Home - Addiction Resources in Washington State
The damage caused by substance abuse doesn’t only affect the individual who is battling alcohol or drug dependency. The effects of addiction impact friends and family members close to the individual, as well. The reason addiction can last months or even years is because friends and family members who recognize what’s going on don’t always know how to seek help for their loved ones. This is where our staff at Free by the Sea comes in.
Our certified professionals are able to provide you with helpful information and assistance if you believe you or a loved one has developed alcohol or drug addiction.
What is Substance Abuse?
Substance abuse, or commonly known as addiction, is caused by the development of a dependency on a substance that is meant for occasional or recreational use. It is classified as a mental disease that causes a change in the chemical balance of the brain due to repeated use of the substance. Use turns into abuse once the user is no longer able to control their need for the effects that a certain substance has on their body and brain.
When we think of addiction, we often think of hard drugs that are illegally sold to users on the black market like heroin, cocaine, and meth. What a lot of people fail to realize is that legal, common substances like alcohol and prescription pain medication can also cause addiction if not consumed properly.
As a result of this, it is predicted that 1 in 7 Americans will face addiction within their lifetime. Almost everyone within their lifetime will know someone with a substance use disorder or face addiction themselves. This is why our specialists at Free by the Sea want to provide resources and information about addiction to as many people as we can.
What Factors Can Cause Addiction?
Although some people are at a higher risk than others, addiction does not discriminate against anyone. There are certain factors, though, that can increase your chances of developing an addiction disorder. Here are the top 5 factors that influence whether or not you are more susceptible to addiction:
- Genetics: Our genes are what make us who we are, and a major factor that determines whether you will fall victim to addiction is having a family history of it. If you have one or more family members that have gone through or passed away from previous addiction disorders, you are more likely to develop one yourself.
- Environmental Influences: The people we surround ourselves with and spend time with have a huge influence on our habits and personalities, as well. If you hang around friends and family members with drug and alcohol addictions, you may have a higher chance of developing a substance use disorder.
- Drug of Choice and Method of Use: Certain types of substances are more addictive than others, so your drug of choice has a huge impact on addiction development. For example, you may be able to limit your consumption of alcohol to every once in a while, but you could become addicted to heroin the first time you try it. It all depends on the type of substance and the way you consume it.
- Coexisting Disorders: Individuals with mental disorders like bipolar disorder, depression, and severe anxiety may use drugs and alcohol to alleviate some of the mental and physical pain they may be going through. Because of this, they can become heavily dependent on a substance and have a higher chance of developing a coexisting addiction disorder.
- Age of First Usage: The age at which you first use a substance is also a key factor in addiction. If you begin using drugs and alcohol at a younger age, your brain development may be affected so severely that you don’t know how to live everyday life without the substance.
Signs of Addiction to Look For
Our specialists have worked with a great number of patients over the years, so they are very knowledgeable in spotting signs of addiction. In order to better inform our patients and their loved ones of things to watch out for, they have compiled a list of telltale signs that point towards possible addiction to a substance. They have categorized them into behavioral changes and physical changes. Some of the behavioral changes our specialists believe you should look out for can include but are not limited to:
- Extreme mood swings that come on without being provoked
- No motivation towards jobs, schoolwork, and hobbies
- Lack of care for personal hygiene and appearance
- Taking financial and personal risks that they wouldn’t have normally before
- Keeping to themselves and avoiding social situations
Some physical changes to look out for include:
- Slurred speech
- Loss of memory
- Changes in eating habits
- Dark undereye circles
- Unusual body odors
- Pale appearance
- Bloodshot eyes with dilated pupils
- Excessive coughing or sneezing
- Clothes that used to fit that are now baggy from weight loss
Although it may be difficult to spot at first, the importance of spotting these behaviors and physical changes is vital to your loved one’s well-being. Pinpointing these signs of addiction could catch the problem at hand before it becomes too serious, and this could ultimately save the affected individual’s life.
How to Reach Out for Help
Although it may seem like an impossible task, there are many outlets to turn to when reaching out for help for your addiction or your loved one’s addiction. The most important thing to remember when seeking information is that you need to contact a professional facility that specializes in addiction treatment. This is essential to start out the recovery process.
Our Free by the Sea staff is here to assist you with that. We have years of experience and are equipped to answer any questions you may have about the first steps to receiving help. If you are unsure about contacting our facility, we have multiple online resources available including our addiction blog that you can check out first before making a concrete decision. It is updated monthly by our staff and covers topics like the importance of recovery and when to reach out for addiction help.
Resources for Alcoholism
Just about everybody enjoys an alcoholic beverage once in a while in a social setting. Unfortunately, for some individuals, the occasional social drink becomes a nightly cocktail. Eventually, that nightly cocktail transforms into a drinking habit that a person relies on to deal with the everyday stresses of life. This is where the habit reaches the point of needing treatment and therapy in order to overcome it.
At Free by the Sea, we have developed a treatment program to provide individuals with the resources they need to break free from alcohol addiction when they realize that their occasional social drinking has turned into a larger problem. We provide family and group counseling, and we offer information on a wide range of topics including the following:
Resources for Drug Addiction
A strong link exists between substance abuse and negative interpersonal relationships. The first step an individual needs to take to repair relationships that have been damaged by substance abuse is to understand that it is the substance abuse that is causing said problems. They need to make sense of their addiction and substance abuse. To help our clients in this area, we provide family and group counseling that covers the following topics:
Resources for Families: What to Do When Someone You Love is Suffering From Addiction
It can be difficult to know exactly what to do when a family member or friend is struggling with substance abuse. If someone you love is currently suffering from drug or alcohol abuse, you may be wondering how you can help. Truth be told, you’re likely looking for help as well. After all, substance use disorders don’t only affect the individuals suffering from them; they also impact the families of struggling individuals.
Knowing the best way to address a loved one’s substance use disorder is absolutely necessary. As a result, it’s important for families of addicted individuals to have the resources they need. Here, you can find guides and resources that help individuals learn more about addiction and its effects on the family unit.
The Importance of Helping the Families of Addicts
At Free by the Sea, we don’t only help people overcome addiction; we help heal families. Our staff recognizes the significance of a cohesive family unit, but we also acknowledge the divisive nature of substance abuse. So, we work to address the separation and pain that come as a result of drug and alcohol use disorders.
Helping families find healing and figure out the next steps is essential to the overall health of the family unit. When a person’s spouse, parent, child, or sibling suffers from addiction, the individual may struggle with various issues. These might include guilt, shame, anxiety, overwhelming concern for the suffering individual, resentment, and many other emotional challenges.
These challenges can prevent people from moving forward with their lives. However, whether an individual is currently suffering from addiction or going through the recovery process, it’s necessary for their family members to receive support, too.
With the proper amount of support and guidance, families can learn more about addiction and how to work through their loved one’s substance abuse. This can be beneficial to the suffering individual. Ultimately, however, this kind of support is most important for the emotional, mental, and even physical healing of those who are experiencing the effects of another individual’s addiction.
Here at our facility, we work to provide individuals and their families with hope and healing. If you’re struggling to help someone you love overcome addiction, please know that we’re here for you. Whether you need to know more about addiction intervention services or you want to learn about the best treatment option for your family member, let us help facilitate the healing process in your family.
The First Step to Receiving Treatment
The first step to treating addiction is recognizing that one has occurred in the first place and asking for help. After you contact our Free by the Sea specialists about starting the recovery process, we may recommend a facility to begin the detoxification process depending on how severe the addiction is. If we determine detox will not be necessary, we will evaluate your current mental state and recommend what level of care we believe will give you the best chance at a full recovery. This will either be the inpatient, partial hospitalization, or outpatient treatment level.
Inpatient treatment is supervised by our team of professionals and is more intensive than our outpatient treatment program. Most of the time, this level of care is reserved for individuals who are addicted to extremely addictive drugs like heroin and meth or those who have gone through rehab before and relapsed. It is for those who cannot live in their normal environments and need to be housed in our facilities with 24/7 care. Patients live and interact with others in recovery through group settings and activities. This helps to create the support system people might not necessarily have in the outside world.
Outpatient treatment is for patients that need to maintain a somewhat normal schedule while receiving treatment. They are able to go to school to continue achieving their degree or work to provide for their family and also attend therapies during blocked-out times during the week. It is also less expensive than inpatient treatment, and we offer this option because we know how important it is to be a treatment center that caters to many different demographics.
We offer our patients personalized treatment plans designed to help them maintain sobriety and enjoy addiction-free lives long after graduating from our programs. Our comprehensive treatments are designed to address the patient’s physical, emotional, and psychological needs because we know one is not more important than the others when striving to make a full recovery from substance addiction.
Why Choose Free by the Sea?
Our community of dedicated professionals is here to serve and provide information to you during every step of the beginning of your recovery process. Our beautiful campus is located on the Long Beach Peninsula in Ocean Park, WA on five acres that run along the Pacific coastline. We offer client-centered care specific to individual concerns and needs.
We are able to house 77 patients in our inpatient treatment centers, and our facility also offers partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient services. Although we do not offer detoxification treatments on campus, we can recommend reliable resources where these services are performed.
After detox is complete, we offer high-quality evidence-based addiction treatment from certified substance abuse counselors, including licensed mental health therapists. They use DBT, CBT, EMDR, and trauma-informed treatment to address underlying issues of addiction like anxiety and depression. Once initial evaluations are performed and treatment is started, patients will be taught relapse prevention techniques and relearn important life skills during therapy sessions. Addiction education will also be provided in group meetings like our 12-step program, and we will try to open up our patients’ mindsets to new ways of thinking.
Not only do we aim to help our patients with their mental health, but we also provide multiple outlets to grow their physical health. They will be able to walk along the beach and participate in outdoor activities. We have also built multi-sport areas that include volleyball courts, basketball courts, and a fully stocked exercise room, and designed nutritional meals to restore internal health.
How Free by the Sea Can Help
Substance abuse can have a devastating impact not only on the lives of the affected individual but also on the lives of the people they care about the most. This is why it is so important to seek help for addiction the moment you realize it has happened. The longer an individual delays in getting help for their substance abuse, the greater the chance is that their substance abuse will lead to missed opportunities for happiness in the future. In extreme cases, it can even cost a person their life.
Call today to learn how Free by the Sea can help you overcome substance use disorder. If you need help with alcohol or drug use problems, time is of the essence. There is no better time to find hope through recovery. Contact Free by the Sea, located in the State of Washington today to begin your travels down the road to recovery from addiction.
Dr. Richard Crabbe joined our team in 2019 as our psychiatrist and medical director. He attended the University of Ghana Medical School where he became a Medical Doctor in 1977. From 1978 through 1984, he was a medical officer in the Ghana Navy and provided a variety of services from general medicine to surgeries. He received his Certificate in General Psychology from the American Board of Psychology and Neurology in 2002.
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