillside Mission, a luxury rehab in Mission Viejo, part of what we do is help bring people back together and heal the wounds that have been caused by addiction. Part of that is giving clients and their loved ones the tools and support they need to combat addiction and move forward toward a clean and sober life. In this post, we are going to discuss recovery support groups, the different types of support recovery groups that exist, and how to find them near you.

What is an Addiction Support Group? 

The first thought that typically comes to mind when a person thinks about an addiction support group, is one of the more prominent groups that exist, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA). This is because they have widespread recognition. While these are indeed two of the major addiction support groups, there are many more, and they come in different forms for both those with addiction and their families. 

Addiction support groups allow those with addiction to share their experiences with people who have been through similar struggles that can offer help and support. It can range from moral support to peer counseling to even helping those with issues like anxiety and depression deal with the underlying causes of their addiction while they get back on their feet. 

While many of the groups are designed for those with an addiction who are going through treatment or who have been through treatment, there are also support groups that work with family members of those addicted and serve a similar purpose, such as giving family members a place to air out their grievances and learn how to deal with the struggles of living with someone addicted. 

What Are the Different Types of Addiction Support Groups 

While there are dozens of support groups under many different names, they can be broken down into a few different types, some of which have more specific purposes depending on who is part of the group or the type of support that the group offers. 

Some of the most common types of groups are 12-step programs. These programs typically focus on things like the accountability of past actions and reconciliation while offering support and mentorship from former addicts to those new to the program. These programs offer a lot of structure and support for those who need it and help to improve the chances of a person successfully staying sober. 

There are also more specialized types of support groups, such as ones that focus on self-empowerment and rebuilding a person’s life after addiction has caused so many problems for the individual. There are also specific religious support groups that focus on spiritual support and guidance to help those suffering from addiction. There are also gender-specific support groups that help to give men or women a place where they can talk about issues that they may be uncomfortable dealing with around the opposite sex. 

Lastly, family support groups are similar in nature to the other types of groups we’ve talked about, but are directed towards the families of those suffering from addiction. This gives them a place to find support from people in similar positions, as well as a place to talk about their unique situations and realize they are not alone. 

How to Find Addiction Support Groups Near Me 

If you or a loved one is suffering from addiction, one of the best ways to not only find addiction support groups, but to find the right ones for you is by checking with your local addiction treatment facility like ours here at Hillside Mission Recovery. 

As part of our treatment process, we offer aftercare services in Southern California, which include helping clients and their families get the support they need once treatment is complete. We can help find the right support group for you and your loved ones to help maximize the chances of recovery. 
We offer luxurious inpatient residential care in the Mission Viejo area that focuses on treating the root causes of the addiction, not the drug or alcohol. If you or someone you know is suffering from addiction, give us a call today.