San Diego-Based Shoreline Recovery Center Works With Clients on Pursuing Aftercare for One of the World’s Public Health Crises

SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 11, 2024 / A heart attack, stroke, lung disease, organ failure, even death. These are some of the effects of overdose - one of the world's worst public health crises. This is why Shoreline Recovery Center is placing extra emphasis on aftercare for its patients.

Its ripple effect extends beyond those addicted to alcohol and drugs, impacting families, healthcare systems, and first responders. Similarly, communities are dealing with increased rates of mental health issues, crime and strain on resources as a result.

The most common overdoses are due to opiates - more specifically, fentanyl or use of another substance laced with fentanyl, according to Shoreline Clinical Director Mike Gallagher.

After just one overdose, the risk of overdose increases in the future, according to the CDC.

"As individuals ingest more and more of a substance, the body can adjust over time, and the required amount of substance to create a psychoactive effect increases," Gallagher said. "However, if someone were to ingest an amount that exceeds tolerance levels, overdose will occur."

Exactly how an overdose affects the body is dependent on the substance someone is overdosed on.

"With opioids and depressants like alcohol, substances affect areas of the brain that regulate basic life functions such as breathing and heart rate," said Shoreline primary therapist Max Kubota.

Once stabilized and treated, client aftercare can play a huge role in overdose recovery. Support such as medication, psychiatry, anti-craving assistance, addressing underlying emotional factors as well as group and individual therapy help individuals improve.

However, Kubota said that aftercare is only as beneficial as the person's motivation to change. Its influence is unpredictable. Someone could either use for years without overdosing or overdose on their first use.

However, users are more likely to overdose after they use following a period of abstinence (due to a decrease in tolerance to the substance), according to the CDC.

Another factor is the fact that many users do not control the drug supply or any changes to it.

"This is a factor for many reasons, including that some suppliers will mix their drugs with other substances or produce the drug in facilities that can be cross-contaminated with other substances," Gallagher said.

At Shoreline Recovery Center, staff educates clients on the effects of overdose in our psychoeducation and relapse prevention groups. "Additionally, much of our staff is trained on how to use Narcan in the event of an overdose, which is always available on-site," Kubota said.

As far as what can be done to prevent future overdoses, Kubota said the solution is to invest early in the emotional and psychological resilience in children.

"Addiction is a cycle of avoidance that can start to develop in childhood and adolescence," he said. "Kids learn to brush their teeth and take their vitamins early, but how many children learn how to tolerate loss, failure or stress effectively? Overdoses will occur as long as individuals continue to use substances to numb their experiences, feelings, thoughts and stress."

Contact Information

Steven Esparza
Chief Executive Officer
info@camppublicrelations.com
619-363-1368

SOURCE: Shoreline Recovery Center

View the original press release on newswire.com.