"Anyone who has been caught up in an addiction or who has seen a family member or friend suffer with the disease is aware of the devastation to health, to relationships, to the safety of self and that of others that it can cause. We understand addiction by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one"s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death.
Our treatment approach, therefore, has four components:
Biological
Psychological
Social
Spiritual
Addiction is associated with strain and disruption of social relationoships personal, family, work. Restoration of these relationships, healing, and making amends is foundational to the 12 steps. Addiction causes changes in the neurologic pathways in the brain. Hence, learning to recognize and counter these "thinking errors" is critical to sustained recovery.
Addiction affects a number of areas of the brain, including deep brain structures responsible for learning and survival, as well as frontal structures critical for decision making and reasoning. These are powerful systems, explaining why medication is at times lifesaving in treatment. However, when all is said and done, there is nothing that has matched the long term success of the voluntary 12 step fellowships. Where ever you might find yourself in the world, there is likely a meeting nearby."
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