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Substance Abuse
Choice-Based Recovery Philosophy
We believe and subscribe to the notion that addiction is a choice-based disorder. This means that you have made the same choices over and over until your behavior is automatic or habitual. We understand that alcohol and drugs affect the mind, body, and spirit, and when one becomes addicted all three aspects of the person must be treated. However, it is choice that drives recovery and addiction as well. You have the power to choose from a menu of options about your use or abstinence from alcohol and drugs. You can choose to continue to use and suffer the consequences, or you can choose to make life-sustaining decisions regarding your mental, physical, relational and spiritual well-being. The Power of Choice is always yours.
Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Program Components:
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Outpatient Services meet for 3 hours per week.
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Random drug screens
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Relapse prevention
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Family component
Marijuana-Specific Addiction Treatment (MAT)
This is the only program in the State of Georgia that focuses exclusively on the treatment and recovery from marijuana addiction. The marijuana of today is much more potent than the marijuana of the 60’s or 70’s and today’s users experience mild to moderate physical withdrawal. Marijuana is a hard drug to quit because of the social dependence-people who smoke marijuana tend to associate with people who reinforce their use; it causes psychological dependency-where the users anticipate the high and cannot see themselves living without marijuana. Also, many marijuana addicts defend their use as evidenced by such statements like: “it is not as bad as other drugs”; or “All marijuana smokers want to do is chill out not raise hell”.
Some Marijuana Facts:
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Marijuana is stronger today than just 10 years ago
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Causes paranoia
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Affects short-term memory
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A lot more adverse reactions--some people tripped out like on LSD
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Marijuana stays in the fat tissues and its hard to get out.
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In between highs-it just sits there
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The more you smoke the more it’s stored.
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A lot of it is stored in the brain--this causes the your thinking to become distorted
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It takes a while for the body to clean itself of marijuana
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10-14 days for withdrawal to kick in
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Marijuana addicts need specialized treatment for longer periods of time.