PATIENT TESTIMONIALS

"Dr. Scanlan, being in recovery himself, really understood exactly how I felt and helped me through the entire detox process and into recovery"

"Being a Roxy and Xanax user for years, I could not believe how accurate, safe and comforatable Dr. Scanlan's detoxification program was."

"As a parent, who do you turn to when your kids life is on the line? Steve and David went above and beyond their job of detox for my daughter"

More Testimonials.....

Abuse
Symptoms

(1)
Frequent
intoxication 

(2)
Atypical
social settings

(3)
Intentional
heavy use

(4)
Symptomatic
drinking

(5)
Psychological
dependence

(6)
Health
problems

(7)
Job
problems

(8)
Problems with
significant others

(9)
Problems with
law or authority

(10)
Financial
problems

(11)
Belligerence

(12)
Isolation


Pain Questionnaire





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About Us
 Detox
 Suboxone
 60 Day Outpatient Our Sobriety

Palm Beach Outpatient Detox specializes in personal and direct treatments for the detoxification of opiates, alcohol and benzodiazepines. Dr. Steven Scanlan takes a one on one approach throughout the entire process and is available at all times during the detoxification period. It is very important to us that the client feels that they are receiving personal care from a highly trained doctor. Dr. Scanlan is Board Certified in both Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine (ASAM). He has done over 1,000 detoxes just in the last 2+ years alone. Medical detoxification takes place at Palm Beach Outpatient Detox (P.B.O.D) and most clients can begin detox within hours after contacting us.

Addiction: The Basics

Find out how to recognize the signs and symptoms of drug abuse or addiction in yourself or someone you care about. When these problems are faced and thoughtfully addressed, there is hope for overcoming drug abuse and addiction. Recovery from addiction is possible for anyone, and begins by asking for help. There are also a number of helpful links to help yourself or your loved one become more informed about the disease of addiction.

The line between substance abuse and drug dependence is defined by the role drugs play in your life.  Addiction and drug dependence occurs when drugs become so important that you are willing to sacrifice your work, home and even family. Once your brain and body get used to the substances you are taking, you begin to require increasingly larger and more frequent doses, in order to achieve the same effect.

Drugs such as alcohol, opiates, and benzodiazepines often cause compulsive drug-seeking behaviors and affect self-control and judgment. These drugs are highly addictive and require a medical detoxification (detox) to cleanse the chemicals from your system. The severity of withdrawal symptoms such as chills, shakes, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and cravings can be reduced in detox with prescribed medications that can be slowly decreased over time. Withdrawal affects you physically and emotionally resulting in sadness, depression and exhaustion. Below are classic symptoms of drug and alcohol abuse and dependency.

Drug or Alcohol ABUSE: How can I tell if I have a problem?

Health and behavior

  • Continuing to use drugs even though you have health problems that are affected or caused by your drug use
  • Irritability, anger, hostility, fatigue, agitation, anxiety, depression, psychosis (seeing or hearing things that are not there), lack of coordination, difficulty concentrating

Financial and legal issues

  • Paying bills late, collection agencies calling, inability to keep track of your money
  • Being arrested, doing things that you would normally not do, such as stealing to obtain drugs

Employment or school

  • Continuing to use drugs even though you realize your job or education is in jeopardy
  • Missing work or school, or going in late due to drug use

Family and friends

  • Feeling annoyed when other people comment on, or criticize your use of drugs
  • Feeling remorse or guilt after using drugs
  • Associating with questionable acquaintances or frequenting out of the ordinary locations to purchase or use drugs

Social life

  • Scheduling your day around using drugs
  • Focusing recreational activities around obtaining drugs, using drugs, or recovering from drug use   
  • Using drugs when alone

Signs and symptoms of Cannabis use (Marijuana and Hashish)

  • Heightened visual and auditory perceptions and increased sensitivity in taste
  • Increased appetite
  • Problems with memory, difficulty concentrating, paranoid thinking
  • Decreased coordination, slowed reaction time
  • Bloodshot eyes, elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate

Drug or Alcohol DEPENDENCE: How do I know if I have become dependent?

Cravings and relapse

  • Strong and overwhelming desire to use your drug of choice at a specific time of day or several times a day
  • Drug seeking behaviors
  • Trying to stop using the drug but failing more than once
  • Feeling that you must have the drug to deal with your problems

Tolerance

  • In order to feel the same effect, using more of the drug than intended and using the drug more frequently

Withdrawal symptoms

  • Alcohol: Agitation, insomnia, anxiety, depression, anger, cravings, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, shakes, irritability, muscle pain
  • Benzodiazepines: Sleeplessness, irritability, anxiety, feeling shaky, headache, dizziness, loss of appetite, and in extreme cases, seizures
  • Heroin: Dilated pupils, goose bumps, watery eyes, runny nose,  yawning, chills, nausea, muscle cramps, stomach cramps,  diarrhea, vomiting, shakes, sweats, feeling jittery, irritable, panic, tremors.

Effects on memory and motivation

  • Impairments in learning, memory and cognitive functioning
  • Losing interest in activities and hobbies that were once pleasurable

Risky behavior

  • Sharing needles
  • Having unsafe sex