OUR PHILOSOPHY
Awakening Recovery Center
staff understands that persons who seek treatment do so with the
greatest of intentions i.e. to overcome their addiction.
Unfortunately, these strong intentions can be rapidly overridden
when "cravings" for substances become overwhelmingly intense.
These cravings are often the direct result of the neuro-biochemical
disorder of addiction that is exacerbated by sensory triggers,
stressors, internal psychological triggers, or simply trying to live
life without substances.
Having lived through this ourselves, we understand.
We understand that asking someone to commit to not drinking or
using is akin to asking them to not live.
We know that the development of abstinence in their lives is a
difficult promise to keep when alcohol or drug deprivation effect
becomes overwhelming.
Intense cravings can cause someone who is "working hard" to “fall off
the wagon” during the early recovery process.
We help them get back up and onto the “wagon” again and ask them
to cognitively learn from the process.
We know that they have “lapsed” back to old coping skills and we
will continue to help them learn new techniques to deal with life on
life's terms.
With this said, Awakening provides a treatment program to reduce
alcohol, opiate, and other drug cravings through cognitive- based
therapies, and when medically indicated, utilize craving reduction
medications to reduce or eliminate cravings during those critical first
30-45 days of early recovery. We
have found that during this time-frame, the use of pharmacotherapy
assists with the reduction of cravings and improves the chances for
longer-term recovery.
Awakening Recovery Center
works with Dr. Amit Vijapura, a board-certified, research- based
psychiatrist, who assesses the need for possible utilization of craving
reduction medications.
Recent treatment protocols have encouraged the use of
Vivatrol, the new injectable formulation of the opiate
antagonist, Naltrexone, the alcohol-craving reduction medication
Campral
and the opiate craving reduction medication,
Suboxone.
Dr. Vijapura has determined that the use of Vivatrol supports a
reduction of alcohol craving that assists those patients who have had
trouble in the past maintaining sobriety.
He has also had successes with Campral to help patients who have
had physical discomfort in the first several weeks of abstinence.
Dr. Vijapura has had great results with Suboxone for use with
opiate abusers because of its efficient beneficial properties in
relieving the withdrawal symptoms of opiate abusers as well as reducing
their anxiety and stress.
Our experiences have shown that treatment successes are dramatically
improved when combining effective
medications with cognitive-based therapy and sober support systems such
as AA
site or NA
or
others.
Philosophically, we believe in providing all available treatment
protocols and techniques to help each patient have a realistic
opportunity to learn to maintain abstinence and become a non-drinker
and/or non-user. Our clients
will always be provided the latest and most cutting-edge techniques to
help them better manage their lives and to help them learn to live a new
way of life.