A New Beginning At Crossroads Bahamas

Crossroads Treatment Center has joined forces with the Avante Institute to usher in a new era of ibogaine Treatment.

Crossroads Treatment Center has established itself as the leading healthcare provider in addiction recovery using entheogenic plant therapies. During our 18 years in Tijuana, Mexico, we built an unmatched reputation for reliability, safety, and efficacy in ibogaine treatment.

This summer we felt it was time for us to proactively reposition Crossroads into a region where our clients’ safety comes first. We are pleased to announce that we will continue to offer the very best in holistic addiction recovery by partnering with the Avante Institute, a premier ibogaine treatment center, designed to offer a blend of luxury, top-tier clinical standards and resort-style amenities in the therapeutic environment of the tropical Bahamas.

The relocation of Crossroads to the Bahamas has allowed us to create what we believe is the most well-designed ibogaine program and treatment experience in the world.

At Crossroads, we offer a team of experienced and compassionate professionals who help our patients overcome addiction with the safest, most effective ibogaine treatments available. Our offerings include a full on-site medical staff; pre-treatment screening; real-time medical monitoring during treatment; and comprehensive pre-care and aftercare programs. Meals, consisting of fresh-caught local seafood and locally-grown organic vegetables, are designed to help the body recover and stabilize, along with a dietary program of supplemental nutrients, electrolyte therapy, and amino acid vitamin and mineral blends. Patients also have access to yoga and meditation classes at the nearby Sivananda Ashram and the spa and fitness center at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort.

Patients receive their treatment surrounded by meditative gardens, tropical turquoise waters, a private swimming pool and fresh ocean breezes in Avante’s beautiful and luxurious oceanfront property. The location has been carefully chosen because of its proximity to the US and the availability of multiple daily flights to suit your requirements.

We strive to end the vicious cycle of addiction and transform our patients’ life in a profound and everlasting way with our one-on-one recovery coaching and therapy. Patients can feel reassured that they will have the tools to continue their sobriety upon leaving Crossroads Treatment Center.

We look forward to continuing to provide a one-stop solution for our patients and their families with this collaboration.

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How the Right Diet Can Help Aide in Addiction Recovery

 

Whether you’ve just finished treatment or have been in recovery for a while, it’s important to know how much of an impact your diet can have during the process. What we eat literally has everything to do with how we feel. When it comes to the addict in recovery, a healthy diet can make a tremendous impact on the way they experience the recovery process. When a person is equipped with the knowledge of what to eat and why, serious change can occur in the way they feel both mentally and physically.

Nature Offers Everything We Need to Heal

Many addicts don’t realize the physical toll drug abuse takes on their body. From malnutrition and dehydration that’s common amongst most addicts, to more serious health problems such as liver damage and damage to the central nervous system, addiction can wreak havoc on a person’s physical health.

Nature, however, gives us everything we need to heal. Aside from activities such as yoga and mindfulness, taking a holistic approach to addiction recovery involves eating nutritious foods and taking certain supplements. Holistic healing is far removed from the cigarettes and coffee so common at the corner AA meeting.

Treating the body naturally begins with offering it everything it needs to repair and recover from the damage done during addiction. Knowing what foods to avoid, as well as what to eat for the best possible recovery, can help immensely in the way you feel and how much you enjoy your newfound sobriety.

Foods to Avoid When Overcoming Addiction

Sugar

Sugar is a common substitute for drugs or alcohol for countless people in addiction recovery. And while a sweet treat here and there is fine, reaching for candy, cookies, or cupcakes every time a craving hits can lead to an entirely new dependence. Sugar is one of the most addictive substances there is, and can cause some serious health issues when it becomes a regular part of a person’s diet. Excess sugar consumption (more than 25 grams a day) is known to cause cravings, irritability, fatigue, sugar “crash”, anxiety, hormone imbalance, and more.

Caffeine

Coffee is a big go-to for many people in recovery. And while it does offer a boost and can be a great way to kick start the day, it also overstimulates the central nervous system. Coffee consumption can lead to anxiety and insomnia, both of which people in recovery should avoid as much as possible. Switching to an herbal alternative, such as green tea or yerba mate, will offer a boost while keeping away the jitters. Green tea is also full of antioxidants that will help repair the radical damage that’s been done from excessive substance abuse.

Processed/Artificial Foods

The food a person eats while in recovery should be as close to its natural state as possible. This means processed and artificial foods should be cut out of a person’s diet completely. Foods to avoid include:

• Fast food
• Processed snacks (chips, cookies, etc.)
• Soda
• Processed meats and cheeses

Foods that are easy and convenient often tend to be the worst for you. While they might fill you up, they do nothing for your overall health and wellness. Doing your best to avoid all processed foods can be extremely beneficial for recovery. Click here for a list of common foods that you should stay away from not only while overcoming addiction, but also as a general rule.

The Best Foods to Eat During Addiction Recovery

While introducing a diet full of wholesome fruits, grains, and veggies might feel difficult at first, once you get into the habit of eating well, your body will begin to crave the healthy food you offer it.

Healthy Proteins

Getting adequate amounts of healthy proteins is vital for people who are overcoming an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Protein is excellent at providing blood sugar stabilization (great to eat in place of sugar cravings) and works to repair tissue damage and restore damage done to organs from the hard abuse done to the body. Healthy proteins to consume during recovery include nuts, eggs, chicken, fish, turkey, and lean red meats.

Healthy Fats

Adequate consumption of healthy fats is essential to those going through recovery. Healthy fats are crucial to help the body absorb vitamins and other nutrients. They are also necessary for cellular repair. Avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, and flaxseed oil are all excellent types of healthy fats that can easily be added to a person’s regular diet. The omega 3 fatty acids found in fish and flaxseed oils are essential to brain and overall health as well.

Wholesome Fruits and Veggies

The more greens and fresh foods you can add to your diet while in recovery, the better. Eating fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants can have a powerful effect on your health. Antioxidant rich foods help protect and repair the cells from damage, making them beneficial to anyone who has been struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction. Apples, blueberries, and strawberries are all fruits with a high antioxidant content. Veggies to munch on with plenty of antioxidants include broccoli and cauliflower, spinach, carrots, and bell peppers.

Whole Grains

When recovering from addiction, getting rid of refined carbs (white bread, flour, and pasta) is a must. Begin to replace these health hindering foods with whole grain breads and pastas, brown rice, and other grains such as quinoa, millet, or bulgur. Recovery requires adequate amounts of fiber to help the body repair the damage that’s been done to the digestive system. Fiber is also found in some fruits and veggies including mango, artichokes, and peas. It can also be found in abundance in black beans.

True addiction recovery happens when a person takes the steps necessary to restore their body and mind. Nothing will help this more than a diet that is rich in everything your body needs to recover. With the excessive amount of damage addiction does to a person’s body, it might be necessary to complete change your diet. Eliminating the food that harms your body and replacing it with wholesome foods that promote health and wellbeing can be more than life-changing for addicts in recovery.

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Could Ketamine Be the Answer for Alcohol Addiction?

Alcohol addiction is the most widespread form of substance abuse disorders. Not only is alcohol legal, but it is typically encouraged as a way to relax and have a good time. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH), there are over 15 million people in the US alone that abuse alcohol on a regular basis. And while there are countless rehab options to treat alcoholism, it’s widely known that traditional rehab doesn’t always work.

The very programs that have been touted to tame the alcoholic mind for almost a hundred years (think AA and other 12-step programs) only come with a 5-10 percent success rate. And when it comes to something as important as overcoming an addiction to alcohol, the last thing anyone wants to be is a statistic. It’s reasons such as these that have countless people turning to alternative forms of treatment to overcome addictions to alcohol and other substances.

Can Ketamine Help with Alcohol Addiction?

Research is in the works that could help countless people suffering from alcoholism overcome their addiction for good. Some scientists are suggesting that ketamine (currently considered a recreational drug) could be an excellent aid in the treatment of alcohol addiction.

Researchers at the University College of London (UCL) are testing whether or not ketamine can be effective in changing negative patterns of behavior associated with alcoholism by erasing the memories and triggers that lead to substance abuse and addiction. While results from these tests won’t be published for more than a year, researchers behind the study remain hopeful.

The research that began in 2016 has showed promise in the way ketamine can disrupt the formation of memories. The scientists behind the study believe it is this property that could be used to help get rid of the memories that trigger addiction and negative patterns of behavior. According to Ravi Das, one of the researchers behind the study, “Memories that you form can be hijacked by drugs in some people. If you were an alcoholic you might have a strong feeling of being in a certain place and wanting to drink. Those memories get triggered by things in the environment you can’t avoid.”

Taking a Look at Triggers

These are the triggers that make relapse such a prominent misfortune in the world of addiction recovery. Anyone who has ever unsuccessfully tried to quit drinking or doing drugs, knows how quickly these triggers can get under your skin and spark the desire to use. Things like seeing a certain person someone used to drink with, hearing the clink of glasses, walking by the bar and seeing people outside smoking, and even the simple act of returning home from work can easily set off the urge to drink.

It’s thought that treatment with ketamine can help a person erase the memories associated with drinking so everyday situations don’t elicit the urge to drink. Because there is growing knowledge that memories aren’t as stable as originally presumed, it’s believed the memories that trigger addictive behavior can be manipulated.

Ketamine is known to block the brain receptor NMDA, which is necessary for the formation of memories. And because each time our brain retrieves a memory, the neural connections that program it are momentarily disrupted, it is believed that giving a person ketamine just as the memory has been disrupted can help to diminish the memory, or get rid of it completely.

The Study of Ketamine on the Alcoholic Mind

The study taking place at UCL involves scientists intentionally triggering memories in the minds of heavy drinkers or alcoholics. And while the research team isn’t revealing all details of the study, they believe that by placing a beer or other alcoholic drink in front of a person and then disrupting whatever memory was triggered, they will be able to intentionally help them overcome the memories that lead to the urge to drink.

After patients are surprised they will be given either a ketamine mixture that contains a high dose or a placebo. Research scientists plan on following up with participants in a year to see if their drinking has stopped, slowed down, or changed at all.

Das is aware that regardless of how well ketamine works in relation to alcohol addiction not everyone will embrace it for what it’s worth. “There’s just the general social attitude that everything illegal is terrible,” he says. “There will obviously be that kind of narrow-minded pushback. But if it’s safe and effective enough it should be recommended.”

Ibogaine and ayahuasca are two alternative treatments that have showed great promise in treating addiction in an unconventional way. As more and more people turn toward other possibilities of treating addiction, we will discover more information on what works and what doesn’t. Ketamine is one such alternative that is showing the potential to treat addiction in a way nothing else has done up to this point. With research underway, it is just a matter of time before this party drug could be looked at in an entirely different light.

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