Gambling Addiction

What is gambling addiction?

Gambling addiction, also known as compulsive gambling, is a type of impulse-control disorder. Compulsive gamblers can’t control the impulse to gamble, even when they know their gambling is hurting themselves or their loved ones. Gambling is all they can think about and all they want to do, no matter the consequences. Compulsive gamblers keep gambling whether they’re up or down, broke or flush, happy or depressed. Even when they know the odds are against them, even when they can’t afford to lose, people with a gambling addiction can’t “stay off the bet.”

Gamblers can have a problem, however, without being totally out of control. Problem gambling is any gambling behavior that disrupts your life. If you’re preoccupied with gambling, spending more and more time and money on it, chasing losses, or gambling despite serious consequences, you have a gambling problem.

Problem gambling can strain your relationships, interfere with responsibilities at home and work, and lead to financial catastrophe. You may even do things you never thought you would, like stealing to get money to gamble or take money meant for your children. You may think you can’t stop, but problem gambling and gambling addiction are treatable. If you’re ready to admit you have a problem and seek help, you can overcome your gambling problem and regain control of your life.

Recovery Advocates can help treat Sex Addiction

Recovery Advocates uses modern Neuro-scientific processes to pinpoint areas of the brain that effect impulse control and compulsive behavior.  Then, our expert staff of doctors and scientists utilize evidence-based protocols to develop customized solutions for that individual.  These techniques, when married to accepted psychotherapeutic work in conjunction with 12 Step Programs like (Gamblers Anonymous] now present bio-psycho-social solutions to sex and love addiction, generating viable recovery.

Recovery Advocates provides multiple approaches to recovery which have proven successful for men and women with this illness. With help they can recover.

Neuro-Imaging

Neuro-imaging is the process of mapping the specific areas of the brain for the purpose of diagnosing illnesses and shortcomings in the activity of the brain and its functions.

A relatively new concept in the field of neuroscience, neuro-imaging has provided doctors and psychiatrists with an unprecedented opportunity to study how the brain works.  For the first time, medical professionals can pinpoint with incredible accuracy the trouble spots within the brain and develop programs to help improve functioning in those areas.

Until the advent of neuro-imaging, much of the study of the brain was not quantifiable.  MRI's were used to identify problematic issues, but neuro-imaging has taken it to a new level.

Neuro-imaging is currently being used to study addiction, mental illness and other problematic issues connected to the brain's functioning.

Recovery Advocates and Neuro-imaging

Utilizing cutting edge neuroscientific procedures, Recovery Advocates determines with exacting specificity areas of the brain that are causing certain behaviors and use evidence-based scientific techniques that offer solutions.  Recovery Advocates now offers measurable and quantifiable solutions to addiction and mental illness for those who have tried other treatment programs and met with little success.

Who We Are

RECOVERY ADVOCATES.....Comprehensive - Affordable - Beautiful - Effective!

Recovering from addiction and related disorders can seem scary and overwhelming, and we are here to assure you that the mountain in front of you is easily climbed with the right guidance. Our depth of experience in the vast world of addiction treatment, along with our cutting-edge medical & therapeutic tools enable us to provide a level of treatment services that are both, extremely effective AND more affordable than most other programs. The joy of what we do here at Recovery Advocates shines most when we witness the beautiful and joyous lives of our many, many alumni!

Recovery Advocates provides comprehensive medical and psychological care, counseling and support for individuals struggling with substance abuse and related issues. Our menu of services includes:

INTERVENTION * DETOXIFICATION FROM DRUGS OR ALCOHOL * RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT AND INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT CARE * HOLISTIC APPROACHES * SOBER COMPANIONS * SOBER LIVING * AFTERCARE * NEURO-IMAGING (BRAIN MAPPING) AND BRAIN REPARATION * DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS * PSYCHOTHERAPY * 12 STEP WORK * COUNSELING AND CAREER PLANNING * LIFE SKILLS TRAINING

Recovery Advocates provides not only one-on-one counseling and support, but cutting-edge medical breakthroughs with its Brain Imaging and Neuro-cognitive development technology designed to assist in the rehabilitation of damaged or abused areas of the brain. We can now, for the first time, quantify and measure improvement with memory loss, depression, sleeplessness, impulse control and a wide range of cognitive impairments. Under the medical direction of recovery specialists, a team of doctors, nurses and scientists, we will create a comprehensive strategy for care tailored to the patient's specific needs and long-term recovery.

RECOVER WITH LOVE AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR GOOD...

(877) SOBER-07 / (877) 762-3707

Cocaine

Commonly snorted, smoked or injected, cocaine is a highly addictive drug that creates psychological cravings, even after only a short period of use.  Once thought to be a relatively harmless drug (it was once the active ingredient in Coca-Cola) cocaine is now a world-wide problem, with millions of people addicted to its stimulant effects.
The negative effects of cocaine use

• Cocaine use can elicit several serious health problems after short-term and long-term use.  Cocaine use has been linked to heart disease, and cocaine users are considered to be at an elevated risk for heart attacks and artery blockage.
• There are several serious withdrawal symptoms associated with cocaine use, including: anxiety, paranoia, sleeplessness, weight loss, and depression, all of which occur when the individual stops taking the drug for an extended period of time.

How to tell if someone has a cocaine problem

Individuals who have developed a substance abuse problem with cocaine exhibit several key signs and symptoms, including:  nose bleeds, panic attacks, constant money problems, fast talking, and a loss of interest in family and friends.

Those who have a cocaine addiction are generally unwilling to admit that they have a problem.  Therefore, it is up to family and friends to get them the help they need.

Recovery Advocates helps those with a cocaine addiction

Cocaine addiction begins in the brain and as such, Recovery Advocates uses cutting edge neuro-imaging technology to assess the parts of the brain that control cocaine dependency.  The experts at Recovery Advocates use this methodology to deliver pin-point accurate treatment to those areas thus using real science to help their patients overcome cocaine addiction.

ADD/ADHD

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are serious mental conditions in which the individual exhibits significant levels of impulsive and inattentive behavior. In the case of ADHD, there are also high levels of hyperactive behavior present.

According to the Center for Disease Control, over 1.5 million elementary-school age students have ADD/ADHD, with boys more than three times likely as girls to develop the disorder. The condition is seen primarily in children, although several studies have found that more than 30% of those with childhood ADD/ADHD will carry the symptoms through to adulthood.

What are the symptoms of ADD and ADHD?

Children with Attention Deficit Disorder display several hallmark symptoms of the disease, including:

• Inability to complete work or pay attention to the task at hand
• Inability to sit still for extended periods of time
• Engaging in unsafe behavior without considering the consequences
• Rapid talking without consideration of the social situation at hand
• Hyperactive behavior (in the case of ADHD)

How Recovery Advocates can help

Often ADD/ADHD conditions go untreated and manifest themselves in addictive behavior later in life. Recovery Advocates treats individuals of all ages who suffer from ADD and ADHD. Young children have seen tremendous improvement after taking part in the advanced neuro-scientific procedures found at the facility. By using cutting edge neuro-imaging technology, Recovery Advocates can pinpoint the specific areas of the brain that are causing the ADD/ADHD, and then work with families to find solutions to the problem that are measurable and enjoy a 92% success rate without the use of medications.

Troubled Teens

Today's teenagers are vulnerable to addiction more than any of the generations of young people that have preceded them. Teens face a wide array of negative stimuli every day, including:

• Broken homes
• Easy and anonymous access to drugs on the internet
• Proliferation of Prescription Drugs like Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocet

What parents can do to help their troubled teen

For those parents whose children are exhibiting behavioral problems, it is strongly recommended they seek professional help with programs like those found at Recovery Advocates. R.A. specializes in treating the needs of teenagers as well as adolescents, and can help turn a defiant teen into a productive young adult.

Troubled Teens get help from Recovery Advocates

At Recovery Advocates, teenagers get the finest care available. Cutting-edge treatment for teens includes a full neuro-imaging program to assess which of the 293 domains of the brain are not performing at peak levels. Here we often find the underlying cause of the problem or we will find conditions that contribute to the existing issues.

These tools are also used to locate and analyze areas of the brain that have been operating sub-optimally where conditions like ADD/ADHD often go untreated. After a comprehensive report, a customized treatment program is put into action - one that will help the young adult overcome problems with impulse control, oppositional defiance, addiction, and depression - problems which not only affect the patient, but often present devastating effects on the entire family

Chronic Relapse

What is chronic relapse?

No matter how hard some people try to overcome addiction, they always seem to fall back into substance abuse.  This condition, known as chronic relapse, affects a significant percentage of those individuals who enter conventional alcohol or drug rehabs.  For them, all the hard work put into rehab can be undone in an instant when the pressures and temptations of the outside world get to be too much to handle.

Chronic relapse can occur with any addiction or compulsive behavior, including:  alcohol, drugs, sex, inappropriate relationships, over-eating, gambling or smoking.

Key causes of chronic relapse

There are several key causes of chronic relapse back into drug and alcohol addiction.  These factors vary from individual to individual, but generally include one or more of the following:

• Temptation within the social circle/peer group
• Continuing problems within the home environment
• Isolation from friends or loved ones
• Pressures at work or school
• Untreated psychiatric issues
• Untreated neuro-dysfunction

Chronic relapse is not a sign of weakness or lack of character.  It is a clinical problem affecting millions of people who want to change their lives for the better. 

How Recovery Advocates helps those who relapse

Using exclusive neuro-scientific methods, Recovery Advocates is able to analyze the brain of a chronic relapse patient in exacting detail.  After the initial exhaustive evaluation, a trained staff of doctors and scientists is then able to offer measurable and quantifiable results regarding where, specifically, treatment is needed.  And then a program of recovery follows, tailored to the specific needs of the patient.  There is no guess work here.  This is real science being utilized to help people achieve lasting recovery once and for all.

Alcoholism

Millions of people around the country drink enough alcohol to be considered alcoholics.  Yet according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, only 10% of these individuals get the professional care they need to overcome the problem.

Alcohol dependence is the most critical addiction problem in the world.  The issue becomes more serious when you consider the health problems associated with long-term alcohol abuse, including: liver failure, heart disease and other life-threatening illnesses.

Signs and symptoms of alcoholism

Individuals who have developed a dependence on alcohol generally exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:

• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Drinking throughout the day (especially in the morning to combat a hangover)
• Drinking alone
• Depression and anxiety
• Denial that a drinking problem exists

When a friend or family member observes any of the behaviors above, it is crucial that they step forward and help that individual get proper treatment for their drinking problem.  A professional intervention is a proven-successful method for helping an individual see that they have an alcohol problem and guiding them towards an appropriate alcohol rehab program.

How Recovery Advocates gets real results

The problem of alcoholism begins in the brain.  Recovery Advocates uses cutting edge neuro-imaging technology to assess the parts of the brain that effect impulse control and compulsive disorders, and then treats those specific areas.  Cutting-edge scientific technology is used to help individuals overcome alcohol addiction, and the results measurable, quantifiable and astounding.

Brain Injury

What is a brain injury?

Traumatic brain injury is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and around the world. But even those individuals lucky enough to survive an accident that causes brain trauma face a long road to recovery fraught with distressing syptomology.

What are the symptoms of brain injury?

People living with traumatic brain injury are forced to cope with a variety of symptoms, including: sleeplessness, disorienting behavior, depression, forgetfulness, irritability and other maladies that keep them from functioning properly at work or maintaining normal relationships.

Recovery Advocates and Brain Injuries

Many individuals who have come to Recovery Advocates for help with their brain injuries admitted feeling lost or without hope. Then, the caring, expert staff at Recovery Advocates, 1) used cutting edge neuro-imaging technology to pin-point the specific domains within their brain that were not functioning properly, 2) analyze those "damaged" areas , and 3) apply development protocols that exercise and successfully repair the traumatized areas.

Bipolar Disorder

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar Disorder, also known to many as "Manic Depression", is a serious mental disorder that features sudden and intense mood swings, shifts in energy level and other disturbances to one's general behavior.
Individuals with bipolar disorder find it difficult to function in normal work, school or social settings. Even more seriously, those afflicted with bipolar disorder also have a much higher suicide rate than that of the general population.

Bipolar disorder is also a common mental illness component of those suffering from a dual diagnosis (individuals with a co-occurring mental disorder and addiction).

Signs and Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

There are several classic symptoms of bipolar disorder that are exhibited by most individuals who suffer from the illness, including:

• Manic symptoms (including swings between tremendous optimism and significant pessimism, grandiose feelings, rapid talking, sleeplessness and hallucinations)
• Hypomanic symptoms (comprised of less-intense versions of the manic symptoms above)
• Depressive symptoms (including feelings of hopelessness and despair, fatigue, self-loathing and suicidal thoughts)
• Mixed episode symptoms (a combination of manic and depressive symptoms)

How Recovery Advocates can help!

Utilizing cutting edge neuroscientific procedures, Recovery Advocates determines with exacting specificity areas of the brain causing bipolar behavior - and use evidence-based scientific techniques that offer solutions. Recovery Advocates now offers measurable and quantifiable solutions to bi-polar disorder offering hope to those who have given up hope.

Chronic Pain

What is chronic pain?

Think about the worst muscle pain or headache you've ever had, and then imagine that same feeling repeated day after day, month after month without interruption. That is what the chronic pain sufferer lives with on a daily basis - pain so intense and unrelenting that it keeps them from being productive and enjoying a fulfilling life.

The medical definition of chronic pain is pain that lasts for an extended period of time (usually 3 to 6 months or longer) and is not necessarily associated with any specific illness or injury.

Symptoms of Chronic Pain

Individuals living with chronic pain generally report one or more of the following symptoms throughout the pain period:

• Intense headaches or migraine headaches
• Muscle cramps and muscle soreness
• Joint pain
• Numb feelings in the extremities
• Depression and listlessness

Recovery Advocates can treat chronic pain!

Recovery Advocates has helped many individuals with chronic pain who have lost hope for a solution to their discomfort. Using neuro-imaging technology to map the domains of the brain that generate chronic pain symptoms, Recovery Advocates is able to locate where the problems lie and develop solutions ...and often without the use of debilitating medication.

Chronic pain is a real problem, and Recovery Advocates relies on science to successfully treat it successfully.

Heroin

About Heroin

One of the most addictive, dangerous drugs in the world, heroin has the power to destroy lives.  Individuals who become addicted to heroin can see their health and relationships fall apart very quickly as a result of their drug use.  The things that were once most important fall by the wayside as obtaining one more fix of the heroin becomes the focal point of that person's life.

Perhaps no drug carries such a strong stigma as heroin and still manages to affect the lives of such a wide variety of individuals. People from all socio-economic groups are well-represented in the heroin demographic.

Effects of Heroin Use

Heroin can be snorted, smoked or injected into the bloodstream.  Side-effects of short-term and long-term heroin use include heart disease, stroke, liver failure and other potentially deadly issues.

Also, IV heroin users are at an even greater risk of overdose as well as many health problems associated with the use of sharing hypodermic needles (including HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis, etc.).

Getting help for Heroin Addiction

Recovery Advocates uses ground-breaking neuro-imaging technology to treat those who have developed a dependence on heroin.  Cutting edge protocols exclusive to Recovery Advocates allow a team of scientists and doctors to pinpoint the areas of the brain that have been damaged by substance abuse or, more importantly, isolate areas of the brain that are operating sub-optimally and, having gone untreated, are contributing to impulse control issues and addictive behavior.  They have developed computer based procedures that help correct the problems in the areas that are that lead to addictive behavior.  Results of this new technology represent, for the first time, the ability to measure and quantify and, in effect, guarantee results.

OxyContin and Vicodin

About OxyContin and Vicodin

Created to help those suffering from serious pain due to illness or injury, the prescription painkillers OxyContin and Vicodin have also become two of the most abused drugs in the world. Taken illicitly by millions of people in order to experience their euphoric effects, these highly addictive drugs have become a growing problem thanks to lax education for young people about their dangers as well as increased access to illegal online pharmacies.

The effects of OxyContin and Vicodin use

Individuals who become dependent on prescription painkillers such as these are in danger of health problems that include: liver damage, drug dependence, depression and anxiety, suicidal thoughts and overdose.

In addition, many good people have turned to unethical or illegal activity in order to support their habit, engaging in doctor shopping, medicine cabinet theft, forging prescriptions or even stealing money in order to support their habit.

No matter what the specifics may be, the impact of prescription painkiller addiction on individuals and their families is universally negative. And while many people equate prescription drugs with safety, Vicodin and OxyContin can prove to be just as dangerous as heroin or other street drugs.

Recovery Advocates gets real results

When it comes to OxyContin and Vicodin addiction, it all starts in the brain. That's why Recovery Advocates uses cutting edge neuro-imaging technology to assess the parts of the brain that control addiction, and then delivers pin-point accurate treatment to those areas - thus using real science to help people of all ages overcome addiction.

Sex & Love Addiction

What is sex and love addiction?

Sex and love addiction is a progressive illness which can be managed or arrested. It may take several forms including, but not limited to a compulsive need for sex, extreme dependency on one or many people, or a chronic preoccupation with romance, intrigue, or fantasy. An obsessive compulsive pattern, either sexual or emotional, or both, exists in which relationships or sexual activities have become increasingly destructive to career, family and sense of self-respect.

Some characteristics of sex and love addiction:

1. Having few healthy boundaries, addicts become sexually involved with and/or emotionally attached to people without knowing them.
2. Fearing abandonment and loneliness, sex and love addicts stay in and return to painful, destructive relationships, concealing their dependency needs from themselves and others, growing more isolated and alienated from frIends and loved ones.
3. Fearing emotional and/or sexual deprivation, they compulsively pursue and involve themselves in one relationship after another, sometimes have more than one sexual or emotional liaison at a time.
4. Using sex and emotional involvement to manipulate and control others.
5. Avoiding responsibility by attaching to people who are emotionally unavailable.
6. Assigning magical qualities to others. They idealize and pursue them, then blame them for not fulfilling their fantasies and expectations.

Recovery Advocates can help treat sex addiction

Recovery Advocates uses modern neuroscientific processes to pinpoint areas of the brain that effect impulse control and compulsive behavior.  Then, our expert staff of doctors and scientists utilize evidence-based protocols to develop customized solutions for that individual.  These techniques, when married to accepted psychotherapeutic work in conjunction with 12 Step Programs like (Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous [S.L.A.A.] and/or S.L.A. [Sex Addicts Anonymous] now present bio-psycho-social solutions to sex and love addiction, generating viable recovery.

Recovery Advocates provides multiple approaches to recovery which have proven successful for men and women with this illness. With help they can recover.

Painkiller Addiction

Painkiller addiction (Prescription Drug Addiction) is becoming increasingly more common in the United States, a problem characterized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as the second most common substance used illegally after marijuana. Ease of access may be one reason. Another contributing cause is most likely the increased ease with which doctors prescribe Schedule II, III, and IV narcotics for pain.

Painkillers Commonly Misused

There are three classes of drugs that make up those prescribed by doctors, but those most often abused are opioids or opiates, which are prescribed for pain relief after surgery and chronic pain management. Some of these prescriptions include:

• Codeine
• Diphenoxylate or Lomotil
• Fentanyl or Duragesic
• Hydrocodone prescribed as Vicodin, Lortab, and Lorcet
• Hydromorphone or Dilaudid
• Meperidine or Demerol
• Methadone
• Morphine prescribed as Kadian, Avinza, and MS Contin
• Oxycodone prescribed as OxyContin, Percodan, and Percocet
• Propoxyphene or Darvon

Recovery Advocates gets real results

Prescription painkiller addiction affects many aspects of an individual's life, but the problem itself starts in the brain.  After helping our patients safely and comfortably detox from opiate painkillers, Recovery Advocates uses cutting edge neuro-imaging technology to assess the parts of the brain that control addiction, and then delivers pin-point accurate treatment to those areas relying on science along with accepted psycho-therapeutic practices to help people of all ages overcome addiction.

Methadone Addiction

The most widely-used treatment method for heroin and opiate addiction in the United States, methadone allows individuals to experience greatly reduced cravings by removing the withdrawal symptoms commonly associated with detoxification.

Unfortunately, a percentage of those who use methadone as a means of overcoming opiate addiction actually become addicted to the methadone itself.

Further, individuals who become addicted to methadone are at risk for many of the same adverse affects as heroin addiction, including:

• Anxiety and mood swings
• Withdrawals symptoms
• Loss of appetite
• Tooth decay (after long-term use)
• Cravings for methadone
• Shallow breathing
• Decreased sex drive

Recovery Advocates uses ground-breaking neuro-imaging technology to treat those who have developed a dependence on methadone.  Cutting edge protocols exclusive to Recovery Advocates allow a team of scientists and doctors to pinpoint the areas of the brain that have been damaged by substance abuse or, more importantly, isolate areas of the brain that are operating sub-optimally and, having gone untreated, are contributing to impulse control issues and addictive behavior.  They have developed computer based procedures that help correct the problems in the areas that are that lead to addictive behavior.  Results of this new technology represent, for the first time, the ability to measure and quantify and, in effect, guarantee results.

Depression

Everybody knows what it feels like to have a bad day or two.  Life is full of ups and downs and one can only hope that the good periods outnumber the bad.  Whether it is because of problems at home, at work or in our relationships, we all experience down periods in our lives.  For most people the down periods come and go in a reasonable, ordinary fashion and can be remedied by the things that make us happy.  But for those who suffer from chronic depression, the down periods don't go away so easily.  Clinical depression is a serious mental disability with consequences for the individuals and his or her family.

The signs and symptoms of depression

Depression affects millions of people keeping them from living normal, happy lives.  Common symptoms of depression include:

• Loss of appetite
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Anxiety
• Weight loss
• Sleeplessness
• Ache and pains
• Mood swings
• Loss of energy
• General irritability

Recovery Advocates treats depression

No other treatment facility approaches the treatment of depression like Recovery Advocates.