Ketamine for Substance Abuse Recovery
How Does Ketamine Help With Substance Abuse?
Get Back To Doing The Things You Love With The Ones You Love
Recovering from substance abuse disorders requires a customized approach for each patient.
We are in the midst of a substance abuse crisis worldwide. A clear and alarming example is the current opioid addiction and overdose epidemic, representing a serious global health problem as well as a significant social and economic burden.
Ketamine serves to lessen the physical and emotional burdens on the patient, as they seek to empower themselves to walk a healthier path.
With Ketamine Infusion Therapy, our clients can limit or eliminate the physical craving, and withdrawal symptoms, for alcohol or illicit substances, IMMEDIATELY.
In addition to assisting in alcohol and substance abuse recovery, ketamine can effectively treat symptoms of the underlying mood-disorders that can promote negative substance patterns. The Ketamine experience not only provides direct relief from withdrawal symptoms but also serves as a form of self-therapy. In a soothing manner, patients are able to self-examine and form healthier thought patterns.
The NeuroRelief™ Difference: Treating the Whole Individual
At NeuroRelief™, every treatment plan for substance and alcohol abuse recovery includes multiple, integrated components. To assist our unique clients in achieving their personal growth and treatment goals Dr. Harris, and our clinical team, incorporate several, synergistic approaches to address different facets of each person’s needs.
Each treatment day consists of one-on-one emotional integration sessions, before and after each ketamine infusion.
Every NeuroRelief™ ketamine infusion program includes five(5) 1-hour, one-on-one integration therapy sessions with your personal Certified Integration and Recovery Coach between treatment days.
We incorporate cognitive behavior (CBT) learning and mindfulness training into every day of a client’s journey, to help them learn how to maintain the gains they achieve, for the long-term.
Our Medical Director, Dr. Harris, is amazingly accessible, 24/7, via text, email, and phone, to be contacted directly by each and every one of our clients. This unprecedented level of access to clinical and emotional support empowers our clients to maximize their successes and learn how to maintain them!
This well-rounded and unique support system simultaneously treats the underlying mood disorder, and related withdrawal depression/anxiety, that underpins many clients’ difficulties in achieving sobriety in the past.
This integrative approach to detoxification is extremely unique, and effective! We also work directly with sobriety coaches, addictionologists (especially for benzodiazepine detox), and other recovery support programs to optimize our clients’ results.
This detailed tailoring of treatment, coaching, and support allows clients to surpass even their own dreams of success and relief!
How does ketamine assist in substance/alcohol abuse recovery?
By converting receptor-sensitivities back to a more naive set-up (ie. before dependency was created) the detox-associated withdrawal symptoms can be largely eliminated!
In addition, the reward centers of our brain can be re-sensitized to dramatically increase the sense of joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment that we can experience from the beautiful stimuli that have always existed all around us, but previously didn’t feel like enough.
In other words, we can recover the bang-for-our-buck from our sober lives, which encourages us to remain sober, and not feel a necessity to fall back into substance abuse to find a sense of daily reward or comfort.
Imaging and electron microscopy describes the suffering human brain as containing neurons that appear like leafless trees. After ketamine infusion therapy, these brain cells “bloom” to life, demonstrating regeneration of neural pathways and synapses.
- Ketamine allows our brains the ability to “reboot” and repair the connections between nerve cells, called synapses. Substance and alcohol abuse can disrupt these healthy connections and degrade our ability to repair them.
- Ketamine can reset the appropriate sensitivity of the reward areas of our brain. Alcohol and substance abuse over-stimulate and desensitize this area, and result in lower enjoyment of healthy daily stimuli, as well as withdrawal symptoms.
- Ketamine significantly decreases emotional and physical withdrawal symptoms.
- Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist. This action decreases the GABA inhibition of glutamate synapses, allowing them to wake back up. This then increases our ability to feel reward, and a sense of well-being, from daily stimuli.
- Ketamine increases our brains natural production of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). BDNF is crucial enzyme that identifies and repairs maladaptive synapses, leading to regrowth and improved balancing of our mood
- Ketamine re-sensitizes ion-gated Calcium channels at these synapses, and increases the likelihood for synapses such as glutamate, serotonin and dopamine to fire, and increases the frequency at which they do fire. This is a great thing. It gives us more “bang-for-our-buck” reward from healthy, comforting stimuli that are all around us
- Ketamine Increases “Neuroplasticity” of nerve synapses. This allows repair and regrowth into healthier signaling paradigms, resulting in improved mood and coping skills.
- Ketamine allows for psychological healing of deep emotional conflicts. Our subconscious (which is our best friend and an infinitely wise processing system) can finally seek to safely process and resolve these conflicts, on our behalf.
- Ketamine can reset the “default mode network” of our brain. MRI data suggest that this network is where many maladaptive thought patterns and ruminations are stored. Inhibiting and resetting the patterns of these areas of the brain gives us the opportunity to rebuild a healthier relationship between ourselves and the beautiful world around us.
- **** There are no long-term negative side-effects from ketamine infusion therapy. It also has no physiologic dependency. With a 60-year safety profile, this is an extremely comforting record compared to many other treatment modalities. We deliver the same exact ketamine formulation as is utilized in operating rooms across the world. With these pharmaceutically-pure, precisely dosed dilutions we observe no physical dependency when IV ketamine infusions are given in the clinically-controlled environment.
For optimal success and ease of recovery from alcohol or any substance of abuse, NeuroRelief™ recommends pairing our ketamine infusion program with our NAD+ infusion support.
NAD+ infusions have been proven to significantly remove cravings, mental fog, and any decrease in mood or energy levels that may accompany a course of detoxification (we recommend the 1000mg dosing, per infusion).
How does NAD+ Infusion Therapy Assist in Substance Abuse/Alcohol Recovery?
NAD+ replacement renews our nerve and muscle cells. NAD+ is a necessary cofactor to improve each cell’s energy and nutrient production. Drug and alcohol abuse, including prescription medications, can imbalance these vital cells’ ability to function optimally by worsening “oxidative stress.” This increased oxidative damage from substance abuse depletes NAD+ from the cells, and contributes to the experience of low mood, withdrawals, cravings, mind-fog, muscle aches, chronic fatigue, and other symptoms of nerve/brain and muscle cell dysfunction. By replacing this lost NAD+, symptoms of withdrawal, both acute and post-acute, are significantly improved. Detoxing and recovery from drugs/alcohol is a challenging endeavor for anyone. We want our clients to have the easiest time possible, in making this courageous decision, and maintaining their physical and emotional balance during the following transition period. The scientific evidence is astounding, and even insurance companies see the value of NAD+ infusion therapy being utilized during recovery from substance abuse.
**** NeuroRelief™ strongly recommends combining NAD+ infusion therapy with one of our ketamine protocols for substance abuse. The effects are synergistic, and thus highly more effective together, than either modality is on its own.
IS KETAMINE A CONCERN FOR ADDICTION WHEN USED TO TREAT SUBSTANCE ABUSE?
NO. Ketamine, and most other psychedelic medications, do not demonstrate any physiologic dependency. When utilized via pharmaceutical infusion, and restricted to the clinical environment, we do not see occurrences of ketamine addiction. Nevertheless, NeuroRelief™ does not recommend or condone recreational use, especially of “street ketamine”. The impurities present in illegal ketamine can be dangerous.
What Creates Dependency?
It is important to us at NeuroRelief™ to serve the public. In coordination with other health care professionals, especially in the context of the ongoing opioid epidemic, we seek to provide vital assistance, and alternatives, to patients suffering from these unfortunate and dangerous addictions. Ketamine has been shown to reverse symptoms such as opiate craving, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms.
Those with a history of substance abuse have physiologic differences, versus individuals without such histories. After Ketamine therapy, many patients see these changes, such as cravings and physical dependence, reverted back to a state of being before their nervous systems were exposed to various substances of abuse.
- At the molecular level, substance abuse and addiction reflect our body’s reward center’s reaction to certain chemicals.
- Tolerance of that chemical initiator, which develops at different rates, in different individuals, with different substances, reflects our nervous system receptors becoming acclimated to, and thus requiring increased amounts of those triggers, with increasing necessity.
- Both physical and psychological dependency on this newly created, and abnormal balance in our bodies, makes reverting back to our original behavior patterns increasingly difficult.
- Symptoms of withdrawal, both physical and emotional, prevent many people from ending substance abuse behavior, and/or maintaining that sobriety from alcohol, or their preferred drug of abuse.
You Are NOT Alone, We Can Help!
- 25 million Americans (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder in 2019, with only 10% receiving treatment.
- Drug use overdose deaths have tripled since 1990; from 1999 to 2017 more than 700,000 Americans have died due to drug related overdoses.
- Almost 74% of adults suffering from a substance use disorder in 2017 struggled with an alcohol use disorder.
- About 38% of adults in 2017 battled an illicit drug use disorder.
- 1 out of every 8 adults struggled with both alcohol and drug use disorders simultaneously.
- 8.5 million American adults suffered from both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, or co-occurring disorders.
- Drug abuse and addiction cost American society more than $740 billion annually in lost workplace productivity, healthcare expenses, and crime-related costs.
- Genetics, including the impact of one’s environment on gene expression, account for about 40% to 60% of a person’s risk of addiction.
- Environmental factors that may increase a person’s risk of addiction include a chaotic home environment and abuse, parent’s drug use and attitude toward drugs, peer influences, community attitudes toward drugs, and poor academic achievement.
- Teenagers and people with mental health disorders are more at risk for drug use and addiction than other populations.
At NeuroRelief™, we use evidence-based approaches to patient care. Along with counseling and well-rounding substance abuse therapy, Ketamine is serving as an excellent tool for individuals attempting to regain control over their lives. We also collaborate with other substance abuse professionals and programs (in-patient and out-patient), thereby contributing to an effective recovery team. Our participants achieve amazing results; let us help you free yourself from the negative cycle of addiction and withdrawal symptoms. In addition to assisting in the recovery and elimination of withdrawal symptoms, our clients are gaining newfound confidence and empowerment. We look forward to providing the highest level of service to our clients.
Customized Protocols for Each Individual Client
1.5 to 2-hour one-on-on, pre-treatment consultation with the physician. (On your first treatment day). This is a wonderful opportunity for the physician that is leading your care to learn more about your individual needs and goals. This valuable time let’s your doctor learn how to best tailor the therapeutic approach to you, specifically, and to be the best guide possible through your journey of growth and healing
– Pre-treatment coaching/integration session
– 120 minutes customized ketamine infusion (adjusted in real-time to optimize each client’s experience to their unique neurology, psychology, personality, physiology, and tolerance levels
– Recovery time (varies per client but every client is welcomed to stay in their relaxing treatment suite for as long as they like – you will NEVER be asked to leave to make room for another patient)
– Post-infusion integration session
– CBT (cognitive behavior technique) and Mindfulness training on how to increase the client’s benefit though at-home daily exercises.
– 24/7 direct contact via text/phone/email to your treating physician.
**** Emotional Coaching is provided, in the clinic, and also via 5 hours of live Zoom sessions with your personal Integration Coach.
For optimal results, and reduction of cravings (physical or emotional), it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to pair the 4-hour ketamine protocol with a concurrent 500mg NAD+ infusion (2-3 hours)
– 1.5 to 2-hour one-on-on, pre-treatment consultation with the physician. (On your first treatment day). This is a wonderful opportunity for the physician that is leading your care to learn more about your individual needs and goals. This valuable time let’s your doctor learn how to best tailor the therapeutic approach to you, specifically, and to be the best guide possible through your journey of growth and healing
– Pre-treatment coaching/integration session
– 240 minutes customized ketamine infusion (adjusted in real-time to optimize each client’s experience to their unique neurology, psychology, personality, physiology, and tolerance levels
– Recovery time (varies per client but every client is welcomed to stay in their relaxing treatment suite for as long as they like – you will NEVER be asked to leave to make room for another patient)
– Post-infusion integration session
– CBT (cognitive behavior technique) and Mindfulness training on how to increase the client’s benefit though at-home daily exercises.
– 24/7 direct contact via text/phone/email to your treating physician.
**** Emotional Coaching is provided, in the clinic, and also via 5 hours of live Zoom sessions with your personal Integration Coach.
For optimal results, and reduction of cravings (physical or emotional), it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to pair the 4-hour ketamine protocol with a concurrent 1000mg NAD+ infusion (4-5 hours)
***Based on clinical experience
2-hour Substance Abuse Recovery Protocol:
- I am looking to reset my reward instincts to receive greater gratification from healthy stimuli
- There is NOT current alcohol/drug dependency ie. There are NOT expected to be actual physical or neurological withdrawal symptoms from abruptly stopping the use of all alcohol or other abused substances
- Concurrent NAD+ infusion protocal is highly reccomended
4-hour Substance Abuse Recovery Protocol:
- I am looking to be able to more comfortably, and successfully, wean or stop the current abuse of alcohol or other abused substances
- There IS current alcohol/drug dependency, ie. There ARE already, or ARE expected to be, actual physical or neurological withdrawal symptoms from abruptly stopping, or decreasing the use of, alcohol or other abused substances
- Concurrent NAD+ infusion protocal IS REQUIRED
Can I Afford Ketamine Infusion Therapy?
Ketamine treatment plans are very individualized and there are several different protocols, just for depression. Through detailed phone consultation and intake with Dr. Harris, we support each client in making the choice of protocol that is perfect for them. We can share the differences in pricing of these different protocols during our first phone consultation.
At NeuroRelief™, the initial treatment plan we recommend for new clients is to come in for 6 treatment days over a 2-3 week period of time. This is the latest medical consensus of best initial practices for best initial results, called the Stabilization Protocol.
Please see our Affordability page for detailed information on our 15-month interest-free financing program and our robust superbill reimbursement services.
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