Treating Internet Addiction at Cottonwood de Tucson

Rose Hoban's article titled Internet Addiction: Latest Obsession brings up an interesting topic that is indeed emerging as a challenge for behavioral health professionals. In that article Hoban references Psychologist Louise Nadeau's statement that "addiction is marked by two phenomena...the first is that a person has a behavior he or she can't control", and the other being "that the behavior causes a series of problems in many spheres of your life." She continues that "You're having problems with your work, you're having problems with your social network, you're having problems also with your mental health."


I think a big contributor to Internet addiction is the advancement of technology. As technology advances computers are becoming more affordable for persons who 5 years ago would not have dreamed of having a computer in their home. If you remember the evolution of the television, 25 to 30 years ago families were fortunate to have just one in their home. However, as the prices of televisions have dropped tremendously from 25 year ago, today most homes have 2, 3, or more. The same is happening today with computers. As the prices have dropped, computers are gaining more of a presence in homes. Today, it is uncommon to not have a computer in your home and homes with kids often will have a computer in the child's room as well. So with the accessibility of computers increasing, Internet addiction is becoming more prevalent in society. The other draw to the Internet is that it offers immediate gratification. Rather it's gambling, shopping, pornography, or gaming just a click of the mouse and an addict can be engaged in their addiction.

While Hoban's article states Psychologist Louise Nadeau is doing more study to develop a standard of treatment for Internet addiction, I can add that flooding is not a treatment intervention I would recommend. Flooding is a therapeutic technique sometimes used by professionals where they "prescribe" the behavior with which the client is struggling. The idea is that the client will become overexposed to the behavior such that it no longer brings them pleasure and they stop. This technique would only feed the addiction and work to strengthen it, as noted in the article where the man spent 2 weeks in the airport's Internet cafe and never went on his vacation. With Internet addiction, I feel it is up to the professional to look at the need the behavior is meeting for the client, evaluate with the client the legitimacy of the need, and then seek an alternative behavior to meet the legitimate needs of the client. This is putting it in simple terms, but a lot of work would need to be done to extinguish the behavior associated with Internet addiction.


Eric Parrish
Clinical Director of Extended Care
Cottonwood de Tucson
4110 W. Sweetwater Drive
Tucson, AZ 85745
(800) 877-4520


http://www.cottonwooddetucson.com//

Keeping It Simple, Isn't So Simple

Keep life simple. These words echo throughout the recovery community. Paradoxically, when asked to contribute "simply" to a blog my mind went blank: I can address the theory and current research related to "keep life simple" but I have not been able to write a short blog using the advice. How can I possibly write something meaningful and at the same time simple? With this dilemma on my mind, I found myself in Borders, reading the thirtieth edition of "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser (2008). His main tenant is that "Good writing can occur anywhere." That includes blogs, I am sure. He says, "Millions of email messages every day give people the information they need to do their job, and a badly written message can do a lot of damage. So can a badly written Web site."

Keep writing simple without incurring damage. Damage is misinformation, or presenting my opinion as if it were a fact. Because of my position as a professional in mental health I have an ethical obligation to assure that others are not mislead about what is my opinion versus what is fact. When I write I use research and theory to meet my ethical obligations.

Keep life simple, isn't that simple. I watch patients going through family week at Cottonwood Tucson, who describe to their family members what they have learned that helps them to think differently. During their stay at Cottonwood they learn to respond to events in their lives in ways that are empowering. Being overwhelmed becomes information to patients that they need to simplify. They describe goals of allowing themselves to stay present and resist over thinking their experiences. When I first entered my profession I ran to the library each time something new came up. I was sure that there was a written answer about how to handle each situation. I practiced sitting quietly, acknowledged my urge to run to the library, and thought about what I knew and what I needed. Through that reflection answers emerged. It was simple. Old habits die hard, however, and 25 years later I still have times that I run to a library or bookstore, often to stimulate my thinking about what I know and what I need. This time, in front of me was William Zinsser, Yale Professor, classic writing advice for the past 30 years. Zinsser declared that the secret to good writing is simplicity. And writing is hard work. Is the secret to good living simplicity? Does it also follow that good living is hard work? Somehow the primary therapists at Cottonwood are teaching patients ways of keeping life simple. And I'm listening in during Family Weeks, hoping that keeping it simple can get easier.

Vicki Loyer-Carlson, Ph.D., LMFT
Family Program Counselor
Cottonwood de Tucson
4110 W. Sweetwater Drive
Tucson, AZ 85745
(800) 877-4520

http://www.cottonwooddetucson.com/

WHAT IS THE COST OF BALANCE ?

As I work with people everyday who are trying so desperately to find a balance between the mind and body, I realize that everything has a cost. The question remains, how much are you willing to pay? What are you paying for? Is there a payment plan for balance? Is there a loan I may take out for a healthy heart? Do I need a monthly mortgage for a healthy mind? May I put it all in escrow until I am completely balanced….mind, body and spirit?

The answer is yes. We all have our life plan in escrow with our Higher Power. In essence, we are all waiting to fulfill that escrow's deed so that we will have tangible evidence of our commitment. We have been rewarded by our Higher Power for our ability to stay strong, and take care of our body, mind and spirit. We may be late on a payment and ask for an extension, we may double up on a payment perhaps to reap the rewards quicker, or we may pay each payment on the exact date and time for consistency. At times we may even put our entire family up for collateral. The Higher Power will keep them until we surrender and claim their love and support.

How much is the cost for recovery and finding the balance between mind and body? I do not believe you can put a cost on a healthy body any more than you could a healthy mind. What I do know is that they go together and knowledge is power. We have all taxed our bodies at some point and had to pay it back with interest. We have all foreclosed on our mind at some point and had to pay it back with a lack of credibility. We have all deferred on our spirit and had to pay it back with indifference.

Cottonwood de Tucson embodies the relationship between the mind and body; giving you the tools needed to lower your interest rates on your body, regain your collateral of the heart and pay off your debts of the mind. Surrendering to your Higher Power will send you on that journey of collecting what is rightfully yours. You will become your own "Banker of Balance."

Deb Tobias ACE, CHEK Biomechanics
Therapeutic Fitness Consultant
Cottonwood de Tucson
520.743.2518

http://www.cottonwooddetucson.com/

Making Abstinence Work

I was reading an article writen by Marsha Rosenbaum and Jennifer Kern titled "Whether It's Drugs, Or Sex, Abstinence Only Education Simply Doesn't Work". I believe the article makes some good points about the need for prevention education based on science rather than "scare tactics" or morality. What the article is alluding to is "Harm Reduction", an approach that is found more frequently in treatment. The concern that I have is that not all adolescents fall into the category of "abusers" or "are experimenting."

There are a lot of kids out there who have passed the point of abuse and are addicted physically as well as psychologically. The drugs today are more potent. As opposed to the "stinkweed" in the sixties, the pot is now more potent and is causing psychosis and cognitive impairment. Some people cross the line into addiction and absolutely need to abstain. The key is how it is framed and presented. Mixing kids who have barely experimented with the kids who are using daily is as ineffective as the traditional abstinence only approach. I guess what I'm saying is that treatment has to be individualized and not be a cookie cutter approach.

Dan Stone, MSW, LCSW, LISAC, CT
Marketing Representative
Cottonwood de Tucson
4110 W. Sweetwater Drive
Tucson, AZ 85745
(800) 877-4520
http://www.cottonwoodrecovery.com/

Cottonwood Makes It Big in Hollywood

Well maybe not big, but our first cameo anyway...

Did anyone else catch the episode of Weeds a couple weeks back where (spoiler alert) Nancy is thinking about rehab and talking it over with a friend? The friend was telling her about some of the different places and he mentioned Cottonwood.

Is that when you know you have made it big time as a treatment center when you get mentioned in hit television shows? I got calls from some of my family members and people I work with in the treatment community wanting to know if I had seen it. I think a writer out in Hollywood had someone who knew someone who came here and decided to throw us a shout out.
I'm feeling so famous I thought as long as shows were handing out free endorsements, Paul on HBO's In Treatment could send a couple patients our way or maybe Dr. House from Fox's House could send one his tougher clients out. Not only are we a treatment center, but we also play one on T.V.

Hmmm...with all these good ideas, maybe I can tell the powers that be that I need a television in my office to track Cottonwood cameos. I have a wall perfect for a flat screen.

Jordan Emerson

Experiencing Our Wholeness: Mind-Body-Spirit

The Cottonwood Tucson Experiential Wellness Program serves patients by offering tools for self-care, enhancing their ability to move through life successfully. Patients learn to rely on their strengths; get their needs met; and use their natural abilities and preferences to facilitate their transformation. We are committed to patients experiencing self-respect, relaxation, energy, compassion and joy. Patients gain trust and confidence in their relationship to their inner guidance as mirrored through their relationships and communication with the staff. Patients learn how to distinguish between fear-based thinking and the Wisdom that guides them toward right action. Patients practice the tools learned through group participation by interacting with other patients in the Cottonwood community and staff. Our patients' main objective here at Cottonwood is to experience that changing their behaviors, communication and thinking in ways that support themselves and those around them, can bring love, happiness and success.

The Cottonwood Experiential Wellness Program is spiritually based. The foundation of what Cottonwood Tucson provides is the integration of body, mind and soul with utmost respect for each individual's strengths, needs, abilities and preferences. Health, happiness and peace are experienced as each person is able to be authentic and connected to Life, for the good of all.

Rami Katz is a Specialty Counselor at Cottonwood Tucson where she specializes in Mind, Body & Soul Integration, Yoga and Meditation Therapy, Energy Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Gestalt Therapy.