Drug and alcohol addiction commonly affects families of many different backgrounds. This is especially true with the proliferation of the opioid epidemic which knows no barriers. Addiction can affect young and old, men and women, and crosses between all different social and financial backgrounds. No one stands immune to the possible effects. In fact, it is estimated that approximately 10% of Americans have alcohol use disorder, with 1/3 of all Americans overall classified as excessive drinkers. This is not including statistics on other drug addictions (particularly since many addictive drugs are illegal or restricted, making data more difficult to collect due to the stigma surrounding drug addiction). Fortunately, there is hope for individuals who are seeking recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Addiction treatment facilities are all over the world, and the United States is no exception. Thanks to the freedom to travel between states, US residents have many options for treatment. Drug rehab centers Orange County, California offer some of the most highly sought-after programs.
Drug Rehab Centers Orange County
The reason for this is the multitude of options for exposure therapy that naturally come with the area. Orange County enjoys year-round good weather and access to beaches, mountains, and a plethora of sports/recreational activities to enjoy. Individuals stay in residential treatment for an average of 30-90 days. Treatment staff highly regiment every day for scheduling different types of therapy. Some of those therapeutic modalities include the Matrix Model, WRAP therapy, and 12-Step. Individuals also engage in both individual and group psychotherapy. But not all types of therapy directly involve talking about feelings and impulses. Exposure therapy takes a different approach to restructuring neural pathways to reimplement healthy behaviors.
So what is exposure therapy, exactly?
Exposure Therapy for Substance Use Disorder
Adventure therapy is just one piece of a larger picture when it comes to addiction treatment. The most important aspects of treatment are clinical detox and individual/group therapy that directly address the psychological aspects of addiction. But another piece of treatment is reforming neural connections to restore normal brain activity. Drugs and alcohol disrupt the natural flow of chemicals like dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin that regulate mood and happiness by flooding the brain with unnatural amounts of one or more of these chemicals.
Exposure therapy allows individuals recovering from substance use disorder to reconnect the mind and body in a natural setting. This is done through regular supervised outings where individuals can get some downtime from the severe emotional highs and lows of traditional therapy. Going through rehab is a lot of emotional work: individuals have to look at deeply complex and uncomfortable feelings. These range from self esteem issues to problematic relationship dynamics. That kind of emotional work for many hours a day, seven days per week takes a real physical and physiological toll.
Physical exercise and connecting to the environment acts as a pressure valve. As psychological pressure builds in treatment, individuals benefit from releasing that with low-stress activities. The outdoors also stimulates endorphin production and creates natural feelings of wellness.
