WHAT ARE MUSHROOMS?
Mushrooms are, quite honestly, a physically ugly drug which to a user, can yield beautiful results.
In fact, its scientific name, which roughly translates into “bald head,” is as unappealing as the little brown-and-white appearance of the mushroom itself.
That scientific name is Psilocybe cubensis. It is a hallucinogenic that comprises more than 100 species.
Psilocybe mushrooms can be found in wide sections of Mexico, South America, Malaysia, India and Indonesia. They can also be found in the Southern US and Eastern Australia.
It’s psychoactive, which means that it gives off hallucinations. It’s also regarded as a Schedule II drug, which makes it illegal to sell, buy or possess. Thus, from the government’s point of view, mushrooms rank up there with narcotics such as cocaine and heroin.
Whether that’s fair to users and deeper yet, believers in the hallucinogenic power of mushrooms, that power is up to debate against those who believe mushrooms are simply an illicit drug.
HOW CAN MUSHROOM REHAB HELP?
Quitting mushrooms can be difficult. But, with dedication, hard work, and a refusal to give up, you can begin to enjoy a life without mushrooms.
As part of our recovery and support program, we’ll help you develop a network of supportive friends to keep you on the road to sobriety.
Our experienced staff won’t just support you as you address your mushrooms dependency, it will also make you aware of trigger situations that can cause you to relapse.
When taking the first crucial steps in recovery from mushrooms abuse, a full support staff can make a huge difference.
Most alcohol and drug treatment facilities fall under two categories: inpatient and outpatient.
MUSHROOM INPATIENT REHAB
Mushrooms are a very powerful hallucinogenic, that in a brief amount of time, can cause a person to become an addict, even if they do have a low toxicity rate.
With that in mind, also remember that for all the power mushrooms have in getting a person stoned, they also tend to be quite overwhelming when attempting to detox from them. It’s for this reason that we tend to treat our mushroom-addicted clients on an inpatient basis.
INPATIENT VISITATIONS
Inpatient visitations are very important for people who are recovering from substance abuse. When you visit someone in rehab, you let them know they are not alone and you still care about them.
Of course, the rehabilitation center will have restrictions as to when loved ones and friends can visit. During the initial mushrooms detox, you likely won’t be allowed to visit.
Make careful note of how your loved one is doing in rehabilitation. If they are positive and upbeat, now might be a good time to stop by. Whereas, if the person in treatment is struggling with the recovery process, it may be best to wait.
As always, check first with your loved one’s assigned counselor to make certain a visit will help, not hinder their progression to sobriety from mushrooms.
MUSHROOM OUTPATIENT REHAB
The withdrawal process can be long and difficult, especially for someone who hasn’t yet recovered from a drug. Therefore, in our opinion it is best to recover from mushrooms in a controlled rehabilitation center’s environment.
Some outpatients will be able to monitor their own detox and rehabilitation from mushroom addiction without the continual attention that is given to an inpatient. If you choose to be an outpatient, be certain you have all pertinent information regarding your rehabilitation center, and your counselor/advisor in case you encounter difficulties with your rehab.
THE PROCESS FOR MUSHROOM REHAB
Along with the mental and emotional toll addiction can take on a person, drug addiction can lead to extreme weight gain or loss, illness, injury or other physical ailments.
Along with fighting addiction, rehabilitation can include getting back into good physical health. Many of our programs offer exercise activities, including stretching and yoga.
Along with the physical aspect of recovery, our programs also address the mental toll addiction can take on a patient.
Part of our treatment involves learning how to maintain sobriety as life’s stressful situations, like birthdays and holidays come at you. We delve deep to find the potential stressors or triggers that could lead to relapse. Our treatment professionals get to the root causes of substance use and help you identify usage patterns.
Because mushrooms use has spread across all strata of society; our recovery programs are designed to fit the needs of each patient’s situation.
THE LENGTH OF MUSHROOM TREATMENT
Your rehabilitation is all about reducing the likelihood of using mushrooms again.
Along with getting clean, you still need to address your emotional, mental, and physical health, so you can stay sober.
Improving your overall health can sometimes require extended counseling sessions.
Because every situation is different, the treatment will vary in length from person to person. Some people may only require a few days of treatment while others may require moths or more.
Every patient is different.
THOUSANDS OF YEARS IN THE USING
Experts state that the drug’s thousands-year-old history means that it was popular in many Native American religious ceremonies.
For instance, the Aztecs were frequent users of mushrooms, particularly during religious rituals.
Mushrooms are known by the street names magic mushrooms, shrooms, mushies, psychedelic mushrooms, psychotropic mushrooms or psilocybin, these mushrooms have never been known for their taste as they can come off extremely bitter.
These are the mushrooms that cause a person to “trip out,” through alterations of mood, perception and behavior.
HOW MUSHROOMS WORK
Depending upon the need, mushrooms can be quite useful.
First of all, the mushroom is a fungus, when in fact it is often mistaken for a plant. It grows from a spore that can be found in dirt or on decaying plants.
Typically, mushrooms are found growing in the humid shade of a fallen tree, tree branch or log.
Some variety of mushrooms contain nutrients, and can be used as a food source that gives off an earthy flavor. Pizza, risotto, salads and omelets are typical dishes in which you might find mushrooms based on flavor.
Mushrooms based on hallucinogens don’t grow much differently than the mushrooms on your double cheeseburger.
The mushrooms that cause a person to trip belong to the genus group Psilocybe.
These types of mushrooms cause hallucinations because they contain the psychotropic tryptamines psilocybin and psilocin.
Typically, a user hallucinates after taking these types of shrooms. Perception becomes more intense, dimensions expand and contract, and light trails occur, in which a single light source fans off a tail, much like a comet in outer space.
Mushrooms, like other hallucinogens, can also lead to bad trips. As with any hallucinogen, a person has to be calm and unexcitable to withstand the good and bad effects of mushrooms.
HOW MUSHROOMS ARE INGESTED
Mushrooms take effect about 30 minutes after they are ingested.
A very adaptable drug, Psilocybin mushrooms can be chopped up into food, or eaten on its own.
Because of their bitterness, though, many mushroom users tend to cook the drug with other foods, or spread peanut butter or honey over the shrooms if eaten alone.
Psilocybin mushroom effects usually last between 3-6 hours, and can cause varying effects such as hallucinations, detachment from body, anxiety and fear.
1950s THROUGH 1960s GOVERNMENT TESTING RENDERS SHROOMS ILLEGAL
The 1950s and 1960s saw a dramatic uptick in drug testing by the US government. Of particular interest were mescaline, LSD and mushrooms.
However, damage from these substances was so extensive, instead of researching them more, especially in lieu of their ill-effects, the government hastily decided to ban the drugs.
Other research, however, shows that the mental health industry has long been interested in how drugs like mushrooms can help someone in treatment.
Nonetheless, the use of a mind-altering drug for apparent personal growth and/or mental treatment carries great risk, such as negative experiences with lasting repercussions.
Keep in mind there are also the risks of dependence, injury and acceptance of hallucinated concepts as one’s own reality.
HOW ADDICTING ARE MUSHROOMS?
For the most part, mushrooms are a natural hallucinogen. Given this, their toxicity level is very low.
At the same time, the hallucinogen’s physical withdrawal symptoms are near nonexistent even after continued use. Sure, there is the possibility one can get hooked on shrooms psychologically, but a physical addiction is rare at best.
WHAT ARE THE LASTING EFFECTS OF MUSHROOM USE?
While a 4 to 6-hour trip is not unusual to someone who occasionally takes mushrooms, for the committed user of the drug, long-term use can permanently alter their brain.
Be that as it may, few permanent effects are recognized with mushroom use.
In the event of a bad trip, it’s been found that those who have preexisting psychotic reactions to mushrooms or other hallucinogens may also have preexisting mental illness that may or may not have been diagnosed.
In this case, the psychotic experience may have permanent effects on the user, which can be recognized as panic attacks, anxiety and paranoia.
To that end, a complete psychotic episode of audio or visual hallucinations will occur with use of the drug, but may continue in users with additional mental illness.
Some users report long-term, even some permanent, effects of using psychedelic mushrooms including increased memory and insight.
Others report flashbacks, which are occasions of hallucinogenic recurrence that can be similar to the high of mushrooms.
Of course, these are random experiences and few have been substantiated as having been caused by use of mushrooms.
Nonetheless, even if mushrooms are not physically addictive, the potential for psychological addiction, or even psychological damage from shrooms or other hallucinogens may force a user to seek out other more potent drugs that are addictive.
This needs to be kept in mind as anything that is a stimulant or depressant can quite quickly follow on the heels of mushrooms.
It is then that we have to be truly concerned.
PATIENT PRIVACY
We take pride in keeping your Patient Health Information (PHI) safe and secure.
Between the stress of withdrawal symptoms and confronting deep seeded issues in counseling, you don’t need the added anxiety of worrying about the security of your confidential information. That’s why we make sure your PHI, and all other relevant health care information remains private.
HOW ARE PAYMENTS HANDLED
We’ll also keep your payment information private while you’re in our rehabilitation center.
We keep no credit cards on file, nor insurance records.
Generally, we bill monthly. In some cases, we’ll switch to bi-weekly billing, especially in cases involving longer stints in rehab.
GOING AWAY FOR TREATMENT
No matter where you live, we have a treatment facility for your needs. Sometime what you really need is to get away.
Leaving town for treatment can often give you a clean slate that can be helpful in the recovery process. It can help you strip away the layers of familiarity to find a new way to function.
Redefining your life of sobriety in a new environment can set you up for long-term success.
POST-REHABILITATION SUPPORT
Having a strong support group can greatly contribute to your long-term sobriety. We try to help you establish a support group as part of our treatment programs.
This type of continued support can often come from the network of relationships you develop while receiving treatment in a recovery center. Sometimes the camaraderie of a good support group can make all the difference in a successful recovery.
Solitude and feelings of loneliness notoriously lead to substance use. This makes a stay in a rehabilitation facility not just crucial for the detox phase of recovery, but also for improving social connections.
A loved one’s drug addiction can be devastating to all who are near. If you sense an addiction problem in yourself or a loved one, and you just don’t know how to remedy it, contact BLVD Treatment Centers. At BLVD Treatment Centers we custom tailor our recovery programs within the safe and nurturing confines of our rehab treatment centers. Located throughout California, in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and in Portland, OR, our mission is to assess the severity of your addiction to help you achieve true recovery within 30 days.