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A substance use disorder is an extraordinarily complex condition that involves your physical, mental, and emotional health. Read on to learn more about how addiction can develop.

Dallas Pain Questionnaire

One of our admissions specialists, David Vazquez, discusses what to expect when you make that first phone call to a substance use and mental health treatment center.

We sat down with Creative Care's very own Dr. Katya Techentin to discuss the connection between trauma and addiction.

Alexandra discusses family dynamics within the realm of addiction.

Somatic Experiencing with Dr. Katya Techentin - Informational Video

Mindfulness Meditation Techniques with Samantha Wood, LMFT - Informational Video

Meth-Induced Psychosis with Dr. Son - Informational Video

Ross McNutt, LMFT talks a little bit about integrating group therapy into the treatment milieu.

Physician's letter for Creative Care's Opioid Treatment Program with Integrated Pain Management.

Mental Health Awareness Month: Coping Ahead

The emergence of a mental health condition is often accompanied by an aggregation of warning signs.

The dangers of manufacturing methamphetamine are vast and serious. Laboratories that produce meth vary dramatically in size and output. Large laboratories, known as super labs, create 10 pounds or more of the drug per construction cycle.

When you’re in recovery there a few holidays that pop up every year that make it difficult to go out and remain sober.

Fracking, which is short for “hydraulic fracturing,” is the process of spraying high velocity chemicals in the ground to break apart rocks and capture natural gas.

Gay culture has taken an enormous deal of fault for the extreme statistics on LGBT substance abuse issues, which are estimated to subsist overall at more than twice the nine percent rate in the overall population.

Drug and alcohol addiction…it runs in the family. You’ve heard it all before: the possibilities of a genetic relationship in addiction are probable, to say the least.

Commonly known as ‘Liquid X’, ‘Fantasy’ or Liquid G’, GHB is well- defined as a ‘date rape’ or ‘club drug’ narcotic. Its chemical name is Gamma Hydroxybutyrate, and it acts as a depressant in the central nervous system.

I’d know for years that I was an addict; after years of abusing heroin and other opiates the signs were fairly clear. It just took me a little longer to recognize that I was also addicted to food.

Although the stereotypical alcoholic is often portrayed as middle-aged to adult, alcoholism among teenagers has always been a huge issue and is growing more and more prevalent.

Substance abuse among military personnel has been on the rise in the last 20 years, as it has been for the rest of society. Although use of illicit drug use is lower than that of civilians, alcohol and prescription drug use has become much more prevalent.

You go to the counter of your local pharmacy, hand the person there the right piece of paper (a valid prescription from any doctor), come back a few minutes later and pay your bill….and you walk out with a bottle of any variety of hard narcotics.

Pregnancy and childbirth have long been known as one of the most painful conditions that women can go through. For many years, opiates have been used to treat the pain associated with pregnancy and post-childbirth.

The classic picture is a large-framed outlaw in a leather jacket, embossed with its gang insignia or ‘colors’ on the back. He’s usually taking a pull off of a joint as the strains of “Born To Be Wild” drift through the air.

“I believe this drug business is going to destroy us in the years to come. It’s not like gambling, liquor or even women…it’s just something that most people want nowadays and it’s forbidden to them.

It’s autumn of 1984… Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” is battling it out on the pop music charts with Billy Ocean’s “Caribbean Queen “.

In the southeastern part of Santa Fe County in New Mexico lies the small town of Española.

One of the most prevalent current internet scams is fake on-line pharmacies.

Going through drug treatment at any age is an arduous task, no matter what age you are and whatever your station in life.

If the rising drug overdose trend isn’t bad enough, it’s about to get worse. The United States drug overdose statistics have increased for several consecutive years and shows no signs of decelerating.

Sex addiction is one of the more misunderstood diseases in modern medical history. It’s even more misconstrued due to the fact that it’s not classified as a mental disorder, at least not at present.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (also known as BDD, body dysmorphia, dysmorphic syndrome, or dysmorphophobia), is a condition  that engages the conviction that one's own look or appearance is strangely  defective, therefore they feel hideous and unworthy...

In the treatment community the term “dual diagnosis” is used as a sort of catch all for people with a number of conditions. Officially it’s anyone who has both a substance abuse issue as well as an underlying mental condition.

The addictive soul is a sad and tricky thing. When a loved one is dependent on drugs or alcohol the condition creates a lot of anxiety and fear. The foreground of those worries is the potential for life-threatening accidents or overdoses.

Eating disorders fall under several different sub-sections and categories, which we will discuss.

Dual Diagnosis (also called co-existing disorders, COD) is when one suffers from mental illness and substance abuse. One of the problems diagnosing patients is the fact that many of the symptoms of drug abuse mirror those of mental illness.

For most, one of the first orders of business after treatment is to secure some form of employment. Depending on the financial situation, this varies significantly from one person to another.

The world is a dangerous place. From car crashes to ebola to kids getting shot at in their own schools. And even if you survive all that a sneaky little aneurism could take your life at any moment.

In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, recovering addicts are taught that there are two aspects to their addiction: cravings and obsession.

For the past several years, the use of an opiate called Krokodil has come into Western consciousness due to an incredible amount of horror stories coming from Russia, where the drug has been extremely prevalent in recent years.

Universally, one of the paramount things on most people’s minds during treatment is how they’re going to support themselves post-rehab. There’s one side of the coin that addresses new opportunities, and the area of a ‘get well’ job.

When does sex turn from being love to an addiction? There are many theories about this, and it is often thought that when sex is used compulsively, to “numb out” or to get high, these are indicators to addiction.

It’s going to be one of the most important decisions of your life. You know you have to go, and the only reasons for not going are the ones you’ve made up…and you can always think of another one. Getting yourself into treatment is a heavy resolution.

One of the toughest things to develop during recovery from drugs or alcohol abuse is developing self-trust.

Alex P. is a methamphetamine addict who is entering treatment for the second time. His previous attempt at rehab was a straight detox, which he completed but soon returned to active addiction within a month of leaving treatment.

The American Dream is a simple one. At least, it is simple to understand.

Shopping addiction has a technical name that is called Omniomania. This literally means obsessive shopping, and it is perhaps the most socially reinforced of the behavioral compulsions. 

Even before addiction began to be studied as a science, there have always been people looking for a quick cure.

Money can’t buy you happiness…but it can buy you a big yacht that can sail right up next to it. At least that’s what I think. In the Western world, in particular, the pursuit of wealth is the number-one goal in most humans.

Eating disorders are potentially life-threatening conditions that require treatment that is on the same level – and sometimes beyond – substance abuse.

Going into inpatient treatment can be a scary time. For most addicts, although the necessity of rehab may not be a surprise, tearing themselves away from the world of drugs and alcohol is shocking and uncomfortable.

For addicts and alcoholics, there is one important step that must be made before they can pick where to go for treatment. It doesn't matter if you are living on the west coast or the east, if your’e in the US or even in another part of the world.

Doctor shopping is one of the most common methods of prescription drug abuse, and in the United States, its practice is fundamentally an epidemic.

We’ve come a long way in 100 years, and no I’m not just talking about the invention of the internet. It is easy to see this progress when one looks at the ways in which we treat addiction and alcoholism. A century ago it was seen as nearly incurable.

So you’ve made it through treatment…congratulations. And that’s meant in a very sincere way. You need to look at your achievements and recognize what you’ve done for yourself.

Teenage alcohol abuse is such a precarious proposition that its treatment must be viewed with as many options as possible.

Barbiturates are a well-known depressant, popularized in the 20th Century era as a sedative and an anesthetic, and are still used to this day for anxiety and insomnia. They do have a mild analgesic effect, but this is not what they are normally used for.

It’s an interesting thought, and probably one that most addicts have had at one time or another. But how many of us have really asked ourselves, “should we just legalize all drugs?” From the mind of an addict it’s simple.

One of the most exciting, new and successful modalities in the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse is Neurofeedback. Neurofeedback involves Electroencephalograms (EEGs)/biofeedback; which are one of the oldest and proven means of brain imaging.

If you find yourself in treatment, there is so much more you can do for yourself during your stay then just curtailing drug or alcohol addiction.

The War on Drugs has been raging for over 40 years now. Thanks to the cunning genius of minds like Richard Nixon, substance abuse has been not only criminalized but demonized in American society.

Drug addiction can be a difficult disease to care for. Even with years of medical research and psychiatric studies to show the severity of drug abuse on the brain, there is still a lot of stigma attached.

Upon entering treatment, many of us are involved with legal entanglements that are often the result of our addictive behavior.

There are as many variations in treating teen drug abuse as there are drugs themselves.

Having a career in the recovery field is one of the more unique jobs one can have that requires a fairly limited amount of training at the outset.

Substance abuse treatment in Great Britain has been undergoing great changes in the last several years. As late as 2008, the United Kingdom focused more resources on prevention from a criminal/trafficking standpoint.

Dual Diagnosis is one of the more complex disorders in the substance abuse landscape; yet despite its challenges, its treatment has become more and more successful over the past dozen-odd years.

During the 1960’s and early 70’s America’s involvement in the Vietnam War had unexpected consequences. Thousands of U.S. Army personnel returned home with debilitating opiate habits.

Most people entering rehab plan to make it their only time. It’s quite understandable, especially if one can recall the physical and emotional place they were in when they got there.

Gambling addiction has long been a problem for scores of individuals for centuries. In the past, those who had problems were often only labeled ‘degenerate gamblers’, although it often wasn’t considered an actual addiction.

As part of the 2016 fiscal budget, President Barack Obama pledged $133 million on Thursday to combat America’s heroin and opiate epidemic.

The one thing that many people (especially young people) hear in the world of recovery is the suggestion that one wait a year into sobriety before developing a new romantic relationship. I use the word ‘hear’ rather than remember, for good reason.

PCP is one of the strangest street drugs currently in circulation. It’s a bit odd, only in that most of the drugalogue/war stories one hears about the PCP and its effects are generally negative.

Entering a sober living house upon completion of drug/alcohol treatment is highly-recommended as a wise transitional step in your recovery. There are though, several do’s and don’ts when entering sober living, and we’d like to cover a handful of them here.

It’s clear that problem gambling has been accurately classified as a real addiction, comparable to almost all substance abuse. Treatment is generally similar, with a few important wrinkles…

Setting healthy boundaries in rehab in your relationships with other clients and staff is one of the most difficult, yet ultimately rewarding processes in the treatment experience.

One of the more popular and overly-prescribed medications in the landscape of drugs of abuse in the last ten years or so is Adderall.

According to the Art Therapy Association, “Through creating art and reflecting on the art products and processes, people can increase awareness of self and others, cope with symptoms, stress and traumatic experiences; enhance cognitive abilities;

Of all drugs that are prescribed for opiate detox/withdrawal, Methadone may be the most controversial and misunderstood. Heavily administered, highly effective, and extremely addictive…Methadone is all of these things and more.

One of the most difficult aspects of post-acute care in treatment is repairing troubled relationships. So many variables must be addressed; there is simply not room enough in a simple blog to cover them all.

“Without relapse prevention, I guess there’d be more…relapse.”  This comically simple phrase was uttered by an attendee of a process group I sat in on recently. It may seem like a funny way to put it, but the beauty of the quote lies in its simplicity.

Alcoholism and addiction see no colors and have no cultural boundaries. This disease affects people of all ages and cultures around the world leaving millions to live with untreated alcoholism and addiction and suffering sometimes deadly consequences.

Dr. Karen is a fantastic resource for parents in general, but she really hits on some relevant points in the Summer 2014 edition of Renew Magazine.

Creative Care Malibu is interested in how people make their decision when choosing a rehab. Creative Care’s admissions staff asks everyone who calls how they found us and what led them to inquire about our program.

An insightful and information-packed article by our very own Dr. Karen Khaleghi is up on recoveryview.com. It speaks about the growing interest in the drug MDMA, which went by the names ‘X’ and ‘Extacy’ in the 90’s and is now being re branded as “Molly.”

Creative Care is proud to announce their first ever television commercial! Traditionally, we have not done any kind of advertising and have never before done a television commercial. Our referrals come to us by word of mouth and by doing the work we love.

What can an addictions treatment counselor do for you? What can they do for someone you care about? Is this something that you have wondered about?

Creative Care is interested in how people make their decision when choosing a rehab. Creative Care’s admissions staff asks everyone who calls how they found us and what led them to inquire about our program.

In the years between 2010 and 2013, Creative Care served over 30 clients from the Persian community that were suffering from untreated and often undiagnosed mental health issues.

Addiction affects one in five people in the United States, putting families through a heartbreaking cycle of recovery and relapse.

The spring season brings up many images of renewal. Flowers are blooming, babies are born; the world wakes from its winter sleep. This idea of rebirth can be easily applied to the inner work we do when we embark on the path of recovery.

If only we could stop drinking or using. If only we weren’t struggling with depression or memories of abuse. If only our loved one could get sober. Then we’d be happy. Then life would certainly not be perfect but it would be so much easier. Or would it?

The holidays can be stressful!  Watch this video for some tips to keep that stress at bay, making the holidays more enjoyable.

Heroin addiction is one of the most troubling and painful addictions in the world. It brings out the worst in us. As such, heroin addiction can be one of the toughest addictions to overcome and its use is a serious problem in America.

Marijuana addiction abuse is one of the foremost drug related problems facing society today. Marijuana addiction is a phenomenon experienced by more than 150,000 individuals each year who enter treatment for their proclaimed addiction to marijuana.

Individuals who drink excessive amounts of alcohol can experience a blackout, a period during which the drinker literally does not remember what has happened in the recent past.

Alcoholism is a disease that affects countless people all over the world. It has the power to destroy lives, break up families and kill.

Cocaine addiction and abuse is a major problem throughout the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 1.1 million people tried cocaine in 2001, and use has continued to increase since then.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is one of the most difficult to understand of all psychiatric illnesses.

Once again the holidays are upon us, for many, is a time of year filled with happiness and joy. But for others, it is a time filled with sadness, self-reflection, loneliness, and anxiety. And it’s no wonder.