Articles

Cravings are among the most powerful triggers faced by anyone completing opiate detox. The combined force of a psychological need for the drug and chemical reactions in the addict brain makes them at least a distraction and, at worst, a cause for relapse. Whether drug cravings are mild or strong, reduction of them is a good aid to relapse prevention in early recovery.

Tarzana Treatment Centers provides Vivitrol injections for eligible alcohol and drug treatment patients. We have been doing this for several years, and are very pleased with the results so far. Since the beginning, we have interviewed our Vivitrol treatment patients who had been in and out of rehab facilities. Almost all of them reported that the reduced cravings improved their treatment experience and it has lengthened recovery times.

To the unfamiliar, cravings may not seem so threatening. After all, if your mouth waters for a bag of french fries, you can probably enjoy the feeling and forget about it after a few seconds. Addiction doesn’t allow the forgetting, though, and opiate cravings don’t go away easily. Imagine waking up with a craving for french fries and having it with you all day long, knowing that if you eat one fry you won’t be able to stop eating more of them.

Opiate addicts often complete medical detoxification and will go straight to their dealers or doctors to satisfy cravings. Even if they have a safe place to go for treatment, and know very well that they are making a mistake, they get drawn back into the dark world of addiction. The obsession to “feel better” is just too great.

Monthly Vivitrol injections during the first months of recovery free the mind to receive drug treatment and work on core issues. More clean time means more life issues get resolved. So, even if a relapse occurs, the road back to recovery becomes much shorter and recovery times extend. As clean time accumulates, the sense of accomplishment also helps to encourage remaining in recovery. All of this means that Vivitrol is a solution for a great threat to a drug addict’s recovery.

Vivitrol is covered by Medicare and Medi-Cal. Funding is also available through AB 109 and LA County Drug Court. So please call even if you are concerned about funding.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides a full array of health care services including adult and youth alcohol and drug treatment. We specialize in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, and have two primary medical care clinics in the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley and specialized services for HIV/AIDS care. If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence, drug addiction, or co-occurring mental health disorders or from other services we offer, please call us now at 888-777-8565 or contact us using our secure contact form.

Telemedicine services are also available with online medical care, online mental health treatment, and online alcohol and drug treatment.

Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.