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california rehab

Passages Malibu Celebrates 16 Years of Luxury and Non-12-Step Addiction Treatment

By Jennifer McDougall

 

Since August 11, 2001, Passages Malibu has stood at the forefront of non-12-Step addiction treatment. When Passages Malibu opened its doors 16 years ago, Co-Founders Pax and Chris Prentiss forever changed the way addiction is viewed and treated. Passages Malibu was created after CEO and Co-Founder, Pax Prentiss fought to overcome his own battle with addiction for 10 difficult years. The treatment that is utilized at Passages is also what helped save Pax’s life and break the cycle of his addictions, for good.

Before the revolutionary holistic treatment offered at Passages Malibu was available, addiction was viewed as an incurable disease. This philosophy is accompanied by hopelessness, stigma, and shame. Passages chooses to empower those who are suffering with addiction so they can regain the hope, strength, and courage to get to the root cause of the issue causing them to use and abuse drugs and alcohol. We don’t agree with the disease model of addiction for our research as shown that dependency is a result of one or more of the following four causes:

  1. Chemical imbalance
  2. Unresolved events from the past
  3. Beliefs you hold that are inconsistent with what is true
  4. Inability to cope with current conditions

The treatment model at Passages Malibu has helped saved the lives of thousands of people around the world. We are grateful for the opportunity to make such a positive impact on those who suffer. Whether it is you or someone you know who is struggling with dependency related issues, Passages can help.

What Makes Passages Malibu Different Than Other Treatment Centers

Unlike other rehab centers, Passages provides you with a comprehensive treatment plan in luxurious comfort and tranquil surroundings. When you enroll in one of our non-12-Step holistic treatment programs, you will be assigned to a team of specialized therapists that will help you get to the root cause of what is causing your dependency on drugs and alcohol. Our unique philosophy and top tier treatment team at Passages offers a genuine solution to what could be a fatal problem. If addiction is not properly treated in a timely manner it could be a matter of life or death. Don’t wait another day. Get the treatment you deserve, at Passages Malibu.

How to Contact Passages Malibu

Call Passages Addiction Treatment Centers today if you or a loved one is battling an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Our admissions department is available 24/7 and can be reached directly by calling our toll-free number at (888) 397-0112. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Passages, Where Addiction Ends and Life Begins™

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August 11, 2017 by

Passages Malibu: The World’s Most Luxurious Treatment Center

At Passages Malibu, we want you to feel comfortable and safe in our luxurious non-12-step environment. We offer the best inpatient addiction treatment there is. Our philosophy comes from many years of hands on experience and research by top professionals in the field of medicine and addiction treatment. To learn more about Passages Addiction Treatment Centers, please visit our website at www.PassagesMalibu.com.

Call Passages Addiction Treatment Centers today if you or a loved one is battling an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Our admissions department is available 24/7 and can be reached directly by calling our toll-free number at (888) 397-0112. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Passages, Where Addiction Ends and Life Begins™

Follow Passages Malibu on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

May 7, 2017 by

Insomnia and Drug Addiction

Insomnia can have a debilitating effect on your daily life, causing daytime sleepiness, lethargy and irritability, as well as cognitive and memory difficulties. For these reasons, many sufferers of insomnia turn to prescription drugs to alleviate their symptoms. Most drugs prescribed for insomnia are known as hypnotics, with one of the most popular being Ambien.

Drugs such as Ambien tend to induce sleep within 15-20 minutes, aimed at providing a full night’s sleep for those suffering from insomnia. However, in many insomniacs, dependence on Ambien persists beyond its recommended treatment course of several weeks, leaving patients dependent on the drug.

For some, the prescribed dose of Ambien simply doesn’t cure the underlying reasons for insomnia. By treating only the symptoms of insomnia, sufferers find they need an increasing dose, which is often more than prescribed, in order to achieve the level of sedation conducive to sleep. As Ambien use continues, tolerance can develop, requiring higher dosages to achieve the same sedating effects. Additionally, Ambien acts on specific neurotransmitters in the brain, (particularly GABA) potentially causing a shift in brain chemistry with continued or high dosage. These chemical alterations in the brain can foster dependency, especially in those who have encountered past issues with drug or alcohol dependency.

At Passages, we uncover and heal the underlying causes of insomnia without the help of drugs like Ambien.

 

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July 20, 2011 by

Getting Your Life Back from Drug Addiction

By Jennifer McDougall

 

Are You Ready to Get Your Life Back? Passages is here to help you get back on your feet.

When individuals with drug or alcohol addictions arrive at inpatient substance abuse rehab, many of them have found that drug dependency has pervaded and damaged almost every aspect of their lives. Relationships break down, marriages bend under stress, career paths become derailed, physical health declines and clients often struggle with feelings of uncertainty, depression, anxiety and spiritual disillusionment.  At first, it may seem as though drug addiction has taken over your whole life and that there is no hope.

However, at Passages Malibu, we see all of these problems as correctable and believe that you can indeed get your life back from drug addiction.

At Passages, our comprehensive team seeks to pinpoint the underlying cause of your addiction and then works to restore balance and healing to eliminate the buried pain that has fueled your drug or alcohol dependency.  Our non-12-step, holistic treatment center, and addiction professionals strive to help the addicted individual heal each area of their lives, promoting ongoing health and mental wellness, and creating a lasting recovery that continues when you return home.

How to Contact Passages Malibu

Call Passages Addiction Treatment Centers today if you or a loved one is battling an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Our admissions department is available 24/7 and can be reached directly by calling our toll-free number at (888) 397-0112. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Passages, Where Addiction Ends and Life Begins™

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July 19, 2011 by

Adjusting to New Sobriety

Many people who are suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction wonder what comes after they leave structure and safe confines of their rehab center.  It can definitely be a struggle for individuals beginning their new sober lifestyle to adjust to a total new way of life.  Many are concerned about what they are going to do for hobbies while newly sober, or if they are going to have to get all new friends and hang out in entirely new situations.  Many are concerned that they will feel uncomfortable in their own skin in social situations.  These are very natural questions and concerns to have.

At Passages, we focus a great amount of care in your aftercare planning, giving you many resources to use once you are out on your own.  Our therapists also coach our clients on how to lead a successful sober life, and stress how important it is to have friends that are supportive of your newly sober lifestyle and are not going to pressure or encourage you to use drugs or drink.  All aspects of our treatment program help clients smoothly and seamlessly adjust to their lives in the real world. We often conduct groups where the focus is about staying sober, and how to achieve lasting sobriety post-rehab.

 

Call Passages Addiction Treatment Centers today if you or a loved one is battling an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Our admissions department is available 24/7 and can be reached directly by calling our toll-free number at (888) 397-0112. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Passages, Where Addiction Ends and Life Begins™

Follow Passages Malibu on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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July 16, 2011 by

The Underlying Causes of Addiction

The abuse of and eventual dependency on drugs and alcohol is merely a mechanism to cope with physical, mental, or emotional pain.  In order to stop your addiction, you must first find the underlying causes of your behaviors and why you are choosing to self medicate with drugs and alcohol in the first place.  Individuals who have experienced abuse, suffered from depression or anxiety, mental illness, or who are having significant life struggles, are much more likely to begin using drugs or alcohol as a way to numb their pain, which eventually leads to dependency.

Once you attend a treatment center and find the cause of your pain, the need to use drugs and alcohol to numb the pain will cease once you have worked through your issues.  If you only focus on the addiction itself and not on the underlying problems, then relapse is very probable. Whether you are dealing with an undiagnosed physical ailment, childhood trauma, family problems, a chemical imbalance, or one of the many other underlying causes of addiction, one-on-one therapy is much more helpful in uncovering what is driving you to use drugs and alcohol.  Passages Malibu is a holistic drug rehab centers that is extremely effective when it comes to uncovering underlying issues, healing addiction and preventing relapse.

 

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July 15, 2011 by

Cocaine Addiction and Brain Chemistry

Repeated use of dangerous and addictive stimulant drugs, such as cocaine, often causes a powerful physical and mental dependency that can be difficult to overcome without attending an inpatient rehab program.

Recently, a new study has found that stimulant drugs actually change and manipulate the brain’s circuitry, which makes recovery following addiction to such drugs an even more difficult process.  At the University of California, Berkeley, researchers found that individuals with a history of using cocaine now show changes in their brain’s chemistry that cause the neurotransmitter dopamine to immediately be released whenever the recovering addict is exposed to cocaine-associated stimuli.

The study also showed that dopamine is released into areas of the brain that are more vulnerable and susceptible to changes.  These findings may help explain why recovering cocaine addicts still feel cravings for the drug, even after they have gone through withdrawal, attended a treatment program, and remained sober for extended periods of time.  Researchers are not sure yet if this alteration in brain chemistry can be reversed, but they do agree that there is a better chance of success with the help of an inpatient drug rehabilitation program.

 

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July 13, 2011 by

Are You Addicted to Food?

Food addiction is a condition that many people find difficult to understand.  Many people have unhealthy eating habits and difficulties with food, but it can be tricky to determine whether an individual merely struggles with eating, or whether they are a full blown food addict.  Food addiction is a pathological disorder characterized by the compulsive or excessive craving for and consumption of food.  Food addiction is only present when the intake of food itself is abnormal, and also when the cravings for foods are out of control and harmful to the individual.

Alcoholism and drug abuse are typically easier for the general population to understand.  However, individuals can be addicted to food in the same way that they are addicted to substances.  If you are concerned that you or someone you may know is a food addict, there are several things to look for.  When someone is addicted to food, they become physiologically and mentally dependent upon eating and feel a complete loss of control. If you know that you’re eating ritual is harmful, but continue to engage in the destructive behavior anyways, you may be addicted to food.  Many individuals with a food addiction also suffer from other mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, or substance abuse.  At Passages, we help our clients overcome food addiction with therapy, by modifying eating patterns and lifestyle, and with a manageable exercise program.

 

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July 12, 2011 by

Worldwide Drug Abuse

Many of the articles we read and the studies we observe are discussing drug and alcohol abuse in the United States.  However, drug and alcohol abuse is a problem that is occurring all around the world, and has been an issue in numerous countries for centuries.

Research studies do show that specific drugs used vary from country to country and from region to region. Throughout the world, the main substance of abuse is alcohol, and the three main illegal drugs of abuse are marijuana, opiates (particularly heroin), and cocaine.  Drugs have been present in every culture throughout history, whether used for medical, religious, or recreational purposes.

The problem of drug abuse around the world has dramatically increased during the past 100 years, as advances in chemistry and science have allowed new drugs to be mass-produced and created synthetically from old sources.  Unfortunately, these new drugs that are refined and created synthetically are often more dangerous, powerful and addictive than any drugs in the past. While great advances have been made in the creation and use of drugs for medical purposes, drug use for recreation and pleasure has increased sharply, resulting in a much higher occurrence of addiction around the world.

 

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July 11, 2011 by

Increased Drug Use Among Teens

Numerous studies indicate an alarming trend of drug abuse increasing amongst younger and younger individuals.  Certain social problems amongst younger populations have been decreasing and improving, however, drug and alcohol abuse remains prevalent and hard to control.  In an annual report by America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2011, (which is a compilation of statistics on children from numerous different organizations), studies  found that teen birth rates and high school dropout rates have declined, but teen drug and alcohol use has increased.

For the second consecutive year in the United States, the adolescent birth rate dropped and underage educational dropout rates decreased, both of which are clear indications of effective social and educational programs. Unfortunately, the report also found that  children ages eight-grade and up have increased their use of illicit drugs from 8% in 2009 to 10% in 2010.  These findings are so startling because the earlier an individual begins to abuse drugs and alcohol, the more likely they are to become full blown alcoholics or drug addict’s later in life.  In order to decrease this problem and prevent further adulthood drug issues, education, familial support, and awareness are essential.

 

Call Passages Addiction Treatment Centers today if you or a loved one is battling an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Our admissions department is available 24/7 and can be reached directly by calling our toll-free number at (888) 397-0112. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Passages, Where Addiction Ends and Life Begins™

Follow Passages Malibu on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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July 10, 2011 by

Exercise as a Key to Recovery

Exercise is a very crucial component for an individual recovering from any sort of alcohol or drug abuse.  Years of dependency on drugs and alcohol severely diminish your physical state and health, often leading to gaining of fat, loss of muscle tone, and deterioration of the bones and joints.

Physical fitness and exercise is definitely one of the keys to maintaining a healthy, balanced, and sober existence.  Regular exercise causes the release of endorphins, which are small, protein packed molecules that are produced by cells in your nervous system.  Endorphins have been shown to have a positive effect on the brain and body causing feelings of pleasure, controlling pain, reducing depression and anxiety, relieving stress, and decreasing cravings for addictive substances.  As you continue to exercise one you have detoxed and become sober, you will notice a difference in your physical appearance and will also begin to feel strong again and your self-esteem will increase.

To reverse the trends you have likely developed as part of an unhealthy lifestyle, at Passages we provide our clients with one-on-one sessions with our Certified Fitness Instructors in our own fully equipped fitness center.

 

Call Passages Addiction Treatment Centers today if you or a loved one is battling an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Our admissions department is available 24/7 and can be reached directly by calling our toll-free number at (888) 397-0112. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Passages, Where Addiction Ends and Life Begins™

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July 9, 2011 by

Plastic Surgery Addiction

Plastic surgery addiction is a term that is fairly new in the treatment world’s vocabulary.  Plastic surgery has only been around for a small number of decades, and in the short amount of time it has been available the number of people getting cosmetic procedures has rapidly spiked.  Many people, especially people with mental issues such as depression or personality disorders, as well as people with substance abuse issues, become obsessed with plastic surgery.

Surgeons are recently trying to weed out the increasing number of patients who may possibly have body dysmorphic disorder or other addiction issues, but sometimes it can be difficult to tell. The prevalent availability and increasing social acceptability of cosmetic surgery have fueled many individual’s desire to get more and more.  Many individuals who are addicted to plastic surgery actually describe that they get a “buzz” or a “high” feeling whenever they get a new procedure, primarily because they are fixated with perfecting the appearance of a particular part of their body. Other people develop a dependency on the support and reactions from others they appear to get after each cosmetic surgery procedure. Cosmetic surgery is very addictive and habit-forming for certain individuals, as they feel a sense of psychological well-being after one procedure, which therefore fuels the notion that they would feel even better after more procedures.

 

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July 8, 2011 by