BestCare Treatment Services specializes in drug rehab, drug treatment, alcohol rehab, alcohol treatment, and mental
health in Central Oregon at Bend, Redmond, and Madras.
BestCare / Know More
Awareness
Understanding what important terms mean is a critical part of working with treatment professionals. Following are brief descriptions of addiction, recovery, and the role treatment plays in the process of creating change.
What is addiction? Addiction is a disease. Symptoms of disease include: continued use despite negative consequences, loss of control over use – loss of control over amount, behavior, and time spent using, and a general preoccupation with substance use. Once addicted, an afflicted person is addicted to “getting high” not just to a given substance. Addicts and alcoholics frequently switch substances to avoid the consequence of their favored substance (and to try to prove that they are not addicted), yet they continue having personal losses and lessening the quality of their lives.
What is recovery? Recovery is the “remission” stage of addiction during which the addict / alcoholic is abstinent. But, abstinence alone does not define recovery! An addict/alcoholic can be abstinent, but not improve the quality of his or her life – the objective of recovery is to improve the quality of one’s life, not just quit using a substance. Certain behaviors, often called “dry drunk,” are common in those who quit using substances, but do not learn how to live without those substances. These behaviors or traits include being edgy, grandiose, judgmental, angry, and self-centered. That is why Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous focus on lifestyle, spirituality, and honesty instead of simply “not using.”
What role does treatment play in helping the addict/alcoholic achieve recovery? Because addiction is complex and is not resolved simply by quitting the use of one or more substances, it is often necessary for an individual to gain a great deal of information and incorporate rigorous and honest insight to find recovery. The means to achieve this exists in the steps of the 12-step programs, but these programs are not designed to provide the structure and accountability that treatment programs offer. Without these conditions, the process of moving into recovery can be carried out over years – further increasing losses, making it increasingly difficult to achieve recovery, and increasing the risks inherent in substance use that could ultimately lead to life threatening conditions.
Awareness
Understanding what important terms mean is a critical part of working with treatment professionals. Following are brief descriptions of addiction, recovery, and the role treatment plays in the process of creating change.
What is addiction? Addiction is a disease. Symptoms of disease include: continued use despite negative consequences, loss of control over use – loss of control over amount, behavior, and time spent using, and a general preoccupation with substance use. Once addicted, an afflicted person is addicted to “getting high” not just to a given substance. Addicts and alcoholics frequently switch substances to avoid the consequence of their favored substance (and to try to prove that they are not addicted), yet they continue having personal losses and lessening the quality of their lives.
What is recovery? Recovery is the “remission” stage of addiction during which the addict / alcoholic is abstinent. But, abstinence alone does not define recovery! An addict/alcoholic can be abstinent, but not improve the quality of his or her life – the objective of recovery is to improve the quality of one’s life, not just quit using a substance. Certain behaviors, often called “dry drunk,” are common in those who quit using substances, but do not learn how to live without those substances. These behaviors or traits include being edgy, grandiose, judgmental, angry, and self-centered. That is why Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous focus on lifestyle, spirituality, and honesty instead of simply “not using.”
What role does treatment play in helping the addict/alcoholic achieve recovery? Because addiction is complex and is not resolved simply by quitting the use of one or more substances, it is often necessary for an individual to gain a great deal of information and incorporate rigorous and honest insight to find recovery. The means to achieve this exists in the steps of the 12-step programs, but these programs are not designed to provide the structure and accountability that treatment programs offer. Without these conditions, the process of moving into recovery can be carried out over years – further increasing losses, making it increasingly difficult to achieve recovery, and increasing the risks inherent in substance use that could ultimately lead to life threatening conditions.
BestCare Treatment Services advocates and provides compassionate care in the treatment and prevention of addiction and mental illness.