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Outpatient Rehab In Santa Clarita Describes Crossing The Line Into Addiction

The Way Out Recovery SCV, an outpatient rehab in Santa Clarita, is describing what it looks like to cross the line into addiction when it comes to drugs and alcohol.


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About 80 percent of people who use drugs or drink are not considered addicts, according to Program Director Bob Sharits.

“What’s the difference between addiction and not addiction?” Sharits said during the latest “The Way Out Recovery Hour” on KHTS. “Addiction constitutes that you will have some kind of, and maybe serious, problems as a result of your drinking or using that you are aware of on some level, and you still continue to use the drug or drink.”

Related: The Way Out Recovery SCV Program Director Offers Free Phone Counseling During Pandemic

Sharits continued that there is a “broad range” of addiction, and gave two examples on either end of the spectrum. 

The first example involved a teenager who smokes marijuana and is approached by his parents, who are concerned and want the teen to stop. 

“The problem is that as a result of my marijuana use, it is creating difficulty in my relationship between me and my parents,” Sharits said. “I’m aware of that and I know that my parents don’t want me smoking weed, so I know that there’s a problem there, and yet, I go, ‘Eh, whatever, you people are crazy — I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing,’ which is an indication that my marijuana use is extremely important to me, more important than the concerns of my own parents.” 

Then on the opposite end of the spectrum, Sharits described a person he knew who died a few years ago because of his addiction to alcohol. 

“He was in and out of hospitals as a direct result of his drinking,” Sharits said. “His organs were shutting down as a result of his alcohol consumption, and he knew that, and he still continued to drink. That’s a pretty severe case of (addiction), and ultimately he drank himself to death.”

While there’s a common misconception that an alcoholic is the person who starts drinking first thing in the morning and carries around a brown paper bag with a drink in it everywhere they go, Sharits noted that how much or how often a person drinks are not clinical symptoms of substance use disorder. 

“I still have that conversation with people (about) alcoholism,” said Melissa Flowers, a counselor at The Way Out Recovery SCV. “The response of someone trying to defend their drinking is always, ‘Well, I go to work and then I drink after,’ or, ‘I only drink on the weekends.’ And so when I say, ‘But are you getting into trouble? Are you having some kind of negative effect from it?’, (they say), ‘Well yeah, but I still have my job.’”

Flowers continued that it’s difficult for people to understand that the misconception they have about alcoholism isn’t true, and that being educated about what addiction is is the first step in getting help. 

“It’s hard to see it when you’re in it, … and sometimes impossible to see it when you’re in it,” Sharits said. “Back to the beginning of this was, better than 80 percent of people who use drugs or drink don’t experience that kind of stuff, or if they get in any kind of trouble, they go, ‘Oh my God,’ and they’re able to stop. And there’s this other percentage of people who have crossed the line into addiction.”

Sharits encouraged anyone in need of help for themselves or their loved one to reach out to The Way Out Recovery SCV today at (661) 296-4444 for guidance and support. 

Ed. Note: This article is a KHTS Community Spotlight for The Way Out Recovery Outpatient Rehab in Santa Clarita.

In Santa Clarita, drug issues are a major concern for many. The mission of The Way Out Recovery Outpatient Rehab in Santa Clarita is to provide high quality, effective alcohol and drug rehab outpatient services to the Santa Clarita Valley. The Santa Clarita rehab’s goal is to assist adolescents, adults and their loved ones in becoming happily and usefully whole, free from drug addiction. Those seeking alcohol and drug treatment in Santa Clarita, a drug rehab in Santa Clarita, a teen drug rehab or simply a “rehab near me” can rest assured that The Way Out Recovery SCV’s philosophy is to teach life-long coping skills and strategies to assist in improving quality of life and living happily and meaningfully without the need of destructive behaviors.

28118 Bouquet Canyon Road
Santa Clarita, CA 91350

(661) 296-4444

The Way Out Recovery SCV – Santa Clarita

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The Way Out Recovery SCV, Drug Rehab in Santa Clarita, Alcohol and Drug Treatment in Santa Clarita, Santa Clarita Drug Issues, Teen Drug Rehab, Santa Clarita Rehab, Outpatient Rehab in Santa Clarita, Rehab in Santa Clarita, Rehab Near Me

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Outpatient Rehab In Santa Clarita Describes Crossing The Line Into Addiction

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