Cabins at Black Bear Lodge

Your journey of recovery begins at Black Bear Lodge. With numerous treatment options, our educated and highly trained staff is prepared to help you at every stage on the path to sobriety.

According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, one in 12 adults in the U.S. depends on or abuses alcohol. In addition, 8% of the population aged 12 and older has used an illicit drug in the past month.1 If you or a loved one struggles with alcohol abuse, you don’t have to be part of these statistics. We will help you can set goals that raise your self-esteem as you reach and surpass each milestone. When setbacks happen, the coping strategies you’ve learned will help you deal feelings of disappointment and frustration in healthy ways.

SubAcute Detox

No two people are alike, and that’s why we customize treatment programs to meet the unique needs of each person in recovery. All programs begin with subacute detox to help each person in recovery rid the body of drug toxins. Medical teams provide 24-hour monitoring to help you or your loved one cope with withdrawal symptoms in a safe and medically supervised environment. Some of the most common withdrawal symptoms include the following:

  • Nausea, upset stomach and vomiting
  • Tremors
  • Perspiration, from clamminess to profuse sweating
  • Marked tension and anxiety
  • Emotional upset, confusion, and a jumpy demeanor
  • Trembling
  • Visual and auditory hallucinations; feeling like things are touching you when they aren’t
  • Nervousness
  • Abdominal pain2

Less common but potentially dangerous side effects like seizures and death are why medically supervised detox is so important. Proper detox increases the likelihood of treatment success because the desire to self-medicate with alcohol is reduced through proper symptom control. From the moment you enter our facility, you are placed under the care of a consulting physician and skilled registered nurses who stay with you through the entire detox process.

Our Treatment Approach

At Black Bear Lodge, we believe in treating the whole patient- body, mind and spirit. Our residential programs use talk therapy, recreational therapy and time alone to process feelings and thoughts. Many of our group activities take place outside where residents are able to reconnect with the world. Residents regularly hike with peers while having conversations that inspire them to see their lives differently than before. During treatment, our residents develop essential life skills that aid them in staying drug-free for years to come. The important thing to remember about our treatment programs is that you have choices.

You’ll also be taught to effectively communicate your feelings with others through group and family therapy. Family therapy is often a big part of this, seeing as how the family unit generally suffers more than anyone else around a substance user. A recent article in the Chicago Tribune noted that families of addicts have frequent conflicts, including feelings of jealousy and negative behaviors like violence and cheating, financial troubles and health risks.3 Our treatment options will help you and your family members understand your addiction and your recovery journey. With our program, there is life after substance abuse and dependency.

Physical Health

Poor health is both a contributing factor and a result of addiction. Substance abuse is less likely to occur in a healthy individual, and those abusing substances are more likely to suffer from poor health because of their behaviors. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, some of the health risks involved in substance abuse include:

  • Cardiomyopathy – Stretching and drooping of heart muscle
  • Arrhythmias – Irregular heart beat
  • Stroke
  • High blood pressure
  • Steatosis, or fatty liver
  • Alcoholic hepatitis
  • Fibrosis
  • Cirrhosis
  • Pancreatitis
  • Cancers of the mouth, esophagus, throat, liver and breast
  • A weakened immune system

Proper nutrition and fitness are a big part of our treatment protocols. You will eat well and participate in activities like yoga, meditation, and other fitness options. Upon thorough examination and lab work results, the consulting physicians at Black Bear Lodge will treat existing and newly determined conditions, whether they’re short- or long-term. Mental health evaluations will rule out any undiagnosed mental illness that is contributing to or causing the addiction.

Spiritual Wellness

We view spirituality as a connectedness to oneself. If you follow a specific faith or higher power, that will only serve to assist you. Likewise, those who don’t align themselves with a specific religion are not hindered. The teaching of spirituality begins with mindfulness — an ability that we all have, but too few practice.

A 2014 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association produced impressive results with those who engaged in the practicing of mindfulness and relapse prevention techniques during substance abuse treatment. Those who practiced mindfulness had a significantly lower risk of relapse than those who did not. In addition, at a six-month follow-up point, those in the practicing group who did relapse did so for far fewer days than their counterparts who did not.4

Applying mindfulness to your life changes the way you see the world. It lifts depression and negativity from your daily life and replaces it with appreciation and a sense of fulfillment.

Why Wait?

At Black Bear Lodge, there’s no shortage of empathy and hope. Whether you’re looking for help for yourself or a loved one, the care and compassion you’ll discover at our gorgeous mountain lodge are unmatched. We carefully determine your needs and pair you with the best possible specialist to guide you through the treatment options available. Call now at 706-914-2327 to learn more about how we can help.

1 Wilcox, Stephen. “The REAL story about alcohol and other drugs.”National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. N.p., 26 June 2015. Web. 08 Aug. 2017.

2 “Alcohol or Drug Withdrawal.” WebMD. WebMD, 20 Feb. 2015. Web. 08 Aug. 2017.

3 Lameman, Beth Aileen. “Effects of Substance Abuse on Families.” Chicagotribune.com. N.p., 16 Sept. 2009. Web. 08 Aug. 2017.

4 Bowen, PhD Sarah. “Comparative Treatment for Substance Use Disorders.” JAMA Psychiatry. American Medical Association, 01 May 2014. Web. 08 Aug. 2017.