Evening and Day SUD Treatment: Twin Town Treatment Centers

Recovery from drug and alcohol abuse (use disorders) is possible. Sobriety is found in Los Angeles and Orange Counties in normal living conditions at home, at work, at school, at play.

The mission of Twin Town Treatment Center is to remove roadblocks and engage as many people as possible in recovery from addiction. So that cost is not an obstacle, we have contracted with all network model insurance companies and MediCal.

Twin Town provides evening and day sessions of intensive outpatient and day treatment for alcohol and drug problems (substance use disorders). We serve adults and adolescents through separate and distinct staff and programming.

In Orange County, we are located in Mission Viejo, Orange and Los Alamitos. We have locations in Sherman Oaks, West Hollywood and Torrance in Los Angeles County.

Telehealth services are available so that people can access help at home, avoiding pandemic and other risks.

Call us at (866) 594-8844, and schedule an appointment to discuss needs and recommendations. We don’t charge clients for this assessment.

Twin Town clients usually intensive outpatient treatment while they live at home and go to work or school. Treatment is available during each day and evening Monday through Saturday.

We’ve provided and enhanced intensive outpatient treatment for twenty-seven years. Twin Town is accredited by The Joint Commission. The California Department of Healthcare Services provides two certifications for the work Twin Town provides each individual.

Our counseling and therapy staff are credentialed and authorized through the State of California.

Therapists address personal problems and solutions on an individual therapy basis. Counselors provide recovery education, counseling and practice, in group and individual settings.

Twin Town coordinates care with professionals so that clients don’t change therapists or doctors which enhances continuity and community-based support.

Recovery happens when it is practiced in daily life. Twin Town helps establish recovery in the real world of Los Angeles and Orange County.

Los Angeles and Orange County: Helping Others Recover from Addiction

Since the beginning of the pandemic, thirteen percent (13%) American adults began or increased substance use to cope with corresponding distress (Centers for Disease Control). Overdoses increased by seventeen percent (17%) since stay-at-home was ordered (Overdose Detection Mapping Allocation Program). Hard liquor sales spiked seventy five percent (75%).

Fewer Los Angeles and Orange County residents in need of drug and alcohol treatment are accessing it. Relapse is increasing for those in recovery. Social distancing and isolation have disrupted the mutual support and structure vital for maintaining recovery.

The great anthropologist Margaret Meade was once asked what prehistoric artifact would indicate civilization. Rather than tools, shelter, or organization, she stated that a broken and mended leg bone indicates the rise of civilization. In the wild, a broken leg means death. Only by being protected and cared for by others does a leg bone heal.

The basis of civilization is taking care of one another. Recovery from alcoholism and addiction relies upon it!

More than before, today we experience personal choice and behavior corresponding with life and death consequences for others. The pandemic demands interpersonal responsibility. One person’s good time can result in another’s death. The same correlates are found in both addiction and recovery. Drug and alcohol misuse or addiction create detrimental to dire consequences for others. Recovery produces hope and a path toward better living.
How many accidental deaths in Los Angeles and Orange County result from driving under the influence? Have you seen the emotional cost of a family member’s addiction?
How many of us in recovery need to help others recover? We know its possibilities and paths. We can’t keep our recovery if we don’t give it away.

Barriers have risen between those with drug and alcohol problems and caregivers who often help- doctors, therapists, colleagues/ co-workers and hospital professionals. Employers, authorities and family who often identify the signs of addiction are no longer close enough to notice.
The disease of addiction flourishes in isolation. The pandemic has promoted drug and alcohol problems to be upper-hand.

Connection with a mutual support group and developing a support network can happen with the use of modern technology. Help find recovery and teach addicts how to connect using their phone, pad or computer. A Zoom invitation or a phone call can open new, life-saving opportunities for someone trapped inside by the virus and addiction.

David, Twin Town (866) 594-8844 www.twintowntreatmentcenters.com

Twin Town Treatment Centers is immediately accessible to all Los Angeles and Orange County residents, is accredited by The Joint Commission, and is certified by the California DHCS. All network HMO/PPO/EPO insurance plans and Medi-Cal contract with Twin Town Treatment Centers to provide drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Our phone is answered by real people. We can see people on the same day you call. (866) 594-8844

Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, June 24–30, 2020; August 14, 2020 / 69(32);1049–1057; Mark É. Czeisler1,2; Rashon I. Lane, MA3; Emiko Petrosky, MD3; Joshua F. Wiley, PhD1; Aleta Christensen, MPH3; Rashid Njai, PhD3; Matthew D. Weaver, PhD1,4,5; Rebecca Robbins, PhD4,5; Elise R. Facer-Childs, PhD1; Laura K. Barger, PhD4,5; Charles A. Czeisler, MD, PhD1,4,5; Mark E. Howard, MBBS, PhD1,2,6; Shantha M.W. Rajaratnam, PhD1,4,5

Outpatient Addiction Treatment vs Intensive Outpatient Addiction Treatment

When people think of drug rehab, many people imagine live-in facilities that offer expensive round-the-clock care that forces you away from your daily responsibilities. However, there are several other addiction treatment options that will offer you comprehensive care in an outpatient format. If you’re a resident of Mission Viejo or anywhere else in Orange County and you’re seeking drug addiction treatment, it’s important to know which type of addiction treatment is best for you: outpatient addiction treatment or intensive outpatient addiction treatment.

What Are Outpatient Treatment Programs?

Outpatient addiction treatment is a nonresidential treatment service that offers Orange County residents drug addiction treatment administered by addiction professionals clinicians. This treatment is administered through ongoing therapy sessions, both group and individual, that total a few hours a week. Outpatient treatment programs allow patients to receive continual care while working around their work hours, family time, and other obligations. 

What Are Intensive Outpatient Treatment Programs?

Intensive outpatient treatment programs are very similar to outpatient treatment programs, but they offer more rigorous treatment and, in some cases, partial hospitalization. Whereas outpatient treatment programs are a few hours a week outside of daily obligations such as a full-time job, intensive outpatient treatment programs are typically upwards of 10 hours per week. They are much more structured courses that require a greater time commitment, but they do allow the patient to live at home full-time. 

Which Drug Addiction Treatment is Right for Me?

Outpatient treatment programs of any kind only work for those who are motivated to get clean themselves. Due to the voluntary nature of outpatient programs, it can be difficult for patients to stay clean if they don’t recognize a problem and display a willingness to commit to turning their lives around. If you do not require a high level of care and you are motivated to remain in treatment, then an outpatient drug addiction treatment program is most suitable. If you require a higher level of care but are still able to function at home, then intensive outpatient treatment is a good option. Intensive outpatient treatments are also ideal for those with a repeated history of relapses or who may be transitioning from a live-in drug rehab facility. 

If you’re seeking comprehensive outpatient drug addiction treatment, Twin Town Treatment Centers can help you get your life back on track. We have six facilities throughout LA and Orange County, enabling you to get outpatient addiction treatment in a way that is both convenient and effective. Give us a call at (949) 540-0170 to get started with an initial assessment.

Benefits of Outpatient Addiction Treatment

The struggles of addiction can be challenging, but sometimes it may seem even more challenging to seek treatment. The sudden lifestyle change, being away from friends and family, and having to give up your job in order to enter a live-in rehabilitation facility are all significant factors that deter many from seeking help. Outpatient treatment programs are a highly effective method of recovery that don’t require you to significantly alter your life. If you’re a resident of Sherman Oaks or any other part of Los Angeles County, Twin Town’s outpatient treatment programs can help you or someone you love start on the path to recovery.

Affordability

No matter how motivated someone is to seek help, some people simply may not be able to afford it. Live-in addiction treatment facilities can be extremely expensive due to the cost of lodging and full-time care, and it may not be covered in full by insurance. If finances are a major factor for you, outpatient addiction treatment is an excellent solution. Twin Town is generally covered by insurance, our costs are lower than live-in facilities, and the flexibility of outpatient programs allows you to continue working while seeking treatment.

Flexibility

It’s not realistic for many to leave their family, friends, and job for several weeks, especially if they don’t want to share the reason for their departure with others. Addiction treatment is an extremely personal experience, so it’s understandable that some may not want to disclose to their employer that they’re seeking drug or alcohol addiction treatment. Outpatient treatment programs are extremely flexible, working with your schedule to offer effective treatment courses outside of work or school hours, so you can have the best of both worlds.

Immediate Results

Outpatient treatment programs demand more self-discipline from their patients since you aren’t sheltered from negative influencing factors in the same way you are at a residential treatment facility. However, they also have incredible benefits, as it allows you to implement healthy coping mechanisms and tools for sobriety right away. Being able to see the results of your treatment in real-time is a motivating factor for many patients, and it helps ensure long-term success and sobriety, even after leaving our alcohol addiction treatment course. 

If you or someone you love is struggling from substance abuse and wants to seek treatment, Twin Town Treatment Centers offers comprehensive outpatient treatment programs. Whatever your struggle, we have a team of experts ready to support you, and we’ll work closely with your family, friends, and wider support system to give you the well-rounded care you need to achieve lifelong health and happiness. To get started with an initial assessment, give us a call at (818) 985-0560.

Getting Recovery: Los Angeles in a State of Flux

Have you noticed the impact of stay-at-home orders, work/ financial insecurity, threats of exposure, and emotionally charged political/ cultural strife as you walk through the neighborhood or talk with family? Walking my dogs, I notice neighbors who seem to be using alcohol and other recreational drugs to cope and make it through another day.

Los Angeles may not be different than what you find in Orange County or other California communities. Perhaps the only difference in drug and alcohol use and corresponding problems is the availability of Los Angeles and Orange County treatment programs. Both regions offer broad recovery traditions and support communities.

It is of no surprise that four months of isolation, diminished financial, employment and personal security, the loss of family and social support, societal inequality, discourse and conflict, and looming unknowns have contributed to an enormous increase in substance abuse and addiction. Substance use disorders are known to be aggravated by these exact problems.

Drug overdoses, nation-wide have grown with accelerating speed since the beginning of the pandemic. Drug overdoses increased eighteen percent (18%) in March, twenty-nine percent (29%) in April and forty two percent (42%) in May! (Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program, a federal program that collects data from ambulance teams, police and hospitals.)

Rehab centers in Los Angeles and Orange County are available though many families and individuals worry about financial investments at a time where the future is very unclear. Affordable alternatives are available. Some treatment programs and rehabs are insurance and MediCal contracted. Many insurance companies have even dropped co-payment requirements.

Rehab centers in Los Angeles and Orange County in many cases are screening out high-risk patients due to fear of COVID or other complications. Most Los Angeles and Orange County outpatient treatment programs are providing services digitally through video-based platforms. Some local intensive outpatient treatment programs offer in-person or telemedicine options depending on each person’s needs and condition.

Mutual support groups are currently offered through online platforms like “Zoom”. In-person communication, often needed by someone seeking recovery is not easy to find. The numbers of new participants in recovery mutual support have all but vanished. People with established recovery are actively keeping these programs alive, and are more than interested in helping people new to recovery.

Tragically there is a chasm between people seeking recovery support and those who can give it.

 

Twin Town can help connect people with recovery and overcome the financial and other roadblocks which stand in the way of engaging in recovery. We can be reached (866) 594-8844 for a no-cost/ no-obligation assessment and consultation.

Following are additional recovery resources available to people seeking help during this most critical moment:

LA Online AA Meeting Directory https://lacoaa.org/2020/03/29/attending-online-meetings-with-zoom/

Los Angeles County AA Meeting Directory https://lacoaa.org/meetings/?tsml-day=1&tsml-distance=10&tsml-mode=me

Twelve Step Online Meetings https://www.12step-online.com/

SMART Recovery https://www.smartrecovery.org/community/calendar.php/

Significant Other/ Family Member Support https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/electronic-meetings/

Family Support https://www.familiesanonymous.org/meetings/virtual-meetings/

Family Support https://herrenproject.org/online-support-groups/

Addict Family Support https://www.nar-anon.org/virtual-meetings

Buddhist Recovery https://recoverydharma.org/online-meetings

12-Step Yoga Online https://y12sr.com/meetings/find-a-meeting-by-state/#toggle-id-1  go to “Y12SR Online Meetings” Tab

 

David, Twin Town (866) 594-8844 www.twintowntreatmentcenters.com

Twin Town Treatment Centers is immediately accessible to all Los Angeles and Orange County residents, is accredited by The Joint Commission, and is certified by the California DHCS. All network HMO/PPO/EPO insurance plans and Medi-Cal contract with Twin Town Treatment Centers to provide drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Our phone is answered by real people. We can see people on the same day you call. (866) 594-8844

Breath – Life’s Source and Threat

This moment has its own value apart from its purpose, potential or destiny… Our immediate experience speaks of the value of breath, of justice, of community, of security, of sanity. In the face of threat- a virus, violence against and oppression of our brothers, addiction and chemically induced coping- elements of life become more vibrant. Our priorities and purpose clarify.

Our windows needed cleaning.

The coronavirus gave us social isolation and a rightful fear of contagion. Our nose and lungs are our points of vulnerability. Breath, a life-source became a vector of our demise. We cover our faces which were once our windows of communication and social connection.

Social distancing and isolation, once alien to wellbeing are now survival tactics. Our evolutionary need to interact in a social unit has been arrested. Do we encounter anxiety or are we truly vulnerable? Are we hypervigilant or are we vigilant?

In the race to avoid exposure, to contain the spread, a bird is singing in the back yard. Our spring flowers have bloomed, filling the air with sweetness. Our children and pets look to play, to love and to receive our care. We get groceries for someone unable to leave home. We remember what is important.

Racially motivated killings and oppression propel public outrage and social upheaval followed by opportunistic looting and mass destruction. The sounds of helicopters and sirens drown out our conversations. Our storefronts, once abandoned for stay-at-home protections have been looted and burned, and ultimately boarded up for tomorrow.

Media platforms broadcast political fractures and the fragmentation of our mutual identities. Our pacts of civility are broken due to overwhelming resentment and frustration. We become self-righteous and critical.

Our growing cynicism is confronted by a kindness at the grocery store. We nod “hello” to a stranger in a mask and their eyes light up. We see groups of all races, cultures and classes marching to speak singular truths. Justice and more perfect unions become the ambition of youth. A police officer shows kindness to protestors. Kids become active; youth see their role in political participation. The future seems bright again. Only through strife do we seek change.

Indiscriminate alcohol and drug misuse during the pandemic and civil unrest result in further medical, domestic and economic damage. Too much time and too little to do are spaces some of us fill in altered states. Chemicals provide temporary relief and pleasure while secretly building needs and hunger for the same. What was a one-time binge becomes routine.

Discomforts and boredom are solved by a drink, a hit, a dose, a snort or a toke. Oblivion becomes preferable than being confronted with reality. Our relationships slide side-ways- either conflict or avoidance creates a greater sense of loneliness. The drink or drug become reliable solutions. We deserve a little more pleasure and relief.

A friend suggests help or a meeting. We look for help. We take that forbidding step, that leap into the swimming pool of recovery; Sobriety and fellowship bring hope and energy. We feel like ourselves, we feel our emotions and we can see in color again. To maintain this new path, we establish new routines, take on new ideas, and relate with a new set of friends. We accept help.

“Now” is actually separate and apart from the millisecond preceding it and the one to follow. What lies at our noses is the phenomena of beauty and light, of horror and shadow. Images fill our sight: care givers revive failing patients; multicolored masses demand justice; looters steal the message and the spoil our streets; neighbors inebriated at the noon share stories of fantasy and hopelessness. Recovering people sleep at night and find contentment in the moment.

Our initial reactions are to flee, fight and freeze. Instead we breath.

Breath- the essence of life and recovery.

Take a risk and breath.

David, Twin Town (866) 594-8844 https://twintowntreatmentcenters.com

Learning from a Virus at a Distance

Perhaps it is about personal choice versus socially responsible behavior. It’s about social distancing and connection. It’s about self-preservation and compassion for others. It’s about being whole alone, with others and with the planet. It’s about feeling wholly alone, empty and disoriented.

These opposites are brought to us by coronavirus, novel as they may be.

The virus and its crisis expose our weaknesses and strengths. Rather than taking our chemical-of-choice to dull our fears and frustrations, or to enliven our otherwise bored days, we exercise health-supportive social skills. Learning how to navigate the internet and teleconference platforms in search of recovery resources and fellowship are challenges for this older alcoholic. Self-isolation would be so much easier if left to my own devices…

Recovery rises out of walking through fear and away from the familiar. Chemically enhanced friendships and pass-times are times passed. Pleasure comes from chores well done, reaching out to people who appreciate our check-in, smelling the flowers, a walk through the neighborhood.

Resilience is built by facing that which we once avoided. Well-practiced patterns of denial and avoidance are replaced with active pursuit of the truth and an openness to learning. Rather than resenting what is, we accept the obvious and move toward the possible and the positive. The gymnastics of creating the great virus conspiracy theory or doubting science and its messengers we eventually become exhausted.

In fatigue, we turn toward adult acceptance and then we move on.

Our freedom will grow from shedding defensive habits and our craving for normalcy. Perhaps this is the cusp of a new age. Taking a new course and direction, we renew and practice the creativity we retired since youth.

As a recovering alcoholic and addict, I know deprivation and the current value of social connection. Some have proposed that alcoholism is a disease of loneliness… addiction stems from the absence of connection. We came to replace human relationship and care with chemicals. The quiet satisfaction of friendship and love was replaced by our demands for ecstasy.

It is difficult to maintain the six-foot distance, to avoid social activities, and to resort to video screen time to replace in-person contact. Communication with words doesn’t substitute for the physical presence of others. My recovery from the disease of addiction/ alcoholism was founded upon trusting others and shaping my behavior to become trustworthy. Eventually I found comfort in groups of others in recovery.

Currency to buy groceries seems at this vantage point to be a more important asset. Going to work, shopping, hiking a trail with the dogs have new virtue. The virus has taught me to value my presence with others.

Did the virus bring awakening and gratitude? Perhaps at a distance these are small gifts but here and now they are great.

 

David, Twin Town (866) 594-8844 https://twintowntreatmentcenters.com

 

Encouraging and Maintaining Recovery: Simply Turning through a Dark Hallway

The door to the light will be found simply by turning through this dark hallway. Perhaps we’ll wait a while but we will find the door with the help of friends and powers greater than those we possess alone.

Support for Recovery

We are not only together in this, technology allows for international fellowship and unity. With this crisis, people in recovery have found a much larger community if we seek available resources. Following are some:

  1. http://laaaonlinemeetings.org
  2. https://www.thetokenshop.com/Online_AA_Meetings?fbclid
  3. https://www.aa-intergroup.org/directory.php
  4. https://smartrecovery.org/community/
  5. https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/meetingslisting/meetings/Telephone+-+Online.htm
  6. https://www.intherooms.com/home/
  7. https://www.12step.org/social/online-meetings/

If you have additional resources that you would like to publish on Twin Town’s webpage or blogs, please send them to dlisonbee@twintowntreatmentcenters.com.

Help for Addiction

Twin Town Treatment Centers and like programs provide essential and medically necessary addition treatment (SUD) services. We not only help people become more stable and responsible, we help keep people from requiring higher levels of care such as ER’s and hospitals.

Telemedicine addiction treatment services is currently recommended as the treatment platform of choice at this time.

Alcoholics and addicts most desperately need support and connection through this dark and uncertain moment.

These are matters of compassion and community safety.

Twin Town has implemented COVID 19 mitigation telehealth options services to provide lower risk access to help for anyone who qualifies in needing it.

Twin Town maintains HIPAA and 42CFR Part 2 protections despite current waivers. The confidentiality of personal histories is most significant for people with drug and alcohol problems.

 

LA County Department of Public Health COVID 19 mitigation procedures are closely monitored to protect staff and clientele.

Twin Town (866) 594-8844

Added Perseverance: Help for Addiction and Support for Recovery

Ours is a moment in time of self-quarantine, social distancing and isolation. Connection and community are necessary to recover and sustain recovery from addiction and alcoholism. Alternative routes to getting help for an addiction and support for recovery are needed. 

The people of the Los Angeles and Orange County areas are facing a pandemic. People with active addiction or alcoholism are facing two threats to their lives. People recovering from alcoholism or addiction need mutual support to sustain their recovery.

Support for Recovery

Adding to or substituting for traditional mutual recovery support groups, electronic forums have broadened to meet the needs of recovering addicts and alcoholics in the Los Angeles Area:

http://laaaonlinemeetings.org

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1-s3EVFEuF6Z65Jsl4ICW6v0aliGCAcmWmkzAqXooWaI/htmlview

https://www.aa-intergroup.org/directory.php

https://smartrecovery.org/community/

https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/meetingslisting/meetings/Telephone+-+Online.htm

https://www.intherooms.com/home/

https://www.12step.org/social/online-meetings/

 

If you have additional resources that you would like to publish on Twin Town’s webpage or blogs, please send them to dlisonbee@twintowntreatmentcenters.com

 

Help for Addiction

Twin Town Treatment Centers and many other addiction treatment centers remain open during this healthcare crisis. Community based programs like Twin Town provide essential and medically necessary addition treatment (SUD) services. Even during times of “shelter in place”, programs like Twin Town do not and should not close. People with addiction and alcoholism problems particularly need help during these most difficult times. This too is a matter of public safety. 

Twin Town has implemented COVID 19 mitigation precautions and protocols as recommended by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Telehealth options exist for people in the position of receiving them. 

So as to assist all people in need, Twin Town doesn’t to limit access to services- our full services are live, onsite and in-person. Many people in need lack of access or the capacity to use telemedicine platforms used by others who may be more technically oriented or capable.

Respecting the need to protect the confidentiality of personal addiction and alcoholism histories, Twin Town maintains HIPAA and 42CFR Part 2 protections despite current waivers. We work live on location rather than remotely. CDC and LA County Department of Public Health COVID 19 mitigation procedures are closely monitored to protect staff and clientele.

Twin Town (866) 594-8844

https://twintowntreatmentcenters.com

The Known, The Unknown, Addiction and Alcoholism, Los Angeles, and Hand Sanitizer

Los Angeles, Orange County, and California residents face frightening unknowns brought by a new epidemic. The current number of COVID 19 cases remains relatively small though revelations brought by testing and an escalating transmission rate will likely dwarf today’s figures. We are distracted and wholly consumed by a new pandemic. 

Mitigating the spread of the virus is the only thing we can do. If we could only get that hand sanitizer, we’d know that we’re at least doing our part. 

By contrast to this new disease, we know alcoholism as the second leading cause of premature death and disability in Los Angeles County.

Some people are fortunate to awaken when their paths of destruction- addiction and/or alcoholism- descend faster than their personal standards. We act in ways that disgrace and shame even the deteriorating self. Coming to know and own our escalating losses, failures and corruption, we resolve to take new action and seek healing resources. Sources of help abound for achieving remission and recovery.

Without this reckoning and recovery, we find solace in knowing yet denying the severity of our risks as well-practiced addicts/ alcoholics. 

We choose the devil we know over the one we don’t. We’ll even choose the devil we know over the guardian angel we’ve long ignored and forgotten. 

Over five percent or 100,000 US deaths each year are attributed to alcohol misuse. Alcohol is involved in 38% (more than 16,000 fatalities) of fatal crashes.

The seventeenth leading cause of death and the fourth leading cause of accidental death among LA County residents have been drug overdoses.

Alcohol related illness accounted for 1,370 deaths and 27,424 hospitalizations in one year in LA County. Alcohol also causes bodily harm: DUI accidents, falls, suicide, poisonings, and occupational injuries. These harms cause 700 deaths and 27,530 injuries annually in Los Angeles.

The annual economic cost of alcohol use in Los Angeles County is $10.8 billion which includes:

 

  • Illness ($5.4 billion)
  • Traffic/ DUI Accidents ($2.0 billion)
  • Other Injury ($1.0 billion)
  • Crime ($2.4 billion)

 

16.2 percent of adults in Los Angeles County report binge drinking (5 or more drinks for men, 4 or more for women) on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. 3.3 percent of adults report heavy drinking (>60 drinks for men and >30 drinks for women in the previous month).

We obsessively focus on the COVID 19 disease we don’t know while we forget about the disease we know too well. Alcoholism and addiction are likely to cause more morbidity in the larger population than will COVID 19.

Recovery is available. 

Hand sanitizer is not.

http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/ha/reports/habriefs/v3i8_alcohol/alcohol.pdf

http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/sapc/FactSheet/AlcoholFactSheet.pdf