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Friday, March 29, 2024

Your Well Being

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How to help drug addicts

Sadly, the subject of drug abuse—especially heroin—has been much in the news lately. Our school districts and police department have sponsored several helpful workshops that offer advice on how to help keep our kids off drugs.

However, as evidenced by eight heroin related deaths already this year in Will County alone, including southern Naperville, some young people—despite the best efforts of their parents—become addicted to drugs.

How can we help them?  That is the subject of a workshop, sponsored by Linden Oaks Hospital, being held from 6-7:30PM Wed., May 9, at the 95th Street Library.  The workshop will be led by me and Dr. Paul Capriotti, a Lisle-based psychiatrist with many years of experience treating addictions.

At the session, we will first disabuse folks of the notion that all you need is willpower.  That’s much too simple. In effect, an addictive drug like heroin hijacks the brain, acting like a virus on the brain’s pleasure centers.

Intensive, in-patient therapy is often effective, but many patients fall back into their addictive habits when they leave these residential settings—which can cost $20,000 to $50,000, depending on length of stay—especially if they go back to hanging around with the so-called friends who helped encourage the original problem.

Fortunately, less costly alternatives are available and will be discussed at the May 9 workshop.  These options include traditional “talk” therapy and prescription medications that can help addicts.  I also will be discussing neurofeedback, also known as brainwave optimization, a new technique that is showing astonishing results.

We also will discuss other techniques I have found useful in 25 years in addiction counseling.  Many of my clients have found self-hypnosis and visualization helpful in letting go of compulsive habits or addiction problems

Admission is free and a light dinner will be provided.  For more information call 630-355-8410 or email JLucas@DunhamCounseling.com

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Jeff Lucas, LCPC
Jeff Lucas, LCPC
Naperville resident Jeff Lucas has been in private practice with Isenberg & Associates, an office of Dunham Counseling, since 2000. He specializes in treating addictions and other various family problems. You can contact Jeff via email at JLucas@DunhamCounseling.com.

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