South Orange County Detox and Treatment

05/23/2025

34 STITCHES
This short video, created by Luke Shuler and Elijah Shuler for a Saddleback College TV production class, shares the story behind 34 Stitches—a message of resilience, healing, and hope after losing a loved one to addiction.

At the heart of this story is Dave Lara, who has turned personal tragedy into purpose by making 34 Stitches his mission—to raise awareness, spark conversation, and healing.

Featuring stories from South Orange County Detox and Treatment, the video highlights real stories of strength, loss, and the ongoing fight to heal.

Watch the video and support the mission:
https://34stitches.org/?form=FUNVYZNMRZW

Every donation and share helps bring hope to those still struggling.

03/17/2022

Blog Post on RECLAIMING YOUR GIFTS IN SOBRIETY- “At South Orange County Detox and Treatment, people achieve sobriety and begin a journey of recovery. In treatment, we reclaim our gifts of sensitivity and intelligence. We learn how to honor these gifts, how to allow these gifts to serve us, in self-enhancing ways. An aspect of our sensitivity and our intelligence is known as our intuition. Intuition can be defined as “A knowing without knowing.”
It is said that our intuition can perceive truths, without using conscious reasoning (in other words, intuition involves our “subconscious”). Intuition is a way of sensing and knowing something instinctively, on a gut level.
When we achieve sobriety and begin a journey of recovery, we begin to notice our intuition, we practice honoring it, and we learn how to channel it in self-enhancing ways.

What is Your Intuition Trying To Tell You Today?

To Read Full Post Visit Our Blog LINK IN THE BIO

South OC Detox & Treatment
949-584-5927

03/17/2022

Reclaiming Your Gifts in Sobriety

When we achieve sobriety, we begin to notice our intuition, we practice honoring it, and we learn how to channel it in self-enhancing ways.

03/16/2022

Check out our New Blog Post CHOOSING SOBRIETY-
“While in the midst of addiction, the perception of the relationships we create or destroy is often very skewed. It is very difficult for an addict or alcoholic to accept blame for their wrong doings. We often hurt the ones we love and care for most as we become selfish and self-centered and disregard any personal responsibility for our own actions. Many of the relationships we create while in addiction are on the basis of our false self.
How can somebody get to know anyone that is not truly themselves?
When we are brave enough to ask for help and seek sobriety, we have made the first step towards improving our relationships. After the initial detox phase of recovery, we begin to develop clarity of mind, something many of us have not experienced in years. We begin to look at and understand ourselves in a way that is impossible to while we are using or drinking. There is nothing more freeing than being able to wake from a restful night’s sleep and not feel enslaved by our addiction. This clarity of mind allows us to repair the relationships that need mending and lose the ones that may not have been in our best interest…”
To Read More Visit https://www.socdetox.com/blog/choosing-drug-rehab

South OC Detox & Treatment 949-584-5927

08/06/2021

Blog Post on PASSIVITY- A DETRIMENTAL STATE OF EXISTENCE- “Reflecting on this weeks Recovery Word of the Week brought to mind a common saying I heard growing up “there’s always two ways- the right way, and the wrong way”. After I gave this some thought and pondered just how false this statement is, I realized there’s a third, and much more detrimental option- doing nothing; being passive. Doing something and making a mistake has always allowed me to learn from those failures and to fail forward… but doing nothing and being passive is just a state of existence where I neither succeed nor am I able to learn from a mistake. It reminds me of today’s society in which an accident or injustice occurs, and the passers-by pull out their phones and start recording. However, I can relate to this with how passive I was during my addiction. I wasn’t living and I wasn’t standing up to the injustices caused by myself or by others. Being at South Orange County Detox and Treatment and working with Salina I’ve been able to work through my passivity and have been able to be more assertive and direct. Because of this my relationships are stronger, and my self-esteem has risen. And if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s this:
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
-Teddy Roosevelt.

Passivity- Word of the Week
South OC Detox & Treatment
949-584-5927

08/03/2021

PASSIVITY AND RELAPSE- “This word of the week really hits home for me. I’m coming back from a relapse that was fully caused from my passivity in my recovery, life, & relationship. At first, I was all about my recovery, but then money, work and success got to my head. I was frustrated with my living conditions, and I never talked to anyone about it. I started putting things in front of my recovery, not knowing that it was just arming a time bomb that was bound to go off. My passivity in acknowledging my thoughts and feelings, and in my communication blew up in my face. Now, I’ve lost something very dear to me. I’ve lost the trust of someone special to me while almost dragging her down with me. I’m vigorously trying to give it my all and put my recovery first, so I can eventually repair the life I was living, the life that I spent many years dreaming of having. We’ve been talking a lot about the addict self, and it really sickens me how one negative thought can lead me to throw everything I’ve worked for down the drain. I’m trying to fix my head and my heart because avoiding these problems will only make my things worse. I know now that I need to stay active and focused on my recovery. I need to express my negative feelings immediately when they pop up because it is not worth throwing away everything for just that one use”

Passivity
Recovery Word of the Week
South OC Detox & Treatment- 949-584-5927

08/03/2021

Passivity and Relapse

Blog on Passivity and Drug Relapse, "I’m coming back from a relapse that was caused from my passivity in my recovery, life, & relationship. At first, I was all about my recovery, but then money, work & success got to my head. I was frustrated with my living conditions & I never talk

07/29/2021

New Blog Post on EMOTIONAL SOBRIETY- STAYING TRUE AT HEART- “Emotional Sobriety is often overlooked in recovery. It is often mistaken that removing the substance of choice from the equation and everything goes back to normal. This could not be farther from the truth. Gaining emotional sobriety is an absolutely vital step in the process of recovery. This is where we start to achieve real growth emotionally, and even spiritually, by working through all the defense mechanisms, character defects, and for me especially the co-dependency.
For me, finding my true self again has been a struggle, a dark shadow of shame has consumed my life for years due to the chaos and destruction my active addiction caused. But over the course of the past year, I have really dived deep into my emotional sobriety. Salina has guided me through this heavy process, and has been teaching me how to achieve a balanced, healthy emotional self that I can hold onto for the years to come”
To Read More Visit:
https://www.socdetox.com/blog

South OC Detox & Treatment
949-584-5927

07/29/2021

Emotional Sobriety- Staying True at Heart

Recovery Blog on Emotional Sobriety, "Gaining emotional sobriety is an absolutely vital step in the process of recovery. This is where we start to achieve real growth emotionally, and even spiritually, by working through all the defense mechanisms, character defects, and for me especially the c

07/27/2021

New Blog Post on EMOTIONAL SOBRIETY, A WORK IN PROGRESS- “I first came to South Orange County Detox and Treatment with the intention of detoxing from alcohol. Little did I know at the time how important emotional sobriety is in maintaining my sobriety. I wasn’t sure why I drank or why I couldn’t stop. Learning about emotional sobriety has shown me that emotional dependency (or lack thereof) is one of the roots of my inability to stay sober. I have begun the process of developing new relationships with myself and others. I have learned that I can express my individuality without sacrificing togetherness in relationships. I need to stop letting others write my story. My feelings and opinions are no more or less valuable than anyone else’s. I have been given tools to assist me, including an emotional sobriety inventory. I am realizing that what the flaws I see in others are often projections of my own character defects. For me, emotional sobriety is a work in progress and a key part of my recovery plan”

South OC Detox & Treatment
949-584-5927

05/20/2021

They say that people that struggle with addiction are gifted with heightened levels of sensitivity and intelligence. However, when we are feeding our addiction with drugs and alcohol, we often numb our sensitivity & we often dull our intelligence. And, in our substance use, we are even known to misuse the gifts of sensitivity & intelligence, resulting in self-defeating patterns. An example of a way we can misuse our sensitivity in a way that can defeat us: as a result of being highly sensitive, people with addiction often absorb the emotions of those around us, including painful emotions, which can contribute to ongoing substance use to numb those painful emotions. People with addictions often have porous boundaries with others, we have yet to learn how to protect ourselves from taking on the emotions of others. And people with addictions often have little experience with handling painful emotions without using. The combination of being highly sensitive & of being inexperienced with coping with emotions, often leads to substance use. An example of a way that we can misuse our intelligence in a way that can defeat us: as a result of being highly intelligent, people with addiction can rationalize & justify ongoing substance use. A high level of intelligence can promote ongoing denial of addiction & underlying issues that lead to our substance use. Denial to a ferocious, sometimes fatal degree.
Perhaps we misuse these gifts in our addiction because we have yet to learn how to honor these gifts?
At South Orange County Detox and Treatment, people can achieve sobriety & begin a journey of recovery. In treatment, we reclaim our gifts of sensitivity & intelligence. We learn how to honor these gifts, how to allow these gifts to serve us, in self-enhancing ways.
An aspect of our sensitivity and our intelligence is known as our intuition. Intuition can be defined as “a knowing without knowing.” It is said that our intuition can perceive truths, without using conscious reasoning (in other words, intuition involves our “subconscious”). Intuition is a way of sensing & knowing something instinctively, on a gut level...

To Continue Reading Blog Post- Link’s in the Bio

05/18/2021

REBUILDING TRUST IN ADDICTION TREATMENT When thinking about trust in regards to someone struggling with drug addiction, you might think about the damage and chaos created by the addict’s behaviors. Thoughts such as “I don’t trust to leave my wallet around her” or “I don’t believe he will do what he says he will do”. If you are an addict, or know someone struggling with addiction, then you’re familiar with the lies, deception, and broken promises within addiction that shatters trust in relationships. But, do we think about the broken trust an addict may have experienced themselves? At South Orange County Detox and Treatment, clients are encouraged to share the situations that they have experienced that may have created a lack of trust. Often, lack of trust arises from abuse, disloyalty, manipulation and fear. Learning to gain trust with healthy people in an addict’s life is an important part of recovery. Rebuilding trust in Addiction Treatment requires a person to have courage to be honest about the pain they have experienced, a willingness to explore feelings this has generated and vulnerability to begin to trust again. Once trust is rebuilt with the client and healthy people in their lives, relationships begin to strengthen. This is an integral part of the healing process in building a solid foundation that will support the addict on their journey towards a new way of living in sobriety.

South Orange Detox and Treatment
949-584-5927