Merced County Alcohol and Drug Services

Alcoholism, or alcohol use disorder (AUD), is defined by alcohol dependence. This is a state the body reaches when it experiences withdrawal symptoms in the absence of alcohol. A person who has AUD craves alcohol and continues to drink despite adverse consequences. Because withdrawing from alcohol can pose health risks, individuals with AUD should seek professional alcohol rehab in California to overcome their alcohol addiction. This process typically involves medical detox, rehabilitation, and maintenance.

Drug rehab in California teaches participants constructive ways to stay clean and sober. Treatment revolves around helping individuals stop using the substance they are addicted to and learn healthy habits to avoid relapse.

In California, dual-diagnosis addiction treatment programs offer comprehensive care for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Programs include medically assisted detox, intensive outpatient, outpatient, residential rehab, and partial hospitalization. Using an evidence-based approach, clinicians utilize therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy, or dialectical behavioral therapy and mindfulness to address substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health challenges. Additional services include 12-Step recovery, group therapy, family counseling, and relapse prevention to promote sustained recovery.

California drug and alcohol rehabs also provide dual-diagnosis treatment for individuals seeking help for both mental health and substance abuse. These programs are usually offered on an inpatient or outpatient basis. You can usually expect a mental health assessment and personalized treatment plan, evidence-based therapies, like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), experiential therapies like equine therapy, skills groups, and counseling to simultaneously address both mental health and substance abuse and drastically increase your chances of long-term sobriety.

Opioid rehabs specialize in supporting those recovering from opioid addiction. They treat those suffering from addiction to illegal opioids like heroin, as well as prescription drugs like oxycodone. These centers typically combine both physical as well as mental and emotional support to help stop addiction. Physical support often includes medical detox and subsequent medical support (including medication), and mental support includes in-depth therapy to address the underlying causes of addiction.

Clients receiving treatment at an outpatient rehab typically do not require hospitalization or intensive supervision and support. Outpatient addiction counseling and recovery education are often offered during the morning, evening, night, and weekend, allowing clients to tailor treatment to their own schedule. Partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) programs are the most time-intensive and are designed for clients who are at an increased relapse risk and/or who need more robust therapeutic support.

Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) support clients’ sustained sobriety as they exit detox or step down from inpatient programs. They are also designed for clients who are at an elevated risk of relapse. Intensive outpatient treatment typically requires clients to engage in a minimum of nine hours of therapy per week, but clients may receive up to 20 therapeutic hours weekly. IOP treatment modalities often combine psychotherapy, recovery-focused life skills training, and medication assisted treatment (MAT).

Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.

Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.

Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.