The Therapeutic Value of Living as a Community During Rehab

community during rehab

Community living during the rehabilitation process offers proven benefits for people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. Therapeutic communities, or TCs, have been a feature of the addiction recovery landscape since the late 1950s when counselors began seeking alternatives to the ineffective approaches that served as the standard models of the time. Today, TCs are widely accepted as highly effective, even necessary steps on the road to recovery—and are an ideal complement to psychiatric intervention and other treatments.

Why Therapeutic Communities Work

Many experts have argued that the single biggest reason TCs work is that they offer 24/7 access to an extensive support network. This support network includes not only medical professionals and counselors but also a peer group invested in the same common experiences. Peers are a great source of strength for people throughout the healing process as they recover from all phases of substance abuse.

The controlled living environments of therapeutic communities also provide a reprieve from the temptations of relapse. Simply put, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for people living in an addiction recovery community to access alcohol or illicit substances.

Finally, participants in TCs substitute healthy, productive activities for the drug and alcohol abuse that became so problematic in their lives: things like exercise, outdoor recreation, art therapy, music therapy, group therapy, and similar modalities. Together, these features combine to create a very powerful effect that can have transformative benefits for those seeking to heal the wounds of addiction.

Live in Community at 10 Acre Ranch

If you or someone you care about is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, the 10 Acre Ranch treatment center for men can help. We operate a judgment-free, community-based inpatient facility in California, where we apply proven methods and best practices for helping participants build addiction-free lives. Please contact us today to arrange a private and confidential conversation with a highly qualified counselor.

Why do I Keep Relapsing?

an ocean view in california

If you find yourself asking this question, either for yourself, a family member, loved one, neighbor or coworker just understand that relapse is a very normal part of recovery. If you have been through a successful addiction treatment program, experienced a period of sobriety and fell into a relapse, please know you are not alone. Relapses are not uncommon and it does not mean you are a failure. Hope is always an option and there are many resources that can help you. How you react to your situation after experiencing a relapse is critical in your overall road to recovery. In this crucial time, forgiveness is an important factor to express to yourself or your loved one. Learn to forgive yourself or your family member for the recent relapse into substance use.  This is a better, more productive attitude to have that, in the long run, will help you or your loved one keep striving to maintain their sobriety.

an old man struggling from substance abuse

It is estimated that 40-60 percent of people who maintain sobriety through rehab, treatment and recovery will relapse into heavy use, while 70-90 percent will relapse and use again at least once. In the medical field, a relapse used to be treated as an uncommon thing but that has largely changed due to the advances in behavioral science and addiction therapy. Sadly, many addicts are stigmatized by society as hopeless drug fiends or treated with the perception that they are a bad person for their substance use. Many of us here in the addiction treatment industry are advocating a different perspective. With addiction being a curable disease, you could compare it to the relapse rates of people with other medical problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma. The rate of relapse into these common medical diseases is close to the same as for people with a substance abuse disorder. Treating this as a medical condition will help ease the stigma associated with drug and alcohol abuse.

As we have seen the overdose epidemic explode in the United States, it is important for us to begin treating this as a serious medical condition, not a criminal activity reserved only for the ‘bad people’ in society. As you are reading this now, most of us know someone dearly who has struggled with some form of substance abuse. While we look to help those closest to us, deep down inside we know there is still a good person underneath the surface of their drug or alcohol addiction.

Changes in the Brain Leave Opioid Addicts at Risk

Middle-aged woman at home taking pill to ease headache

Although many people with opioid addictions go through the rigors of detox and enter recovery, their journey is made particularly difficult by two factors: (1) the incredibly addictive nature of opioid substances, and (2) the neural-biological changes in the brain produced by opioid use.

Opioids Hijack the Brain

Like other addictive substances, opioids affect the pleasure centers of the brain: stimulating the production of dopamine, which in turn prompts the brain to create additional neural receptors to handle the increase.

The increased stimulation is many times greater than a natural or normal dopamine response. Once additional receptors are created, they demand further stimulation, so there is an ever-increasing need for more opiates.

The desire for stimulation takes over the pleasure center responses, but those are not the only neural areas affected. The response is such a strong one that it impairs judgment and inhibition and dulls the ability to plan and organize.

Brain Changes Linger Long After Detox

Although the process of detoxification can rid the body of opiate drugs, it does not undo the neural changes that have occurred. The additional receptors remain in place, but they start to go dormant after many months without the use of stimulants.

The presence of these dormant receptors continues to pose a serious relapse risk for addicts who are in recovery. Even a small relapse awakens them and begins the addiction cycle again.

Social Model for Recovery: a Powerful Tool for Relapse Prevention

At 10 Acre Ranch, CA’s residential treatment center for men, developing a strong support network is a cornerstone of our social treatment model. We offer comfortable detox, along with individual treatment plans that include counseling, proper nutrition, healthy social interaction, exercise, meditation, and of course, abstinence.

If you are in the midst of a relapsing opioid addiction, dial 1-877-228-4679 to speak with a member of our dedicated admissions team. We understand your struggle and will make the admissions process and insurance verification as seamless as possible.

Equine Care in Addiction Therapy

photo-of-a-horse-at-10-acre-ranch

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.   -Winston Churchill

Americans no longer need horses for hauling, transport, or work on the farm, but they still hold a special place for horses in their hearts. Books and movies about horses are almost sure to be hits, and rodeo events and horseracing are as popular as ever. In recognition of the special relationship between man and horse, therapists have begun to use horses in addiction therapy.

Building Honest Relationships

Horses are accepting and make no judgments. Men who have abused alcohol or become addicted to drugs often feel untrustworthy, and they tend to isolate themselves from the judgment of others. Caring for a horse daily helps them bond with another living being and develop a sense that they can be responsible and worthy of trust. The relationship that develops between horse and caregiver is an honest one of cooperation, trust, and the discipline of routine.

Establishing and Respecting Boundaries

Horses are prey animals and therefore have a keen awareness of boundaries. It is important to respect their space and to ask permission before approaching them. Likewise, a human caregiver must make clear to the horse where his boundaries are. Setting boundaries and being conscious of the boundaries of others is a key skill that men in recovery must learn in order to have successful interactions with others. These men become empowered through their work with horses, and carry their newfound skills into social and family relationships.

Discovering Value in Social and Recreational Activities

At 10 Acre Ranch, men 18 and older find the treatment, support, and social interaction that will help them recover from addiction. Our program incorporates recreational activities, good nutrition, and daily exercise and meditation to create a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle that brings lasting change to our clients. If you are ready to end the isolation of addiction, call 1-877-228-4679 to start the enrollment process today. A meaningful life in sobriety awaits you!