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by Simon Olstein, MD, SACS, RYT; Medical Director, Scottsdale Treatment, Inc.; Board Certified in Addiction Medicine; American Society of Addiction Medicine

Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) is a group of symptoms that results from the combination of damage to the nervous system caused by alcohol or drugs and the stress of coping with life without alcohol or drugs. The severity of the symptoms of PAWS depends on two things: the amount of brain dysfunction caused by the addiction and the amount of stress experienced in recovery. The symptoms can begin one to two weeks into sobriety and usually grow to peak intensity over the next three to six months. The damage is usually reversible, meaning the majority of symptoms will go away with time if proper treatment is received. But the adjustment doesn’t occur rapidly. Recovery from the nervous system damage usually requires six to twenty-four months with the assistance of a healthy recovery program.

There are six kinds of symptoms that make up PAWS although not everybody experiences every one of them all the time. These symptoms are: inability to think clearly (including difficulty with concentration), memory problems (especially with short-term memory), emotional overreaction or numbness (including unexplained mood swings), sleep disturbances (including unusual or disturbing dreams), physical coordination problems (occasionally making someone appear drunk even though they haven’t been drinking), and problems in managing stress.

Issues relating to stress play a particularly important role in recovery. Recovery itself is a very stressful process because of all the changes one needs to make. Increased stress causes worsening of PAWS symptoms and the severity of PAWS increases stress which makes it more difficult to deal with the stress. One thus creates a classic vicious circle. Much of a successful recovery program revolves around the recognition of and management of stress. That’s where individual counseling and group therapy and self-help groups can lend a hand. It’s in these settings that you can learn new techniques and abilities such as relaxation exercises and coping skills to help you manage stress and PAWS symptoms when they occur.

by John B. Butler, CEO-Scottsdale Treatment, LISAC, NCAC II

I have been treating alcohol and drug addiction since 1980, and have heard these words countless times. Despite my significant experience, I am still unable to comprehend or prevent tragedies from occurring to family, friends and our patients. Following is content of a letter from an individual, whom I have never met, nor have I had any contact with him, yet he is reaching out for help. His letter illustrates the tragedy that was caused to him, to his family members and to the friends and family of another person who was killed as a result of his lack of judgement while he was still in his addiction.

Scottsdale Treatment continues to search for answers to these problems by putting the pieces of the puzzle together to help others change their life before tragedies like the one shown in this letter occur. Every treatment center or self-help group that I know has been on this quest for as long as I can remember. It is so unfortunate that tragedy must strike before one is willing to change their behavior and seek help with their addiction.

It does not have to happen this way. If you can relate to this letter and story, please seek help and make a change before tragedy changes your life and those around you. Here is the letter:

Dear Scottsdale Treatment Institute,

I am currently serving a 3 to 10 year prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter, charges stemming from a fatal boating accident. In advance of a parole board hearing scheduled for March of this year, I am trying to develop a solid post release plan.

When the accident happened, I was living in Arizona and attending college there, but visiting family back east during the summer. If I am granted release, I intend to parole directly back to Arizona, where my father and brother live, and where hopefully, I can start to build a life again. As an inmate here I was able to participate in an intensive six month program for alcohol related offenses. I learned a lot and know that continuing treatment will be fundamental to my post release health and success.

If you could, please send along some information about the services you offer, and if possible, an indication as to whether you expect to have space available in August, which is when I’ll be released if I make the board. I’ll be seeking outpatient counseling for alcohol abuse at your facility.

Thank you very much,
(Name Redacted for Privacy)

by Dr. Steve Ehrlich, Solutions-Acupuncture & Naturopathic Medicine, PLLC

We have your solution if you have almost given up hope of ever regaining your health, vitality and freedom. Blending the best of Eastern and Western medicine, we get results even when patients have tried everything else. How do we do this? At Solutions, we combine precision diagnostic techniques, unique to our clinic, to first identify the true root cause of your health problems.

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Then we design a customized treatment plan to target these root causes/imbalances; combining the most highly effective modalities from Eastern and Western medicine including a specialized form of Acupuncture, Botanical Medicine, Clinical Nutrition, Natural Hormone Replacement and other therapies. We then meticulously track your progress and modify our treatments for maximum impact.

Call 602-374-6902 or visit the SolutionsAcupuncture.com website for more information.

Dr. Ehrlich had been a practitioner of acupuncture for many years before he met the man who would become his principal teacher, Dr. Richard Teh-Fu Tan, Master of Balance Method Acupuncture. Since then Dr. Ehrlich has been bringing near-instant pain relief and rapid, profound shifts in his patient’s health with this incredibly powerful method. It has to be experienced to be believed.

by John B. Butler, CEO-Scottsdale Treatment, LISAC, NCAC II

I received a follow-up to the letter posted last month, “If Only I Had Stopped,” which was written by someone convicted of vehicular manslaughter, a tragedy that resulted from that person’s DUI. Here’s what that person’s cousin wrote to his father:

Hi Dad,

First, I’m sorry to hear about what happened to (name redacted). It can happen to anyone and when it does, it’s best to get access to as much information as possible. When I was nabbed for DUI in 2002, the laws were much more lax than they are now. It can be overwhelming and completely intimidating. There are so many convictions, the system has created what appears to be a standard operating procedure for everyone, depending on what their “BAC” number is… and that’s a classification no one wants to be in.

I called and spoke to my friend at Scottsdale Treatment, Inc. and explained the situation to him briefly. He said he would be glad to answer questions either on the phone or in person. John has been doing this for over 25 years, and has a lot of experience in dealing with the courts in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa and everywhere else in the Phoenix Metro area.

I know he can recommend a few attorneys to call, as he has worked with many. His facility offers several different treatments for a host of different things, but they have become very popular in the last several years, as they are a state-licensed facility for treatment in alcohol and drug-related offenses, which seem to always be on the rise.

Here’s more info about court-ordered treatment:
AZ Court Ordered Alcohol/Drug Treatment

STI also does the “DUI Screening” that is required of every person who has received an alcohol-related charge. This is a state-mandated screening that the MVD will also need. There are other places to go in the Valley for this screening, but from the feedback I’ve heard from guests at STI, you won’t find a better place to get your screening. At STI you won’t be automatically considered guilty and treated as such, and you won’t find a more affordable place ($30), either.

Here’s more info about the DUI screening:
AZ MVD DUI Screenings

(Name redacted) and his parents should call and talk to John Butler at STI. If he’s in a session or meeting, he’ll return the call. I’ve cc’d him to this message so he has a little more information. Maybe just remind John that I referred them and he should recall their situation and will help explain what they are facing and what their options are at this point.

by Dr. Steve Ehrlich, Solutions-Acupuncture & Naturopathic Medicine, PLLC

It’s an axiom in addiction medicine, that you can’t force anyone to get sober; they have to want it. As frustrating as it can be to see an addict refusing treatment, there are few things as inspiring as seeing someone with a chemical dependency issue finally open to the possibility of breaking free. As practitioners in the addiction medicine community we need to be ready to support those brave souls with the most effective interventions available. An integrative approach, combining conventional and naturopathic medicine, gives the patient and their treatment team access to multiple worlds of treatment options and strategies.

At my clinic, we routinely work with patients who are getting conventional psychiatric or psychotherapeutic care but are still struggling to achieve balance, equanimity or sobriety. What we offer is another layer of care that often makes all the difference. By combining a very specialized form of Acupuncture and Oriental Pulse Diagnosis, we are able to pinpoint and correct imbalances in a patients system that may be driving them towards self-destructive behaviors. For example, a patient with an imbalance in the Heart meridian, such as “Heart Fire” can find themselves excessively agitated, manic, experience insomnia and erratic mood changes. The diagnostic techniques we use can identify this pattern and then our unique form of acupuncture can restore balance to the system and quell said fire. The patient then will find him/herself feeling more relaxed, centered and less given to wild changes in mood. This will all feel quite “organic” to the patient; meaning it will feel like it’s coming from positive changes from within rather than from an external medication. When we combine this approach with some of our targeted nutritional strategies for metabolic balance, the results are often profound.

We welcome the opportunity to work with more patients and providers who would like to utilize this integrated approach as part of their overall recovery strategy. It is our greatest privilege to be part of the healing journey of so many courageous people.

Dr. Ehrlich had been a practitioner of acupuncture for many years before he met the man who would become his principal teacher, Dr. Richard Teh-Fu Tan, Master of Balance Method Acupuncture. Since then Dr. Ehrlich has been bringing near-instant pain relief and rapid, profound shifts in his patient’s health with this incredibly powerful method. It has to be experienced to be believed. Call 602-374-6902 or visit the SolutionsAcupuncture.com website for more information.