Addiction: Does Your Family Think You’re An Addict?

Family Addiction, Addict

We know. Maybe you’re not an addict. Maybe you’re going through a phase, or you had a rough month, or your situation looks worse than it is and when you try to explain, they just hear what they want to hear.

Here’s what we want you to know.

It’s not your family’s job to assign you that label. And it isn’t ours either. Our clinicians are trained to understand just how exactly what makes you tick makes you tick, but when all the chips are counted, there’s only one person whose opinion means anything. And that’s yours. We don’t say “Hi I’m John, and you’re an alcoholic.” It’s just not the way we operate.

So here’s what we want you to do. If your family is telling you that you have a problem, if they’re distancing themselves from you, or cutting you off financially, or cussing you out, cursing your name and generally showing you a discouraging lack of empathy, this is your assignment:

Empathize with them.

We know. It’s hard. It feels like they started it. But they’re scared. Of you, or for you, or both. And probably, on some level, you’re scared too.

However, if you can empathize with them, if you can show them compassion and listen to their concerns, you’ve already won a tremendous victory. And having won, maybe you’re ready for another fight. Maybe you’re ready to ask yourself if you’re an addict.

Or maybe you already know, and the next chapter of your story is waiting for you.

What defines you as an addict?

Addiction is a complex disorder that can be caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Addiction is characterized by compulsive use of a substance or behavior, despite harmful consequences to the individual or their loved ones.

There are many types of addiction, but what defines you as an addict is the inability to control your addiction despite its destructive consequences.

How Addiction can show up in your life.

Addiction is a serious mental health condition that can have a devastating impact on the addict’s life, as well as those around them. Addiction is a disease and it needs to be treated with care.

There are many ways to help and assist in someone’s recovery. Some people use medication like methadone or buprenorphine to help them withdraw from drugs. Others use behavioral therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing and contingency management to manage their addiction.

There is help.

Often times we can find ourselves feeling alone and disconnected from the world in our struggle. At Oak Forest Recovery we are dedicated to helping you build a sober community that you can continue to grow with.

If you need more information what what addiction may look like or how it may show up in you or a loved ones life, please check out our resource pages.

If you or a loved one suffers from addiction please give us at call at 1-888-597-6257 or visit Oak Forest Recovery.

For more resources available in your area feel free to reach out to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. You can also find more information about substance abuse on John Hopkins Medicine website.

How Addiction Can Change Your Personality

Addiction is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world. And yes, it is a disease, as it alters the way the brain and the body function – potentially even years after a person has stopped using drugs or alcohol. That’s why it’s important to notice the behavioral signs of addiction as early as possible.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), more than 23 million adults in the United States have struggled with problematic drug use. For this reason alone, it’s important to understand the underlying causes of addiction, its relationship to other psychiatric conditions and how to treat it most effectively. Repeated and regular substance abuse drastically alters your brain activity and tricks it into prioritizing drugs or alcohol over everything else. Because drugs or alcohol then consumes the brain, a person’s personality can change dramatically and may even cause mental health problems.

What Is Addiction?

Addiction is a strong compulsion to use substances despite the consequences of doing so. In most cases, it leads to behavioral changes as well as changes in personality. Speaking of which, let’s take a look at some personality changes you can expect to see in a person that is an addict.

Addiction Based Personality Changes

Common addiction-based personality changes include:

  • Abusiveness
  • Aggressiveness
  • Dishonesty
  • Fatigue
  • Forgetfulness
  • Impulsiveness
  • Laziness
  • Manipulation
  • Mood swings
  • Paranoia
  • Restlessness
  • Secrecy
  • Selfishness

Erratic or impulsive behaviors and negative changes in your personality as a result of addition often have the following devastating effects:

  • Social

Frequent mood swings; erratic behavior and poor anger management can cause relationships to deteriorate.

  • Professional

Loss of interest, apathy and an inability to focus can lead to termination from work or expulsion from school.

  • Legal

Aggression, impulsiveness and poor decision-making can lead to erratic behavior, unnecessary risks and unlawful behavior.

At Oak Forest Recovery, we understand treating a substance addiction isn’t just about eliminating access to drugs or alcohol. It’s also about diagnosing and treating the underlying psychological disorders or diseases. When a person is struggling with depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder they are more likely to misuse, or become dependent on, alcohol, medications or illicit drugs.

To learn more about how addiction changes your personality, contact Oak Forest Recovery at 1-888-597-6257 or submit the form below to begin your journey. We are dedicated to helping you find your path to recovery, and helping you each step of the way through individualized emotional, spiritual and physical healing.

Reference:

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drugs-brain

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Trauma Therapy Program

Structured / Transitional / Sober Living

Are you struggling with trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? Trauma can be an excruciating experience. If you’re in such a situation, seek a trauma therapy program to treat the condition. When you experience trauma, you may not know how to process it or start your healing journey. Although many people feel overwhelmed by such situations, the good news is that help is readily available in a Oak Forest Recovery rehab center. The relationship between trauma and addiction isn’t a typical connection we think about. However, it’s very likely for these two conditions to coincide in the same person. What is trauma? How do traumatic events relate to substance abuse and addiction?

Common Causes of Trauma

While many people can experience trauma, the events they consider to be traumatic can be different. A trauma could include an accident, sexual or physical abuse, or a devastating natural disaster. When a person experiences an extremely stressful event of this type, the negative feelings associated with the event can linger for years to come. Thus, the trauma can impact all areas of their life.

Trauma is a mental health condition that can result from experiencing excessive physical, emotional, or psychological stress. The stressing factor can be a single, repetitive, or ongoing event. An intensive single event trauma occurs when a one-time event becomes so devastating that your brain is unable to recover. Such circumstances include rape, horrible car accidents, robbery, mugging, natural disasters, and acts of terrorism. With professional help, a person’s traumatized mind can reconcile the sense of self with the trauma. Failure to seek prompt medical intervention interferes with your life since your brain will be stuck in the past due to the troubling traumatic memories. The trauma therapy program can help you understand your trauma, the connection between your present life and the traumatic event, and your inability to manage it. 

Insight Into Trauma and Addiction

Trauma and addiction often occur together in the same individual. There are three main factors relating to the ways that these two problems overlap.

Addiction can Lead to Trauma

In some cases, a person may already be struggling with addiction. The circumstances of their addiction can put them into situations where trauma may be more likely. For example, a person under the influence of addictive substances may be more likely to experience an abusive situation.

Previous Trauma Can Increase Risk of Addiction

In other cases, a traumatic event may occur first. The individual may have a hard time coping with the negative emotions that result from this trauma. As a direct consequence of trying to deal with the effects and feelings of the event, an individual may begin to abuse addictive substances.

Trauma Can Influence Addiction Recovery

Trauma also affects how a person responds to the treatment process. For the most part, rehab centers recognize that co-occurring disorder treatment is complicated. Most facilities place importance on treating both conditions as their separate entities. Each problem requires its treatment plan to cover all concerns associated with it adequately.

Finding the Best Rehab Center

If you have a loved one who is experiencing the harmful effects of trauma or addiction, it’s understandable to be overwhelmed, anxious, or frightened. Trauma and addiction can be isolating issues that can seem to shut you off from the rest of the world. Your loved one is likely experiencing a great deal of stress as well. Try to be sure they are aware of your love and concern on a regular basis.

Oak Forest Recovery is an addiction treatment facility that serves the Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, California. Oak Forest Recovery features many unique programs designed to target the complexities surrounding a dual-diagnosis. Their young adult rehab programs excel at getting to the heart of the issue for long-term success.

Don’t let trauma and addiction ruin your chances of living a full life. Call Oak Forest Recovery Center today at 1-888-597-6257 to learn about our facility and the services we offer. Find lasting recovery today.

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Addiction Recovery For Young Women

Drug abuse and addiction affect millions of young women every year. For this reason, The Oak Forest Recovery offers life-changing drug addiction and mental health treatment that promotes lasting change. With the support of our dually credentialed, substance abuse and mental health Master’s level clinical team, women can regain control of their lives and gain the confidence needed to succeed in sobriety. Addiction is a problem impacting millions of women of all ages and ethnicities in the United States. Unfortunately, many women put off treatment because of guilt and shame, cultural expectations, or family reasons.

Women and men respond to addiction (and treatment) in different ways. When women become mentally and physically dependent on a substance, they show earlier signs, face more severe symptoms, and deal with mental health complications more often than male counterparts. Designed to meet the unique emotional, psychological, medical, and social needs of participants, our Oak Forest Recovery rehab programs help adult women get their lives back on track.

Why young women face unique challenges

Studies indicate that women:

  • Progress from substance use to substance abuse more quickly than men, even when they are using less.
  • Struggle more with relapse than male clients.
  • Recover differently than their male counterparts.

While addiction to alcohol and other drugs is an equal opportunity disease, young women are affected differently than young men. Generally speaking, young women progress faster in addiction than young men, face different barriers in getting help, and recover differently.

The following is a list of common challenges young adults face, and how our program addresses each area.

Addressing Brain Development: The brain is still developing well into a young adult’s 20’s-and with late bloomers, beyond. Oak Forest Recovery Center clinicians are trained in brain development of young adults and their propensity for risky behavior and lack of reason.

Overcome the Consequences: Our clinicians will provide age-appropriate therapy that helps them understand their risk-taking behaviors with drugs and alcohol have dangerous, life-threatening consequences. Therapists teach them how to overcome the consequences of bad decisions of the past and look forward to the future.

Understand the Brain and Body: Young adults learn best through sensory experiences, action and visual engagement. We offer a wide range of therapeutic activities in purposeful spaces which are designed for the psychological and physical well-being of our young adult patients in recovery.

Succinct Teachings: Clinical content created for the Young Adult’s Program with handheld technology and the pace of information delivery, we work within the young adult’s attention span. Now they can focus on the work of recovery and learn the tools and skills necessary for continued sobriety without social intimidation or distraction.

Overcoming Anger and Shame: From day one in treatment, our clinicians are trained to establish trust and rapport with our patients. Our therapists are skilled at allowing young adults to feel comfortable in group therapy so they can identify and discuss their feelings without fear of appearing weak or ashamed. We counsel young adults to dig deep to identify their feelings and learn to react appropriately to those feelings in recovery. Issues with anger and shame frequently prevent recovery, our clinicians are trained to teach anger management skills and give young adults the tools to combat feelings of shame.

Understanding Trauma: Our therapists are trained in the types and patterns of trauma that a young adult battling substance use disorder might have experienced.

Treating Trauma: Our clinicians are highly skilled in integrating evidence-based practices combining time-tested and research-supported techniques from several scientific and psychological disciplines to meet the individual needs of our patients.

Recover Life: Our therapies enable a young adult to address his or her past and help the individual face their future with positivity and confidence.

Life-Long Relationships: Our Young Adult’s Program provides what frequently lacks in society for a young adult with substance use disorder: a sense of belonging. Young adults have a need to be a part of a group or fellowship. By bringing young adults together in an age-specific environment to address their specific physiological and psychological needs, they become part of an important group.

Friends Supporting Friends: We give patients the opportunity to feel they belong to a supportive community with a common goal of tackling addiction and beginning a life of meaningful and sustaining recovery.

Oak Forest Recovery Women’s Rehab Program

Social and community support is vital to a young adult’s success in recovery from substance addiction. Experience proves that building a strong support foundation now will help each individual launch into sustainable, long-term recovery. If you are a young person 18 to 30 years old who is struggling to find meaning in life beyond addiction, call 1-888-597-6257 to speak with an Oak Forest Recovery specialist.

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Can Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Treat Addiction?

Chris-Pickett-Behavioral-Technician-oak-forest-recovery-center

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapy approach that can be used to help treat substance use disorders. CBT is commonly used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, phobias, and other mental disorders, but it has also been shown to be valuable in treating alcoholism and drug addiction. This is especially true when it’s part of an overall program of recovery.

CBT helps people learn to better identify the negative and self-defeating thoughts and actions that can contribute to substance use. It is a short-term, focused therapeutic approach to helping drug-dependent people become abstinent.

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Life Changing Recovery for Individuals Struggling with Addiction & Alcoholism

RJ Elizarraz

Life Changing Recovery for Individuals Struggling with Addiction & Alcoholism. Both an all male and all female facility that is absolutely dedicated to the mission of lasting sobriety with all its clients.

Our Treatment Center and New House is open, Call and schedule a tour today!!

Oak Forest New House

You have the opportunity to live your greatest life yet, don’t give up, reach for something higher, something better.


Only with a solid foundation are we able to achieve Greatness.

Fishing with the Boys

Team Work makes the Dream Work

If you or a loved is struggling, call us today – we are here to help!!
1-888-597-6257

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Oak Forest Recovery is a structured sober living for men located in Southern California

sober living home

Oak Forest came to Mad Rose for help after the brand had been launched. The company had earned a reputation for strong ethics, consistent structure and a culture of compassion. The team at Mad Rose was struck by the good work that Oak Forest was dong in the community and voted to work pro bono on the account.

The goal of the campaign was to increase awareness beyond the local area in which the facility operated. A 4 minute “culture” video was produced for the web-site, YouTube & Vimeo. Its as promoted through the social channels and distributed directly to influencers through text.

Mad Rose also produced a series of “Impact Clips” (short, hard hitting video segments) that were posted regularly on Facebook & Instagram.

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Oak Forest Recovery in Agoura Hills, meet the Founder & Owner RJ Elizarraz

RJ Elizarraz

Oak Forest Recovery

Oak Forest Recovery in Agoura Hills, meet the Founder & Owner RJ Elizarraz

Interview with RJ Elizaraz where RJ discusses his personal experiences in recovery and how they have shaped his business, and the principles that guide him as a leader.

Describe your business

What differentiates us really is the fact that Oak Forest has a really incredible structure. The structure is entirely created out of my own recovery and those recoveries that I’ve seen and admire most. We have a brotherhood here, and it’s an all male facility. Were gender specific, which I think is also very important because it creates a really cool camaraderie and that camaraderie is all being facilitated in the high structure environment that we have created here. We get guys up at 5:30 am, which is early, but what we find is that when you’re around 15 other guys going through the same struggles, waking up at the same time and meeting in the kitchen to have breakfast together with not only myself, but also Gerry and Marcos, it’s not so much of a chore to wake up anymore. It becomes like a fun summer camp, where these guys are waking up on their own and having fun in the kitchen at 5am before the sun is even out yet. Then after breakfast we go to a 7am meeting and after the meeting, we head to the gym for about an hour and a half to two hours. The gym is mandatory. Sometimes you get push-back from guys the beginning, but there is a male camaraderie that happens and its only facilitated through these structured events that happen. Getting up in the morning, going to the meeting together, going to the gym together, training together, playing basketball together and doing fun things creates a male bond where these guys are pulling each other through the fears. We put a lot of care into making sure that the clients that do come here are getting the right treatment. What also makes us unique is that we have an entire network of intensive outpatient programs, psychiatrists, doctors and therapists so we can really cater to the needs of our clients. Not only are they getting these men into a routine here and getting male camaraderie, but we are also setting them up with the right resources that allow for the best recovery.

Oak Forest Recovery

What made you decide to open this business?

My recovery journey started when I was about 20. I turned 21 in my first rehab in Utah. I went to a 45-60 day in patient treatment center and then went to a all male sober living in Salt Lake City. I connected so well with the guys there. I got into going to the gym, I got into fitness, I got into healthy eating, and healthy habits. I felt a camaraderie and brotherhood that I had never experienced before. I stayed sober fro 4 years from that and then I relapsed. Following my relapse, I started a tour of several other treatment centers and rehabs. I wanted to recreate what I found in my first sobriety but make sure to add the principles of spirituality and the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. That is what I set out to strive to do and I think we achieved that.

What has surprised you most when owning a business?

I think the biggest surprise of running and owning a business has been the deep relationships that are created with the people I work with. One of the most important things to me is that anyone that I work with or that works for me feels like family. I didn’t expect it to be to the level that I have now found in running and owning a business, but the guys that work with me, I would lay my life on the line for. I think a business is only as good as the relationships that are created in it.

What is something most people don’t know about the business?

My life is totally transparent to everyone that is here. People don’t really understand the depth of that until they live here. There is noting in my life that is secret. It has created such an incredible wellspring of trust and relationship building. These guys can track where I am 24/7. They know every move I make whether I’m here, not here, where I go, who I see. They know everything. Its cool because it allows me to expect from them, the same level of transparency that I give to them. I am leading by example.

What are your goals over the next year?

Right now we’re an all men’s house, I would love to see a women’s house open or a second men’s house open. What we’re really good at here is the high structure, family environment. I want to recreate that for women and expand my capacity for men. I always want to use our local community for resources as far as therapists, doctors and psychiatrists and I plan to continue utilizing our outreach for our expansion moving forward.

How long have you lived in the neighborhood?

I was born in Los Robles Hospital. I grew up all over the Conejo Valley, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Agoura and Newbury Park, but mainly in Westlake Village.
I had the unique opportunity of going to Westlake High School, Oak Park High School and Newbury Park High School. I can definitely say I loved my experience at all 3 schools.

What do you love most about the neighborhood?

I started a business here because I love this area. Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, the entire Conejo Valley – it’s one of the most incredible places to raise a family and raise kids. I grew up my entire life living in Westlake. I grew up my whole life in Westlake. I was a little kid running the street in Westlake and not once did I ever feel worried or scared. I never want to leave, I want my kids to grow up here.

What do you want to see improve the most in this neighborhood?

I would love to see more things for young kids to do in the later evenings. With the recent open of Dave and Busters in our area, everyone seems to be going there and loving it. I haven’t been there yet, but it’s just nice to see something that these young people are getting excited about.

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had working with a customer?

There was a kid who came into Oak Forest and he was 20. He celebrated his 21st birthday here. He had never had a license, he had never worked a job in his life, he never paid bills and he had never had a normal life. Today is a year and a half later. He has a license, he bought his own car, him and his family are a part of my family now, his family fully trusts him. He also has a full time job working in treatment and getting paid about 20/hour and fully supports himself in only a year and a half. He is someone that will be part of my life forever and these are the experiences that are priceless.

Anything exciting going on that customers should know about?

Oak Forest is continuing to grow. We are looking for another house and are hopefully going to expand our capacity and offer services like this for women in the future.
I also started a media company called Mad Rose media which is a full production business. We do video production and high end content creation for corporate business needs.