Helping Overcome Substance Abuse

Struggling with substance abuse? If so, you may worry that you will never be able to get sober. Beating an addiction is harder for some people than it is for others, but at Greater Essex Counseling Service we have a proven history of helping patients overcome their substance abuse disorders. Starting at intake, we look at each individual patient, so that we can come up with the personalized treatment plan designed for you.

Do You Need Detox?

Physical addiction to alcohol and/or drugs can make withdrawing from those substances uncomfortable, dangerous, and even life-threatening. You might want to go “cold turkey” when you decide to get sober, but that might not be the right choice for you. How to safely detox depends on what you have been using and the severity of your addiction.

Part of our intake screening process means finding out what substances you have been using and how frequently you are using them. Honesty is important during intake, so that we can plan a safe detox program for you. For some patients that means in-patient treatment, for others it means close medical supervision outpatient programs, and for others it means standard outpatient treatment.

Medically supervised detox programs mean that a medical team helps manage your withdrawal symptoms. It may involve medications to make detox safer and more comfortable and the medical supervision may be short-term or long-term. Some medications that are commonly used during detox include Naltrexone, which curbs alcohol cravings, and methadone, with is used as a maintenance medication for some people who have an opioid addiction.

Substance Abuse Programs

While detox is an important part of getting sober, it is only the first step. Most people need help staying sober. That is where our substance abuse programs can help.

We offer different levels of supportive substance abuse therapies. Picking the right one may depend on where you are in your struggle with drugs or alcohol. Our IOP, or intensive out-patient, program offers many of the benefits of residential substance abuse programs, but it generally less expensive and less disruptive for patients. IOPS offer patients the opportunity to live at home, while still participating in the variety and amount of therapy they could expect from an in-patient program. IOPs are often used as a stepping-stone from an in-patient program or medically-supervised detox program to maintenance programs, but may also be a first-line therapy for patients in distress.

Why Do You Use?

Many addicts think of themselves as bad or weak people. Addiction is not about being a good person or a bad person-most addictions are the result of physical and psychological factors. At Greater Essex Counseling Service, we offer additional counseling programs that can help you figure out what led you to use in the first place. Discovering the root cause of your addiction can help support long-term sobriety.