Gregg Makuch

How is your relationship with the Divine? For many this relationship has been neglected, severed, or never established. Have you ever wondered about the purpose of life? Is life a haphazard thing that happens at random? Is there nothingness upon death? For many who suffer from mood disorders or substance use issues, coming to terms with these questions can be a key. What then, should be the role of spirituality in treatment?

GRADUATION DAY.

OK, this post is a little late but the energy is still flowing from that day and our graduates continue their momentum. Here are my thoughts on the culmination of our first session of 2015 - yet another amazing group!

A residential addiction treatment program founded on compassion is hard to find. We see the low success rates of traditional addiction treatment as partly the result of treating people harshly during recovery. What's the motivation behind rubbing somebody’s nose in the wreckage of their past? Is it to make them feel bad? Many addiction treatment facilities have done this in the past. That doesn't make the practice right. We think this approach needs to be questioned.

Residential addiction treatment can be boiled down to a single item – breaking the addictive cycle. Whether it's addiction to alcohol, opiates, gambling, food, or other substances, getting a person to stop a habitual destructive pattern has challenged addiction treatment professionals for decades.

For many, life becomes unmanageable at times. One thing is certain – pain is inevitable. This pain can gnaw at you - tossing you into addictive habits, making you believe that there is no hope, and cause you to feel raw, worthless, and hopeless.

It’s that time of the year again - great food, dessert, family and friends. Good times, right? For many struggling with addiction, the holidays can be very stressful as challenges in life seem to raise to the surface. And often what we feel instead of peace and joy, is anxiety, sadness, regret and depression.

For many people the loss of a parent, child, relative or other loved one is an earth shattering experience. The loss of a job, moving away from familiar stomping grounds, or having a child leave the nest can also be jarring and disorienting. What was once routine, what brought us strength, love, and a reason to live is gone - leaving a hole which was once so full.

Many, many people in recovery from alcohol or substance abuse or other addictions often come out of rehab treatment feeling energized and full of hope. They have detoxed and removed substances physically. They likely received a lot of support with individual and group counseling sessions. At the end of treatment, it's easy to feel uneasy without this support and slip into bad habits or behaviors. 

We talk to a lot of people who are researching the best option for addiction treatment for themselves or a loved one. Without exception, they crave unbiased information so they can make an informed decision. We certainly talk about our program for healing underlying core issues, but also attempt to educate as best we can on other addiction treatment programs and the differences. Today we’ll look at Promises Malibu Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center located in California.

For those recovering from addiction, "relapse" has been a shameful event for years and years.

Friends and family would scorn the fallen addict, self help organizations would make the person throw away their “clean time” and get a beginner's chip while having to attend 90 AA meetings in 90 days.

We want to say here and now that there is better alternative.