From the time her children leave for school until the moment they return at the end of the day, she drinks. She tries to stop, but convinces herself that one more drink or another painkiller isnt going to hurt.
His family has left him and he is on probation at work. At least his friends understand him. They still invite him out and he just uses “socially,” which he feels doesnt really count. He only needs a little lift in the morning to make it through the day. Recognizing yourself or someone you care about in scenarios such as these is the first step to regaining control. “Addiction does not discriminate,” explained Joyce Myatt, Director of the Outpatient Center for Behavioral Health at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood. “Those struggling with addiction look like people we meet every day, the only difference is that their lives are ruled by drug or alcohol use and often they are suffering in silence.” In her role, Myatt oversees the hospitals outpatient Share program, designed to help people break free of their substance dependence, take control of their lives, and become aware of the consequences of their substance abuse. Through the Ambulatory Detoxification Program, which was introduced in 2007 as part of the Share program, experienced professionals evaluate patients needs and determine whether detoxification or intensive outpatient therapy is necessary. Sayonara Baez, M.D., medical director of the hospitals outpatient addiction programs, explained, “The intense medically supervised treatment allows the individual to remain at home with less disruption to his or her life and is more cost effective. With lower expense, treatment is of longer duration thus allowing for a gradual detoxification.” Teaching relapse prevention skills and building sober support systems are key to the individuals recovery, according to Dr. Baez, who is board certified in both Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine. Typical treatment including medical services, group and family therapies/intervention is four hours a day, seven days a week for two to three weeks, according to Myatt. Once detoxification is completed, patients transition to day or evening treatment based on criteria from the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Myatt added, “During treatment, patients are taught to identify triggers for relapse, to develop a “safety plan” and to use relapse prevention strategies. Everyone is strongly urged to continue with a recovery program when they leave Aftercare Support.” Memorials Outpatient Detoxification aims to prevent hospitalization and enables the individual to avoid the fear of exposure, stigma, and privacy issues while receiving treatment in a safe environment. For those individuals whose addiction issues are so medically complex that they require admission to an inpatient setting, the Share program offers a detoxification at Memorial Regional Hospital. “Addiction is a disease, and people need support to attain and maintain abstinence,” says Barbara Levy, Director of Nursing and Inpatient Behavioral Health Services at Memorial Regional Hospital. “The Share Programboth inpatient and outpatient–is successful because treatment focuses on helping patients understanding the disease concept, the recovery process, and the importance of involving their support system in treatment.” A National Concern Addiction is a national problem that victimizes individuals, destroys families, and plagues our education, legal, and social services systems. In the state of Florida during 2008, six people died every day of lethal doses of prescriptions medications, according to an article published this year by the Commission on Substance Abuse of the United Way of Broward County and the Center for the Study and Prevention of Substance Abuse of Nova Southeastern University. This report also cited that in Broward County from 2007 to 2008 there was a 23% increase in deaths related to prescription opiod use. Additionally, Floridas publicly-funded treatment programs saw an increase of 124% between 2004-2008 in abuse of prescription medications such as oxycodone, Vicodin, Xanax, and Valium. The Florida Department of Children and Families provides funding to the Memorials substance abuse programs to help serve residents of Broward County. A Continuum of Care Both the Memorial Regional Hospital Share Inpatient and Outpatient Programs are led by physicians and comprised of specially trained therapists, social workers, nurses, consumers and a licensed clinical psychologist. Each member of the Share team understands how addiction works, how it affects peoples lives and how difficult it is to overcome. “Recovering from addiction can be a difficult but rewarding journey,” Levy said. “It often requires the assistance of healthcare professionals who are committed to the recovery process.”
