We are excited to welcome Matt McGirr to the Innovo Detox team as our new Community Liaison! Matt joins the Innovo Detox outreach team and will focusing on creating, building, and managing relationships with hospitals, healthcare systems, local providers, warm handoff groups, and community organizations located in the surrounding local Pennsylvania counties to our treatment facility. Additionally, he will look to be a trusted resource in the local Pennsylvania area as assist any individual or family impacted by addiction, substance use disorder, or co-occurring mental health disorders. “I am glad to become a part of a top-notch organization like Innovo Detox,” Matt explained. “I have been so impressed with the onsite team here and their ability to deliver such important, [...]

A common misconception from individuals suffering from addiction and substance use disorder is that all they need to do is stop using drugs or drinking alcohol and they will be fine. Often, a person in active addiction will think or believe that if they can get a couple days under their belt of not drinking or using, get through any withdrawal symptoms, and be separated long enough with the drugs and alcohol are out of their system and they are physically sober, that everything will be good, and they will have overcome their addiction. This is just not the case. There are many adages, sayings, and slogans in the 12-Step rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), but [...]

Innovo Detox is proud to announce the addition of Sarah Herr to our business development and outreach team as our newest Community Outreach Specialist! Sarah comes to Innovo Detox after several years of experience working in business development and outreach roles for several larger behavioral healthcare and addiction treatment organizations. Sarah graduated from Shippensburg University with a Bachelor of Communication and Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Political Science. She began her career out of school, working in government as a Research Analyst for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Wanting to find a way to directly help individuals dealing with substance use and mental health disorders, she entered the behavioral healthcare field. Working in the [...]

On Friday, April 28, 2023, Innovo Detox held a celebratory networking event at our detox facility location in Abbottstown, Pennsylvania to honor three years of operations. Innovo Detox first opened our doors to accept patients on Monday, March 16, 2020. Waiting till the weather in the Mid-Atlantic area got a little warmer, April 28th saw friends, professional colleagues, and members of the local community come out to help us celebrate the last three years. We are grateful for those that braved the rainy conditions to come out and help us celebrate. Over the last three years, the team at Innovo Detox has treated over 1700 patients, delivering lifesaving and life-enriching care for those suffering from addiction and co-occurring mental [...]

Detox for drugs and alcohol is typically the first step to someone’s journey of treatment and, hopefully, long-term recovery. Entering detox is the first step, to be seen and cared for by excellent medical professionals and begin the clinical treatment process under the watchful eye of expert therapists and counselors. However, here at Innovo Detox, we are under no delusion that just stopping active addiction and getting off drugs and alcohol with a medically managed withdrawal and detox process is the end all, be all of sobriety. A detox can help get you sober, but it will not necessarily help you find long-term recovery. Therefore, we know that having a comprehensive aftercare plan for long-term treatment and recovery support is [...]

When it comes to alcohol detoxing, many challenges present themselves. One of the most important and common challenges stems from self-detoxification. Many of those suffering from alcohol addiction make a cut-and-thrust decision to give up. That is very much a wise choice, but when the decision is made, it is essential that supervision is sought out. Why? Put simply, alcohol detoxification without medical supervision can be quite dangerous. Many times, this can lead to some pretty challenging ‘horror stories' due to the unknown of what can occur here. As described in this article, detoxification can bring issues as wide-reaching as hallucinations. While the example in the story linked is a positive one – the individual, Lowell Cauffel, gave up drinking [...]

Guilt and shame in addiction - The two of the most commonly experienced emotions for anyone suffering from addiction. Those in active addiction often behave in ways or take actions that they feel guilty about and shameful for, which then compels them to use drugs and alcohol to numb those difficult feelings, ultimately recreating similar behaviors and actions, using substances to numb the same feelings, and creating a vicious cycle of guilt, shame, and drug and alcohol misuse. Guilt and shame feed active addiction. For people that find recovery or sobriety, they also often feel intense feelings of guilt and shame based on their past behaviors and actions in active addiction. Not having drugs or alcohol to numb the feelings [...]

Addiction is a family disease,  meaning that the negative impact of substance use disorder and addiction is devastating not only for the individual in active addiction but also their family members and loved ones. Watching a child, a parent, or a spouse that you love and care about battle addiction can be incredibly difficult and painful. Family members are heartbroken watching their loved one struggle with drugs and alcohol, especially if that family member in active addiction refuses to accept that they have a problem or seek help. Convincing a loved one to seek help through addiction treatment and rehab can be a very challenging and  emotional process, but it is often an essential step towards finding recovery. Most people [...]

Substance use disorder, addiction, and alcoholism are serious problems that affect people from all walks of life. However, one segment of the population that is highly impacted by substance misuse and substance use disorder are veterans of the United States Military. A high percentage of U.S. veterans suffer from trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), making them extremely susceptible to also suffering from addiction and alcoholism. While results from numerous studies of veterans vary, on average between 10% and 30% of veterans report dealing with a substance use disorder. Military veterans are particularly vulnerable to drug addiction and alcoholism due to the unique challenges they face during and after their service, including working for years in high stress environments and [...]

Most patients in detox or going through addiction treatment receive medication. Whether it is specific FDA-approved medication to help with drug or alcohol withdrawal symptoms while in detox, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) medication like Suboxone or Vivitrol for opioid use disorder, or psychotropic medications for mental health conditions taken while in a short-term residential or long-term extended care addiction treatment program, most patients have some form of medication that they take regularly while in rehab. Under the watchful eye and management of a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner, medication prescribed by a professional can be a vital piece of the recovery puzzle for many patients. Unfortunately, medication non-compliance is a regular patient issue that happens while in drug treatment or rehab. [...]

Most of the time, individuals suffering from addiction and in need of a drug and alcohol detox are looking for one primary thing: Getting through withdrawals. Their primary goal is to not have to feel uncomfortable when withdrawing from drugs or alcohol. Fortunately, with the help of professional medical and clinical staff, and the use of approved FDA medications, it is certainly possible for a person to feel comfortable going through detox and dealing with withdrawals. That being said, any detox or rehab that tells a potential patient that they will never feel uncomfortable during a detox is lying to that patient. Drugs and alcohol do a number on the body, both physically and psychologically, and after months or years [...]