Substance use disorders are deeply complex and personal issues that can arise due to a number of different factors or a combination thereof that is unique to each individual. Often, substance use begins as a coping mechanism for past traumas that were difficult for the individuals to face. 1 It can also stem from genetics, low self-esteem, social influences, relationship troubles, and much more. 2
At Alternative to Meds Center, we take a holistic approach to treating substance use disorders. This differentiates us from many of the more traditional treatment programs in that we emphasize the importance of biochemistry and adjunctive therapies in addition to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). We incorporate stress reduction techniques, neurotoxin removal, and other forms of psychological support to treat the contributing sources of the problem.
By addressing the underlying biochemistry and the root cause of substance use disorder, we are able to build a foundation upon which both psychological and spiritual therapies can work synergistically, resulting in a sustainable and lasting recovery.
15 Years Experience by Professionals Who Understand Your Journey.
Oftentimes, substance use disorder originates from a combination of pleasure-seeking behaviors and the need to alleviate or numb physical or emotional pain. The continuous cycle of substance use is then accelerated by cravings that gradually intensify as the effects of the substances begin to wear off. This pattern of behavior is what ultimately leads to dependence and substance use disorder. 3 However, a look at the science behind dependence, toxicity, and cravings reveals much about how individuals interact with their substance of choice.
At Alternative to Meds Center, years of observations highlight what research concludes – the brain’s reward center in the basal ganglia, plus neurotransmitters like dopamine and the body’s own opioid chemicals, provide a rush of pleasurable stimuli that incentivizes continued substance use. 4 Compromised neurochemistry, hormonal issues, and nutrient deficiencies can lead to physical and mental health symptoms that an individual may seek to numb with substances. These issues can also cause cravings, which are both physical and chemical in nature. These cravings and urges to alleviate certain types of pain are not solely a byproduct of substance use but are instead clues as to why the body is attempting to medicate itself in order to correct those imbalances or deficiencies. 5
What Is Substance Use Disorder Treatment at Alternative to Meds Center?
Detox Shoppe at Alternative To Meds Center in Sedona
Many substance use disorder treatment programs recommend a host of pharmaceutical medications to address the issues behind substance use. Antidepressants, sedatives, and anti-addiction medications are frequently used, often in combination. The toxic load created by multiple pharmaceutical drugs, street drugs, and alcohol, can dramatically impact physical and mental health, as well as the patient’s ability to remain in recovery. 6 The unfortunate reality is that most people struggling with substance use disorder are unaware that there are biophysical solutions out there that do not involve additional pharmaceuticals. As a result, many individuals feel trapped by cravings.
At our substance use disorder treatment center in Sedona, we employ neurotransmitter repair protocols tailored to address the way each individual’s substance of choice has affected them, whether it’s alcohol, street drugs, or medications. Neurotransmitter repair enables us to naturally restore the availability of vital neurochemicals in the body, which will play an essential role in achieving feelings of peace and fulfillment.
For more than 15 years, Alternative to Meds Center has been a pioneer in combining orthomolecular, environmental, naturopathic, and integrative medicine into substance use disorder treatment. This can achieve balance in both the brain and body, which is essential for the overall emotional well-being that so many individuals seek when using substances.
Orthomolecular Medicine
Orthomolecular medicine has proven particularly effective in normalizing neurochemistry, especially after neurotransmitter relay and brain activity are damaged by drug and alcohol use. The use of carefully chosen nutritional supplements can help ensure any nutritional deficiencies that have caused negative symptoms are addressed with only the most necessary nutrients. When coupled with careful attention to nutrition, proper nutrient and neurotransmitter balance can be restored. 7
Part of our holistic detox program at our substance use disorder treatment center in Sedona, AZ, involves receiving drug and alcohol counseling by a licensed practitioner, the repatterning of certain life skills, and even spiritual guidance if desired by the individual.
Environmental Medicine
Environmental medicine protocols enable us to identify and address chemical toxins that may be causing physical and mental health symptoms. Our treatment programs focus on the removal of neurotoxins, chemicals that damage neurons, to support the body’s healing process following extended substance use disorder. Neurotoxins can damage the nervous system in the long run but can also interfere with neurotransmitter function and dramatically alter brain activity. 8 The mental health symptoms, cognitive issues, reliance on addictive chemicals, and even psychoses caused by neurotoxin damage can be addressed by neurotoxin protocols.
Naturopathic and Integrative Medicine
Our approach to care via naturopathic and integrative medicine ensures that all of our research-backed, conventional therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy and more, are accompanied by complementary practices designed to address the whole person. Complementary practices can include acupuncture, yoga, qi gong, meditation and mindfulness, spa therapies, and more. Naturopathic and integrative approaches focus on finding a host of natural remedies that address the individual’s mind, body, and spirit with a wide range of therapies chosen to fit the individual.
What Does Holistic Mean?
Holistic treatment can be described as a unique meshing of naturopathic and integrative medicine. We care for the whole person by addressing the mental, emotional, and social components of substance use disorder in addition to the physical symptoms. A holistic approach seeks to identify and solve the root cause of SUD while helping the mind and body to heal naturally.
Here are some of the most important elements of a holistic approach:
You are a person, not a disorder. Holistic treatment focuses on the individual person’s overall well-being rather than labeling them by their condition and simply treating physical symptoms.
Finding the root cause is crucial. It is essential to identify and address the underlying issues driving SUD in order to achieve true healing.
Collaborative healing is key. Working together with your practitioners allows for a healing partnership to be built that can lead to achieving optimal health.
Comprehensive care is essential. When addressing the person in their entirety, treatments are constructed to heal the mind, body, and spirit as a whole.
Let your innate healing abilities do the work. The body possesses a natural capacity to heal, and holistic care recognizes that ability.
Holistic substance use disorder treatments encompass a wide range of therapies. These include activities such as nature walks and yoga that promote a healthier relationship with your body, as well as sound therapy that works to calm the mind. It’s important to know that these types of therapy do not replace the more conventional therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), but rather become part of a comprehensive treatment program that emphasizes balance.
Why Residential Treatment?
Outpatient treatment can be a valuable first step towards sobriety for many. Attending weekly group therapy sessions can help individuals begin to restructure their lives around sobriety rather than substances. For some, making the decision to quit and sticking with it may be sufficient to maintain long-term recovery.
However, for many people, relapse is a common occurrence, and even daily meetings may not be enough to sustain abstinence. This is likely because the neurochemistry issues mentioned above are not well-addressed in outpatient treatment. Studies have shown that residential treatment is significantly more effective in helping individuals remain in recovery. 9 One such study found that those who underwent residential treatment were more than twice as likely to maintain sobriety after two years compared to those who only participated in outpatient programs. 10
Why Choose a Holistic Residential Treatment Program?
At our holistic residential treatment center, we do not aim to simply treat your symptoms with additional drugs and medication, substituting one drug for another. Instead, our holistic drug rehab in Sedona, AZ, offers an inviting, chemical-free environment that focuses on helping patients understand how proper nutrition blended with an individualized treatment plan can help to heal the body. Here, you won’t just recover from substance abuse disorders; you’ll overcome them.
In addition to the treatment offerings mentioned above, a personalized approach to a holistic residential treatment program includes the following:
Controlled nutrition. We emphasize precise and balanced nutrition to support physical and mental healing. 11
Healthy exercise. Maintaining the body’s physical health is crucial to addressing substance use disorders, and exercise is frequently overlooked but essential for recovery. 12
Individualized treatment. Our treatment protocols are tailored to each client’s needs and customized to fit your needs. This can help ensure personalized care.
Neurotransmitter repair. We offer therapies aimed at repairing neurotransmitter imbalances, which can be crucial for mental health recovery.
Minimized distractions. By staying in a residential setting, clients are shielded from external stressors such as work or family issues as well as pitfalls like inconsistent diet or sleep. This allows for focused and uninterrupted recovery.
Inpatient holistic treatment offers the advantages of a more controlled environment that provides consistent support, supervision, comfort, and daily one-on-one progress meetings with certified professionals that enable patients to eliminate all potential distractions and focus solely on their goal of recovery.
What Can Holistic SUD Treatment Do for Me?
Our holistic SUD treatment program is research-backed and designed to detoxify your body and provide lasting healing. Still, it’s crucial to recognize that we will do more than just get you through a standard detox. Our goal is to help you identify the root causes of your symptoms, eliminate the chemical overload contributing to your negative mental health, and equip you with support networks, holistic therapies, and recovery tools.
We focus on helping you achieve both physical and mental healing from substance misuse and medication toxicity. By addressing these aspects together, we provide the best chance for long-term recovery and equip you with techniques to prevent relapse in the future.
There are numerous ways that our holistic treatment program helps those experiencing SUD:
A Sense of Calm
We begin your substance use disorder treatment with a warm and caring welcome, and rapid attention to anything requiring immediate attention from your care staff such as nourishment, rest, and comfortably getting settled in. This sets the stage for the supportive atmosphere you will feel during treatment. By capitalizing on the natural surroundings, healthy foods, and attentive staff empowered to support your sense of well-being, you can relax and look forward to a greater sense of self-comfort that you may have been missing.
Lab Testing
Before we craft your custom treatment program, it is essential to identify the neurochemicals, nutrient deficiencies, genetic markers, and other potential root issues that may be leading to your symptoms. Comprehensive lab testing can reveal a great deal and help our staff develop a treatment schedule for you.
Safety
Many of our clients speak highly of our services and appreciate the care and consideration offered to each person seeking our help. We focus on creating an environment where you are free to regain a sense of self-respect and self-awareness and to feel valued in who you are, an essential foundation for making progress in your treatment. We ensure that you feel completely secure while you and your team discuss therapy options that will more deeply explore your personalized healing journey.
New Insights
SUD can cloud your judgment and create confusion in your life. However, after spending time in our program, clients often find that they have a greater sense of clarity that grants them permission to better understand their own needs. SUD is not a definition of one’s character, but by gaining a new sense of self, one can feel empowered and enjoy a new outlook on life.
This holistic approach not only helps you break free from substance use disorder but also equips you with the tools and insights necessary for lasting recovery.
Unique Holistic Treatment Aspects
Individuals entering our treatment center may experience many holistic treatments that differ from those offered at typical treatment centers.
Counseling
Counseling can help create a space in which old habits and patterns are broken and new thought processes can flourish. Through guided practice by our team, you can learn to navigate this process and find ways to approach the thoughts and triggers that may have once been a hindrance. 13 These treatments include:
CBT individual sessions
Group therapy
Emotional self-regulation sessions
Recovery Coaching
Physical Health
How you take care of the physical body profoundly influences brain function. Supporting your body with healthy foods, supplements, and physical engagement can positively impact your brain and nervous system’s ability to self-repair, promote physical healing, and help your body release the toxins often associated with SUD. 14 Support for our clients includes:
Gentle, medically supervised tapering if needed
Trainer-led exercise
Yoga
Qi gong
Therapeutic massage
Cranial-sacral massage
Sauna cleanse
NAD IV treatment
Nebulized glutathione treatment
Nutritional counseling
Organic superfood program
Hikes through Sedona’s world-renowned landscapes
Spirituality
Guided meditation and mindfulness help calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and provide other benefits that improve mental well-being. 15 By addressing every aspect of your being, holistic techniques create a balanced and integrated approach to recovery, supporting long-term healing and transformation.
Alternative to Meds Center’s Substance Use Disorder Treatment Center in Sedona, Arizona
At Alternative to Meds Center in Sedona, Arizona, our fundamental objectives are to identify and resolve the root causes that are creating and exacerbating the symptoms of mental health conditions and SUD. Perhaps just as importantly, we believe in treating these causes without flooding the body with still more chemical compounds. Our holistic residential drug rehab program takes a natural approach to address the entire mind, body, and soul to improve the overall well-being of each individual while carefully crafting a treatment program that works for each unique individual.
If you or a loved one are seeking to recover from SUD, please contact our helpline today to learn more about whether our residential program may be the right treatment for you. Our holistic residential treatment center is often referred to as one of the best of its kind in the world. We invite you to discuss your unique needs with us so you can move forward in recovery and regain your life.
*Editor’s Note: this article was originally published September 5, 2022 and has been updated Dec 2, 2024.
References:
NIDA. Trauma and Stress. Research Topics. February, 2024. [Cited 2024, Aug 28]
This content has been reviewed and approved by a licensed physician.
Dr. Samuel Lee
Dr. Samuel Lee is a board-certified psychiatrist, specializing in a spiritually-based mental health discipline and integrative approaches. He graduated with an MD at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and did a residency in psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. He has also been an inpatient adult psychiatrist at Kaweah Delta Mental Health Hospital and the primary attending geriatric psychiatrist at the Auerbach Inpatient Psychiatric Jewish Home Hospital. In addition, he served as the general adult outpatient psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente. He is board-certified in psychiatry and neurology and has a B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Religion from Pacific Union College. His specialty is in natural healing techniques that promote the body’s innate ability to heal itself.
Diane is an avid supporter and researcher of natural mental health strategies. Diane received her medical writing and science communication certification through Stanford University and has published over 3 million words on the topics of holistic health, addiction, recovery, and alternative medicine. She has proudly worked with the Alternative to Meds Center since its inception and is grateful for the opportunity to help the founding members develop this world-class center that has helped so many thousands regain natural mental health.
Medical Disclaimer: Nothing on this Website is intended to be taken as medical advice. The information provided on the website is intended to encourage, not replace, direct patient-health professional relationships. Always consult with your doctor before altering your medications. Adding nutritional supplements may alter the effect of medication. Any medication changes should be done only after proper evaluation and under medical supervision.
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