Cynthia: It varies by patient and by family of course, but we can start making positive improvements very quickly if the family and the patient are committed. And generally people are committed if they’re here at the center.

The timeline for the patient recovering from addiction is a little less individualized, so let me speak to that a bit. After the initial evaluation, we decide the best way to treat this person. If there’s alcoholism involved, we might want to get them on prescription medication like Naltrexone or Vivitrol for example. Then we go through all of the psychotherapy that’s involved to figure out why they became addicted in the first place. And that could mean starting at any particular interval in their lives to see, you know, where the problems began.

The first evaluation is about 75 minutes, and sessions thereafter are 50 minutes. It goes as far as we need it to go, and there may be some treatment in conjunction with the psychotherapy to help reduce the cravings and bring back more mental clarity and energy. At our center we might recommend ketamine or NAD for instance. These are IV therapy treatments, and we have a full IV room with really experienced medical staff to make sure these things are done very safely. Remember, withdrawal can be very dangerous if it’s not done medically.

Now, in terms of timeline, we can get the cravings reduced pretty substantially in a lot less time than you might think. We have an outpatient IOP program that does this in 10 days using IV therapy, but you’ll feel less cravings in just 2-3 days.

And then, in general, it’s usually about 28 to 30 days when the body starts responding to having the toxins go away. We also encourage a little bit of outdoor activity or any kind of activity that’s physical, and staying hydrated with lots of water. Endorphins from exercising can also really help the patient feel better. And then I’d say it’s about 90 days when the brain really starts functioning better, though that also depends on the severity of the addiction and how long it’s been going on for.

And then, after about 120 days in conjunction with all the treatment, we really see how different people are. All of a sudden they’re able to remember things, they’re able to communicate better, they remember the past that they weren’t able to reach in their minds before because of all the mental clutter up there and the toxins.

It’s really amazing. If someone is committed to this, to getting better with us, we can literally help them have a new lifestyle with a whole new way of interacting with people and a whole new way of thinking. And that to me is just the ultimate reward for being a therapist. It’s just worth everything to see that change in people. 

Now, you mentioned IV therapy and touched a bit on what is really kind of a neural restoration or brain reset. I believe the neurotransmitters that cause the cravings are actually reset as well. Could you tell us a little more on that, about how the IV therapy can aid in the addiction recovery process as well as the cognitive restoration?

Cynthia: Absolutely. Under the supervision of our medical team, we help patients create a comfortable and safe withdrawal program. The supervision is really critical, as something like alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening if it’s not managed medically.

The program itself may include NAD infusion therapy or other medications to help reduce cravings and restore those neurotransmitters you mentioned. It’s not a one size fits all though. It’s very important to have the program tailored to that person so that they can have a very comfortable withdrawal, a safe withdrawal, which is, you know, really the main thing we want to achieve at first before going deeper into understanding sobriety and what it will take to maintain it.

There’s also a mental health component in a lot of cases. Many patients aren’t just struggling with addiction but with depression, anxiety, and other issues related to substance abuse. In these cases, treatments like ketamine therapy may be beneficial. Our goal is really to provide a tailored, comprehensive treatment plan for each individual, so it’s different in every case.

Now there may be the occasional relapse, so it’s important to realize that, but that’s what psychotherapy’s for. We teach a number of skills such as dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness. And in conjunction with the medication and the IVs… it’s just amazing how you can emerge from this as an entirely new person. Of course it depends on each individual and what they need, but we’ve saved marriages, we’ve put relationships back together with children and parents… And it all feeds each other. The healthier the addict is, the healthier the family dynamics are, or the dynamics with partners… it all reinforces each other and creates the aftercare and the support that’s needed to bridge the gap from the physical withdrawal to the more psychological process of staying sober. 

A lot of people wait for something really eventful to happen before getting help for their addiction, like losing a job or a relationship, or worse sadly. Do you have any advice for what signs people should look for in themselves or their loved ones before things get that dire?

Cynthia: Yes, well, the biggest thing with substance abusers is they often don’t realize just how bad it is and how it’s affected their life, their job, their family, their health in general. Because if your habit is to go home after work and have a few drinks, and that turns into a lot of drinks on a regular basis, or you’re binging on the weekends, you’re just affecting every single organ in the body and it really takes years off your life.

But everyone has a threshold. If you start missing work, if you’re drinking or using substances alone, if you’re starting to drop off from your social circle or pursuing people just to drink with or find drugs with, if you’re losing interest in activities, like spending less time with your family… Maybe they’re going on a hike, and you’d usually go, but you just can’t find the joy in it anymore. You’re probably suffering from anhedonia in that case, where you’re really finding the joy in anything anymore and instead you’re contemplating where your next drink or drug is coming from.

Another sign to look for are little physical pains. A lot of people don’t realize how quickly a medical problem can surface from a substance addiction and cause them to be hospitalized. I’ve seen people binge drink and end up with a cardiac arrhythmia, like atrial fibrillation, and in a matter of minutes it can cause a stroke. And we’re not talking about elderly people. So there are a lot of different things that drinking and drugs can do.

And it’s important to stress that there’s not necessarily a lot of clear warning before a complication from addiction can become literally deadly. We just don’t know how to predict something catastrophic like that so it’s better to get help sooner rather than later.

Okay, so we covered family, we covered some of our approach to treatment, we covered some of the signs to look for… Just one last question for you. What’s the first step for someone who thinks they might need help? Is it calling to schedule an appointment?

Cynthia: Well, the first thing is that you have to actually want help. If you’re just here because your mom or your spouse said something like “Well, I made an appointment for you, you need to go in and get help,” that just doesn’t really work. I’ve been an addiction therapist for a very long time as well as a psychotherapist, crisis interventionist, all these things. But I will tell you, if the patient doesn’t want help, I can’t do a whole lot for them.

So if you see your life deteriorating, whether it’s in your relationship, your work, at home, whatever the case may be, you probably have a lot more to lose and we want to prevent that. So once you come to that idea that you need help, then that’s when I really want to see you and I’m going to meet you there and be in it a hundred percent with you to help you through it. You’re not going to be alone.

And you know what? There’s no more stigma with this. People get addicted by prescription drugs, by social drinking, by anything. So there’s no stigma, and getting treatment at our center is a hundred percent confidential. You’re completely covered by HIPAA, and nobody’s going to talk about your situation. You could even run into your neighbor here and they wouldn’t know whether you’re getting IV therapy for hydration and sports or something more serious.

But the main thing is to realize this can be treated, and you can do it, and you can stay alive by making the right choice and saying, “Hey, I think I do need help.” There really is no reason not to get help, and a million reasons to get it.

Well thank you, Cynthia. We really loved talking with you as always. And for anyone thinking about coming in, please know that Cynthia has both in-person and remote hours. And if you’re not ready for that first session and just have a few questions, Cynthia or someone else at the center will be happy to get them answered for you.