Substance use has been on the rise, and overdoses have become one of our nation’s leading causes of death. According to SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association, substance use has continued to grow throughout the pandemic. SAMHSA also states that substance use among adults aged 26 – 49 is on the rise, even though young adults have the highest rate of drug use. As more people turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with ongoing stress, they are also embracing many dangers such as health risks, accidents, injury, and addiction. The risks that come with substance use are real and often terrifying. If you or someone you care about is depending on substances, there is help available.
Substance use and addiction can be scary and overwhelming, and you may not know where to turn for that necessary help. The journey to health for you or your loved one may look daunting. But, with counseling and support, that path to wellness may be closer than you think. Just in Chicago alone, there are so many options available for substance abuse treatment. Yet, searching for substance abuse treatment in Chicago can be an extremely stressful process. What kind of facility do you need? Do you need residential treatment or outpatient care? Does insurance help cover the costs? How long will treatment last? What is substance abuse treatment? The questions may feel endless. The key is to research, know your needs, and find the right facility that can meet your needs and help you to travel on a healthier path.
What is Substance Abuse Treatment?
Substance abuse treatment is a program in which you work with professionals who have been trained specifically in dealing with substance abuse. When you are engaged in a treatment program for substance use, there will be many components to your treatment plan. One of these components would be counseling sessions with a counselor who specializes in addiction and substance use. An addiction counselor’s goals often include looking at one’s history, triggers, and responses to those various triggers.
There are a variety of types of substance use counseling services that professionals can use with you, depending on the severity of your substance use and related mental health concerns. In addition to the different services that substance use counseling provides, there are also different types of therapy. For example, you can work individually with your substance use counselor or you may meet with a group of others who similarly are working on their substance use disorder. Some of those various services include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Group Therapy
- Individual Counseling
- Behavioral Counseling
- Family Counseling
Each type of therapy has a different purpose and way in which it can impact one’s journey toward optimized health. The key is to find the right substance use treatment facility and find the right combination of therapy that works for you.
What is Typically the First Step in the Substance Abuse Treatment Process?
Typically, the first step in substance abuse treatment in Chicago is the detoxification process, a process people have to go through if they have become physically dependent on substances. This is a medically-supervised process wherein the substance or substances in your body are cleared while withdrawal symptoms are being carefully monitored. According to SAMSHA, approximately 80 percent of detoxification cases involve using medications to help limit the symptoms of withdrawal. Because of that fact, it is important that detoxification is taken very seriously and not just addressed without professional help.
Depending on the severity of one’s addiction, this first step of the substance abuse treatment process may take place in a hospital, in a treatment facility, or in the comfort of home. However, there are many cases in which this first step of detoxification is not even needed. Some people are able to stop using and go directly into an inpatient or outpatient rehab facility. Again, it is dependent upon the severity of the substance use and one’s individual needs.
Either way, the intake call will happen (the true first step), which enables you to find out the best course of action. During that call, you will be asked questions ranging from your substance use history to your family history. This intake call is an important step where the truth is presented so that an appropriate plan of action can begin to form.
What is Outpatient Treatment for Substance Abuse?
Outpatient treatment means that you are getting services and are enrolled in a program for substance use disorder but that you are going home each night. You may come into a facility every day or maybe two or three times a week for a few hours each day. The amount of time you spend in an outpatient facility will be specifically determined based on your individual needs. The biggest differentiator between outpatient treatment and residential treatment is that with outpatient treatment, you do not stay overnight at a facility. Residential treatment centers, on the other hand, require that you live at the substance use treatment facility while you are undergoing treatment.
While you are participating in an outpatient treatment program for substance use disorder, your treatment often includes meeting with therapists and participating in group, individual, and/or family therapy. The clinical support that you receive during substance abuse treatment in Chicago can often provide the tools that you need to heal. The treatment programs are also designed to address issues that are often exacerbated by the need to self-medicate.
Learn About CRC — Chicago’s Newest Substance Abuse Treatment Center
CRC Institute is a luxury outpatient rehab center in Chicago, Illinois that offers gender-specific counseling and treatments for those with substance use disorder. CRC is an integrated center for healing that focuses on optimizing health rather than just focusing on the addiction or health concern at hand. With a team of expert doctors and clinicians, CRC is here to support you every step of the way on your journey toward recovery and overall health.
The primary objective of CRC Institute is to create long-lasting change, one step at a time. By looking at the way in which everything is connected, CRC’s team hopes that they can help you to break your unhealthy patterns and fill your day with healing. Substance abuse treatment Chicago at CRC is designed to get to the root of your substance use. In addition, the aim is to help repair existing relationships, create accountability, and instill new principles to live by in the future. In addition to traditional forms of substance abuse treatment, CRC also offers a variety of holistic practices, such as meditation, mindfulness, and acupuncture.
What are the Benefits of Substance Abuse Treatment Chicago at CRC?
Substance abuse treatment at CRC provides the opportunity to experience a variety of counseling services. The goal at CRC is to tailor the substance abuse treatment services specifically for each person so that the magic can happen and real healing can begin. Some people respond well to group therapy, for example, while others work better independently with a certified addiction counselor.
Whatever type of substance abuse treatment you participate in at CRC, the potential benefits are great and include:
- Saving your life
- Understanding your past and its relationship to your substance use
- Learning what your triggers are
- Gaining skills to overcome addiction
- Providing a safe environment to heal
- Receiving support from peers in group counseling sessions
- Gaining a life-long continuum of care
- Involving your family so they can support you
Why Choose CRC for Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health Services in Chicago?
Some of you may be resistant to certain forms of Western medicine as you travel along your path to optimized health. But, at CRC, you have the option of engaging in a variety of Eastern practices as well as traditional ones. While you are engaged in substance abuse treatment in Chicago at CRC, your therapist may suggest that you try meditation or acupuncture, for example. These alternative options may be used in conjunction with or, at times, in place of more traditional treatment options. The bottom line is: At CRC in Chicago, we are going to meet you where you are at and determine a substance abuse treatment plan that is most effective for you.
We believe that in order to heal from a chronic condition, one thing has to change — everything. This journey towards health and wellness is different for every individual, but the two elements that are always involved include connection and magic. In order to achieve these two treatment components, our therapies at CRC Treatment Center in Chicago are:
Gender-Specific: Treating you in groups by gender allows for safer healing environments and more comprehensive care. Offering gender-specific treatments is something very unique to our program at CRC Treatment Center in Chicago, and we take extra steps to create a supportive and empathetic culture. As a result, you receive a truly safe, respectful, and distraction-free environment.
Holistic: Our holistic practitioners work with our doctors and psychiatrists to configure the most effective, evidence-based activities that support your individual needs. Our holistic programming adds an extra layer of treatment that is exclusive to CRC Treatment Center.
Fully-Integrated: Our person-centered treatment, counseling, and therapies address you as a whole person enabling you to be treated in a specific, personalized way. By delving into all aspects of you, we provide you with a comprehensive understanding of what you need to be your best, healthiest self.
Custom Medical Evaluation: This medical evaluation is detailed and thorough as we believe in treating all of you in order to help you achieve your goals. When you begin treatment at CRC, we include a 360 palm print analysis, a fully comprehensive blood panel to determine any deficiencies, and a complete physical, nutritional, and wellness examination. Our board-certified and licensed medical team go to extraordinary lengths to fully and comprehensively evaluate all of your concerns, needs, medical history, and specific goals for treatment.
Evidence-Based Clinical Approach to Treatment: Our unique combination of therapy, treatment clinical modalities, and outpatient programs have consistently proven to help you overcome and heal from substance abuse for a successful long-term recovery.
For more information about substance abuse treatment in Chicago, contact CRC Institute.
Dr. Beth Dunlap, a board-certified addiction medicine and family medicine physician, is the medical director at CRC Institute, where she is responsible for overseeing all the integrated medical services at the Institute. Beth completed medical school, residency, and fellowship at Northwestern University, where she continues to serve on the faculty as a member of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She has extensive experience in addiction medicine at all levels of care, and her clinical interests include integrated primary care and addiction medicine, harm reduction, and medication-assisted treatment.
