Colchester Addiction Treatment Resources
Colchester is a quaint town not far from Burlington in Chittenden County, Vermont. Technically a suburb of Burlington, Colchester is also the fourth-most populous municipality and second-most populous town in the state. Residents of Colchester enjoy the beautiful Lake Champlain, rolling Green Mountains and the close proximity to Canada. It is also home to the Vermont campus of Southern New Hampshire University, St. Michael’s College, the Vermont National Guard, and the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Like every other city in the country, Colchester has felt the effects of the opioid epidemic. 1,603 people living in Colchester admit to illicit drug use, and 4,137 say they drink in a way that would be considered alcoholic.
Taking mind-altering substances like drugs or alcohol regularly or at a high dosage can lead to the development of a substance use disorder, which can create a wide range of problems. The issue with taking a high dose of a prescription drug or drinking alcohol on a regular basis is that your body can eventually become dependent on the substance in question, which makes it all the more difficult for you to stop taking it. If you feel that you or someone close to you has developed a substance use disorder, the best option available is to seek treatment immediately.
What Drug and Alcohol Abuse Entails
Drug and alcohol abuse occur when an individual takes too much of one of these substances. The substance could be taken at a high dose or more frequently than it’s supposed to. For certain drugs like cocaine, heroin and meth, the dose doesn’t need to be high for someone to develop a tolerance to the substance and start to feel cravings for it. While taking too much drugs or alcohol might seem harmless at the beginning, repeated use of these substances heightens the possibility that changes will occur in the brain and hamper your ability to resist taking the substance in question.
If you regularly abuse drugs or alcohol, your chances of becoming addicted to the substance significantly increase. The reward section of the brain is affected whenever you take a drug or drink alcohol, which causes you to experience a feeling of euphoria or pain relief. When you abuse one of these substances, your brain will adapt and start to change, which means that you will no longer obtain that sense of euphoria with the same amount of drugs or alcohol. Instead, you will need to take more to get the same feeling that a lower dose once gave you, which is why addiction is very difficult to manage without some form of treatment.
If you abuse drugs or alcohol on a long-term basis, the systems in your brain that could be affected include:
- Learning
- Stress
- Behavior
- Judgment
- Memory
- Decision-making
How an Overdose Occurs
A drug or alcohol overdose occurs when an individual takes too much of a substance or mixes certain substances that aren’t supposed to be combined at the same time. For instance, mixing any kind of drug with alcohol can lead to an overdose. While some cases of an overdose are intentional, many of them are accidental and can be avoided by understanding the dangers that come with taking too much.
For an opioid overdose, receptors throughout various areas of the body are effectively activated when taking one of these substances, which leads to the body slowing down. If you take too high a dose of opioids, the receptors are blocked altogether, which greatly increases the possibility of an overdose. An overdose on opioids is dangerous because it can stop your breathing.
Keep in mind that different opioids create more severe overdose symptoms than others. While a heroin overdose is severe and will be felt within minutes of the overdose, an overdose on fentanyl is even more serious and can be felt within seconds. No matter how minor or severe you believe the overdose to be, it’s very important that you obtain medical treatment immediately.
As for an alcohol overdose, this occurs when you drink more alcohol than your body is able to process. If you consume more than one unit of alcohol within an hour, you will have a greater risk of suffering from an alcohol overdose, which is usually referred to as alcohol poisoning. The main symptoms that come with alcohol poisoning include:
- Seizures
- Confusion
- Slow or irregular breathing
- Vomiting
- Hypothermia
Why You Should Obtain Treatment for Drug or Alcohol Addiction
The main reason why you should obtain treatment for drug or alcohol addiction is because addictions will almost always worsen without treatment. Your chances of developing long-term health conditions along with financial problems and work-related problems will increase the more you take a substance that you’ve become addicted to. For instance, drinking alcohol regularly for a lengthy period of time makes it more likely that you will eventually suffer from liver disease. In time, the liver could fail, which would require a liver transplant.
It’s also important to understand that the effects of drug or alcohol addiction don’t stop with adverse health effects. Many individuals who abuse drugs or alcohol without obtaining treatment will begin to experience mood swings, which can make it more difficult to maintain relationships with friends, family members and significant others. Because of the effects of addiction, you might begin to have worse performance at work, which could heighten the possibility that you’re fired. If you don’t obtain treatment early on, there’s a greater chance that you will experience financial problems as well. If you want to avoid these issues, you should receive treatment near Colchester, Vermont. There are several types available to you.
Types of Treatment Available near Colchester, VT
If you believe that you’re suffering from a substance use disorder and are searching for the right treatment, the primary options in and around Colchester, VT, include inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient treatment and detoxification. Once the main treatment has been completed, many recovering individuals will continue to obtain individual therapy or group counseling in order to avoid relapsing; both can be very effective at helping you manage your cravings.
For the majority of people who obtain treatment for an addiction to drugs or alcohol, the first aspect of treatment will be detoxification, which is designed to help patients manage the physical symptoms of withdrawal that can occur when addicted to drugs or alcohol. The duration of detox largely depends on the severity of the addiction as well as the severity of the withdrawal symptoms that you’re experiencing.
Different drugs come with different withdrawal symptoms. In almost all cases, experiencing withdrawal will intensify cravings, which makes it difficult to avoid relapsing. As such, this type of treatment is aided by 24/7 medical assistance. Along with making sure that any severe withdrawal symptoms are identified and treated immediately, the medical staff on hand throughout detox can administer small amounts of medication to keep certain withdrawal symptoms at bay. Once the drug or alcohol has left your body, you will likely be ready for the next stages of treatment.
As for outpatient rehab, this type of treatment is aimed at helping individuals cope with their addiction without requiring them to stay in a treatment facility. The exact treatments that you obtain in outpatient rehab depend on the specific program that you enroll into. Different programs offer different services. However, the majority of these programs will provide most of the services that are available through inpatient rehab with a heavy focus on group counseling.
If you’re considering entering an outpatient treatment program, there are some risks to joining this program as opposed to an inpatient one. For instance, outpatient programs require the patient to attend treatment for a few days every week and for several hours each day. Even though outpatient treatment can be effective, you are still allowed to go home each night, which means that you could have easy access to the substance that you’re addicted to. Having access to this substance can make it easier to relapse. As such, it’s highly recommended that you consider inpatient rehab.
If you’re unsure of what inpatient rehab is, this form of treatment requires the patient to stay in a residential facility 24/7 until treatment has concluded, which can be as long as the patient wants. While many patients will stay in one of these facilities for around 30 days, it’s possible to remain in a residential facility for a year or more. The duration of your treatment mainly depends on the severity of your addiction and how much treatment you’re able to afford.
The best aspect of inpatient rehab is that you’ll be staying in a residential facility at all times, which provides you with a drug-free environment where you’ll be among other individuals who know what you’re going through. The group support that’s provided within inpatient rehab programs may allow you to better understand your addiction and manage the cravings that come with it. While the exact types of treatments and activities used in inpatient rehab programs can differ, most centers offer:
- Group therapy
- One-on-one counseling
- Family therapy
- Relaxation activities like yoga
- Addiction education
Treatment Centers to Consider
Even though there are a large number of reputable treatment programs you can enter in and around Colchester, VT, two of the effective and reputable treatment centers include Green Mountain Treatment Center and New Freedom Academy. While each treatment facility offers a somewhat different atmosphere and environment for recovery, both of them provide comprehensive treatment options that can be beneficial for anyone who is attempting to cope with their addiction.
Green Mountain Treatment Center is situated in Effingham, NH, which makes for a beautiful location with rolling hills and picturesque apple orchards. The fresh and crisp mountain air is known to provide a therapeutic environment for patients who are seeking treatment for a drug or alcohol addiction. Green Mountain Treatment Center uses a 12-step curriculum alongside evidence-based therapies. The team at this treatment facility makes sure that each patient has an individualized treatment plan to aid recovery. The many features of this program include:
- Gender-separate accommodations and programs
- On-campus medical detox
- Nutritious meals
- Yoga and meditation
- An onsite gym
- Educational programs and workshops
New Freedom Academy is another excellent treatment center that’s located in Canterbury, New Hampshire. The actual facility is set on 17 acres of land, which makes for a very peaceful and secluded location. The facility is outfitted with 20 beds, which makes it smaller than most inpatient rehab facilities. However, the compact nature of this treatment center makes it ideal for patients who want a more intimate setting. The low client-to-staff ratio allows for more personalized care. The various therapies and treatments that are supported by the staff at New Freedom Academy include:
- Treatment for mental disorders
- Group counseling and individual therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Along with these therapies and treatment, patients at New Freedom Academy are also provided with:
- Treatment that’s assisted by medication
- Activities like bowling and paintball
- Off-site family recovery workshops
- Addiction education programs
- Medical staff available 24/7
If you have become dependent on drugs or alcohol in Colchester, VT, it’s never too late to receive treatment that can help you cope with your addiction and find ways to manage your cravings. If you obtain this treatment early on, you should be able to avoid some of the more serious side effects of addiction.
