Every day, Ithaca and neighboring communities throughout Tompkins County face head-on the addiction “epidemic” that has spread across the country. Substance abuse leaves no one untouched in any village, town, city or other community. It directly or indirectly touches people from every walk of life. Although individuals with specific demographics are more likely to become addicts, anyone of any background can struggle with substance abuse, either as an addict or the person who cares for or loves them.
These reasons and so many more are why you or someone you love should seek the help of a professional intervention specialist at a reliable, top drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Many people dealing with addiction can’t stop permanently without professional help. Even if they manage to quit without help, they’re highly likely to experience a relapse.
Their caregivers and loved ones also can’t force them to stop or prevent them from returning to their addiction or addictions. They require the help of a professional who can craft a personalized plan to meet their treatment needs. They need someone on their side who knows the top techniques proven to help a person in recovery regain and maintain control over their situation and live a much-improved life.
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The Growing Need for Rehab in Ithaca
According to the Tompkins County official “Opioid Use and Resources” website (https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/health/opioids#stats), 28 people experienced drug-related deaths in the county in 2022, which was the highest number of these types of deaths in the last several years. Today, approximately 9,000 county residents are experiencing some form of drug addiction. In spring 2023, the county saw a higher-than-normal number of overdose and poisoning calls to emergency services. Excessive drinking and alcoholism are additional severe problems among the county’s residents.
Per the 2019 “Community Health Assessment 2019-2024 – Community Health Improvement Plan 2019-2021″ (https://tompkinscountyny.gov/files2/health/cha-chip/2019-2024_CHA-CHIP-Tompkins_S1-5.pdf), by the Tompkins County Health Department and Cayuga Medical Center, nearly 30% of the total number of people living in the county, approximately 31,200 out of 104,000 on average, reside in Ithaca. The only way to understand the growing need in the city is to break down the health and socioeconomic impact of unchecked substance abuse on a person and the people around them.
Although addiction is treatable, it impacts an addict and sometimes their community on biological, mental, social, economical and spiritual levels. Abused substances undermine a person’s immune system and make them more susceptible to diseases that spread through the air, body fluids and other ways. These substances can cause severe organ damage or shutdown in addition to acne, cognitive decline, mental instability, loss of hair and teeth, muscle wasting or weight gain, nausea, rashes, severe headaches, bone and joint pain, and cancer. Those dealing with untreated addiction often place a strain on economic, equipment and personnel resources in urgent care centers and hospital ERs.
Addiction can lead to job reduction or loss and homelessness, which can place a strain on community public funds and resources. It can damage the brand or reputation of a person or business. An addict who can’t meet deadlines, keep promises, or maintain relationships loses professional and non-professional support systems, family members, friends, coworkers and others. Some addicts and recovering addicts who lack support eventually commit self-harm or violence against others.
Types of Rehab Centers Near Ithaca
1. Inpatient Facilities:
An inpatient facility offers organized and structured care that focuses on removing an addict entirely from any environment or people negatively influencing them and hindering their rehabilitation. This type of facility works best for those who need intensive treatment and a readily available care team. The facility might include communal spaces and activities or places dedicated to seclusion and reflection. Patients typically stay in a residential treatment facility for at least 30 days.
2. Outpatient Programs:
An outpatient program provides a flexible schedule option that allows a person in recovery to continue to live at home, work and socialize while receiving treatment. Rehabilitation plans are personalized and structured, but the patient doesn’t have the round-the-clock care some need to prevent a relapse. Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs), including flexible evening therapy programs, exist and work best for people dealing with mild-to-moderate addictions or a need for long-term therapy.
3. Partial Hospitalization:
Partial hospitalization programs usually require a longer time investment each week than outpatient programs. PHPs are best for people who need schedule flexibility and access to inpatient-style residential care, such as those who have completed a hospital or an inpatient facility stay or fear a relapse after exploring outpatient options. A patient might remain in the hospital all day and return home at night. Benefits include one-on-one and group therapy, family meetings with professionals, diagnostic tests, unrelated medical evaluations, employment services and ongoing case and medication management.
4. Sober Living:
Sober living homes and centers focus on providing a caring support framework and benefit those in recovery who need a supportive home environment or local social network. Patients benefit from coaching to help them maintain sobriety and companionship from someone who understands their struggle and can offer advice and direction. These facilities provide on-site and off-site sober transportation assistance for patients traveling locally or long distance, such as appointment scheduling, driving services and medication monitoring.
5. Detox Centers:
A detox facility provides critical medical supervision during withdrawal. These centers offer inpatient, outpatient or mixed services while an addict experiences physical and mental struggles associated with stopping the cycle of addiction. Trained professionals create a custom treatment plan. Basic plans typically include individual and group therapies with and without medications designed to help a person taper off one or more substances and better handle withdrawal symptoms.
6. Specialized Programs:
Many facilities offer standalone or mixed specialized programs for teens, members of the LBGT+ community, current service members, veterans, people of color, people with disabilities, and women. These programs might focus on alternative, holistic, faith-based or 12-step treatments and support. Some centers offer dual-diagnosis assistance for patients dealing with addiction and mental-health or chronic illnesses. Patients in recovery often lean on support from specialized programs to help them manage long-term.
Commonly Used Treatment Modalities
The treatments or therapies planned for a patient depend entirely on the purpose of the rehab facility and the needs of their clients. In Ithaca, a person in recovery typically receives some combination of mental, physical and other treatment recommendations:
- Behavioral Therapy: This category includes cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavioral or “talk,” and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) therapies designed to treat the underlying influencers on behavior. Patients learn to recognize, control and avoid adverse behaviors.
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT): This therapy focuses on the use of prescription medications and proven protocols to help a patient more easily handle withdrawal and deal with dual-diagnosis conditions. The types of prescribed drugs depend on the substance and level of abuse.
- Holistic Approaches: This category focuses on mind-body and whole-health treatments. Therapies include acupuncture, animal contact, biofeedback, breathwork, cold therapy, hydrotherapy, massage therapy, meditation, natural medicines, nutritional therapy, physical fitness or therapy, pursuit of the arts and hobbies, sound therapy and yoga.
- Individual, Group and Family Therapies: People often become addicted to alcohol and other drugs because they lack social support systems at home and in their communities. These treatments focus on improving more than the individual. Patients can also improve their home or family life and expand positive social ties and community, emotional, medical and other support systems.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Rehab Center Near Ithaca
Before choosing a rehabilitation center, an addict or their loved one need to consider the many factors that can positively or negatively impact treatment success. An Ithaca or neighboring resident must think about a facility’s proximity to their residence, school or work. They must also review its services and reputation. A patient needs to always ask for proof of industry, local, state, and federal certifications and qualifications. They also need to consider their personal treatment requirements and costs. They might receive financial aid or insurance coverage, but their research might reveal unexpected out-of-network or other expenses.
Aftercare and Continued Sobriety Support
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/treatment-recovery), approximately 40% to 60% of all former addicts relapse during their lifetimes. Given these percentages, it’s critical that patients receive ongoing support post-rehabilitation to maintain their sobriety. Many recovering addicts need continued care from friends and family, when available, support groups, members of the community, sober living homes and other resources.
Conclusion
When faced with one or more addictions, a person must have strong support systems filled with caring and understanding people who can help them find and enact the best solutions to match their unique needs. Without professional rehabilitative support, they’re likely to enter a dangerous cycle in which they attempt to stop on their own, relapse after a relatively short period of time, obsessively lean on and believe negative self-talk, lose hope and motivation, and experience increased or severe socioeconomic problems.
At Long Island Interventions, we encourage you or someone you know to take that first step toward a healthier, sober life. We provide a wide range of rehabilitation and sober transportation services. If you or a loved one require any services that Long Island Interventions doesn’t offer, we can refer you to a trusted affiliate provider. Call our confidential helpline today at (631) 887-3234 to learn more.
Resources and Contacts
We know you want to pick the best rehab center based on location, treatment services, professionalism, staff experience and costs. Although we feel strongly that our caring helpline and other team members can address your needs, we recognize that you might want to compare regional programs before making a final decision. Additionally, you might want to start your journey by seeking other forms of assistance.
1. The most notable rehab centers near Ithaca, in addition to our own:
- Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services
334 W. State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850
(607) 273-5500 - Tully Hill Treatment and Recovery
5821 Route 80, Tully, New York, 13159
(315) 696-6114 - Fairview Recovery Services and Alcoholism Crisis Center
247 Court Street, Binghamton, New York, 13901
(607) 722-4080 - Helio Health: Willows Inpatient Rehabilitation
847 James Street #110, Syracuse, New York, 13203
(315) 492-1184 - Crouse Hospital Commonwealth Place Residential Program
6010 East Molloy Road, Syracuse, New York, 13211
(315) 434-2470
2. Helplines and other resources:
- Alcohol & Drug Council of Tompkins County
https://alcoholdrugcouncil.org/
(607) 274-6280 - Life Stages Counseling
https://lifestagescounseling.org/
(607) 256-4422 - The Mental Health Association in Tompkins County
http://www.mhaedu.org/
(607) 273-9250 - SAMHSA’s National National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Hotline
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline)
(800) 662-HELP (4357) - 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
https://988lifeline.org/
988 - National Domestic Violence Hotline
https://www.thehotline.org/
(800) 799-SAFE (7233) - National Coalition for the Homeless
https://nationalhomeless.org/finding-help/
(202) 462-4822 - Local Assistance by ZIP Code – FindHelp
http://www.findhelp.org
