James McMannis

Everything You Need to Know About Using Short-Term Disability to Cover Drug and Alcohol Rehab Recovering from alcohol or drug addiction is a lifetime battle. Fortunately, the struggle gets easier as the clock continues ticking forward. The more sober time you get under your belt, the further you’re able to put the risk of relapse […]

Knowing Unsafe Alcohol Consumption and When to Get Treatment Why is a Surgeon General health warning statement required on the back (or front) of alcoholic beverages? When everyone knows that it leads to increased cancer risk and other negative health effects, what’s the purpose of adding a health warning? These are valid questions, something the

Looking Into the Causes of Hallucination During Medical Detox When I decided to get sober, my journey began at South Shores Detox and Recovery. I suffered from alcohol addiction for many years, I had already experienced withdrawal and detox symptoms multiple times before. I knew it was going to be uncomfortable, but I didn’t anticipate

Getting Trauma Treatment at South Shores Using TRICARE Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. PTSD can affect every aspect of your daily life, but you can heal, and it is possible for PTSD symptoms to get better. Treatment for PTSD has

Understanding Top Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Approaches When it comes to PTSD symptoms or processing a traumatic event, there’s never a one-size-fits-all approach. PTSD treatment consists of several therapeutic modalities that stem from traumatic stress studies. Regardless of the specific type of PTSD diagnosis and what it stems from, two primary go-to forms of therapy exist

The Reality of Xanax Overdose and How to Get Help to Prevent It It’s difficult to explain to someone what a Xanax addiction is like. Drug addiction in general is an all-consuming issue as it is, but when you start messing around with drugs like Xanax you really are gambling with your life. The answer

Find Resources and Support for Trauma Recovery at South Shores If you’re looking for a trauma response quiz, you likely want to know what type of trauma response you’re most prone to. Alternatively, you could have an idea as to what your most prevalent trauma response is, but you might want to confirm that idea

Get Answers on a Crucial Topic and a Path Back to the Workplace You may already know that when you work as an airplane pilot, commercial truck driver, bus driver, or in other safety-sensitive jobs regulated by the Department of Transportation, using drugs or alcohol before being tested can have severe consequences. In these sorts

Getting Help and Keeping Your Career Intact in the Armed Forces Will the military know if I went to rehab? Well, yes and no. It depends on your status in the Armed Forces as well as how and where treatment is received. If you are trying to enlist in the military, you will have to

Using Insurance Benefits to Cover Inpatient Rehab Programs It is a widely known fact that residential programs for addiction are not inexpensive, and that getting your insurance to cover the costs can be complex and often confusing. We understand, that getting insurance to pay for residential treatment is not always an easy task. Sometimes, it

What are the Best Ways to Stop Drug Abuse? As the US is in the midst of an addiction epidemic, many are getting desperate to know how to prevent drug abuse from happening to themselves and their loved ones. Drugs and alcohol are everywhere in American society and even glamorized by the media. According to

Getting Help for Prescription Drug Use and Abuse Many people take Dilaudid today to help relieve severe and chronic pain. So when the time comes to take a drug test, it is normal to be concerned that this medication will cause a positive test result if you are taking it. One question many people find

Identify the Smell of Smoking Crack and Get Help for a Loved One My crack cocaine addiction caused chaos not just in my life, but my family’s life as well. I tried many drugs in my teenage years, and stimulants like crack cocaine became my go-to. I’ll never forget the first time I smelled it.

Getting the Words Out to Let Her Know I Could Not Watch Her Die Being the parent of an addicted child is a heartbreaking reality for many parents. Alcohol addiction has run in our family for generations, and I suffered from it as well. My alcohol abuse was so severe that I almost died multiple

Get Affordable IOP Programs for Orange County at South Shores The road to recovery is different for everyone. Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) offer a beacon of hope to those struggling with substance abuse or mental health challenges. They are an important resource for those who need support, even if they cannot seek inpatient treatment due

Proven Trauma Treatment: The Risks of Ketamine for CPTSD Complex PTSD comes with many symptoms that feel impossible to manage. You may struggle to regulate emotions, experience outbursts, or have feelings of depression and anxiety. It may feel like your trauma is controlling your life and ruining your relationships. If you’ve sought treatment before without

Looking Into Both Short and Long-Term Sobriety Timelines How long does it take to get sober? This is a question that’s often deployed from two separate platforms – both of which have very different motivations. In fact, one could even reason that the driving forces behind each question are polar opposites on the recovery spectrum.

Learn from My Mistakes and Get Answers for Coming Off the Sauce Being an alcoholic is an exhausting lifestyle. By the time I got to South Shores, I had tried quitting alcohol cold turkey multiple times. Because my alcohol dependence was so severe, I was never able to make it very far before I started

Understanding the Chemical Nature of Ketamine Suffering from chronic conditions like depression or daily pain can be debilitating and discouraging. When you have to live every day feeling less than 100%, it’s easy to be tempted to try quick fixes like ketamine or opioids. Unfortunately, once you’re on them for a while, you realize that

Get Details on Ketamine Treatment for Depression and its Limitations Anyone who has experienced depression knows the struggle that comes with treating it. Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the world, impacting as much as 18% of adults in the United States at one point in their lives. It’s a complicated

Using TriWest Healthcare Alliance for Addiction Treatment Over one in ten veterans are diagnosed with a substance use disorder after returning from the military. The realities of war can be damaging. Furthermore, veterans are at greater risk of trauma, pain, homelessness, and suicide-related to their military experience. If you or a loved one are experiencing

Looking at the Telltale Facial Signs of Alcoholism My alcohol addiction led to a lot of physical issues, with the most obvious one being my outward appearance. I struggled with a number of issues as a result of my alcohol abuse, including weight gain, skin sores, and spider veins. The worst of these issues was

Can Meth Lead to Liver Cancer or Lung Cancer? A Closer Look While I was out running and gunning during my addiction, opiates seemed to be the “hot thing”. However, with so many people overdosing and not being able to keep up financially with their addiction, there seems to be a different drug that is

Understanding Relapse and Getting Support at South Shores The date is January 31, 2018. And I just got out of a rehab center for the fifth time. For me, this rehab stay was different than those in the past. After a miserable week of hot and cold sweats as part of my withdrawal symptoms and

Get Support for Alcohol Detox and Lasting Sobriety at South Shores If you have wrestled with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) that led to alcoholic liver disease, you may ask yourself: “Will ascites go away if I stop drinking?” Many health complications can arise from alcohol addiction, most famously decreased liver function. If you have decided

Get Support Options for Opiate Recovery at South Shores In the world of addiction, overcoming dependence can sometimes require near-dependence on another substance. This is the case for many methadone users, who have found themselves dependent on an opioid with profound withdrawal effects. However, with the proper methadone alternatives offered at South Shores Detox and

Identifying and Getting Help for Cocaine Nose Damage Fewer drugs have as much of a societal impact and urban lore as cocaine. For years, cocaine abuse has been at the forefront of America’s battle against addiction, having exploded during the disco era of the 1970s, but dating back as far as the 1930s and 40s

Understanding Percocet Withdrawals and Effective Treatment You may ask yourself if you have been using this prescription drug: How long does Percocet stay in your system? Perhaps your doctor prescribed this prescription medication for you for moderate to severe pain. You may become addicted to it without realizing it – at least not until it’s

Is Nausea During Detox Normal? For many people, nausea is a common symptom during detox. It is caused by the body’s reaction to the withdrawal of the drug or alcohol. When you stop using drugs or alcohol, your body goes through a period of adjustment, often causing a variety of symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting,

An Eight Ball at a Time: My Descent into Addiction My cocaine addiction began at an early age and continued well into my adult life. I’ve tried every form of cocaine there is, and there are many ways to ingest it. I’ve smoked crack cocaine, I’ve snorted it, I’ve even injected it on many occasions.

Using the Crash After a Coke Binge to Seek Treatment I’ve crashed countless times following a cocaine binge. Cocaine comedown is brutal, and I thought about seeking treatment every single time. Once I was finally ‘sick and tired of being sick and tired’, I decided to give recovery a chance through South Shores Detox and

A Closer Look at the Effects of Cocaine on the Mind When I started using cocaine, I was convinced that it was the greatest thing in the world. However, the amount of fun that I had with cocaine during my first year of using it doesn’t compare at all to the personal hell that I

Whippets: The Realities and Risks of Nitrous Oxide What are whippets, anyway? Many people are asking the same question lately, especially with the recent passing of Aaron Carter and Tony Hsieh. This recreational drug has become increasingly popular in the US lately, especially with younger adults and those on some form of drug testing. While

A Complete Guide to Drug Tests in the Armed Forces It’s not uncommon for many people to participate in drinking or drug use as a relaxation or celebratory routine to reward themselves. In some cases, if this action is within the rules of the law and exercised with moderation and responsibility, some people are able

Falling Into Meth and Alcohol Addiction When dealing with an addiction to multiple drugs, recovery can be a great hurdle. Luckily, there are a lot of people who have been able to find peace and healing as a result of substance abuse. I will outline how it worked for me, and perhaps you will find

The Military Health System and Substance Abuse Coverage for Veterans TRICARE Insurance covers military departments such as the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and other major branches of our armed services. With the current wave of veterans suffering from drug and alcohol use disorders, finding efficient supplementary insurance that offers substance abuse treatment coverage and

Recognizing the Red Flags of Fentanyl Use and Abuse The signs of fentanyl use can be subtle, but you must be aware of them. Knowing these can save an individual’s life. Struggling with addiction is common–you are not alone. Learning the signs of opioid abuse is the first step in recovery or helping someone you

Dealing With Severe Cocaine Addiction I began using cocaine in my late teens. It began as a party drug for me and quickly became a severe addiction I had no control over. When I attended treatment at South Shores Detox, I had overdosed three times within the previous six months. A cocaine overdose is scary,

Drug Abuse and Cocaine Addiction Signs Cocaine addiction is a dangerous and pervasive issue that affects people of all ages and backgrounds. This highly addictive substance is widely available and can have disastrous consequences on an individual’s health and well-being, both physically and mentally. Fortunately, with the right help and support system in place, recovery

Blue Xanax Addiction: One of The Most Abused Prescription Drugs Blue Xanax (pills containing the drug Alprazolam) are a schedule IV controlled substance widely prescribed in the US to treat general anxiety disorder symptoms and panic disorders. Most often these come as small blue football-shaped tablets. Sadly, this has been one of the most widely

There Is a Difference Between Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between drug abuse and drug addiction. Some would argue that there isn’t much of a difference at all. I’m here to tell you that there is definitely a big difference, and recognizing what the differences are can save

What Is Surf Therapy? I was one of those hard cases, you know the one that thinks they all have it figured out. The one that doesn’t need help. It was a fluke that I was able to get help at all. I just happened to live near South Shores in Dana Point and walked

Choosing a rehab center is an essential step in overcoming addiction. Sometimes, it might be more prudent to select a location that’s out-of-state for your addiction treatment. There might not be anything wrong with the treatment centers in your home state, but there are many reasons why traveling to another state might benefit you in

When entering treatment, there are several things that newcomers don’t know. Unfortunately, they are in a vulnerable position. Asking about these things can be sensitive and remind them of what they’re going through. To ease the transition into South Shores Detox, we’ve collected some of the most frequently asked questions we come across. Hopefully, they