MCGREGOR LAW CORP.
Southern California Criminal Defense
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ADDICTION TREATMENT IN THE SOUTH BAY
By: Patrick Newman
ADDICTION IN THE SOUTH BAY
Either personally or by proxy, the oft-heartbreaking phenomenon of addiction touches the lives of many South Bay residents, just as most everyone across America eventually becomes familiar with the disease’s patterns. The very word “addiction” correctly indicates its depth and seriousness, derived from the Latin term for “enslaved by” or “bound to.” Rarely does the process of addiction affect the drug or alcohol abuser in isolation; it is a disease that fans outwards like a flame, with loved ones, employers, rescue workers and innocent bystanders often victims of its collateral damage.
Drugs are the number one cause of accidental death in the U.S., with fatal overdoses surpassing even driving accidents and gun-related deaths in recent years. It’s important to consider not just the volume of the dead afflicted, but the speed in which the death toll has risen. For as quickly as heart disease rose in the early half of the 20th century (doubling in about 50 years), drug deaths have accelerated in a fraction of that time.
This has much to do with opioid and heroin-related deaths, which increased 439% between 1999 and 2014. According to the CDC, the data in 2014 reflected “two distinct but interrelated trends”: an increase in deadly overdoses due to prescription opioids, and a surge in illicit opioids, mostly heroin related. The sharp uptick that has been occurring has seemed to coincide with Americans’ increasing abuse of powerful drugs such as fentanyl, which is often given to cancer patients and is 30-50 times more powerful than heroin. Though states such as Virginia, New Hampshire, Kentucky and New Mexico claim the top spots when it comes to overdose death, California and its local satellites are still a part of this tragic battleground.
12 STEP METHODS TREATMENT OPTIONS
When reckoning with the plight of the addicted person, one should never forget the hope that comes in the form of treatment. Be it through organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous or its cousin programs, in-patient or residential treatment, individual counseling or out-patient rehab, a century of education has given us a bounty of options to consider when an individual decides to seek treatment for addiction in any of its forms.
The most tried, true, widely accessible and available form of treatment is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), self-described as a “fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.” The famous, blue-bound “big book,” written by founding member Bill W., offers those seeking recovery the “12 Step Method” that is still many addicts’ best shot at attaining and maintaining a sober lifestyle in the face of even the most crippling addiction.
Meetings are offered daily in Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and across Los Angeles weekly, daily, and hourly. Attendance in any of the meetings requiring nothing from those in attendance, other than the desire to not use drugs or alcohol. There is an app available for free download on most mobile devices to make the locating of meeting in the South Bay even easier in our modern hustle.
IN-PATIENT ADDICTION TREATMENT OPTIONS
Other South Bay solutions include the Del Amo Behavior Health System, which offers in-patient detox treatment, and the Thelma McMillan Center for Drug and Alcohol Treatment, which offers outpatient addiction programs. Additional resources further outside the South Bay’s sphere can be found at the Camden Addiction Treatment Center in Westwood, and Refuge Recovery in Hollywood. Most all of these centers accept insurance, and will work with each patient to reach an agreement for treatment, depending on their unique economic circumstances.
The Twin Town Treatment Center is a standout for treatment in the South Bay. It is not in-patient or residential. They are connected to the local mental health community, and work with established professionals to provide out-patient support to addicts in need. Depending on each patient’s individual evaluation, the organization offers newcomers partial hospitalization for one month, 6 hours a day for 6 days a week. After that time, they might offer another month of intensive outpatient treatment, 3 hours a day and 6 days a week. At this point an after care program is offered with 4 months of group support, a walk-through teaching the application of skills previously learned, and a family group on Saturdays when loved ones can participate. There is also an after-hours counselor available late at night for patients that experience emergencies outside of the center’s walls.
SOUTH BAY TRANSPORTATION
Transportation to and from AA meetings or any of the aforementioned out-patient programs can be a difficulty for those with impairments, license suspensions, or without vehicles of their own. Beach Cities Transit (BCT) serves the South Bay Region, encompassing a service area that includes Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, and LAX. Line 102 serves Redondo Beach Pier, the Civic Center, Redondo Union High School, Beach Cities Health District, South Bay Galleria, aerospace companies in North Redondo, as well as the Redondo Beach Green Line station.
Line 109 serves Riviera Village, Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach, downtown Manhattan Beach, downtown El Segundo, Douglas Green Line station, The Pointe, Plaza El Segundo, Aviation/LAX Green Line station, and the LAX Bus Center (operating hours between 6:00am-10:00pm).
For senior and disabled passengers, the WAVE is recommended, providing curb-to-curb para transit service in Redondo and Hermosa Beach. The vehicles, powered by CNG (compressed natural gas) and equipped with wheelchair lifts, operates Monday-Friday, 6:00am-8:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday 8:00am-8:30pm.
The disease of addiction can’t be cured, but it can be managed over time for as long as the individual unlucky enough to be trapped in its clutches continues the active process of recovery. Addiction is also a family disease, and those with loved ones under the unfortunate spell of drugs and alcohol are encouraged to seek the group support of Nar-Anon, a 12-step program for friends and families of addicts. Recovery is a journey, not a destination. No matter how distressing or hopeless a person’s isolated situation may seem, one should never forget that a wide and varied pool of options (re-printed below) are available to help residents of the South Bay find the help they need.
LOCAL RESOURES
South Bay Addiction Treatment
GRATITUDE RETREAT FOUNDATION
(310) 618-9173
3535 Lomita Boulevard
Torrance, CA 90505-5072
LIFE MANAGEMENT COUNSELING CENTER
(310) 326-6560
22930 Crenshaw Boulevard
Torrance, CA 90505-3048
SOUTH BAY SOBER LIVING
(310) 530-5654
2425 West 182nd Street
Torrance, CA 90504-5233
TWIN TOWN TREATMENT CENTER
(310) 787-1335
2171 Torrance Blvd # 8
Torrance, CA 90501-2664