What are addicted people thinking?

Initially the attraction is euphoria taking a mini vacation. Someone once told me getting high is like God putting a warm blanket around you and rubbing your temples telling you everything will be alright. This is a powerful draw. The mini vacation to escape life’s hardships becomes more frequent and all encompassing. Physically the body comes addicted. Psychologically the individual needs the drug to maintain emotional stability and to cope with life’s stress.  Individuals with addicted family members are at an unfair disadvantage. Once they get a taste of euphoria from a drug, their bodies crave more drugs. Something is different with this group, they are genetically built to use excessively. Their bodies experience powerful cravings to use addicting drugs and keep using them. Their favorite word is more. Genetic predisposition is one unlucky factor. Another unlucky factor in making someone drug dependent, is being raised and living around drug dependent people. So, there are two forces at work, one is a genetic predisposition to use, another is a learned behavior.

That’s just the start. Once the psyche experiences the high, the escape, and a free ride from life’s problems; new forces take over.  The individual goes undercover and must now conceal their activities. They have to make some time to get drugs and to do the drugs. They have to start explaining to others lost blocks of time, money, energy, and different thoughts and behaviors surface. By thoughts I mean all the using and getting drugs takes a lot of planning, manipulating and lying. They need to form a group of people who each contribute something to getting drugs, a place to use them and help with the cover story to disguise what’s really going on. (more…)

Disease or Decision – What if the answer does not matter?

The first question most people ask when visiting a doctor is “What’s wrong with me?”  As a psychiatrist I usually beat them to the punch by asking them, “Why are you here?”  That question itself is diagnostic in nature.  It speaks volumes of an individual’s perception and self assessment of their problem.  If the patient is presenting with an addiction issue, invariably there are several assumptions they have already made.  Most of the time they assume that they have a disease.  That it is chronic.  That it is incurable.  And that after a period of detoxification their disease will be managed by daily doses of 12-step activity.  This in spite of overwhelming statistic that traditional 28 day treatment programs have about a 16% success rate.

This has always been a great curiosity to me.  If one in six patients who attend these conventional treatment programs remain abstinent for one year post discharge, why would anybody waste the time, money and psychic investment required by these programs.  I would not buy a car that started one out of six times.  More importantly, I would not buy a car that stopped one out of six times I applied the brakes.

What if we were treating a disease that does not exist?  In my profession that is called a misdiagnosis.  What if we spent our time, energy and money trying to stop “addiction” rather than trying to understand addiction?  An entire industry has developed around causation rather than cessation.  If you had a choice of either understanding why you drink or stopping your drinking the decision would be obvious.  Even if you are a comprehension junky for whom the process trumps the product, at some point all growth starts with stopping. (more…)

Why is it important to have a Psychiatrist help you with drug detox?

http://206.189.200.158 ~ (561) 842-9550

Dr. Mark Agresti, West Palm Beach Drug & Alcohol Detox Specialist – Psychiatrist, discusses why people it is beneficial and best to work with a psychiatrist when detoxing from drugs.  Many times drug abuse and drug use come to help with mental illness.  If you don’t work on the symptoms of what causes the use of addictive drugs (i.e. depression), you’ll find it difficult to detox completely from addictive drugs.

Call Dr. Agresti today to get help with Drug & Alcohol Addiction.

How does a person become an Opiate Addict?

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Dr. Mark Agresti, West Palm Beach Drug & Alcohol Detox Specialist – Psychiatrist, explains normal steps of how a person becomes an Opiate Addict.  He explains the beginning stages of receiving a prescription opiate drug and how the person feels taking them.  Opiates bring a state of euphoria and the tolerance level of the pill builds, meaning more pills to reach the initial state of euphoria are required.  Dr. Agresti discusses the symptoms of physical symptoms of withdrawal for an opiate addict.

Call Dr. Agresti today to get help with Opiate Addiction.

Drug Addiction Rehab: Treatments, Detox limits and Options

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Dr. Agresti, West Palm Beach Mental Health Specialist – Psychiatrist, talks about drug addiction rehab options.  If you or a loved one has a problem with drug or alcohol addictions, you should know the options for addiction detox rehab.  Not all drug addictions require in-patient treatment.  Many drug addictions can be treated in outpatient care.  Dr. Agresti, in this video, shares the time periods to expect for drug addiction rehab.

Call Dr. Agresti today to get help with Alcohol & Drug Detox.

How to Detox from Benzodiazepines

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Dr. Agresti, West Palm Beach Mental Health Specialist – Psychiatrist, talks about Benzodiazepines Detox.  Though benzodiazepines detox can have some serious problems, such as seizures, it is possible.  There are medications that can help during benzodiazepines detox.  If you or a loved one is addicted to benzodiazepines, do not stop abruptly or at home.  Get professional help and benzodiazepines detox safely.

Call Dr. Agresti today to get help with Benzodiazepines Detox.

Detoxing from Methadone is Possible!

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Methadone detox is possible within 6 to 8 weeks. Detox from Methadone safely and without pain. Dr. Agresti, West Palm Beach Psychiatrist, talks about how you can detox from a Methadone addiction safely.

Methadone detox is possible! Call Dr. Agresti today to start life Methadone free.

Alcohol Detox: Alcohol Addiction – Detox Wisely!

Dr. Agresti, a West Palm Beach Psychiatrist discusses Alcohol Detox. Alcohol detox is different from other drug detox process, in that it can be fatal to the patient. Know the dangers of alcohol detox and get yourself or a loved one in need help in a medically supervised facility.

Alcohol detox is possible! Call Dr. Agresti today to start life Alcohol Addiction free.