Addiction Recovery Program Specialist

What is addiction?

Addiction, or a substance use disorder, is a complex condition in which an outside substance hijacks your brain and your body. At its core, a substance use disorder typically contains two components:

Addiction

Addiction to alcohol or drugs is a chronic brain disease characterized by uncontrollable cravings and compulsive or uncontrolled use of the addicting substance. This leads to changes in the brain that can be long-lasting, as if the drug or alcohol has hijacked the brain, causing the person to continue to use in spite of harmful consequences and medical conditions.

Substance addiction is also a relapsing disease. Relapse is the return to using after an attempt to stop. The goal at Chesapeake Wellness Center is to prevent relapse.

Physical Dependence

Physical Dependence is a concept closely tied to tolerance and withdrawal. It’s important to recognize that physical dependence is a function of biology alone. It does not include the counter-productive or self-destructive behaviors typical of addiction. While closely related and often co-occurring with addiction, physical dependence does not necessarily include the compulsive drug seeking and continued use despite negative consequences typical of addiction.

This aspect of a substance use disorder refers to the physical dependence you have on the substance, leading to withdrawal symptoms when you stop.

The mental AND physical nature of Substance Use Disorder makes breaking out of the vicious cycle of relapse a complex process, which is why you need the experienced team at Chesapeake Wellness Center by your side.

What are the signs of addiction?

Everyone responds to addiction differently, but there are a few common red flags that signal that your drug, alcohol, or tobacco use is problematic:

• Uncontrollable cravings
• The inability to stop using
• Increasing isolation
• Risky behaviors
• Needing more of your drug of choice to achieve the same effects

While the above list describes symptoms of addiction, signs of dependence are experienced as your body enters withdrawal.

What is an addiction recovery program?

Addiction is a chronic disease, much like diabetes or hypertension. This means there’s no cure and that there’s always the risk of relapse.

Chesapeake Wellness Center tailors addiction recovery programs to each individual, but each individual program has the same goal — helping you to develop a set of tools and a lifelong strategy to manage the disease. The first step in any addiction recovery program is detoxification to rid your body of the substance, breaking your physical dependence. Dr. Paul Katz can help ease this journey with medication like Suboxone, Chantix or Zyban that are designed to minimize withdrawal symptoms.

Once your body is free of the addicting substance, the real work on your addiction begins. Dr. Katz and his team will give you the tools necessary for long-term sobriety and relapse prevention, including:

• Medication Assisted Treatment prescribing medications, such as Buprenorphine (Suboxone, Zubsolv) Naltrexone (Vivitrol®) and Acamprosate
• Behavioral counseling
• Treatment for co-occurring disorders, such as anxiety or depression

Dr. Paul Katz and his team provide long-term care for each patient to ensure their chances of success.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, call Chesapeake Wellness Center to learn more about their addiction recovery programs or use the online scheduling tool to set up a confidential consultation.