Overcoming Addictive Disorders

By Bob Cox

Among all the addictions that Americans suffer from, the two that are the most prevalent and destructive continue to be drugs and alcohol. Approximately 22 million Americans have either abused or were dependent on drugs, alcohol or both according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Tragically, over 94 percent of people with substance use disorders said they did not believe they needed treatment.

For those that acknowledge the problem and seek help, there is evidence that approximately 90 percent of alcoholics are likely to experience at least one relapse over a four year period following treatment. Similar relapse rates for alcohol, nicotine and heroin addiction suggest that the relapse mechanism for many addictive disorders may share common biochemical and behavioral characteristics.

Fortunately, there is help right here in our community for people that are negatively impacted by either drugs or alcohol. Janina Guarino is the founder of Better Decisions Counseling Services and they have had amazing results helping their clients that are committed to beating their addiction permanently. To date, over 95% of the clients they have counseled continue to stay on the path of sobriety.

I spoke with Janina and Program Manager Alex Noriega the other day to learn what they’re doing to help their clients conquer their addictions and lead healthy and happy lives.

Q: Why do you have such a high rate of success helping your clients stay clean and sober?

A: Both Alex and I struggled with addiction early in life, so we completely empathize with our clients and understand the depths of their despair. We also know the commitment it takes to beat addiction and our clients trust and respect our counseling because of this. When it comes to treatment, we customize each plan around the needs of the individual, because everyone is unique. We do not believe that a cookie cutter program is the answer for everyone.

Q: What is the most common addiction you treat?

A: (Janina) Prescription drugs and that includes all age groups, from adolescents to seniors.

Q: Why do you believe that prescription drugs are being abused?

A: (Alex) Prescription drugs are easy to get. Many adolescents may think, “Hey, I don’t have any money, but look what my mom has in her medicine cabinet!” (Janina) Also, many seniors are struggling financially, so they often feel pressured to sell some of their prescription drugs to subsidize their income.

Q: Have you found that prescription drugs are being combined with alcohol by more people?

A: (Alex) Yes, alcohol is a very common addiction. When combined with prescription drugs, alcohol raises the level of potency of the prescription drugs.

Q: Are prescription drugs and alcohol the two most common substances for addiction?

A: (Alex) Yes, especially for young adults and the elderly. The age group in the middle is more likely to abuse both prescription drugs and illegal drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine and heroin. (Janina) The hardest drugs to remove from your system are the opiates that are being prescribed by many doctors for pain; drugs like vicodin, oxycontin and norco. (Alex) Dentists are also prescribing those drugs to help reduce pain.

Q: Can people addicted to opiates go cold turkey or do they need to gradually step down?

A: (Janina) They need to step down slowly and safely. We refer them to a doctor to help them safely step down and give them education on the hope that there is for a full and complete recovery.

Q: Is the younger generation abusing prescription drugs to party and get high with?

A: (Janina) Yes. They now have salads where they’ll put a variety of prescription drugs in a bowl at a party and they just grab a handful and take them. (Alex) And do you know where they get them from? Their parent’s medicine cabinets!

Q: Have you worked with many adolescents that have become addicted to drugs like adderall to study and focus better?

A: (Janina) We haven’t seen a lot of that, but some people will self medicate with those kinds of drugs when there’s the possibility of having ADHD. We have found that drugs like adderall don’t usually get them high; they just level them off and help them feel normal. They need to go back to their doctor and get a different type of medication for balancing out their neurotransmitters. (Alex) Some people that have ADHD will use methamphetamines because it actually calms them down. Back in our younger days, doctors prescribed ritalin to slow hyperactive kids down.

Q: Are seniors primarily taking prescription drugs to escape pain?

A: (Janina) Absolutely, and at some point, they may continue to take the medication out of habit, even when’s there’s no pain signal. (Alex) It’s not just physical pain. Depression is also very common among the elderly.

Q: Better Decisions Counseling Services provides a wide variety of counseling services to help people that are determined to overcome their addiction. What types of counseling services do you provide?

A: (Janina) Along with drug and alcohol counseling, we offer a wide variety of services, such as family counseling, PTSD counseling, co-parenting education, relapse prevention, assertiveness training, self esteem classes, life and social skills workshops, anger management courses and even drug testing.

Q: On May 9, you will be hosting a drug free community event called Sober Saturday. Please tell us what’s happening at this event?

A: (Janina) It’s a drug free community event with lots of great resources and fun activities for the whole family. Sadly, many people addicted to drugs or alcohol burn a lot of bridges. We are planning to help them re-establish those bridges in a healthy way at Sober Saturday. We’re planning to have music, a jump house and a petting zoo for the kids, a big car show and delicious barbeque ribs! We’ll have multiple barbeque smokers cooking ribs and have a grand prize for the best ribs.

Q: Do you offer financial assistance for people that are unable to afford the counseling you offer?

A: (Alex) Yes, the proceeds and donations we receive from the community at Sober Saturday and beyond will go towards scholarships to assist those who need the help. With a combination of counseling and a vast network of community resources, we can transform lives. We will do this by helping our clients cultivate positive work habits and healthy activities.

Editor’s notes: For more information about Better Decisions Counseling Services, visit their website at www.betterdecisionsinc.org, stop by their office at 10366 Rockingham Drive in Sacramento or call (916) 368-0700.

SOBER SATURDAY: A DRUG FREE COMMUNITY EVENT

When: Saturday, May 9^th, 11am-4pm

Where: 10366 Rockingham Dr., Sacramento, CA 95827

Call (916) 368-0700 for more information.

Conquering Addiction

Better Decisions Start with Better Decisions

By Bob Cox

Janina and Alex grew up on the wrong side of the tracks during the wild and crazy 1970's, with an unhealthy supply of drugs, alcohol and never ending parties. Janina’s parents were both alcoholics while two of her three siblings struggled with drug addiction. The one rule in Janina’s house was there were no rules. So, she did what many teenagers do when they are left to their own devices; she ran around with troubled kids like Alex.

Alex came from a broken family (divorce) and he spiraled downward into a lifestyle of trouble. He grew up in a neighborhood that was infested with gangs, crime and drugs. The gang leaders were the only role models in his neighborhood and Alex, like most of the kids he grew up with, looked up to them. He admired their power, their wealth and the respect they commanded. It took several years in prison for Alex to receive a much needed wake up call, which he fortunately answered. That’s when he chose to make better decisions and completely turned his life around.

Janina also struggled as a young adult to find peace and happiness. One day, while she was going through her second divorce, she decided to make better decisions as well, which completely transformed her life. She decided to go into a field that she loved and wanted to be more involved in. She was determined to open up an alcohol and drug counseling facility immediately after she retired.

More than three decades passed since the two friends had seen one another when their paths would cross once again. This time, the friendship would blossom in a healthy and toxic-free environment. Janina found out from a friend that Alex had embraced a positive based lifestyle and had gone on to become a respected drug and alcohol counselor. She was excited to hear the good news, especially after all the self destructive years they once shared. Today, they embrace the same passion for helping others conquer addiction. When she asked Alex if he would be interested in working with her, he said “Yes, absolutely!”

I had the privilege to sit down with Janina Guarino and Alex Noriega the other day to learn more about the company that Janina has started here in Rancho Cordova called Better Decisions Counseling Services. I walked away completely uplifted by their resilience to overcome so many obstacles and inspired by their passion to help others that have suffered from similar upbringings. Here’s how our conversation went.

Q: What is Better Decisions Counseling Services?

A: (Janina) Better Decisions is a new alcohol and substance rehabilitation services agency. We offer a wide variety of quality counseling services that go beyond drug and alcohol addiction, such as anger management, co-parenting education, self esteem classes and more. With our unique experiences of being brought up around drug and alcohol addiction, we have genuine empathy and understand the despair our clients feel when they hit rock bottom. Alex and I have been there, so we know what it feels like to lose hope. Fortunately, we both decided to make better decisions and completely turned our lives around. We chose to replace our unhealthy addictions with healthy addictions that have added more joy in our lives and the lives of the people we love. We’ve taken those real life experiences as well as the formal education to assemble a variety of tools to help empower people, so they can be free from unhealthy addictions and progress in life.

Q: How exactly does Better Decisions assist people with negative addictions?

A: (Janina) Once a person has gone through a successful detox program, they need a comprehensive support system and that’s where we come in. We provide people with the education they need to integrate into society and achieve personal and professional success. We don’t have a cookie cutter program, because each person is unique. If someone has certain issues in their life, we address those issues specifically. We teach life skills and social skills to help our clients gain employment. (Alex) We teach our clients the basics, like writing a professional resume, doing mock interviews and offering tips on how to dress for the occasion. (Janina) We’re also assisting people who are going through divorce by providing anger management and parenting courses, which are sometimes required by a court of law when dealing with child custody issues. We even have family and marriage therapy, life coaching and sober companionship.

Q: Are there any other services that Better Decisions provides that are not currently available in the greater Sacramento area?

A: (Janina) Yes, we’re now offering drug testing after 5pm. We’re available from 10am to 8:30pm. The majority of drug testing centers in the area close by 5pm. We also provide Saturday counseling by appointment. (Alex) By staying open after 5pm, we’re trying to accommodate the working class people that need the service but can only come after work.

Q: What’s been your impact on helping families who have someone suffering from an unhealthy addiction?

A: (Janina) It’s been amazing! We’re bringing families together by offering formal counseling for every member of the family. Many family services located throughout Sacramento only treat the individual and exclude the family. We understand that the whole family is greatly impacted when a member has an unhealthy addiction. I was raised in a family with alcoholism and drug addiction, so I know what that’s like. Every member of our family suffered. Had those services been available to me back then, I may have made the decision to seek help a lot sooner.

Q: You mentioned something earlier about adding healthy addictions. What’s that all about?

(Alex) When most people think of addiction, they associate it with all the negative ones. But there are also positive addictions that you can use to fill the hole that’s left when a person removes a negative addiction. (Janina) We try to find out what healthy hobbies our clients once enjoyed and then build on that. Let’s say you used to play in a band and then you got into drugs and had to stop everything because your lifestyle became self destructive. We want to help you remember your first love (music) before the drugs were introduced. We encourage our clients to remember those things that brought them joy so that that they can bring that back into their life, minus the unhealthy addictions.

Q: Can you tell us about your popular women’s support group?

(Alex) Yes, Janina offers a support group for women, which helps build self esteem and is very motivational. (Janina) We have found that women don’t have a lot of support systems available here in the Sacramento area and women need to support each other. We want them to feel comfortable with this masculine disease of addiction. When a woman is in an addictive mindset, she is more apt to solicit the company of a male figure and fall into an unhealthy relationship. By having a women’s support group, we’re finding that it’s okay not to have what I call a better than nothing around, which is a male figure that’s not good for you. Women can now come to the support system and talk it out. You may need other people to talk to about certain things or a place where you can vent and hear somebody else’s perspective. You don’t have to be in a romantic relationship to feel loved and understood. A plutonic relationship is often more healthy.

Q: What are the future goals of Better Decisions?

A: (Janina) Today, we’re an intensive outpatient program, but we plan to have a residential facility in the near future. We’re incorporating the mental health services with substance abuse for the better of the community. (Alex) We’re looking to open a Sober Living Environment (SLE), which offers even more intensive outpatient assistance. We just want to touch the whole community in a positive way. We won’t turn anybody down, everybody is welcome. You have to show up to make a better decision.

Editor’s notes: Janina Guarino is the founder of Better Decisions Counseling Services in Rancho Cordova. She is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (C.A.D.C. II). Alex Noriega is the general manager for Better Decisions Counseling Services. He is also a Certified Addiction Specialist (C.A.S. I). For more information about Better Decisions Counseling Services, call (916) 368-0700, visit their website www.betterdecisionsinc.org or stop by their office at 10366 Rockingham Drive in Rancho Cordova. Donations are always welcome.