Breaking the Cigarette Habit, Once and For All
Brain nicotine addiction tobacco use disease Studies show that most smokers want to quit. Yet traditionally, drug and alcohol rehab centers haven’t made quitting tobacco a priority for those in recovery – and some even avoid addressing it. Why? The old way of thinking was that if an individual has to give up drugs and alcohol, they should get a pass on smoking. Others believed that cigarettes help prevent relapse, by helping addicts relieve stress or cope with the challenges of sobriety. None of that is true, said Dr. William Jacobs, Bluff Medical Director. “Quitting smoking does not interfere with [...]
10 Tips on Staying Healthy Through the Holidays
A general note: Because our main holidays, from Halloween through New Year’s Day occur in the darker wintertime of the year, we have a built-in conflict. This time of year is a more inward time, with more rest and quiet required, and a simple warm, nourishing diet. Yet, this time of year there are more treats at work or wherever we go, and we are asked to attend parties and family events where we are exposed to and consume more sugar and flour products, rich foods, alcohol and more. We go out more often at night during the holiday season, [...]
Former Teacher Finds Healing in Working with Others in Recovery
A high school English teacher and mother of two, Joy Clubb had a great job and a loving family. But alcohol, and later opioid addiction, robbed her of her career – and threatened to destroy her relationship with her husband and children. After two stays in residential addiction treatment, Clubb was living in a halfway house and ready to return to the workforce. With teaching no longer an option for her, she cleaned houses and worked as a horse stable custodian. “I had been stripped of everything, including my belief in myself,” Clubb said. Eventually, she applied for a job [...]
Why Addiction Treatment Should Never Wait Until After the Holidays
We understand that many people suffering from addiction are often reluctant to seek help over the Holidays for a number of reasons, including a fear of how their family will react or the fact that the Holidays can be such an emotional and stressful time. The truth is there is no better time than now to get the treatment you need. Bluff specializes in providing private, compassionate, and individualized addiction treatment during the Holiday Season. Here are some important reasons why you or a loved one should not wait until after the Holidays to seek treatment: Stress during the holidays [...]
Treat Addiction as a Chronic Brain Disease Rather Than an Acute Illness with a Quick Cure
Hypertension and diabetes are chronic diseases. No one questions that managing them requires long-term commitment — getting regular checkups, using medication when needed, exercising, eating right, controlling stress levels and generally living a healthy lifestyle. Addiction is also a chronic disease, one for which there is no instant or magic cure. Yet too often, people struggling with substance use are expected to overcome addiction using a quick, one-sized-fits-all approach, says Dr. William Jacobs, Bluff Medical Director. https://youtu.be/55NRh0JiYg0 “Addiction is a chronic brain disease and we have to treat it as such. We can’t treat it like an acute illness,” Dr. [...]
Art Therapy Offers an Opportunity for Self-Expression
One recent afternoon at Bluff, residents gathered to create and paint clay pumpkins, a craft that would look lovely as part of anyone’s fall décor. But the art is about more than making knickknacks. During art therapy, Bluff residents express themselves through color, design and creativity. The purpose is to express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions about things that they may not be able to say with words initially. Art therapy helps turn the confusion and chaos that is in their minds into a meaningful discussion. Art therapy is a type of expressive group therapy, in which patients use creativity [...]
Dr. William Jacobs Webinar on What Faith Leaders Need to Know About Opiate Epidemic
The opiate epidemic continues to touch every community, locally and nationally. Families of all sizes, races, economic status, and ethnic groups around the country are impacted, either personally or through friends, classmates, co-workers, neighbors or fellow members of congregations – and will likely turn to their place of worship for support. What information is most helpful for faith leaders who desire to take an active role to help raise awareness in order to prevent substance abuse, to provide assistance to those suffering from substance abuse and their families, and to reduce stigma? Bluff Medical Director, Dr. William Jacobs, will be [...]
Overcoming Challenges with New Ropes Course
At summer camps and resorts, ropes courses are built high off the ground, designed for an adrenalin rush as participants test their physical limits. The ropes course at Bluff, a form of experiential therapy for patients in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, encourages pushing boundaries of a different sort. Rather than focusing on showing courage by climbing high, the Bluff ropes course is about getting grounded – exploring past behavior, learning new ways to communicate, working with others, and rebuilding skills to enable participants to maintain sobriety over the long-term. Installed this summer, the ropes course includes six stations spread [...]
Vegetable Garden Produces a Bountiful First Harvest
For recovering addicts, participating in meaningful activities can restore a sense of purpose, improve self-esteem and provide an alternative to previous unhealthy habits. Gardening, which combines physical activity, enjoying the outdoors and patiently nurturing seeds into mature plants, can be one of those meaningful activities. Gardening connects people to the earth, promotes relaxation and offers a sense of accomplishment. At Bluff, patients can participate in tending to the recovery center’s vegetable and herb gardens, where they grow an assortment of produce along with basil, spearmint, thyme and other spices that are used daily by the chefs in preparing healthful (and [...]
The Opioid Epidemic: Changing the Rules of the Pain Game
Too many young adults are dying from opioid overdoses. In an effort to curb the gateway source of the opioid addiction epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued strict guidelines restricting prescriptions for opioid painkillers from primary care doctors and dentists treating patients for pain. Tragically, this may not stem the tide if doctors and dentists choose to ignore the guidelines and continue their current practices. It’s important for parents to know that the risk still exists and that access to these opioids is relatively easy – and that another cheap, illicit opioid called fentanyl has also [...]
