While ketamine has enjoyed a reputation as being a drug that can help depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD and pain, sadly this drug is often also misused and can become addictive. Its hallucinogenic properties are attractive to those looking to escape reality, whether at a party, at home or elsewhere. The fact that it’s short-acting makes it more practical to use than LSD or other hallucinogens, and possibly easier to hide when the ketamine habit becomes an addiction. If your ketamine addiction has taken over your life, the doctors and therapists at Alpine Recovery Lodge can help. All you have to do is call us.
When you make the commitment to enter residential rehab for your drug addiction, the first step is detox. This is often the hardest step, as withdrawal from drugs can be physically and psychologically painful. Prescription medications are sometimes used to manage withdrawal, but in the case of ketamine addiction, this is rarely necessary.
It’s often not useful to split hairs with drug addiction, labeling drugs either physically or mentally addictive, but in some cases it can be beneficial. An addiction to ketamine often involves the desire to experience the type of hallucinations that can temporarily remove you from the trials of life, such as problems with work, school, money and family relationships. What may start out as a little bit of fun at a party can turn into a ketamine habit that is hard to control. However, withdrawal from ketamine does not usually result in the types of symptoms that are common with drugs such as opioids, including chills, sweating, fever, tremors, nausea, diarrhea, leg cramps and more. Although both ketamine and cocaine alter the levels of dopamine in the brain, the effects of ketamine subside faster. Additionally, ketamine is known to make users feel extremely relaxed and out of touch with reality — it is, after all, an anesthetic — which makes it impractical to use as frequently as cocaine.
Nonetheless, if you spend much of your time and money getting, trying to get or using ketamine, and you aren’t able to stop even if you want to, you are likely addicted to ketamine.
Rehab for ketamine addiction is similar to rehab for any drug addiction, involving detox, therapy, learning new skills and habits, and getting support from our team of doctors, nurses and therapists.
In individual therapy, you will delve into the origins of your ketamine addiction, learning what may have led you down the path you chose. It is often during this step that our therapists discover an underlying mental health issue, leading to a dual diagnosis. This could be depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, a personality disorder, PTSD or another mental health challenge. Oftentimes it is these underlying, undiagnosed conditions that drive people to start abusing drugs — it’s an unhealthy attempt at self-soothing. With the right treatment and possibly with the help of prescription medication, these issues may be resolved, leading to a recovery that’s easier to navigate and maintain over time.
Group therapy is an important part of most drug rehabilitation programs, and those wrestling with ketamine addictions are no exception. A drug addiction can lead to or exacerbate feelings of guilt, shame, hopelessness and worse. When you participate in group therapy at our Utah inpatient treatment facility, you will see that there are others who are fighting the same demons as you are. You are not alone. Having the support and validation of others who are going through the same process is invaluable.
We also offer our clients family therapy. Though it is not required, family therapy during drug rehab can help immensely in post-rehab. The events that pushed you into rehab may have included job loss, overspending, neglecting your responsibilities, lying and even stealing. Your loved ones may have suffered along with you and your addiction to ketamine. Facing these issues in the presence of a skilled drug rehab therapist makes the process easier and safer, and helps build trust and restore the family bonds broken by drug addiction.
Our staff also encourages participation in experiential therapy, which includes creative and therapeutic pursuits such as journaling, drawing, painting and playing music. Learning how to use these tools as an outlet for pain, frustration, fear and other emotions will help you throughout your drug addiction recovery process and your entire life.
The day you complete our inpatient drug treatment program is a day for great celebration. Our clients work hard throughout their stay here, and they achieve much. As your stay at our residential treatment center ends, you transition to day treatment, or PHP. In this program, you continue to receive services, but are allowed to leave campus after the conclusion of the program each day and return home to your family. Finally, you will enter our IOP, or intensive outpatient treatment program, where you will slowly reduce the number of hours and days you attend until you graduate from the program.
As anyone who has ever been addicted to drugs knows, you will undoubtedly encounter temptation when you return home. Whether it’s in the form of old friends or new acquaintances offering you drugs, or your own personal search for relief when times get tough, you will have to work to stay strong. That’s why we make our day treatment and IOP programs available to former clients on an as-needed basis.. Whether you have a relapse or fear you will, an IOP or day treatment program can get you back on track and keep you in control of your life.
The area encompassing and surrounding Alpine, Utah, is undeniably beautiful. Our campus was built to serve as a tranquil, safe space where you can unlearn harmful habits and replace them with healthy behaviors such as spending time in nature. Alpine Recovery Lodge is equipped with soaring, floor-to-ceiling windows so that you can look out at any time and see the towering Wasatch Range. A common refrain in mindfulness and meditation that is so helpful during recovery from ketamine addiction is, “I am a mountain; I feel solid.” You can always draw strength from the immense and inspiring mountains, and their constant presence is a welcome reminder.
Although you can enjoy nature from inside Alpine Recovery Lodge, we encourage you to go outside and experience it firsthand by hiking on nearby trails, strolling about the campus grounds or just relaxing on the hammock or in the gazebo with a good book. Feel the grass on your feet, touch the trees or sink your hands into a nearby stream — this helps you reaffirm your connection to the Earth and remember that you are part of nature.
Other important components of your rehab program include adequate rest and hydration and a healthy diet. While you are here, all your meals will be prepared for you by our esteemed chef, who is known for her tasty, wholesome food, made by hand with care to nourish and comfort you during your transition.
If you’re reading this, your ketamine addiction has made your life unmanageable. Call our drug rehab facility today. You’ll sleep better knowing you have a plan in place. You have the power within you to get better — we’ll show you how to use it.
Alpine Recovery Lodge
