Substance abuse is a treatable disease.
The most successful clients are treated in substance abuse treatment facilities. Treatment facilities are designed to help addicted individuals reduce and stop compulsive drug seeking and drug use.
Because addiction is chronic, treatment has to occur in many different settings, ranging from short to long term. Treatment is vital because long-term drug or alcohol usage can cause irreversible brain damage and create limited brain function. In turn, these reduce a person’s quality of life.
Along with treatment, other supportive components should be provided to assist with some form of relapse prevention augmented with wraparound services, which increase a person’s ability to sustain recovery.
Recovery House of Central Florida, Inc., can assist with treatment by providing the two main settings for treatment over the course of several months: individual and group-level therapy.
Recovery and therapy are important to address the individual’s needs properly. One size does not fit all. Different clients will need a different approach.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapies
Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) are effective and are used in treatment centers throughout the world. CBT is a therapy that works with clients in an effort to address the client’s knowledge and addictive behaviors and the root causes of addiction. The therapist seeks to engage the client to create self-awareness and increase knowledge to address underlying trauma and behaviors that may lead to unwanted problems and the consequences that accompany the pattern of thinking. Outcomes from this process are to help clients adapt and adjust behaviors by developing vital tools to assist with coping and healing patterns that create barriers to recovery
Recovery House and the Matrix Model
The matrix model supports clients who are in the recovery process from substance abuse and works with several components to sustain recovery. The matrix model is called matrix due to its components that are taken from other therapies that support cognitive development, motivation development, family counseling, and behavior change. It is usually in a group setting that supports the method of the counselor becoming more like a coach, more so than the traditional therapist.
Motivational Therapy: Another Method Used by Recovery House of Central Florida Inc.
Motivational interviewing is a counseling approach that supports therapy. It helps clients to search and resolve feelings and issues that may create doubt or denial about counseling. It motivates clients to understand and seek to change their behavior. Instead of teaching clients about behavior change, it centers on motivating clients to change from the inside.
There have been many federal organizations and treatment centers that have collected treatment data, revealing the successful impact of substance abuse treatment facilities. This information has revealed that cognitive-behavioral and motivational therapies are the most effective methods of treating substance addiction, especially when combined with faith. based component. Recovery House of Central Florida is a strong supporter of this process, and for this reason, behavior therapy is one of the prime methods of our recovery program.
Alcohol Addiction Treatment in Sanford, Florida
Does someone you love struggle with alcohol addiction? Recovery House of Central Florida provides support and therapy for alcoholism. Alcohol is one of the most misunderstood addictions for most users. In most cases, it is subtle and a slow process. It makes it hard for users to understand the verbiage that accompanies this addiction. The initial onset for most users is confused with language that speaks of having self-control, such as “don’t drink too much” or “drink responsibly.”
Alcohol is more acceptable; it may not impact most users until their world begins to fall apart. The greatest impact comes from losing families, jobs, homes, and life, and other things of importance. The abuse of alcohol changes a person’s ability to function at the level needed to properly manage those things of importance. Social drinkers or those who drink mildly often can quit on their own. Those who are addicted need support and professional help to overcome their disease of alcoholism.
It was traditionally thought that alcoholism was part of a person’s behavior, received as a trait passed down from parent to child. This way of thinking created many concerns because people did not have a solution for addiction that was destroying the lives of many. Over time, more data, information, and science have proved that addiction largely comes from life patterns called risk factors, which are labeled below.
Family History
Family history is defined as having inherited traits from a family member, such as a mother or father. The common traits, such as hair and eye color, were common. Eventually, some areas of science believed that the disease that causes alcoholism was also a trait and could be passed on to a child. The diagnoses increased or made the offspring or child susceptible to risk factors that contributed to alcoholism, even though the child had never had a drink. This is the genetic theory of hereditary traits of alcoholism. Family history and the genetic component do play a role in addiction, but it must be accompanied by the behavior that supports the usage leading to addiction.
Mental Health Disorder
A mental health disorder and a substance use disorder may be defined as a co-occurring disorder. This means the client or person may be dealing with two disorders at the same time. It may be that a person has had a mental disorder before developing an alcohol or substance use disorder. Many persons suffering from a mental disorder at an early age may not be diagnosed and thus begin to self-medicate the disorder by alcohol usage and substance use, which compounds his or her mental disorder.
Experience of Trauma and/or Stress
Trauma plays a large part in substance use. Any person suffering from a traumatic situation, such as a death, severe car accident, sexual abuse, loss of a child, parent, or high levels of stress, is at risk for drinking beyond normal conditions using a substance or developing the misuse of alcohol. Trauma, in most cases, is the doorway to (SUD) substance use disorder/alcoholism because of the calming, escaping effect of both.
Lack of Family Supervision/Involvement
It is documented that usage in many adults is diagnosed with substance use disorder. Alcoholics have been using gateway drugs since they were teenagers. The lack of supervision and the ease of access to alcohol and recreational drugs, such as marijuana, have promoted drug addiction.
Other Factors
Other factors contribute to and increase a person’s risk factors and outcomes related to substance or alcohol use disorder. In the American culture, substance use and alcohol use are used in many ways that may contribute to the risk of addiction in our society.
Our society makes drinking a controlled but desired interest for the young. It is sometimes displayed as a rite of passage. The outcome produces a social and peer-related desire to welcome drinking and recreational usage that deceptively promotes a false perception of adulthood.
The second issue contributing to the rise of addiction and substance use is entertainment and fun. Young adults start using recreational drugs and alcohol to have fun. A learned behavior with ever-increasing use, which leads to addiction. These risk factors can all interact in ways that are not well understood.
Addiction cannot be defined or narrowed down to one particular risk factor or genetic trait. It is a combination of personal decisions influenced by internal and external influencers, which place a person in a vulnerable position of susceptibility and risk for addiction. The environment, personal relationships, genetics, and learned and practiced behaviors are the components of addiction. All of these things must be considered when treating addiction in any form.
At Recovery House of Central Florida, Inc., we seek to restore your relationship with our family, and your friends. Recovery is a journey and no one should have to do it alone. Take the first step, give us a call or fill out the form below. We are 100% confidential and support individualized care.
Director of Marketing and Community Relations
Finance Director
Executive Director
Edward Carr has served as the Executive Director of Recovery House of Central Florida, Inc. since 2024. Prior to that, he held several important roles over the past ten years. One notable role was as a client of Recovery House, entering the program in 2015. Edward has earned a master’s degree in social work and is a Master Certified Addiction Professional through the Florida Certification Board. He is also a Registered Clinical Social Work intern with the Florida Department of Health Division of Quality Assurance. Edward honorably served in the United States Air Force and in law enforcement.
Edward is leading the organization with a focus on strategic growth and innovation. Under his leadership, Recovery House continues to expand its mission serving Central Florida, providing a safe and supportive environment for individuals experiencing homelessness, mental health issues, and substance use disorders. Having experienced many of the issues the clients have, Edward has developed a personal affinity for the needs of the population he serves.
Clinical Director
Throughout her career, Dr. Thomas has held several senior leadership roles, including Senior Vice President of Continuous Quality Improvement for One Hope United, National Director of Mental Health Services for AMIkids, and Executive Director for Children’s Home Society of Tampa.
She currently serves as the Clinical Director for Recovery House of Central Florida, Inc., where she oversees clinical programming and ensures the delivery of high‑quality, evidence‑informed care.