NewDay Counseling

It’s hard asking for help, especially if the person asking for help doesn’t know where to start. When someone picks up a phone to call a substance abuse treatment facility, not knowing what to expect, the phone can feel heavy, but it’s really an easy process. Because we at NewDay Counseling know how difficult it is to admit to an alcohol or drug problem and ask for help, we do everything possible to make it simple and non-threatening. Our staff truly cares about the clients walking through the door, and this makes a huge difference. This is not a commercial — it’s a description of how we handle admissions to help familiarize readers with the process — I assume other facilities will do something similar.

NewDay Counseling offers free consultations, so it doesn’t cost anything to get started. The Practice Manager will likely be the staff member who consults with the person asking for help, and if it’s determined that treatment is a possibility, a counselor will meet with the client to perform an assessment to determine what level of care is required. If it’s determined that the client is not appropriate for the level of care NewDay Counseling provides, the client is given Savannah community options to access the higher level of care. NewDay staff will help make the referral to the appropriate level of care. If it’s determined that inpatient care is needed, and the client wants to go to a facility out of town, we’ll help arrange that referral also,

If it’s determined that the client meets the criteria for outpatient addiction treatment, or the client needs individual counseling on a limited basis, and NewDay is the appropriate facility, the client is scheduled to receive a medical assessment. This is the last assessment before entering treatment. The physician will make sure that there are no medical complications that will complicate treatment,  and the physician will determine if any medications are needed.

Once medically cleared, and it’s determined that the client will attend the Intensive Outpatient Program, the client will receive orientation, an explanation of the program, client’s rights, confidentiality, release of information, group rules, etc. After orientation, the client will begin attending groups four times a week, three hours each evening — the outpatient program lasts for 8 weeks. The client will meet with their counselor once a week unless more sessions are needed. The counselor will develop a treatment plan. The client and the counselor will discuss the client’s progress meeting treatment plan goals and objectives.

When the client nears their discharge date, the counselor will begin developing a discharge plan. Sometimes, the client is referred to further counseling for specific issues, and to ongoing support in the community, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. The client will also attend Continuing Care groups at NewDay once a week for a few months just to check in and report on progress. There is no charge for the Continuing Care groups.

This is the basic process, although there is more to the treatment process. Anyone who wants a more comprehensive description, or has questions is always welcomed to call.

From time to time I’ll use this book , The Book of Ethics: Expert Guidance For Professionals Who Treat Addiction,  to discuss meta issues regarding addiction treatment. Most fields of endeavors have their code of ethics. In addiction treatment, ethics are of paramount concern. Here’s an excerpt:

Policymakers, society, and people with addiction struggle with

competing and often conflicting models of addiction, whether

seen as disease, crime, personal weakness, genetic determinism, or

a hybrid of all the above. At the heart of these contemporary

debates are ethical questions as ancient as philosophy: free will

versus responsibility, choice versus determinism, treatment versus

punishment. But a modern understanding and a new paradigm

for care are now possible. Emerging neurobiological evidence

illuminates the circuits and transmitters involved in craving and

reward, dependence and withdrawal, and the genetic precursors

to addiction itself. With greater understanding of the biological

basis of addiction and substance use disorders, we may now begin

to make some progress in this field, particularly from an ethical

perspective.

Even though much new neurobiological information is available, we’re still faced with the human experience of addiction and how each individual responds to treatment. It’s good for the client to know that science is discovering causes for addiction, but recovery is about more than knowledge of causes. Taking the shame out of addiction  treatment is a giant step forward — then providing safe confidential care helps build confidence and trust. When professionals act unethically it destroys trust, and recovery is not likely. This book is a great guide for gaining better understanding of ethics in treatment.

During active addiction the addict begins weaving a world of deception. The alcoholic  or drug addict doesn’t want others to know about their problem, so they lie, deny, minimize, rationalize, anything to prevent exposure of the truth. Sometimes the addict is deceptive for so long, he or she begins confusing reality with the world with the world of deception, unsure what’s true and what’s not true.

In recovery, it’s vital to gradually break through the deception and embrace honesty — honesty with self and others. This is a difficult process for someone who’s been defensive for so long. The individual has to learn how  to be honest, when to be brutally honest and when to not hurt others with honesty just to feel better.

It takes time to break down the walls and become totally honest. Here’s a good article that speaks to honesty in recovery.

Facts and information are great to improve understanding of addiction, but one of the most powerful forms of learning, in my humble opinion, is the personal story. Personal stories are powerful because they speak to real experience, emotions, true to life situations and how the recovery process isn’t always a straight and clear path.

Here is a site that presents the personal stories of recovery.

Savannah, Ga. has several outpatient options for addiction treatment. In the eighties most addiction professionals thought inpatient treatment was necessary for recovery, but we’ve come to understand that outpatient options work for many who aren’t suffering from overwhelming withdrawals. Another option is to spend a few days inpatient until the detox is complete, then go to outpatient.

Not everyone can access inpatient. Most people can’t take that much time off from work, can’t afford the extra costs, and their condition is not so advanced that they can’t utilize the support of family and friends in combination with outpatient group therapy and individual sessions. A client who meets outpatient admission criteria can receive treatment in the evening after work hours, thus maintaining employment and keeping treatment discrete.

At NewDay Counseling, if we admit an individual into Intensive Outpatient, there will be four groups a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 3 hours each night. The groups consist of group therapy and education. Outpatient clients are given the opportunity to deal with underlying emotional and mental health issues that if left unresolved can lead the person to relapse. Almost everything we do with the client at NewDay relates to relapse prevention.

After the eight weeks of outpatient treatment, we refer the client to recovery resources in the Savannah community, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, or ongoing counseling for specific issues, such as marriage counseling. NewDay also offers Aftercare meetings at no cost so the clients can check in once a week and let us know how they’re doing and deal with any post-treatment difficulties.

What we call Level 1 treatment consists of individual sessions once a week. This level is for those who might abuse alcohol or drugs periodically when under stress, but haven’t progressed to the point of needing Intensive Outpatient or Inpatient Treatment. We also offer this level to clients who are dealing with mental health/emotional issues but have no problem with alcohol or other drugs.

Heavy cocaine users find it difficult to stop because of the depression, anxiety and strong urges that follow binges. While there’s a long history of evolving detox methods for alcohol dependence, the same is not true for cocaine.There are some drugs, however, that can lessen the negative repercussions following cocaine binges. While you don’t  normally want to substitute one drug dependence for another, if these drugs can stabilize a cocaine user long enough to benefit from treatment, there is hope for recovery.

Addiction treatment has changed throughout the years. It’s hard to believe some of the treatments for alcoholism administered decades ago. Here are some.

When I first started to work at Willingway Hospital in Statesboro, an inpatient addiction treatment hospital, treatment had changed drastically. Many in society were beginning to realize that addiction is a comprehensive condition affecting the mind, body and spirit (something Alcoholics Anonymous had been talking about since the 30s). We saw many addicts and their families recover when they received the proper care.

That was in the mid-eighties, and much has changed since then, although much has remained the same. Science has gained a great deal of knowledge regarding brain chemicals and how they affect addiction. We know now that many alcoholics have underlying mental health issues that must be addressed, although those working closely with addicts in the early 20th century knew this from experience, even if they didn’t know the extent of the mental health issues or how they relate to brain chemicals that have been interfered with by years of drug use. In 1987 the American Medical Association designated all drug addiction, including alcoholism, a disease that should be treated as all other diseases by the medical profession —  since then, much improvement has been made.

Even after all the changes, there are still misperceptions regarding addiction. At NewDay Counseling, here in Savannah Ga, we’re working to help addicts recover. It does no good to get mad at alcoholics and drug addicts, or to judge them harshly — the solution is to recover — this hasn’t changed. One thing that we could all improve on is prevention. There are plenty of early warning signs of addiction, and, if the condition is addressed early on, it will not only save much grief and suffering, it will greatly reduce healthcare costs down the road.

NewDay Counseling is up and running. We’re connecting some loose ends, such as our signs, which have been delayed once again. I guess Savannah, Ga businesses are like businesses around the nation during Thanksgiving week — we’re all making plans to visit family and friends. So, I understand the delays and look forward to Thanksgiving with my family, grateful that all are healthy and doing well.

I also look forward to the New Year in hopes that NewDay can benefit the Savannah community during 2015, and that it will be a year of growth and positive change for all. Addiction is a problem that seems to get worse around Thanksgiving and Christmas. I wish all families the best, and, if anyone needs help, I hope they ask for help — if not from us, then from someone. Happy Holidays.