Breaking Free from Antidepressant Addiction

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With the overwhelming pressure of the modern world, antidepressant addiction has become a global phenomenon. However, amid these hardships, Ryan Gagne founded Live Free Recovery Services.

By offering various medicinal and therapeutic services, Live Free Center has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the fight against addiction.

If you’re looking for an antidepressant addiction treatment program, we’ll explore the facility’s origin and the services it provides so you can decide if it’s a suitable option or not. 

Understanding Antidepressant Addiction

Antidepressants aren’t addictive in the traditional sense. Patients rarely crave them or exhibit extreme behaviors to acquire them. In most cases, you won’t find someone offering a doctor a large sum of money to get unprescribed antidepressants.

The reward is just not worth it, as they don’t offer a surge of dopamine or euphoria. However, that doesn’t mean antidepressants don’t come with risks. Consuming them for a long time can make patients physically dependent.

Yes, there’s a small difference between dependency and addiction. Physical dependency comes from being used to the existence of specific drugs in your body. So if you suddenly stop taking that drug, you start experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

In the case of antidepressant medications (aka Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)), these side effects could be dizziness, nausea, headaches, and depressive symptoms.

Overview of Live Free Recovery Services

After falling victim to SUD, Ryan Gagne spent years in various recovery centers until he finally reached full sobriety in 2008. Having gone through the recovery grind himself, Gagne realized the pivotal role recovery centers play in fighting addiction.

So, after years of working with various centers, he founded Live Free Recovery Services, an addiction treatment facility that provides structured care head and shoulders above any other center.

With sober living homes and a medication-assisted treatment philosophy, Live Free Center helps men and women recover from drug and alcohol abuse. The facility’s ultimate goal is to guide patients toward reconciliation, peace of mind, and contentment.

Gagne believes that patients don’t have to suffer while going through recovery, and his ideology is reflected in the setup of the facility. Live Free Center offers newly renovated, modern housing with a personal touch that makes patients feel at home.

The 5,200-square-foot facility has 21 beds. You get all the amenities that help you put all your effort into recovery. With its 12-step program, the facility offers an efficient approach. It targets patients’ physical, mental, and spiritual well-being to improve the quality of their lives.

Approach to Antidepressant Addiction Treatment at Live Free Recovery Services

Live Free Recovery Services realizes the addiction experience differs from one patient to another. That’s why it offers a patient-specific approach.

That means experienced clinicians view the type of drugs you were consuming, how long you’ve been consuming them, and your medical history. Then, they develop a personalized treatment program that caters to your needs.

1. Inpatient Drug Rehab Program

Inpatient treatment programs are what most people imagine when they think of addiction treatment centers. It’s where patients live in the facility to avoid any temptations and get proper care.

Live Free Center’s inpatient program offers comprehensive treatment, from detoxification to therapeutic care. Patients receive 24-hour supervision to ensure they’re safe and following the treatment program thoroughly.

Long-Term Residential Care

Live Free Center’s long-term residential care usually lasts 6-12 months. It’s the most demanding program in the facility. However, it helps patients develop the necessary self-discipline to reach life-long sobriety.

Ultimately, the purpose of this program is not only to treat patients’ addiction issues but to prepare them to engage and socialize with people when they get out. That’s why it encourages staff members and patients to participate in the program’s activities.

Short-Term Residential Care

Although it originally started as a treatment program for alcohol addiction, clinicians quickly realized it was suitable for substance abuse, too. This hospital-based program lasts 3-6 weeks, followed by an outpatient aftercare program.

It aims to keep patients engaged in a sober environment and reduce the chances of relapsing.

2. Partial Hospitalization Program

In a partial hospitalization program (PHP), patients receive mental health services 5-8 hours a day for five to seven days a week. Although patients don’t stay in the facility, PHPs offer comprehensive treatment, like individual and group therapy, family therapy, and dual diagnosis treatment.

To many, PHP is the best of both worlds. It provides the same intense care as an inpatient program. However, it gives patients the time to go home and attend to their everyday responsibilities. It’s also a good stepping stone for those who finished an inpatient program but don’t want to risk relapsing.

3. Intensive Outpatient Program

Intensive outpatient programs are for individuals who need therapeutic care for substance abuse while having the time to deal with work and school. It has the same premise as a PHP but only offers 3-4 hours of counseling a day.

Because of that time limit, you’ll mostly go through it in a group setting. That said, group therapy doesn’t just include other patients. If necessary, the facility can involve family members. You’ll still have one-on-one therapy sessions, but they’ll be quite limited.

4. Outpatient Program

Outpatient programs (OPs) offer therapeutic care for 1-3 hours a day. They’re the least intensive program on this list. However, they’re more customizable to fit your schedule than inpatient programs.

Whether it’s cognitive behavioral therapy or health education, OPs provide patients with the necessary skills to deal with addiction while allowing patients to go on with their normal lives.

Components of the Antidepressant Addiction Treatment Program

Now that you understand the different treatment programs that Live Free Center offers, let’s see the different stages of treatment you go through once you enter the facility.

1. Medical Detoxification and Withdrawal Management

This is the first stage of any drug abuse treatment. Patients stay in the facility to get the drugs out of their system. Detoxification usually takes place under the supervision of healthcare professionals, as they can give patients medication to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.

However, antidepressant detoxification is a bit different. As we’ve already established, antidepressants aren’t as addictive as opioids or alcohol. Patients don’t need to go through a full-blown detoxification stage.

Most doctors settle for gradually reducing the antidepressant dose to minimize withdrawal symptoms and allow the brain to adapt to the chemical changes.

2. Individual Counseling and Therapy Sessions

It’s crucial to provide psychological support during the pseudo-detoxification stage to help patients cope with the physical and mental toll it takes. Patients usually go through these sessions with the same therapist. This helps them gradually build trust and tear down any emotional walls they may have built around themselves. 

3. Group Therapy and Support Groups

Some patients may not like the idea of group therapy, wanting to keep their dependency issues private. However, being surrounded by people who have experienced the same turmoils as you, helps you feel understood and validated.

It’s a safe space for patients to share their experiences without judgment. Additionally, support groups allow you to meet people who have made a full recovery from antidepressant misuse. They can share real-life experiences and offer effective tips on fighting dependency.

4. Family Therapy

Family therapy is where a therapist holds a session with the patient and their close relatives. Therapists identify that family members need as much help as the patient. So, during these sessions, they address unresolved issues between the patient and any close relative of theirs.

With these issues resolved and familial bonds restored, patients can come a long way. It’s about collective effort and teaching loved ones about addiction and how to provide proper support.

5. Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Dual diagnosis refers to the relationship between mental health and addiction. People with addiction problems are more likely to develop mental health issues and vice versa. So, some doctors resort to treating both simultaneously with behavioral therapy.

Dual diagnosis treatment helps patients properly manage their mental health and develop a positive self-image.

Addressing Underlying Issues in Antidepressant Addiction Treatment

The first step in treating addiction is understanding its causes, but the hardest step is accepting the changes that come with sobriety. Treatment facilities help patients reach that point through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

During mental struggles, some people instinctively resort to drugs to alleviate the pain. As a form of behavioral therapy, CBT teaches patients to identify these impulsive thoughts. It helps them understand that they come from unresolved internal feelings, whether it’s fear or low self-esteem.

Once patients identify negative thought patterns, they learn to reshape them into positive mindsets, eventually changing their behavior and attitude.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Dialectical behavior therapy was originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD) and suicidal thoughts. Now it’s become an acknowledged treatment for substance misuse.

Therapists use DBT to teach their patients various skills that help them cope with addiction. These skills include:

Mindfulness

While it may not seem relevant, mindfulness is the heart and soul of DBT. It’s about being present in the moment and aware of your inner thoughts and impulses without judging them. In treatment facilities, you go through extreme changes, physically and mentally.

Through mindfulness, you learn to accept and maintain the feelings that come with these changes until you’re ready for the next change. The process continues until you’re able to manage your emotions in a sober life.

Interpersonal Effectiveness

Dependent individuals struggle with maintaining healthy bonds. Through assertiveness training, DBT therapists help their patients develop proper behaviors to establish healthy boundaries, maintain self-respect, and communicate effectively.

Distress Tolerance

For many, consuming drugs was a way to cope with the pressure of the world. So to achieve lasting sobriety, patients must be able to deal with that pressure. That’s what DBT does.

Therapists teach their patients how to accept and deal with negative emotions and external distress, whether it’s through distractions or self-soothing.

Aftercare and Relapse Prevention

When you finish an addiction treatment program, it can be hard to step into the real world. Some patients can’t keep away from drugs for long. Others can’t bear the stigma and resort to the old negative thought patterns that led to addiction in the first place.

That’s why Live Free Center offers aftercare activities that help patients after they finish their treatment program.

Relapse Prevention Program

The relapse prevention program provides patients with the necessary skills and support to resist falling back into harmful habits and maintain lifelong sobriety. It’s like a miniature addiction treatment program.

It helps patients to identify relapse triggers, find meaningful activities, manage stress, and develop healthy coping mechanisms. It also explores the term HALT: Hunger, anger, loneliness, and tiredness, which are considered the main causes of addiction.

Ultimately, this program teaches patients to have self-control and resist these feelings. They also learn how to identify and deal with events that might trigger drug use. The program achieves this through various therapeutic methods.

Patients get individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy. Besides offering mental health services, this relapse prevention program helps patients improve their communication skills. It provides a sense of community that gives them the support they need.

Rehab Alumni Group

Not all patients need full medicinal or therapeutic help to stay sober. Some of them just want to keep in touch with the people they met during recovery. It can provide as much solace as any therapy session.

That’s why Live Free Center created the Rehab Alumni Group program. It allows former patients and staff members to sit together and do fun activities, whether it’s watching movies or having dinner.

Wrapping Up

Live Free Recovery Services offers various antidepressant addiction treatment programs. Choose a program that suits your circumstances and caters to your needs.

You’ll find that Live Free Center offers various mental health services, from individual and group therapy to dual diagnosis treatment. Within these sessions, you receive cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. They help you identify and reshape negative thought patterns.

Even when you finish treatment, you can still get relapse prevention treatment or connect with staff members and residents to do fun activities. If you’re struggling with antidepressant addiction, reach out to the facility and get help from experienced healthcare professionals.

Contact Us Today to learn more about Addiction Treatment and Antidepressant Detox.

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