Each client that comes into Sierra by the Sea is evaluated. Often times we find that our clients are using their addictions as tools to self-medicate for depression, mental illnesses and traumas. In these cases the addictions are actually working as a tool to keep the addict alive.
The addict didn’t know how to soothe their pain in a healthy way and the substance of choice was an effective method. Unfortunately, as we know drugs and alcohol do not cure mental illness and trauma – they only numb it. When we begin working with a client much of the pain that needs medicating comes from the addiction itself.
The process of getting an addict first detoxed of their drug of choice into recovery and then addressing the actual mental illness and / or trauma is a lengthy one. The biggest challenge is within the first 90 days of getting the client adjusted to life without drugs and alcohol. After years of use, the substance is a presence in one’s life. And that presence is greatly missed when it’s gone AKA withdrawals.
Using our Evidence Based Treatment model we help our clients change their behavior, thoughts, emotions and sensations through the following treatment methods:
- 12 Steps
- Stages of Change
- Pharmacology
- Motivational Interviewing
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Contingency Management
- Family Systems
