Page 13 - Aerotech News and Review, Oct 19 2018

Veterans, federal employees can receive confidential addiction recovery with Tricare
by Linda KC Reynolds
staff writer
Substance misuse and addiction can happen to anyone. Pilots, nurses, aircraft mechanics, police officers, parents, kids, teachers — no one is immune. According to Medicinesafe. org, 115 people in the United States die from opioid overdose daily.
According to Psychology Today, ad- diction is a condition in which a person engages in use of a substance or in a behavior for which the rewarding ef- fects provide a compelling incentive to repeatedly pursue the behavior de- spite detrimental consequences. It may involve the use of substances such as: alcohol, inhalants, opioids, cocaine, nicotine and others, or behaviors such as gambling or sexual addiction. There is scientific evidence that the addictive substances and behaviors share a key neurobiological feature — they intense- ly activate brain pathways of reward and reinforcement, many of which in- volve the neurotransmitter dopamine.
“There is no shame in being addict- ed; what is a shame, is that people don’t know that confidential, reliable help is available,” shared Dr. William Vail,
field Consultant/contractor for Employ- ee Assistance and Work/Life Program at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Because of their career fields or security clearance, military and fed- eral employees may not ask for help or want to admit that they or a family member have an addiction or misuse problem.
“All calls are 100 percent confiden- tial,” said Vail, who works as an inde- pendent contractor and is under no ob- ligation to alert supervisors or employ- ers. “My job is to make sure people get the help they need. It is up to them if they want to tell their employers or not.” Not all people struggling with addiction or misuse need full-time, live-in help, and may be treated with medications and counseling that will not conflict with their work schedule.
“It can only take as little as five days of using of a narcotic or substance to become addicted,” explained Joseph Hunter, CEO and founder of Cycles of Change Recovery and Design for Change Recovery. “People can be- come addicted without even realizing it.” Getting a prescription for surgery, a toothache or a backache, can lead to an addiction even in healthy, stable
people, who don’t use alcohol to have never taken recreational drugs.
Design for Change Recovery has recently been approved to accept TRICARE Insurance, which many veterans and federal employees have. Since addiction affects entire fami- lies and not just the consumer, free family workshops, open to anyone interested, are offered at 6:30 p.m., Wednesdays 38700 5th Street West, Suite E in Palmdale. Free family weekend workshops are also offered every six weeks at various locations. The drug and alcohol addiction re- hab center has been awarded an AAA rating, which is the highest rating, from the Joint Commission, based on excellence in behavioral health treatment and evidence-based clini- cal processes that are shown to be the best treatments for certain con- ditions.
For help with general inquiries, call the 24-hour toll-free line 800- 222-0364. “People may be new to the area or they simply do not have the time to do any research,” said Vail.
Veterans, family members and federal employees are encouraged to call Vail at 661-277-1183 for more
information on addiction and recovery resources. All are encouraged to visit www.cyclesofchange.com or call 877-
883-8515 for more information on ad- diction recovery — even if you are not covered by insurance.
Cycles of Change, based in Lancaster, Palmdale and Las Vegas, is now accepting Tricare insurance which covers many veterans and federal employees. The drug and alcohol addiction rehab center has been awarded AAA rating, the highest rating, from the Joint Commission.
Courtesy photograph
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October 19, 2018
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