At Suntra we focus on working with individuals that can’t easily find addiction treatment though the traditional channel of attending a 30 day in-patient treatment program.
Continue readingRehab and Home Detox
After Treatment: Walking Back Into Real Life
For someone to successfully recover, work needs to be done in his or her daily living situations. This takes time. There is a saying that anyone can stay sober in a treatment facility. Additional time and energy must be spend on recovery on return home.
Continue readingInpatient Treatment: Common Concerns
I can’t go to rehab because…
I work with many people struggling from addiction. Some people need to kick start their recovery and going the in-patient treatment route is often the best option. However, it often comes with common concerns. In-patient treatment or rehabilitation offers a month away to detoxify in a safe environment.
While a 30-day program is often the recommended choice, it is also a very difficult decision to make. Jumping out of life for 30 days is not easy, but the benefits of a strong foundation for recovery that can change behavior for a lifetime is often worth the trade off.
“I don’t have time to go to rehab, I have to work”
Time away is a very real concern. Entering an inpatient rehabilitation program is essentially pausing a month (or more) of one’s life. One might be resistant to the idea of having to be away from work or their families, however addiction takes steals time from families and from work.
People often lose several hours in a day, if not entire days, when under the influence. Once in recovery people find that they have much more time to dedicate to passions, family, and work. Taking 30 days away might give someone 5 extra hours a day – for the rest of his or her lives.
“I can’t afford to go to rehab”
Treatment is expensive. There are many rehabilitation centers that are cash based or not covered by one’s insurance. However, there are many good programs that are covered by insurance.
In order for a treatment plan to be successful it must be affordable, and luckily there are several low cost or in-network facilities. A good first step when considering an inpatient program is to determine what one’s insurance benefits are, and contact a local rehab program that is covered.
It’s important to note that, in the long run, addiction costs more than treatment does. It is common to see people spending hundreds of dollars a day to keep up with their addiction. By multiplying the direct costs of one’s addiction by the number of days in a year can help put the expense of treatment into perspective. The costs aren’t just financial. One may miss opportunities at work, destroy relationships with loved ones, or experience legal troubles due to their addiction.
The Four Horsemen of Addiction: Shame, Fear, Pride, Embarrassment
When someone first considers treatment one might feel ashamed or embarrassed. Admitting one has a substance use problem, and seeking help from others can make one feel exposed. However, recovery is never done alone.
It is important to meet other people who have also decided to seek help for addiction. Addiction is isolating, and rehab allows for new connections to be made between people in recovery. These connections are important because a support system is formed from them, which reduces the chances of someone relapsing.
The idea of in-patient care can seem daunting, however in some cases it is the best option for someone’s journey towards recovery. When talking to someone about rehab try to discuss why they are resistant to the idea of a more intensive program, and gently remind them that no matter what reason they come up with to avoid rehab addiction will always be the more difficult choice in the long run.
About Adam Banks
Adam Banks is a certified interventionist and the owner of Adam Banks Recovery. After receiving an MBA from the University of Chicago, Adam built a company acquired by United Health Care. His discipline and attention to detail comes from his former career as an airline pilot, holding an ATP, the FAA’s highest license.
Today, Adam is dedicated to helping others achieve long-term sobriety. His work has guided executives, pilots, and physicians on paths to recovery. Adam brings families together through a loving and inclusive approach. Adam has authored four books on addiction. His recent work, Navigating Recovery Ground School: 12 Lessons to Help Families Navigate Recovery, educates families on the entire intervention process. He also offers a free video course for families considering an intervention for a loved one.
Adam is available for alcohol and drug intervention services in New York, Long Island, the Hamptons as well as nationally and internationally.
How Pre-flight Planning and Intervention Are Related
I liken my approach to addiction interventions to that of getting an airplane ready to fly. Just as a pilot must exhaust a list of external factors in order to fly successfully, a successful intervention requires just as much forethought.
Continue readingMBA Lessons in Recovery: Using the 12 Steps to Build Social Capital
There are 3 steps in AA that directly relate to rebuilding social capital that we broke during our addiction, steps 8,9,10. By working these steps, we rebuild the relationships that we neglected during addiction.
Continue readingLong Island Interventions and Recovery
Recovery can begin in many ways, at Suntra we are always ready to answer the phone an help out. Suntra provides addiction support and intervention services in New York City and in all cities of Long Island and the Hamptons.
Continue readingMy Journey Quitting Juul: Action to Relapse (Part 2)
The feeling in your gut that you are going against your value system is known as cognitive dissonance. That feeling indicated that I knew I was doing something bad for me and not living in the best way I knew how.
Continue readingMy Journey Quitting JuuL: Contemplative Stage (Part 1)
For me, I started using a JUUL because of the physical pleasure it gave me. I consequently found some emotional benefits, including the fact that it relaxes me, gets me going in the morning, and gives me some relief when a problem is stressing me out.
Continue readingLGBT Recovery Resources
At Suntra we work with many LGBT identified individuals. We come from a place of acceptance and understanding. We know what it was like to be young, defining who you are, and to grow older in the LGBT community. We understand that sexuality is not always clearly defined, and that addiction and drug use is not easily defined either.
Continue reading6 Common Misconceptions About Alcoholics Anonymous
AA has a guiding principle, that of anonymity. This principle allows anyone to pop into a meeting, check it out and remain anonymous. No one needs to know that you went, and no one needs to know about your journey.
Continue readingLet’s talk about Ritalin and Adderall
It’s clear that long term use of ADHD medications can be harmful and addictive, especially when used by individuals who do not suffer from ADHD. However, it is a lot less clear how to solve the problem, especially since we inevitably come up against the interests of huge pharmaceutical corporations.
Continue readingWhy Can’t They Just Stop Drinking?
Why can’t they just stop drinking? A common refrain said by anyone who is tired of watching someone sink down the hole of addiction.
Continue readingHow To Find Free Therapy No Matter Where You Are
There is a misunderstanding around the 12 Steps that they’re only for people who want to stop drinking or using drugs. The reality is that 12-Step programs are not built around alcohol or substance abuse. Rather, 12-Step programs work by building a community around any particular condition.
Continue readingMy Views About Recovery Changed After 10 Years of Sobriety
Continuous sobriety and recovery are not the same thing. For many people and for 12 Step programs sobriety is the only definition of recovery. Sobriety might be a goal of recovery, but the transition from full blown addiction to sobriety, cold turkey, is very difficult. Recovery is the path to getting sober.
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