If you’ve never dealt with addiction yourself, you might not realize what a life-altering experience it can be. While treatment is the all-important first step, it is not all there is to living a life of sobriety. It takes a combination of treatment and support to win the battle against addiction, and it can sometimes be hard to find the resources you or your loved one needs once they have completed treatment. Recovery from addiction is a lifelong process, so having that extra support can mean the difference between sobriety and relapse. 

At Hillside Mission Recovery, we want to provide our clients and their families with all the resources they need for a successful treatment and recovery. In this post, we are going to discuss addiction support groups, how addiction group support benefits the addict, and how to find groups for recovering addicts. No addict should have to go without the resources they need for a successful recovery.

What Are Addiction Support Groups?

Addiction support groups are designed to help recovering addicts deal with the effects of their addiction while they try to return to their everyday life. Most of them are there to offer peer support and additional help to those in treatment and those who have already completed the treatment process. Support groups are often third-party groups made of other recovering addicts that share their experiences as well as resources that are there to help those in recovery. 

The amount and type of support offered varies by the support group, but they are an invaluable tool when it comes to the recovery process because they help to bridge the gap between what treatment offers and returning to everyday life. There are often deeper issues than just substance abuse, and support groups are a means to help deal with these issues.

What Are the Benefits of Support Groups?

Besides being places where addicts can meet with their peers, support groups offer many other benefits. In particular, a person can see how others cope with day-to-day life activities when returning to a normal life after drug addiction. This can be useful in helping them deal with their own behaviors and recognize struggles that they may not otherwise see. 

Support groups also offer an outside perspective, where a person can see the effect that their addictions had on not only their own lives but the lives of their friends and family. This can make the process of remaining sober much more important and much more worthwhile to the addict and therefore increase their chances of staying sober for the long-term

Another benefit of support groups is that it offers addicts tools and techniques to deal with their struggles and make amends for the issues that their addiction has caused. In some cases, this may be paying restitution for crimes and apologizing for past behavior.

Some support groups offer additional help such as job placement programs, education support, additional therapy and treatment, and help with housing or other needs. These resources can often be a significant benefit to those suffering from addiction, as addiction can cause the loss of employment and other things, and it can be difficult for a person struggling with addiction to regain them on their own.

What are Common Support Groups?

There are a wide array of support groups and types of support groups for a person suffering from addiction to seek. Some of the most common are 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and other anonymous groups. These particular groups offer a place where peers can meet and share stories and offer advice to one another and mentorship from fellow recovering addicts.

Another common form of support group is a halfway house or sober living home. These facilities are created so that those in recovery can have a safe place to live amongst their peers while they are rebuilding their lives. This gives the person the stability they need while they’re in recovery, along with the accountability of being held to a higher standard for their actions and made to stay sober. They often offer treatment like peer-to-peer counseling and therapy sessions as well as resources like education and job placement. 

Other groups exist as well to support the family and friends of those with an addiction and are there to help them help the addict cope with their problems. These are an additional way to strengthen family bonds and return to a life of normalcy once treatment has ended.

How to Find Groups for Recovering Addicts

There are a number of ways to find support groups for those suffering from addiction. One way to find aftercare locally is by searching for what 12 step support groups are offered in your community. Another option is to check online with local and national resources to see what programs are available near you. Lastly and most importantly, a person should check with their treatment facility to see if they offer aftercare programs which often contain many of the resources and support groups necessary to help a person once treatment has ended.

At Hillside Mission Recovery, we offer aftercare services in Southern California, which include peer counseling support groups and other resources to all of our clients once their treatment program has ended. Because each person’s inpatient treatment program is tailored to their specific needs, we can offer services that are designed to help them with their unique struggles and help them on a better path to recovery and a successful return to normal life.
Contact Hillside Mission today if you or someone you know is struggling with addiction and needs help.

Even for people who have never had to face addiction, most understand the important role rehab centers and treatment play in recovery. However, wanting someone to get clean and convincing them to seek treatment are often two separate things. If you don’t know the exact struggles that occur when facing addiction, it can be difficult to relate to the person suffering from addiction. That can make it problematic when it comes to trying to get them the help they need. Everyone deserves help with addiction but trying to force them to get help is often unsuccessful. 

This is why it helps to have the right resources and support available to you when you’re trying to get a loved one to go into treatment for drug or alcohol addiction. You can’t simply convince an addict to get help; they have to want to get help themselves.

At Hillside Mission Recovery, we offer Los Angeles-based addiction treatment options based on the needs of the individual and provide a safe place for them to go to enter recovery. Because of that, we know the struggles that families go through when trying to get their loved ones help. In this post, we will talk about the causes of addiction, the signs someone is abusing drugs, and how to convince someone to go to rehab. As part of the process, we will discuss the best ways to encourage someone to get help rather than trying to force them into treatment.

What Are the Causes of Addiction?

There’s no one set of causes of addiction. Instead, there are a number of reasons that can affect the likelihood a person may struggle with substance abuse. In many cases, a person becomes addicted due to the effects of the drug or alcohol on their body. For example, many people turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism for problems during their daily lives because it lowers inhibitions making them feel more comfortable and relaxed. In other cases, a person may begin to use drugs due to the drug’s effects on them to allow them to focus and work better or to enjoy themselves during their time off.

A person may also become addicted to a drug accidentally as part of their medication regimen. In fact, many people taking prescription medications over a period of time become addicted simply due to the fact that they’re on medication for a considerable amount of time.

If a person suffers from a mental illness, such as depression or anxiety, they may be much more likely to develop a substance abuse issue as a result, as they attempt to use drugs to relieve their mental health symptoms. A person is also more likely to abuse drugs if someone closely related to them suffers from addiction, or if they grew up in an abusive household. 

The best option for getting clean and sober is through treatment at a licensed treatment facility such as ours here at Hillside Mission Recovery. Hillside Mission Recovery is a luxury inpatient rehab in Mission Viejo, CA. Contact us today for information about our addiction treatment programs. 

What Are the Signs Someone is Abusing Drugs?

The most obvious sign that a person is abusing drugs is changes in their behavior. Once a person has reached the primary stage of drug abuse, they typically become withdrawn from their friends and family and stop focusing on critical day-to-day activities and responsibilities. Instead, they focus on using and obtaining drugs and how they might acquire more drugs to continue use.

Another sign that someone is abusing drugs is when they start altering the way in which they take drugs. This can be increasing the dosage, changing the method of ingestion, or simply switching to a more powerful form of the drug rather than what was prescribed. In cases of illicit drug use, a person will engage in risky behavior to obtain the drug without regard for their own safety. Once a person begins to prioritize drug use over their own safety, they have reached full-blown addiction.

How to Convince Someone to Go To Rehab

There’s no surefire way how to get someone into rehab or how to convince someone to go to rehab themself. The first step is through kindness and understanding. You must have compassion because the person is dealing with a struggle that is life-altering. Second, you must understand that often people want help but are too ashamed to get it themselves. This is why pressuring a person into rehab is usually not the best answer.

One of the best ways to get a person help and get them to go into rehab is by staging an intervention. An intervention is an event where a person’s family and friends share with them the damage that the addiction has done and the reasons that they want them to go into rehab while providing love and support. Once you convince your loved one to go to rehab, the next step is to bring them to our facility at Hillside Mission Recovery.

Our luxurious Southern California inpatient facility is here for clients that want to get away from everything and focus solely on the recovery process and the underlying causes of their addiction. Through our individualized treatment plans, we can give clients the tools they need to deal with the root causes of their addiction and return to a life of normalcy without drugs. We offer medically supervised detox and a variety of treatment options tailored to each person. Once treatment ends, we provide aftercare programs such as 12 step programs and group counseling to continue the recovery process so that it maximizes our client’s chances of success. If you have a loved one that needs to go to rehab, please reach out to us at Hillside Mission Recovery today. 

Alcohol addiction is one of the most prevalent types of addiction in America, with millions suffering from it every day. One of the main reasons that alcohol addiction is so prevalent is because alcohol is nearly inescapable. It can be bought nearly anywhere, and for a person with alcohol addiction, it is a daily struggle to get sober and stay that way. Even once treatment is complete, it is an ongoing battle to stay sober. At Hillside Mission Recovery, we believe that everyone deserves a chance to get and stay clean. In this post, we will discuss Al-Anon and how it can help people suffering from alcohol addiction. We will provide information about Al-Anon, including what is Al-Anon, how the Al-Anon group was founded, and what exactly it does for people with alcohol addiction. 

What is Al-Anon?  

Al-Anon is a twelve-step program that helps families and friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with someone who suffers from alcoholism. Rather than being a support system and treatment for those with alcoholism, Al-Anon focuses on those affected by someone with alcoholism by giving them a place to go to get help and support among people who are facing a similar situation. 

Who Created Al-Anon?  

Al-Anon was created in 1951 by Lois Wilson, the wife of Bill Wilson, who is credited as one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. After watching her husband struggle with alcoholism for years and seeing the toll it took on him and their family, Lois decided to create a program specifically for those affected by someone with alcoholism. The program was inspired by Alcoholics Anonymous and uses many of the same principles. 

Who is Al-Anon Made For?  

Al-Anon is made for anyone who has been affected by someone with alcoholism. This includes friends and family members of alcoholics as well as people who are in relationships with an alcoholic. It is a place for people to come together and share their experiences to better understand how to deal with living with or being close to someone with alcoholism. 

How Can Al-Anon Help People?  

Al-Anon can help people by giving them a place to talk about their experiences, providing support and understanding from others who are facing similar situations, and teaching them how to better deal with the effects of alcoholism. Al-Anon also offers a twelve-step program that can help people recover from the effects of living with someone who suffers from alcoholism. 

The focus of the Al-Anon program is different from alcoholics anonymous in that it is not a treatment program for those with alcoholism, but rather it is a support system for those affected by someone with alcoholism. 

The support is centered around allowing family and friends a place to go and, much like AA, give them a peer support group and place to acknowledge the damage that alcohol addiction has done to their life. 

Many people have benefited from this type of support while their loved one undergoes treatment to get clean and sober. 

How to Find Al-Anon Meetings Near Me  

If you are interested in finding an Al-Anon meeting near you, there are several ways to do so. You can check the Al-Anon website for a list of local meetings or search online for “Al-Anon meetings near me.” You can also call your local Alcoholics Anonymous office and ask for information about nearby Al-Anon meetings. Finally, you can check with your local hospital or treatment center to see if they have any information about Al-Anon meetings in your area. 

Hillside Mission Recovery is focused on providing top-quality inpatient rehab for our clients, but we also offer aftercare services that are centered around giving clients and their families the continued support they need to battle addiction. 

As part of those aftercare services, we offer access to twelve-step programs like AA and Al-Anon to provide an extra layer of support during the transition from treatment back to an everyday life free of alcohol. 
If you have a loved one who is suffering from alcohol addiction, we urge you to call us at Hillside Mission to get them the treatment they need to get the support you need to rebuild your life. Don’t hesitate to contact us today to find alcohol addiction treatment in Mission Viejo, CA!

When it comes to dealing with mental health issues, millions of people struggle every day. One of the most common types of disorder is an anxiety disorder. What’s worse is that these disorders can occur alongside addiction, leading to co-occurring disorders that require specific treatment to deal with. In order to deal with an anxiety disorder, it helps to know what your specific disorder is and where to get the appropriate type of treatment for it. 

At Hillside Mission Recovery, we know that anxiety disorders can be life-changing and detrimental to not only the person suffering but their entire family and even friends and those close to them. We want to help ensure that those suffering have the information they need to get treatment so that they can live a happy and productive life. In this blog post, we will look at what an anxiety disorder is, the different types of anxiety disorders, and how to find treatment for anxiety disorders.

What is Anxiety? 

Anxiety disorders are psychiatric conditions characterized by excessive fear, worry, and unease. These disorders affect how a person thinks, feels, and behaves and can cause physical symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, or dizziness. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting millions of adults each and every day.

What Classifies an Anxiety Disorder? 

In order to be classified as an anxiety disorder, the feelings of anxiety must be chronic and last for six months or more. The anxiety must also interfere with the person’s daily life and activities to be considered a disorder. 

There are many different types of anxiety disorders that can vary in severity from mild to disabling. These disorders can also co-occur with other mental health conditions such as depression or substance abuse. 

What Are the Different Types of Anxiety Disorder? 

Some of the most common types of anxiety disorders include: 

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – This is characterized by persistent and excessive worry about a variety of things such as finances, work, school, or family. People with GAD often have difficulty controlling their worry and may feel anxious most days. 
• Panic Disorder – This is characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear or physical symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating or shaking. These episodes can occur at any time and often result in a person feeling like they are having a heart attack or going crazy. 
• Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) – This is characterized by extreme anxiety or fear of social situations such as meeting new people, public speaking, or being around others. People with SAD often avoid social situations altogether or endure them with great distress. 
• Specific Phobias – This is characterized by extreme fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation such as heights, spiders, snakes, or flying. People with specific phobias often go to great lengths to avoid the things they are afraid of. 
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – This is characterized by intrusive and upsetting thoughts (obsessions) that lead to repetitive behaviors or rituals (compulsions) in an attempt to get rid of the thoughts. OCD can be very distressing and interfere with a person’s day-to-day life.

How To Find Treatment for Anxiety Disorders? 

If you or someone you know is struggling with some type of anxiety disorder, the first step is to go to a medical professional and seek a diagnosis. This helps determine the type of treatment necessary for the disorder. 

It is important to note that every person is different, and the way their anxiety disorder manifests may be different. Once you know what the disorder is, though, it becomes easier to manage. 

The next step is to go to a licensed treatment facility like Hillside Mission Recovery. We offer a wide range of therapies and other options, and for those suffering from addiction and anxiety at the same time, we offer inpatient rehabilitation to treat co-occurring disorders. Many times people turn to drugs and alcohol as a means to cope with their anxiety rather than seek professional treatment. 

We also offer a range of support and aftercare services to help further treatment even after the standard program has ended. 
If you or someone you know is dealing with some type of anxiety disorder, then give us a call today!

Addiction is a crippling disease that can really damage a person’s life. The only way to combat addiction and truly get sober is to seek treatment at a licensed treatment facility. Sometimes though, treatment isn’t enough by itself for someone with an addiction to get back to their old life. That’s when it’s important to transition to a safe place to continue your recovery. One of these options is known as a sober living home. Having continued support once treatment ends is the best way to maximize the chances of success and minimize the chances of relapse.

At Hillside Mission Recovery, we believe our clients should have all the help and support they need in their journey to staying sober and turning to a normal life. To help with that, in this post, we will discuss sober living facilities, the benefits of sober living, what to look for in a sober living facility, and how to find sober living in Mission Viejo, CA.

What Are Sober Living Facilities?

Sober living facilities are a specific type of housing for those exiting treatment who are not ready to return to their everyday lives. What makes these facilities different than a typical housing situation is that they are designed to help those in recovery, meaning they have a variety of services available that aid in sobriety and also rules and guidelines in place that hold the person accountable for their sobriety in an effort to prevent relapse and promote safe and effective recovery and reintegration into normal society.

In a typical sober living facility, the person will have a living space that has all the amenities of the home. The difference is that the facility will have services and oversight to ensure the residents stay sober. They may provide access to things like 12 step programs, mentorships, and continued counseling. They may even provide opportunities to further education or find job placement. The entire goal of the facility is to help someone in recovery transition back to a typical life without the need for drugs or alcohol.

What Are the Benefits of Sober Living?

There are many reasons for finding sober living in Mission Viejo. Firstly, sober living gives a person coming out of recovery better odds of staying sober than trying to return straight to their old life. Secondly, sober living provides an extra layer of continued treatment and accountability. The facilities often have access to services that help with recovery and provide extra support.

There is also the benefit of having a comfortable place to live while you figure out your next steps of recovery. The process of getting sober is never easy, and it often takes time to find your place in society again. Sober living provides that middle ground between treatment and going back into the world.

What to Look For in a Sober Living Facility

There are a couple of key things that you should look for in any sober living facility. The first thing to consider is the type of support that is offered at the facility. The entire purpose of a sober living facility is to continue the recovery process while the person suffering from addiction tries to get back on their feet.

The second thing to look for, and one that is equally important, is how the facility holds a person accountable for their sobriety. Without oversight and accountability, it is easy to relapse and wind up using again. It’s important to remember that addiction is a disease that continues to afflict the person long after they leave recovery. Only with continued support and accountability can they truly maintain their sober lifestyle.

How to Find Sober Living in Mission Viejo, CA

One of the best ways to find sober living in Mission Viejo, CA, is to do so with the help of a treatment facility. At Hillside Mission Recovery, we provide luxury inpatient treatment that centers on helping the client get sober by identifying the root cause of the addiction.

After your individualized treatment plan has concluded, we provide continued support with aftercare services, including helping clients find sober living facilities for the next phase of your recovery.
If you or someone you know is suffering from addiction or looking for sober living in Mission Viejo, CA, contact Hillside Mission Recovery today.

If you have struggled with heroin addiction, it is important to recognize the signs that you need inpatient rehab treatment. 

This type of treatment, sometimes called detoxification, is a way for you to flush the heroin from your body and manage your withdrawal symptoms safely. The experience will differ from one person to the next based on how long you’ve been addicted to heroin, how much you usually take, and if you take any other drugs.

Signs of Opioid Abuse

There are many signs of heroin abuse that physically manifest somewhat similarly to someone having the flu. You might notice ongoing effects, such as irritability, a runny nose, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, watery eyes, and restlessness. These symptoms and signs can be dismissed when they happen periodically, but the more you use and abuse heroin, the more likely the symptoms will remain.

There are also behavioral signs of heroin abuse. When you become addicted to a drug, that drug becomes a priority in your life. This means everything else becomes less important, including your family, your friends, and your job. When heroin becomes most important, you might find yourself withdrawing from friends and family so that you can get high instead, engaging in illegal activities like stealing to pay for another fix or even dealing drugs yourself. 

Signs that you need an inpatient rehab treatment for heroin addiction can include:

• Stealing money or valuables
• Changes in your behavior, perhaps commented on by friends or family, usually erratic or aggressive
• Intermittent heroin use
• Legal trouble
• Lying and secretive behavior
• Depression
• Track marks left on your body from drug use
• Withdrawal from your family, friends, or social engagement

Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal

There is a growing risk of heroin withdrawal even among people who try it just once. The withdrawal process can happen as soon as you stop using heroin and your body starts to flush the residual drug from your system. Just like overcoming a virus, the symptoms have to get worse before the body heals. 

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has listed the following as the most common withdrawal symptoms include short-term withdrawal symptoms of:

• insomnia, 
• muscle aches, 
• anxiety, 
• teary eyes 
• and a runny nose

And long-term withdrawal symptoms, which can be much worse, and include:

• blurry vision
• elevated blood pressure
• fast heartbeats
• severe vomiting and nausea 

What Is Inpatient Rehab Treatment?

Inpatient rehab treatment involves a person essentially “living” in a facility for a set amount of time and requires proper management of medication, sleep, and medical professionals on hand. Using an appropriate rehab facility for heroin withdrawal management can make you feel more comfortable during some of the more difficult aspects of withdrawal. Moreover, medical professionals at an inpatient rehab center can help you slowly cleanse your system of heroin using other medications to taper and limit the severity of the symptoms.

For example, if you are recovering from heroin addiction, the US Food and Drug Administration recommends the medical use of Suboxone and Subutex as part of an effective rehabilitation program.

What can I expect during inpatient rehabilitation?

Effective inpatient rehab starts with understanding that addiction, especially heroin addiction, might be complex but remains treatable. Heroin alters the brain, so no single treatment is going to work for every person. Getting help from a reliable rehabilitation center gives you access to medications that might be a significant part of your recovery.

An individual treatment plan might be modified as you make progress with your recovery. True recovery from addiction requires more than just flushing the heroin from your body. It requires behavioral therapies that help prevent relapses. It is up to you to continue treatment by finding ways to manage your stress or your cravings, something that an inpatient center can help you achieve.

Relapses may very well occur. It’s that simple. And this is why having medical supervision through an inpatient treatment at your initial withdrawal stages can be so helpful. Medically assisted detox can help overcome the physical, cognitive, and emotional withdrawal symptoms you feel, while subsequent therapies can give you the resources to quit heroin for good. 

Finding Inpatient Rehab Treatment Near Me

You can find an inpatient rehab treatment center near you. At Hillside Mission, you will have a higher chance of quitting your heroin addiction long-term. There are many paths to getting better and what matters most is that you find yours. Of the many treatment options, inpatient rehab centers can give you customized treatment and improve your overall chances of success. Let our team help you take the first step on your path to a better life.