Brittany Ringersen is the President and CEO of the Lighthouse Recovery Institute, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Boynton Beach, Florida. Brittany is a graduate of Florida State University and a Certified Addiction Professional who believes that addiction affects not only the addict, but the entire family as well.
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Here are a few important facts and figures regarding substance abuse in Florida from the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) of the Florida Department of Children and Families:
While there has been a steady decline over the last decade in alcohol use and binge drinking among Florida students, still 40% of students who consumed alcohol in the past month also reported binge drinking in the past two weeks. Additionally, alcohol was detected in nearly half of all drug-related deaths in the state during the first half of 2016. Alcohol abuse among college-age students is a particularly large problem in Florida during spring break.
There were a total of 779 heroin deaths in Florida in 2015, a 74% increase from the 447 total the previous year. This sharp increase in heroin deaths, combined with high levels of prescription opioid use have, “constituted an opiate epidemic.”
Alcohol and opioids are not the only substances causing problems for Floridians. Figures have also indicated increases in the abuse of several other drugs including cocaine and methamphetamine over the past several years.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports the following Florida addiction treatment stats:
552
54
108
102
74
193
123
138
80
459
117
375
50
64
58
25
19
39
The following facilities are among some of the best known alcohol and drug rehabs in Florida. They also demonstrate the range of centers, from general facilities to those with specialized programs for veterans, juveniles, luxury clients, and others.
Serving the South Florida area, Harbor Village offers a wide range of alcohol and drug detoxification and treatment services, including inpatient medical detox, partial hospitalization, residential and outpatient rehab programs, sober living community residency, dual diagnosis treatment, group dynamic therapy, and more. Amenities include gourmet meals, meditation and yoga, and full access to spa, gym and salon services. Harbor Village is licensed by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and accredited by the Joint Commission.
Riverside Recovery of Tampa is a drug and alcohol treatment center for both men and women that offers, “a full continuum of care for people suffering with chemical dependency and co-occurring mental health disorders. Detox, residential and intensive outpatient programs are available. Treatment methods and processes include, among others, individual and group therapy, cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapies, trauma resolution therapies, family-based methods, experiential therapy, and biofeedback. Recreational activities include kayaking, fishing, basketball, swimming, and sand volleyball.
Located in the heart of the city, the Orlando Recovery Center offers alcohol and drug abuse detox and treatment to men and women 18 years of age and older. Programs include medically assisted detoxification, residential care, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, co-occurring disorders treatment, eating disorder treatment, individual and group therapy, family and couples counseling, life skills training, fitness therapy, nutritional counseling and dietary planning, and more.
Hazelden in Naples, Florida offers inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment to both men and women. Treatment at Hazelden combines evidence-based practices, 12-step principles, and personalized planning. Services available include a first responders treatment program, structured sober living, weekly family support groups, post-treatment recovery support, and the [email protected] Plus program for older adults. Hazelden in Naples is one of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s network of 17 treatment centers located throughout the U.S.
North Tampa Behavioral Health’s C.O.R.E. (Challenge Overcome Restore Empower) program focuses on military PTSD and substance abuse treatment for active military personnel and veterans. Methods and processes include individual, group and family counseling, physical training, yoga, meditation, and relaxation therapies. NTBH additionally offers inpatient, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient treatment programs to adults and seniors for substance abuse and a wide range of co-occurring disorders, including depression, anxiety, adjustment disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
5220 Hood Rd., Suite 100
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
(561) 328-7370
Family First Adolescent Services offers residential inpatient treatment to adolescent boys 14 to 18 years of age, gender-specific and intensive outpatient services for both adolescent boys and girls, and outpatient services for young men under the age of 30. First Family’s goal is to, “interrupt the cycle of addiction and prevent the progression of addiction through abstinence education, therapeutic interventions and family support.” Family First programs focus on the importance of the family in the patient’s long-term recovery, providing a number of related services, including family systems therapy, coping and prevention skills, and mindfulness training.
Sunspire Health Hyde Park, located in Tampa, is a treatment facility for women suffering from addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders. Its small size (treating a maximum of 22 patients at a time) allows for personalized care through its high staff-to-patient ratio. Sunspire Hyde Park offers detox, residential, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs. A wide range of services are available, including individual and group/process therapies, medical nutrition therapy, meditation and mindfulness, art therapy, and many others. Families play an integral part in the process, undergoing healing treatment in tandem with the patient.
1609 South Congress Ave.
Boynton Beach, FL 33426
(844) 422-6243
Located in Boynton Beach, Lighthouse Recovery Institute is a fully-licensed and JHACO-accredited facility serving the greater Miami area. Lighthouse offers comprehensive substance abuse and addiction treatment to both men and women 18 years of age and older. Services include day and night intensive outpatient programs, long-term addiction treatment, and complimentary aftercare for alumni. Lighthouse approaches treatment with the understanding that addiction is a family disease, meaning that while one person may directly suffer from substance dependency, it is the whole family that suffers the consequences of that dependency.
House of Hope is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that offers treatment and support to over 500 men and women each year suffering from substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders who lack the financial resources to seek treatment elsewhere. House of Hope is a non-secure residential facility that utilizes a Modified Therapeutic Community (MTC) model. Treatment provided includes psychiatric services, family services, 12-step meetings, and aftercare. House of Hope additionally offers job and life skills programs, as well as onsite GED programming to aid clients in furthering their educational and vocational aspirations.
Tranquil Shores is a private drug and alcohol recovery center located in the greater Tampa area catering to the luxury treatment market. Tranquil Shores employs the Integrated Recovery Model and features a low 3:1 client-to-counselor ratio to ensure individualized and customized attention. Programs offered include medical detox, dual-diagnosis treatment, individual, group and family therapies, transitional housing, and more. Specialty services are available to military personnel, executives, professional athletes, musicians, and artists.
Brittany Ringersen is the President and CEO of the Lighthouse Recovery Institute, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Boynton Beach, Florida. Brittany is a graduate of Florida State University and a Certified Addiction Professional who believes that addiction affects not only the addict, but the entire family as well.
I would say opioids and alcohol are consistently the biggest substances that patients are struggling with. For the over-40 population, it tends more to be alcohol. There’s alcohol addiction in the under-40 population as well, but for the most part we’re seeing such an influx from the opioid epidemic. Are there cases involving other substances? Yes, but I would say that in nine out of ten, it’s opioids.
Quite a few things. First, our location is awesome. It’s nice to come down here where you have the beaches and kind of check out. But I think that’s almost an afterthought. For a lot of individuals, it becomes very difficult to get sober where they’re currently residing. I’ll give you an example: Let’s say Johnny has tried to do treatment before in Cleveland. He doesn’t like what’s going on there, so guess what Johnny can do? He can walk out the door and have his girlfriend pick him up, or he can Uber. It becomes very easy for Johnny to re-immerse himself back into the same things he was doing before [treatment]. If he were hundreds of miles away, though, that puts up a lot of barriers for Johnny. Now you’re talking about a plane ticket, and mom and dad aren’t going to fly him home. It makes it a lot more difficult for someone to just pick up and say, “I’m done, I’m leaving treatment.” So, it forces the patient to engage on a level that he either could not or would not do in their own area.
Individuals who don’t have an urgent necessity to get home tend to stay. There are situations where [patients] stay for an additional 60 or 90 days to get that community integration piece here, and then they go home. One of the biggest questions [patients] asked is, “When do I go home?” And a lot of times the answer is when you don’t have that fear anymore. When you no longer have that concern about being OK, that’s usually the right time.
Yeah. I think it’s starting to take off in other areas because there’s a need for it. A couple of years ago, it was so hard to find sober livings and homes, to make those referrals for the patient. It’s now become a lot easier for us to find sober livings in many more states.
Absolutely. I truly believe that the “bad players” are weeding themselves out, and that there’s far more good [providers] than there are bad. For the most part, as a whole, the industry does its due diligence to regulate itself, and most facilities have the best interests of the patient [at heart]. Each has its own philosophy and vision. It’s not a one-size-fits-all. And as a patient, you’ve got to realize that you come in with your own set of underlying issues. So, if you’re going to do it, and you realize that it’s taken you so long to get here, you might as well find the program that makes the most sense for you. That doesn’t always mean the most expensive [program]. I truly believe those days are over unless you’re willing to pay a substantial amount out of pocket. It’s about what’s going to help you the most clinically.