Arcadia Wellness Provides Innovative Treatments For Substance Abuse

As the nature of addiction changes, so have the ways professionals go about treating it - Arcadia Wellness has stayed one step ahead since they opened their doors in January by becoming the only treatment center around Somerset County to integrate dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in to their addiction program.

DBT is a therapeutic program focused on teaching patients positive behavior patterns and coping skills in place of the desire to turn to unhealthy habits, such as substance abuse, when in they are facing crisis mode.

“It tries to take the shame and the guilt out of relapse and looks at it more as a learning experience,” Arcadia’s Program Director Carly Decottis said. “Looking back when you relapsed at this point in the day and what factors played a part in it.”

Patients work on their recovery by addressing the issues of stress, triggers, relapse, and the feelings of not want to participate in treatment from day one.  

Arcadia also takes the educational component of substance abuse and recovery very seriously. They strive to give those struggling with addiction the ability to understand where their addictive behaviors may have derived and an overall knowledge of substance abuse statistics and facts – especially in the wake of New Jersey’s heroin epidemic.

“A lot of times people are not starting with heroin, they are starting with pain pills and it’s leading to heroin,” DeCotiis said. “So, the idea of the heroin user is changing,”

She says the progression from prescription opioids to heroin typically stems from the inability to keep up with the cost of the pills, heroin being the cheaper alternative. 

They’ve even taken their focus on accommodating the changing faces of addiction one step further by introducing a recovery program that is specifically designed for working professionals. 

“Its more education based where we are really going over the addiction process and we are really going over different ways of coping with stressors in the work place,” she said. “Also balancing the demands of home life and work which sometimes plays a big part in way people become addicted.” 

The wellness center offers both inpatient and outpatient options to accommodate those who may not be able to take the time off of work or away from family and schedules are designed to allow patients to, for example, take business calls in between group work or therapy.

The family component of recovery is also addressed at Arcadia.

 “It’s very important because in order for patients to stay sober they need support,” DeCotiis said.

They provided education and support for family members, who inevitably become a part of the addiction and recovery process as well, giving them the tools to understand the social side effects of substance abuse and work with their loved ones in the recovery process.

 “It’s not a malicious thing or something done purposely to harm them,” she explained. “It’s their way of coping - it’s obviously ineffective, but that’s how they are managing things.”

Click here to find out more about the programs offered at Arcadia Wellness.