Meet the Asheville, NC clinical team!

My name is Stephen Burgess and I come to Eleanor Health to serve as the Clinic Manager in Asheville. I am a clinical social worker and have been working in some capacity in the mental health / social work field for 25 years in various capacities. I also hold over a decade of experience teaching college with a bachelors level social work program. Additionally, I teach coursework covering the DSM-5 for social workers seeking clinical licensure in South Carolina. In my rare moment of spare time, I can be found following my passion for music, attending as many concerts as possible. I also enjoy coaching soccer and am an avid runner.

I’m excited to introduce you to the rest of our Eleanor Health Asheville clinical care team!

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Danny Wallace, Community Recovery Partner

Bio Coming Soon

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Connect with the Asheville team virtually or at our office!

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Name * Email * Message * Phone * (###) ### ####What is your preferred language? * EnglishSpanish How would you like us to contact you? * PhoneEmailText Message Thank you!

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Black Lives Matter: Eleanor Health Co-Founder and Executive Team Statement on Breonna Taylor Verdict

Eleanor Health Team,

Personally, Louisville is my hometown, and the ruling and process of Breonna Taylor’s case have been especially disgusting, in the shadow of her killing. This hits home in the literal sense, as I know it does for many of the Eleanor team and community.

As your Co-Founding and Executive Leadership Team, we write this email to recognize and acknowledge the pain the recent verdict in the case of Breonna Taylor may bring to our Black Eleanor teammates. We deplore the decision to not bring justice to those responsible for the killing of Breonna Taylor, and we stand in solidarity with the Black community through this time of acute trauma, and always.

At Eleanor, we stand for equity and justice, and look to progress these values, particularly for Black people, who don’t experience equity and justice in this country. Period.

In our commitment to support the Eleanor team, especially our Black Eleanor teammates, counsel and guidance from the Black Lives Matter Committee has led to the following:

• Updated Bereavement Policy: Our updated bereavement policy gives one day of leave for any Eleanor teammate who has suffered loss, no questions asked. This includes those who might be suffering from the acute trauma of social injustices like the police killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Rayshard Brooks. If you need a day, take it. The only requirement is that you first confirm the time with your manager so that we can ensure that member care continues without disruption. If additional time off is needed, Wellness Time can be used in conjunction with the bereavement leave.

• Employee Assistance Program: Health Advocate offers grief counseling, short-term counseling, and other mental health services for Eleanor employees through your Justworks account. We also intend to curate a BIPOC affirming counseling network.

• Paid Mindfulness App: For any Eleanor teammate looking to download a mindfulness app to help manage stress, anxiety, or grief, especially times like this, we are adding a new benefit that allows you to expense it to Eleanor. We will reimburse up to $15/month for the meditation/mindfulness app that resonates with you. Simply submit the monthly charge through Expensify for your reimbursement. Liberate is suggested by our BLMC and is purpose built for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

• Black Lives Matter Committee: Please communicate directly with our Black Lives Matter Committee with ideas or support.

• External Resources: See 44 Black Mental Health Resources for Black People Trying to Survive in this Country as one recommended guide of resources to support our teammates.

Lastly, we want to leave you with the words of Breonna Taylor’s mom, as they resonated with us:

Palmer also recalled her feelings upon hearing that no officers would be indicted for their involvement in Taylor’s death.

“Mad. Pissed. Upset. Hurt. A lot of emotions,” she said. “I wasn’t surprised, though. I didn’t have faith in them to begin with. I was holding out hope.”

Before leaving, Palmer remarked there was “still a lot of work to be done.” “It doesn’t end there,” she said. “People need to get out and vote. Voting is going to get the change we need. Protesting is nothing if we don’t take it to the polls.”

To support the change that is needed, we strongly encourage you to register to vote and develop a voting plan. Those who need to vote in person will be allowed up to a half day paid time off to cast their ballots, working around their member care schedules. Please reach out to us with any other support you need.

Yours in Solidarity,

Srishti, Corbin, Nzinga, and Michael

from
https://www.eleanorhealth.com/blog/black-lives-matter-eleanor-health-co-founder-and-executive-team-statement-on-breonna-taylor-verdict

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How Value-Based Care Can Improve Mental Health & Addiction Treatment

“I want to give up heroin, but I still want to have a beer on the weekend with my friends.” The simple desire was from Ben, a patient, referred to as community members, at Eleanor Health in Mooresville, NC. He had tried giving up heroin on his own, and continually relapsed, but no other treatment provider would accept him into their program. Other programs require full abstinence with the belief that if he wasn’t willing to give up every substance, he “wasn’t ready” and wouldn’t be successful in treatment. What resulted was a lack of trust in the healthcare system, and a spiral that made Ben feel like a failure. He lost his job and his partner, moved back home, and cycled in and out of hospital emergency rooms and 28-day rehabs.

Ben’s story is one we hear frequently. He was given opioids for an injury in high school, and ultimately became addicted. He had untreated anxiety, and the impact the injury had on his life — taking away his identity as a 3-sport athlete — led him to substances to cope and self-manage. His story with treatment is also one we hear frequently. The treatment landscape in this country and in his community, based on stigma, abstinence, and weak evidence, failed him.

Other segments of healthcare have embraced population health and value-based care — an approach that focuses on improvements in health, addresses care longitudinally, and works with the whole person. Newer financial models pay for healthcare differently and support population health and achieved outcomes, a move from fee-for-service to value-based payments. In mental health and addiction, these payment and care delivery models are only just emerging, but they have the potential to dramatically improve the health and outcomes for patients like Ben.

For payers looking to implement effective payment models, and providers that want to focus on outcomes, below are four critical components:

1. Not firing patients

Traditional addiction treatment programs only offer “one-size-fits-all” or abstinence-only care approaches that prevent treatment for patients who aren’t completely abstinent from all substances. Historically, these types of programs have “fired” patients — kicked them out of the program for non-compliance with certain criteria including negative urine drug screens and unwavering abstinence — a practice rooted in stigma and the false belief that addiction is a choice and moral failing.

As a result, many patients’ treatment journey consists of various starts and stops through several recurrent episodes of expensive, out-of-network treatment or inpatient treatment programs that aren’t evidence-based. And even newer innovative models of care require adherence to all components of the program, like attending a group meeting in order to get life-saving medication, a practice that further marginalizes those struggling with addiction.

Value-based programs are personalized and recognize that addiction is a relapsing condition just like other chronic conditions.

2. Taking care of the whole person

Many providers are unequipped to address whole-person needs and instead focus narrowly on presence or absence of substance use despite the evidence that the majority of patients have other physical and mental health needs that occur alongside their substance use disorder. Roughly 80% of patients with SUD have other co-occurring psychiatric disorders, including trauma, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, the bidirectional relationship between physical and mental health drives higher rates of chronic physical health conditions among patients with SUD. Untreated physical health conditions can trigger SUD to relapse. Finally, social drivers of health such as housing and income instability and lack of meaningful connectedness and life purpose, substantially impact SUD outcomes.

Any program that is not addressing co-occurring mental health symptoms, physical health, and social drivers of health is not providing adequate treatment.

3. Reimbursing based on the quality, not quantity

Historically, payments for healthcare services are determined by the number of services provided. This fee-for-service reimbursement system has contributed to an overall increase in the amount of services and cost of care, without a commensurate improvement in the quality of services provided.

This is especially prevalent in the addiction treatment landscape, which relies on predetermined 28-day stay durations and compulsory urine drug screens despite evidence that neither alone improves health outcomes. Value-based care demands addiction treatment providers demonstrate measurable outcomes aligned with the quadruple aim:

• Improved health of populations

• Improved patient experience

• Improved care team experience

• Reduced total cost of care

Alternative payment models support the ability to improve quadruple aim outcomes by reimbursing for interventions that are critical, yet traditionally not reimbursable in fee-for-service arrangements, including proactive outreach and engagement to remove barriers to initiating care and maintaining retention; healthcare navigation to prevent disjointed care journeys and resultant attrition; and community-based interventions to address social drivers of health; and peer recovery support services to mitigate risk of illness relapse.

Payers who don’t reimburse, and providers who won’t be reimbursed, based on quality, not quantity, are not committed to improved outcomes.

4. Taking on the Financial Risk of Entire Populations

Value-based care requires a change from an individual patient mindset to a population-based mindset. Instead of being siloed and focused on one illness or one individual, value-based providers build systems and partnerships that enable more efficient and effective touchpoints across an entire patient population, thereby improving the care journey and health outcomes while reducing per capita cost of care. Benchmarked to the quadruple aim, value-based providers should be able to demonstrate process and target outcomes in several domains, including:

• Access — Time from request to first appointment is associated with one-year remission rates. Value-based providers must offer on-demand access to addiction treatment.

• Improved health outcomes — Improved health cannot be narrowed to abstinence and negative urine drug screens. Longitudinal harm reduction models have been shown to reduce overdose deaths and improve health over time, more so than disjointed, abstinence-based episodic care.

• Superior experience — Individuals with addictive disorders routinely face marginalization, stigma, shame and discrimination. Value-based providers must be measuring and constantly improving both the staff experience and the patient experience.

• Total cost of care — Being truly value-based requires a willingness to put revenue at risk if total cost of care doesn’t decrease and health outcomes don’t improve, ideally by population to prevent “cherry-picking” of patients.

Taking on financial risk is the true test of value — and belief in a program and its outcomes — but rarely seen in mental health and addiction treatment.

Fast forward nine months to what really matters — Ben. After relapsing two weeks into his recovery journey at Eleanor Health, Ben has been sober from heroin ever since. While he started his journey unwilling to take medication assisted treatment (MAT), he recognized the need to alter his plan after his relapse. He has repaired his relationship with his family, has a new job, and is moving in with his partner. He also drinks less on the weekend since he started engaging with a different social circle, one developed through the relationship connections made through his Community Recovery Partner. His bi-weekly trips to the Emergency Room have ended. Not every urine drug screen has been negative, and that’s ok — he recognizes that he has to work on his sobriety every day and that it isn’t something that can be “fixed” in 28 days.

Ben’s story is not unique. It is based on a model built on data and evidence, which means thousands came before him. The addiction treatment system is just beginning to recognize the need for value-based care and alternative payment models towards the goal of adequately managing SUD as the chronic medical condition it is. Many providers and payers are piloting bundled payments, but this alone does not represent value-based care. Assuming the financial risk for an individual episode of care is a positive first step, but is only the beginning. To be truly value-based, care providers must be held responsible for the health and satisfaction of populations, and alternative payment models must reimburse for quality and outcomes, not quantity.

Corbin Petro is the CEO & Co-Founder of Eleanor Health, the first addiction and mental health services provider designed to deliver long-term patient recovery outcomes and modeled on value-based care delivery and payments. Eleanor provides whole-person, comprehensive care for mental health and substance misuse in outpatient clinics, virtually, and in the community and patient’s homes.

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Avoid Re-Traumatizing Your Black Employees: A Three Step Guide to Safely Launching An Affirming Corporate Anti-Racism Program

Racism is a chronic, generational, lifelong trauma that pervades and invades the daily lives of Black Americans.  Acute traumas like the police killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks lay on top of the chronic trauma, reactivating emotional wounds that constantly lurk under the surface.  The last eight weeks have been an emotional whirlwind for Black Americans, fraught with the lowest lows as we watched George Floyd’s life fade away under the police officer’s knee, yet sprinkled with hope as we watch white America undergo what genuinely seems to be a mass awakening to the pervasive and devastating effects of racism on our lives.  

As a Black woman, and Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Eleanor Health, a company that cares deeply for our people, I find myself in dual positions.  One as a Black wife, mother, daughter and sister, navigating the pain and anger of acute racist trauma; the other as a healthcare executive leading our company’s corporate anti-racism response.  I feel deep gratitude to my fellow Co-Founders and Leadership Team who showed up as staunch allies, enthusiastically jumping in to the movement with two feet.  We acted quickly.  Within a few days, we crafted our Black Lives Matter Anti-Racism Statement.  The message to our team members was simple:  We care too much about you to ask you to pretend you’re ok just because you’re at work.  A few days later, we held a company-wide town hall meeting after which we quickly conceptualized a framework for our anti-racism work going forward. A book club sprang up organically and chatter began about what book the club would read first.  We released an application for the Black Lives Matter committee – designed to hold us accountable for an ongoing, sustained anti-racism response that would persist beyond current tensions.  Galvanized by the opportunity to raise our voices against injustice, we acted quickly, and as a unified force.  Honestly, it felt good – or so we thought.  

I was admittedly surprised to receive a hesitant instant message from one of our Black women team members.  She tested the waters – “Wanted to shoot you an article that I came across last night and get your thoughts on it.” I said, “Of course. Send it on over.”  As a Psychiatrist, I recognized something heavy about her message.  She sent over an article titled “When Black People are in Pain, White People Just Join Book Clubs.”  Shortly, thereafter, I received an email from another one of our Black women staff.  It started with “I wrote and deleted this message 50-11 times,” a colloquialism meant to reflect just how unsure she was about raising her voice, as a result of how dangerous doing so had been at past companies. 

I realized, despite knowing that racism is an ongoing trauma, and despite being a victim and survivor of the trauma of racism myself, and despite being in the middle of my own emotional storm (perhaps as a result of being in the middle of my own emotional storm), I had forgotten SAMHSA’s 4Rs of a trauma-informed organization: Realize, Recognize, Respond and Resist.  

I realized that we were falling short on the 4th R.  Despite best intentions, we were re-traumatizing many of our Black team members by moving too quickly without first providing a safe space to process the acute trauma they were experiencing.    As a leadership team, we recognized we needed to take a step back, and listen.  We created Black Eleanor, a support group for those of our team members who identify as Black.  We put every other initiative on hold.  During our first Black Eleanor meeting, as Chief Medical Officer, I listened.  As a Black woman, I realized just how much I was in need of that safe space. 

After our first Black Eleanor meeting, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I’m a psychiatrist for goodness sakes!  When caring for individuals who have experienced trauma, we take an approach that, for this purpose, I’ve simplified to three steps.  First, create a safe space.  Second, allow time for intense emotions physiological responses caused by acute trauma to settle down.  Lastly, spring into action, empowering the survivor’s voice and engaging allies.   As a company, we had made the mistake of skipping over the first two steps, and springing directly into action.  In doing so, we had unintentionally marginalized the very people we needed to support, embrace and empower during a time of acute trauma.  

As we were learning these lessons at Eleanor, several friends and colleagues were reaching out to me about their experiences at other companies.  One story in particular stood out to me.   A fellow Black female physician shared that her job was holding company-wide conversations on race. She and a group of her Black colleagues took the risk of raising their voices to say it may be too painful for some to be mandated into race listening sessions for all.   Their clinical expertise was discounted. They felt compelled to attend in solidarity and in support of others who were not comfortable raising their voices.  Inadvertently, just as we had at Eleanor Health, her company skipped over the critically important first two stages, and as a result had thrust their Black employees into emotionally unsafe, traumatizing spaces. I can only believe this was not their intention.  

And so that brings me to the 3 step guide for safely launching an affirming corporate anti-racism program.  

Step 1: Create safe spaces.  Importantly, Black people are not monolithic. Rather, we are a diverse group of people with varied life experiences – some born and raised in America, others born and raised in other countries; some raised in suburban communities and others in urban cities or rural farmlands; some identifying as cis-gendered heterosexual and others identifying on the LGBTQ+ spectrum; some Republican, some Democrat and others Independent.  In short, the diversity among Black people is infinite.   However, during periods of acute trauma, for many Black people, for whom code-switching and moderating our Blackness are required survival skills that we’ve developed in response to implicit and explicit racism and discrimination throughout our professional experiences, mixed-race spaces by definition are not safe spaces.  Though a difficult metaphor, imagine asking a woman who was recently assaulted by a man to join a mix-gendered support group.  Though the men in the support group are not the man who assaulted her, their very presence is triggering.  To avoid violating the 4th R, dedicate time during the work day for safe spaces. 

Step 2: Allow time and support grounding.   During our first Black Eleanor meeting, several of our Black team members shared that they felt their voices had been co-opted.  They described being injured by what felt like a race to get to the finish line of a 100yd dash, when in actuality, we were just suiting up for the swim leg of an Iron Man.  It seemed that, as a leadership team, we believed a few rapidly-implemented initiatives could fix the wounds of generational injustice, with one of our strategies being an anti-racist book club. Instead, what our Black team members needed from us was time and support to engage their grounding processes – physical, mental and soothing techniques designed to reduce the negative emotions associated with trauma.   My counsel here is that there is no need to rush your organizational initiative – this is a long game, and your employees need time. 

Step 3: Spring into action.  The most important part of Step 3 is empowering the voices of survivors.  That empowerment must reach beyond the executive level to ensure a diversity of Black voices are leading the company’s anti-racism program.  Companies must strike the balance of engaging and galvanizing allies to lift the burden of this work off the backs of Black colleagues, while ensuring Black voices remain at the very core of all initiatives.  You definitely need expert support to successfully strike this balance.  Hire a consultant.  

We are in the midst of what feels like the most unified anti-racism movement I have experienced in my lifetime.  It is my hope that those of us in leadership positions, regardless of race or ethnicity, embrace the responsibility not only to create anti-racism programs, but to do so in a way that is affirming and safe for the very employees on whose behalf we are advocating.  

Nzinga Harrison, MD is Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Eleanor Health,  an innovative network of physician clinics that cares for individuals affected by addiction and Host of In Recovery, a podcast dedicated to changing the conversation around addiction.

from
https://www.eleanorhealth.com/blog/avoid-re-traumatizing-your-black-employees-a-three-step-guide-to-safely-launching-an-affirming-corporate-anti-racism-program

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Social Media and Alcohol During COVID-19: What You Need to Know

If you open up any social media app in the time of the COVID-19 outbreak, you likely don’t have to scroll too far before you encounter a post about drinking at home. Over the past weeks, as millions of people hunkered down amid statewide stay-at-home orders, some have turned to alcohol as a way to pass the time, destress, and socialize virtually–all while posting their beverages on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. 

Friends are sharing countless memes about “Quaran-tinis” and drinking at home. With bars and restaurants closed as non-essential businesses, local out-of-work bartenders are taking their skills to social media, showing followers how to make their favorite cocktail from home. Celebrities like Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, are going live to chat over a beverage. The Food Network star was seen on Instagram Live creating an oversized drink, saying “It’s always cocktail hour in a crisis.” Even alcohol brands are experiencing a substantial uptick in their social engagement as sales surge and more people mention and interact with them on social media.

With so much of our lives on the Internet, it’s understandable that drinking is just another part of life, like vacations, work, or family, that is documented and shared with online friends and followers. These types of posts are often seen as commonplace jokes based on shared experiences that can appeal broadly to all types of people, but especially for three growing drinking cultures: moms, college students, and millennials.

These posts normalize  partying and drinking, especially at an unusual time like this. Studies indicate that posting alcohol-related content on social media is associated with higher alcohol consumption and can play a subtle, suggestive role in influencing another person’s drinking habits. Alcohol-related social media posts can contribute to unhealthy drinking behaviors, such as:

• Excessive drinking or binge drinking

• High-risk actions like unprotected sex, vandalism, theft, or violence

• Feelings of peer pressure to drink

• Feelings of anxiety or depression while or after drinking

• Being physically sick or hungover after drinking

• Influencing others to drink excessively

• Encouraging underage drinking

• Triggering relapse for people recovering from alcohol addiction

• Getting in trouble at work for inappropriate or alcohol-related social media posts

Dr. Harrison, Addiction Expert, Psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer for Eleanor Health says “It’s important to think twice when sharing alcohol-related posts. These posts can come with unintended  impacts because of who may be  influenced or what the post suggests about your own alcohol habits.”

Need help with alcohol during quarantine? Eleanor Health is here to support you during the COVID-19 outbreak. Try us out by joining one of our free virtual support groups or booking a free 15-minute consultation.

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https://www.eleanorhealth.com/blog/social-media-and-alcohol-during-covid-19-what-you-need-to-know

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How to Reduce the Guilt, Shame, and Stigma of Addiction

Despite substance use disorders being declared a public health crisis in the United States, harmful stereotypes continue to persist and negatively impact people with addiction. As a result of stigma, many people hide their substance use because they fear social rejection or criminal punishment. These feelings of guilt and shame only allow addiction to continue and for some people, it may even intensify their substance use.  

For some people, the lack of social understanding and support may cause them to avoid seeking treatment because they feel that getting treatment would negatively impact their jobs or other peoples’ opinions of them. Stigma creates barriers to recovery, which only allows the cycle of addiction to carry on and worsen.

Eliminating stigma is one of the most important steps in supporting people with addiction. As individuals, there are small but meaningful actions that can make a big difference. You can help break the stigma surrounding substance use disorders by:

• Recognizing that addiction is a medical condition

  • Due to ongoing social stigma, addiction is often viewed as a moral failing that results from a person’s bad choices or lack of willpower. 

  • In reality, medical research has proven that addiction is a complex brain illness that can affect any person, regardless of their character, strength, or lifestyle.

  • Learn more about the causes of addiction and how it impacts peoples’ lives.

• Communicating with compassion and respect

  • Changing your word choice to neutral and non-judgemental terms is helpful because it removes negative associations that come with certain words.

  • Let individuals with substance use disorders choose how they are described and respect their choice.

  • Using person-first language to talk about addiction and substance use reflects that a person has a problem, rather than blaming the individual as the reason for the problem. The National Institute on Drug Abuse recommends these terms:

    • Instead of saying “addict” or “junkie,” say “person with substance use disorder.”

    • Instead of saying “alcoholic” or “drunk,” say “person with alcohol use disorder.”

    • Instead of saying “drug abuse,” say “drug misuse” or “harmful use.”

    • Instead of saying “alcohol abuse,” say “unhealthy alcohol use” or “harmful alcohol use.”

• Having open conversations about addiction with loved ones, friends, and your community

  • Stigma will persist if we don’t openly discuss addiction and substance use. Talking about addiction as a medical condition helps to humanize it and remove negative connotations from the general public opinion. 

By pushing addiction out of the shadows and into compassionate conversations, more people with substance or alcohol use disorders may feel comfortable seeking treatment and starting their recovery journey.

from
https://www.eleanorhealth.com/blog/how-to-reduce-the-guilt-shame-and-stigma-of-addiction

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A Guide for Safer Substance Use During the COVID-19 Outbreak

As the COVID-19 outbreak spreads across the world, certain groups are considered especially at risk, including older adults, people with serious underlying medical conditions, or those with weakened immune systems. Along with these groups, people with substance use disorders are also vulnerable to the virus.

Due to social distancing measures, people with addiction may be unable to find a supply or safe way to use. While decreased substance use or the idea of “quitting cold turkey” may seem like a positive consequence of coronavirus, in reality, it poses significant health risks. 

If a person with addiction suddenly stops their substance use, it could cause severely uncomfortable or dangerous withdrawal symptoms, including nausea, hallucinations, and seizures. For some people, these symptoms may be so intolerable that it could lead them to use substances in higher amounts or less safe ways and cause an overdose.

Some people with addiction may also have other physical health problems, like weakened immune systems or respiratory issues from drug use. If a person becomes infected COVID-19, it could worsen their existing health issues, especially breathing problems.

In addition to following the general public health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are certain precautions that people with addiction can take to avoid COVID-19 and use substances safely. Some of these tips are easier to follow than others but every action helps prevent the spread of the virus.

Hygiene and Health Tips

• Wash your hands often with soap for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• Cough or sneeze into your elbow, instead of your hands.

• Avoid touching your nose, eyes, and mouth.

• Sanitize high-touch surfaces in your home and any drug packages you receive with bleach or antimicrobial or alcohol-based wipes.

• Stock up on any necessary prescription medications that you may need over the next several weeks.

• Practice social distancing as much as possible. Minimize your contact with other people to stop the spread of the virus.

• If you are feeling sick, let other people close to you know that you are experiencing symptoms. Isolate yourself as much as possible to avoid spreading it.

Safer Drug Use Tips

• Don’t share drinks, syringes, or mouthpieces like vapes, cigarettes, pipes, bongs, or joints with other people. If you have to share, follow these steps to reduce your risk of getting sick:

  • Drinks: Wipe the drink with an alcohol-based sanitizing wipe.

  • Syringes: Dilute bleach by combining one part bleach with ten parts of water. Use the diluted bleach mixture to clean the syringe by rinsing, loading, and expelling the mixture from it. After using bleach, rinse twice with water. If you don’t have bleach, rinse with water three times.

Mouthpieces: Wipe the entire mouthpiece with an alcohol-based sanitizing wipe.

• When using, prepare your drugs yourself with clean hands and on a sanitized surface. If you are unable to prepare them yourself, stay with the person doing the preparation and make sure they wash their hands and clean surfaces.

• To avoid any potential overdose, don’t use drugs alone but be sure to keep six feet of distance between you and other people. If you are alone, call someone while you are using them so they can contact emergency services if you become unresponsive.

• If possible, plan and prepare yourself for any potential withdrawal or overdose. During this time, emergency services may be limited or slow to respond to 911 calls. You may also lose access to your substance supply. If you are able, stock up on your substance supply and other items like naloxone, clean syringes, and fentanyl testing strips.

• Remember, there is no bad time to engage in addiction treatment. Even in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak, treatment centers, like Eleanor Health, are still available and ready to help.

Have questions about keeping safe and reducing harm during the COVID-19 outbreak? Eleanor Health is here to help. Contact one of our Addiction Treatment Specialists today or join one our free online support groups.

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Drinking Alcohol While Working from Home: Is It a Problem?

While staying at home is helping to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 outbreak, being largely confined to the same surroundings, day in and day out, is blurring the lines of work versus play. For some people that work from home, the lack of a regular routine creates an overlap between their job and their relaxation time, especially if companies have virtual happy hours.

At the same time, alcohol sales across the country have skyrocketed as bars and restaurants close and liquor stores and delivery services remain operational as essential businesses. Combined with added stress and easy, all-day access to alcohol at home, it can be easy to justify drinking while on the clock. 

According to a new survey conducted by Alcohol.org, 30% of North Carolinians are drinking alcohol at home while working. While working and drinking from home may seem like a low-risk situation at-first, it actually can put your job in jeopardy and lead to professional difficulties  and other consequences.

Impact on Career and Professionalism

In general, consuming alcohol negatively affects your ability to concentrate, problem-solve, and react to problems quickly. When alcohol is consumed on the job, these side-effects can become even more noticeable and lead to problems including:

• Inability to concentrate on tasks or focus

• Missing notifications, showing up late to meetings, and being slow to reply or react

• Slurred speech on calls or typos in written communications

• Being absent for long periods of time during working hours

• Poor decision-making that puts other people or the company at risk

• Appearing drunk or hungover on a virtual meeting

• Missing work due to being hungover or sick from drinking

• Sleeping while on the job

• Poor performance and productivity

Even during these unprecedented and abnormal times, these types of incidences, especially if repeated, can damage your standing within your company and your long-term professional reputation. According to Dr. Nzinga Harrison, Psychiatrist, Addiction Expert and Chief Medical Officer for Eleanor Health,”Stress and anxiety may feel overwhelming at this time. It is important to remember that drinking may seem like it helps in the moment, but actually tends to worsen these emotions over time.”

If you find yourself  drinking to combat stress or worried emotions, you may benefit from  help addressing the underlying problems causing these types of emotions. Even though the intent of the stay-at-home orders is to stop the virus spreading, it does come with one benefit or sorts: making it easier to speak about your drinking habits with a specialist, from the privacy of your home. You may even be able to partake in a virtual support group and chat with other people dealing with a similar situation.

Need help with alcohol during quarantine? Eleanor Health is here to support you. Try us out by joining one of our free virtual support groups or booking a free 15-minute consultation.

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How do I know if I have a problem with drugs?

Even though drug addiction is a prevalent health condition throughout the world, people with drug addiction often face stigma, which includes shame, social disapproval, and discrimination. Instead of considering addiction as a chronic illness, other people might blame a person’s actions and look down on them. These types of negative consequences prevent people from speaking openly about their drug use, causing them to hide their struggles because they don’t want to be judged.

It’s not always easy to know if someone is struggling with drug use, much less yourself. Understanding more about drug use and learning to recognize the signs of addiction can help you figure out what type of support or treatment is needed. Here are some ways to recognize a problem with drugs.

Signs of a Drug Problem

• Strong urges and cravings to use drugs daily or several times throughout the day

• Always having or buying drugs

• Needing more of the same drug to have the same effect

• Acting in a risky way to get drugs, such as stealing or lying

• Engaging in dangerous behavior while on drugs, like driving or having unsafe sex

• Taking drugs even though it causes issues with loved ones or work

• Taking drugs in larger amounts or over a longer time than intended

• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms after the effects of the drugs wear off

Changing Behavior

Drugs can also change personalities and behaviors, or make people act in different ways than normal, including:

• Wanting to spend more time alone or doing things in private

• Losing contact with old friends

• Not having an interest in favorite activities

• Forgetting to do routine things or being unable to keep a schedule

• Feeling more irritable or annoyed with other people

Changing Physical and Mental Health

Drug addiction is related to a variety of different health issues, including:

• Bloodshot or glazed eyes

• Frequent or unexplained injuries

• Sudden weight changes

• Poor hygiene or bad skin, hair, teeth, and nails

• Memory loss or problems with recalling information

• Speech changes like slurred words, rambling, or fast-talking

Drug addiction is also associated with the development of mental health conditions, or the worsening of existing conditions, including:

• Sudden mood swings

• Aggressive or violent behavior

• Irritable mood

• Depression

• Apathy, or lack of motivation or care

• Suicidal thoughts or self-harm

It can be challenging to recognize your struggles with drugs, but seeing the early signs is the first step towards recovery. No matter what your challenges are with drugs, addiction treatment can help you rebuild the confidence to regain control now and throughout your long-term recovery journey.

Are you worried you or a loved one may need help with an addiction to drugs? Find out more by taking this quiz about drug use.

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How do I know if I have a problem with alcohol?

Alcohol is a part of many cultures across the world and has been used as a way to celebrate, relax, or socialize for hundreds of years. Even though alcohol use is commonplace, it’s not always easy to tell if someone has a problem with alcohol. Not everyone stays at a bar all-day or struggles to keep their life together. Some people appear “high-functioning” but privately, they may face constant struggles with their alcohol use. 

In reality, alcohol use disorder, sometimes called alcoholism, is a medical condition that varies from person-to-person. This is why doctors and mental health professionals use a list of 11 criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (or DSM-5) to make a diagnosis. Learning more about the criteria might help you understand if you have a problem with alcohol.

Criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder

1. Drinking alcohol in larger amounts or over a longer period of time than you had originally meant

2. Wanting or trying to cut back or control your alcohol use but struggle to do so successfully

3. Spending much of your time spent on activities related to alcohol–both the drinking itself and recovering from hangovers and the physical side-effects of drinking

4. Craving alcohol so badly that it consumes all of your thoughts

5. Dealing with alcohol or hangovers that interfere with work, family, or other responsibilities

6. Continuing to drink alcohol even though it causes problems with your family or friends

7. Giving up on important activities or interesting hobbies that you once liked in order to drink alcohol instead

8. Getting into unsafe or risky situations while or after drinking, such as walking in a dangerous area, fighting, swimming, driving, or having unsafe sex

9. Drinking even though it makes you feel depressed or anxious, causes memory loss from blackouts or contributes to any other health problems

10. Drinking much more to get the effect you want or noticing that your usual number of drinks has less of an effect than usual

11. Experiencing withdrawal symptoms, like insomnia, irritable mood, upset stomach, or even a seizure, after the alcohol wears off

Alcohol use disorder can range in severity, depending on how many criteria are applicable.

• Mild AUD: two to three symptoms

• Moderate AUD: four to five symptoms

• Severe AUD: six or more symptoms

However, mild AUD can progress over time and become more difficult to manage. This is why it’s so important to engage in treatment as soon as possible.

It can be difficult to admit to potential problems with your own behavior but recognizing the signs early on is a crucial first step towards a successful, long-term recovery. No matter what your challenges are with alcohol, addiction treatment can help you regain control over alcohol and rebuild your confidence throughout the recovery journey.

Are you worried you or a loved one may need help to manage alcohol use? Find out more by taking this quiz about alcohol use.

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Finding A Safe Recovery Space when you identify along the LGBTQI+ spectrum

By: Sasha Millington, Durham CRP & Jack Register, High Point CM

The LGBTQI movement began as a riot.  Black and Brown and Gender Non Conforming LGBTQI people stood up at Stonewall and said enough is enough.  They fought for the ability to be who we are without harassment.  The PRIDE we celebrate today is built on the courage of so many who have come before us.  

Many LGBTQI people have struggled with substance use and/or mental health conditions because of discrimination. The recovery journey can be a lonely one if you do not know that others really know and see you as you are.  Whether recovery is from a substance use disorder; a mental health disorder; or loving someone who is struggling with recovery we all want to be seen and heard as we are.  

We at Eleanor Health are committed to serving those from the LGBTQI spectrum of communities. Our staff and our services are designed to address the needs of those who have not been honored because of gender identity/expression and/or sexual orientation.  We have specialists from medical and counseling staff to our peer recovery specialists who see us as we are.  We understand sexuality and gender as fluid and can walk with you through recovery. 

Wherever you are in your journey, we can help.  If you love someone who identifies as LGBTQI and is struggling with substance use and/or mental health concerns we can help.  The statistics of suicide and overdose in our communities is staggering.  Many of us struggle to find a place to be ourselves.  We also struggle to find help from care providers who understand the needs we bring as well.

What we value most at Eleanor Health is that we can go beyond being LGBTQI “friendly.” We are an organization that lives its mission.  Our team has the capacity to be transparent because we can be ourselves in our work.  We can build genuine relationships with our members so that treatment is effective by being informed of the person’s needs.  How do we do this?  Eleanor Health embraces our team as they are where they are in the journey of identity and recovery. 

Hear a little about our stories: 

Sasha:  I was looking to be seen or heard as my family did not accept me due to their Religious Beliefs.  I self medicated, and did things that did not show the best version of myself because I wanted to “fit in”. At that time Therapy wasn’t really an option as I was unaware that it could be an option. Therapy within my community wasn’t talked about, and being gay while being black is also not to be talked about. The only options for me were 1)Establish a better relationship with God, and 2) try your best not to be gay as it shows disrespect to your family. When I finally began therapy I had many layers to unpack, and the environment that I began therapy in didn’t make me feel very comfortable to do so. I’m aware that they are usually support groups specialized for different things such as AA, or NA. But there weren’t any groups or anything really pertaining to LGBTQI for me to feel connected to.

Jack: I became a helper because I spent much of my life feeling broken and wrong.  I never knew another person who was LGBTQI.  I survived much abuse and ridicule because of who I am as a queer person.  In this day and age where we see many folx out everywhere it can still be lonely and isolating if you do not feel safe to be yourself.  Many of us are called crazy or turn to substances to cope with the emptiness we feel.  I struggled for years to find a safe place to be myself.    

Corbin: As CEO of Eleanor Health, and a member of the LGBTQI community, our commitment to the needs of the LGBTQI community are uniquely understood. For many in the LGBTQI community, societal pressures and the daily struggle and decision to be out and yourself can be stressful. Like the familiar head nod when you recognize that someone is a member of your LGBTQI family, working through recovery with those who have shared experience can feel more safe and affirming. 

Research statistics have determined that the LGBTQI community has a greater likelihood than non-LGBTQI persons of experiencing a substance use dependence in their lifetime, and often enter treatment facilities with more severe substance use dependence. The importance of the LGBTQI community “being seen” is one of the reasons our chances are greater of having a SUD is due to not being seen and not being heard. It also contributes to many people within our community struggling with and ultimately being overwhelmed by death by suicide.  

It does not matter if you are a person that is out or not, being with those who see you as you are feels good.  When working with a member who identifies under the LGBTQI community they always appreciate it when we can be  open about our fiancé in Sasha’s case or Jack’s chef hubby’s latest grilling adventure. We are open because when a person is ready to share something personal about themselves we want them to be comfortable.  At Eleanor Health we want them to know that they don’t have to carry the weight of fear around.  

Come on in and meet us (in person or virtually!)  at Eleanor Health. You can request a free consultation, schedule an appointment or drop into our free, online LGBTQI recovery support group.   We are happy to be of service and happy to celebrate PRIDE!  

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What is alcoholism? | FAQ about alcohol addiction

What is alcoholism?

Alcoholism, which is often referred to as alcohol use disorder (AUD), is a chronic, relapsing brain disorder in which a person has a physical and emotional dependence on alcohol and experiences a pattern of excessive or uncontrollable alcohol use. 

This means that it’s hard for a person to stop thinking about alcohol and change how much they consume, even if it has a harmful impact on their life. Even if they try to stop drinking, they may experience difficult or life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. 

AUD can lead to serious health complications, such as:

• depression

• high blood pressure

• liver damage

• heart failure

• certain types of cancers. 

What are the symptoms of alcohol use disorder?

It’s not always easy to determine if someone has an alcohol use disorder. Some people may seem perfectly healthy and functional in their daily lives but they keep their alcohol use a secret from loved ones. Common symptoms can include:

• Frequently drinking a lot of alcohol or for longer than intended

• Wanting to reduce or control drinking but not being able to stop

• Spending a lot of time drinking or feeling ill from alcohol’s after-effects

• Having strong cravings or uncontrollable urges to drink

• Experiencing problems at home with family, work, or other commitments as a result of drinking or being sick from drinking

• Missing important events or enjoyable activities to drink instead

• Drinking despite feeling depressed or anxious, having another health problem, or after having had a memory blackout

• Drinking more to experience the same effect because the usual number of drinks is less effective than before

Is binge drinking the same thing as alcohol addiction?

Although these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, binge drinking refers to drinking a large amount of alcohol at one time. For men, it’s drinking five or more drinks within two hours. For women, it is four or more drinks within two hours. Drinking excessively from time to time does not mean someone has an AUD but it does put them at a higher risk for developing it over time.

Can alcohol addiction be cured?

There is no magic cure for AUD but it is treatable and manageable. With a treatment plan that meets a person’s specific needs, the brain and body can recover from the effects of alcohol while a person learns coping skills to control cravings and sustain long-term recovery. 

Some common components of an AUD treatment plan include:

• Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT): Prescription drugs like Naltrexone and Vivitrol can help physically reduce the desire to drink.

• Counseling and therapy: Individual or group therapy sessions, or a combination of both, help manage emotions and learn coping skills to overcome challenges.

• Peer support groups: Groups bring together people with AUD in a shared, private forum to learn from each other’s experiences and act as a support system through the recovery journey.

• Treatment for other medical conditions: Health care services can treat and manage any of the short and long-term health effects associated with AUD.

• Treatment for mental or behavioral health needs: Psychiatric medications, used in combination with therapy, can help treat co-occurring disorders, such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that occur at the same time as AUD.

Are you worried you or a loved one may need help to manage alcohol use? Find out more by taking this quiz about alcohol use. 

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Are Benzodiazepines The Next Addiction Crisis? | FAQ about Benzos

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, benzodiazepine prescriptions, commonly used in the treatment of anxiety, have been on the rise. According to a recent study of 3 million people, prescriptions for benzodiazepines increased by 34% from mid-February to mid-March. This spike aligns with the timeline related to coronavirus information becoming more widespread in the news and social media, while millions of Americans grappled with stress and worries related to their job security and health. 

While this class of medications can be helpful in the short-run, benzodiazepines are associated with serious long-term risks and addiction. Here is what you need to know.

What are benzodiazepines?

Benzodiazepines are a class of psychoactive medications that depress the brain’s central nervous system and produce a calming, sedative effect. Often referred to as benzos, some of the most familiar brand names include Valium, Xanax, Ativan, and Klonopin. Benzodiazepines are commonly used to treat a variety of conditions, including:

• Insomnia

• Anxiety

• Panic disorder

• Seizures

• Muscle spasms

• Alcohol withdrawal

How addictive are benzodiazepines?

While benzodiazepines can be very beneficial for treating symptoms in temporary situations, in no short time, these medications can create a dependency risk for the person taking them. Benzodiazepines are habit-forming, even when they are prescribed at therapeutic doses. In as little as 30 days, a person can become physically dependent on the medication, which is generally why they would only receive a short-term prescription, in addition to other behavioral or medical health resources.

What are the signs and symptoms of benzodiazepine addiction?

It’s not always clear to tell if someone is addicted to benzodiazepines, especially because they might keep their drug use private and not show public or obvious signs of it. If you are concerned that you or someone you know has a problem with benzodiazepines, some signs of addiction include:

• Having a strong craving to use benzodiazepines every day or several times throughout the day

• Needing to use more of the same drug to have the same effect

• Not feeling “normal” when not using drugs

• Continuing to take drugs even though doing so causes problems with loved ones, work, and other commitments

• Feeling sick when trying to quit

What are the dangers of benzodiazepine misuse?

Taking benzodiazepine drugs as directed for short-term use presents little risk. However, misusing the medication or taking it in addition to other substances can be very dangerous. 

Alcohol and benzodiazepines have a similar depressant effect on the brain, so when taken together, this effect is intensified. Mixing benzodiazepines with opioids can also produce a strong sedative effect that puts a person at risk for serious respiratory difficulties that can even be fatal. 

What is benzodiazepine withdrawal like?

Once physical dependency sets in, withdrawal symptoms can happen as soon the dose is reduced or stopped abruptly. With shorter-acting drugs like Xanax and Ativan, symptoms typically begin with 24 hours and peak after 72 hours. For longer-acting drugs like Klonopin and Valium, withdrawal usually begins within 48 hours to one week after the last dose. Symptoms of withdrawal can include:

• Seizures

• Muscle spasms and tremors

• Dizziness and lightheadedness

• Ringing in the ears, blurred vision, and sensitivity to light

• Anxiety, panic attacks, and depression

• Insomnia

• Headache 

The most severe form of benzo withdrawal is delirium tremens (dTs), which most commonly develop in individuals dependent on shorter-acting benzodiazepines like Xanax and Ativan but can also occur with longer-acting benzos. If a person develops any dT symptoms from benzodiazepine withdrawal, seek medical attention immediately.

Struggling with benzo usage? Eleanor Health can help you to get through it. Contact our Treatment Specialists today for more information.

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Statement from Eleanor Health’s Co-Founders and Executive Team

This letter was sent to all Eleanor Health employees on May 31, 2020.

Dear Eleanor Health Team Members,

As your Co-Founding and Executive Leadership Team, responsible for embodying the culture, compassion and whole-person values of #TheEleanorWay, we are writing this letter to recognize and validate the pain that our Black community is experiencing acutely as a result of the false 911 call against Christian Cooper and the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd; and chronically as a result of pervasive systemic racism. While we know the pain of police brutality and racism is shared among all people, we also know that a Black man is three times more likely to be killed during a police encounter, than a white man – just one statistic that represents the disproportionate impact to Black communities.  We know that traditional corporate cultures do not create space for meaningful dialog about racism and systemic inequity, often instead, continuing work as usual as if many of us are not bleeding from the wounds of current and historical events.  At Eleanor Health, we commit to be different.  We commit to support you, to raise our voices, to create an anti-racism culture, to let you know you don’t have to hide your pain at work and to truly care for you as a whole person. 

From Corbin: Over the weekend, the founding and executive team spent a lot of time discussing racism, what we could do, and checking in on one another. Specifically, I wrote Nzinga to see how she was doing and ask, as a white woman, what I could do, knowing she must be feeling incredible pain, hurt, and fear. As leaders, it’s important that we make sure our teams feel safe – both physically and to be open and honest about what they are feeling – and to create a space for open dialogue.  As an organization, we must focus on being anti-racism both for our teams and for our communities. We will be opening up our All Hands meeting on Tuesday to let people share what they are feeling, and offer ideas on what we can do to act. We hope this will be the start of an ongoing discussion focused on healing and understanding.  

From Nzinga: As a Black woman, daughter of a Black man, wife of a Black husband, mother of two Black sons who at 13 and 14 years old, are no longer seen by whites and police as cute little boys, but rather as scary Black men, this is personal.  I know firsthand what it means to be terrified for my husband and sons’ lives and outraged in my personal life, but asked to conduct business as usual in my professional life.  We care too deeply about you, to ask the same at Eleanor Health.  A core part of our identity is advocacy, equity and justice.  We must apply those core values not only on behalf of the members we serve, but for you, our Eleanor Health team members.  

From Michael: I can’t pretend to know what members of the Black community are feeling right now. I won’t ever experience the confusion, fear or anger of having to navigate a world that has so much institutional bias to fight, let alone have to deal with the individual cases of prejudice and hate. What I can do, however, is fully commit to appreciating the challenges you face and to offer my support by fully embracing anti-racism. The challenge is that racism isn’t always obvious or intentional, especially for those who haven’t experienced its effects on a personal level. So, we’re going to have to tackle this together. It won’t always be easy – I know that I like many still have much to learn and there will likely be plenty of mistakes and forgiveness required along the way. Also, there is no real endpoint to this effort so long a racism persists in our society. That said, rather than be discouraged, I see this as another opportunity for us to distinguish ourselves as company. If there is one thing that sets us apart at Eleanor, it is our shared commitment at all levels to take on what makes others uncomfortable and an unwillingness to settle for the status quo when change is needed. 

From Srishti: Compassion is at our core at Eleanor, and we see the pain of our team members, of our community members, of our society, and yet it persists. Breonna Taylor was killed in her Louisville home, and Christian Cooper was subjected to a dangerous accusation and 911 call in his favorite Manhattan park. These are both places I call home. These are both communities meant to be progressive and thoughtful, and yet the most unjust reflection of human judgement and institutions has reared its ugly head: racism. We must counteract, we must speak up, and we must continue growing our capacity to do so. 

In the coming weeks, we hope to provide opportunities to have real conversations and to share your concerns and feelings. 

A very common question is What Can We Do?  In the words of Ijeoma Oluo, the beauty of anti-racism is that it does not require us to be free of racism, but rather to fight it wherever we see it, even in ourselves.  The first step is to recognize we have a problem and to overcome the barrier and stigma of talking about it, so that we can be of support to each other.  

• Process your feelings:  Our check in rituals must be real.  When you check in this week, tell us truly how you are doing and know that you can be honest about what you need from your colleagues. Know that you do not have to hide your pain, your fear, your anger. Eleanor Health also has resources that you can access.

• Create and embody inclusivity: We aim to create an environment where different perspectives and points of view are not just tolerated, but encouraged. Practice inclusivity by actively reaching out and celebrate it wherever you see it being practiced by others.

• Speak up: if you experience or witness actions that go against our culture of inclusivity, say something. Ask questions and raise awareness to bias – silence condones discrimination. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. 

• Be part of the ongoing conversation: overcoming systemic barriers like racism requires us to continuously strive for deeper understanding of ourselves, our teammates and our community members and the conditions impacting their lives. To provide a platform for achieving that understanding, we are initiating an open discussion series to tackle complex questions through honest dialogue in a safe forum. These voluntary facilitated sessions will be held quarterly and will provide the opportunity to explore emotions and perspectives related to some of the difficult topics that impact our lives but that people don’t typically like to address in public.  

• Educate and grow ourselves: Srishti highlighted the work of Ibram X. Kendi as being particularly informative to her, and invited us all to join in using his recent An Antiracist Reading List as a helpful tool on this continued growth. Eleanor Health is committed to this growth and is offering to reimburse for the cost of one of these or other educational books for anyone on our team who wants to read one. 

We commit to be different at Eleanor Health.  We commit to condemn racism wherever we see it – even when it is in ourselves. We commit to raise our voices in advocacy for others to do the same.  We commit to be anti-racist.  We commit to care for the whole person including racism-based wounds, and that starts with us raising our voices for you.

Please reach out to us for any support you need and with any ideas you have for how we at Eleanor Health, can be part of the solution on this painful journey to healing.  

Yours in solidarity,

Corbin, Nzinga, Srishti and Michael  

 

 

from
https://www.eleanorhealth.com/blog/standinguptoracism

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What is Addiction? | FAQ about Addiction

What is addiction?

Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder of the brain’s reward system. This is associated with compulsive and continued drug use despite harmful life consequences or physical side effects. Addiction, known medically as substance use disorder, is considered as both a mental health condition and a complex brain disorder. As time goes on and usage continues, how the person’s brain, body, and mind function can change dramatically and negatively impact their life.

What drugs can a person be addicted to?

Different drugs have different effects on different people. This is why some people can use drugs experimentally on occasion and not become addicted. However, if usage becomes more regular, some people become unable to control when and how much they are using. Certain drugs like stimulants, cocaine, or opioid painkillers, can cause a person to develop an addiction more quickly than other drugs. People can become addicted to legal and illegal drugs or substances, including:

• Illegal substances

  • Anabolic steroids

  • Club drugs

  • Cocaine

  • Heroin

  • Inhalants

  • Marijuana

  • Methamphetamines

• Misusing prescription medicines like opioids, or over-the-counter medicines by taking them in a different way than intended, such as:

  • Taking medicine prescribed for someone else

  • Taking a larger dose than prescribed

  • Using the medicine in a different way than directed, such as crushing and snorting or injecting

  • Using the medicine to get high on purpose

Who can develop an addiction?

Addiction can affect people from all backgrounds and can happen to anyone, at any age. There is no easy way to spot an addiction disorder because not everyone who uses drugs becomes addicted. The people with a high risk of developing an addiction may experience: 

• other mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder

• drug use that started at a young age

• peer pressure from people who encourage drug use

• unhappiness or instability at home, with friends, or at work

• family history of a parent or sibling has a drug or alcohol addiction

Is there a cure for addiction?

There isn’t an easy or magical cure for drug addiction but it is a treatable medical condition. With the appropriate treatment for their specific needs, a person can improve their addiction over time, reduce their risk of relapse, and achieve a successful long-term recovery. 

Seek addiction help today. Contact us to learn more about starting treatment.

from
https://www.eleanorhealth.com/blog/what-is-addiction-faq-about-addiction

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