An often asked question is, “why do so many addicts suffer from other mental illnesses?" and also, “which came first, the mental illness or the addiction?”  Researchers at the Indiana University Medical School are looking beyond the widespread conclusion that addiction is the result of ‘self-medication’ in response to an existing mental health challenge, and are investigating the function and health of the brain itself. Dual diagnosis is common yet difficult to treat. Clinical reports cite that at least half the people who seek help with addiction or mental-health treatment have co-occurring disorders. The research team led by Andrew Chambers, MD, has found that the link between addiction and mental illness may be isolated to a walnut-sized part of the brain, the ‘amygdala’ as related to its integrity and development. Their findings are promising, leading toward improved effectiveness in the treatments for dual diagnosis.

"Given that the experimental and control rats were raised in the same tightly controlled conditions, the only difference being their brain status, researchers concluded that the integrity of the amygdala was the root cause of both impaired fear behavior and heightened drug response."

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The following article discusses the several prescription medications being developed and used to treat drug and alcohol addiction.  There is much work being done to investigate the brain's chemistry during addiction and how to restore it.  The article states that we are a long way off from finding a pill to solve addiction.  One reason is simply because addiction destroys far more than brain chemistry, what medication can fix.  At Gatehouse we believe in a combination of the Clinical approach and 12 step recovery process.  In addition to treating the physical, we strive to treat the emotional and spiritual aspects as well.

"It's not just the physical piece. It's not just the emotional piece or the spiritual piece. The whole self is involved. To have true sobriety, you have to address all these areas in your life. There are certainly some folks who stop drinking. Their lives don't drastically change if they don't address the other things, too."

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The following article is one the demonstrates the potentially harmful attitude that many college students have towards substance abuse.  The article references an online community with a group that celebrates college age women getting drunk and going too far.  Members of the group post pictures of their escapades for all to see.  The group has 172,000 members.  I still find it amazing how many of our residents started drinking and using with the thought that it was a perfectly normal thing to do.  I too, had the same thought when I started to abuse alcohol at 17.  I didn't even think about the risks that I was taking.

Forty percent of college students binge drink, according to a report this year by the Center on Alcohol and Substance Abuse. The report lists many ramifications of college binge drinking, including injuries, sexual violence and vandalism. In addition, college students who reported having considered suicide were more likely to be active binge drinkers.

The Facebook group doesn't talk much about these problems. It has more than 172,000 members, and nearly 5,000 photos.

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Gatehouse Academy is an extended care treatment center for young men and women in need of long term drug rehab or alcohol rehab. We offer the opportunity for young adults from the ages of 17-25 to learn life skills, continue formalized education, enhance physical well-being, and recover from the detrimental effects of chemical dependency.

If you have any questions please contact us.