Parisi House Expands Services

“This will remove one of the barriers to getting help,” says Jeff Geiger, Program Director at Parisi House. “Sometimes we get calls from women who are ready to quit using, but when they find out they first need to go through detox somewhere else, we lose them because there are too many obstacles and they never make it to the other program for detox, so they never call back.”

Now women seeking treatment can come directly to Parisi House to get the support they need withdrawing from drugs or alcohol. Withdrawal management is for women who are using drugs or alcohol daily and are unable to stop on their own or who are already in withdrawal and need support and supervision that does not require medical care from a doctor.

Detox can take anywhere from three to seven days. During that time, depending on the substance, women may experience a range of symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, depression, anxiety, extreme tiredness, irritability, tremors, paranoia and confusion.

It can be a very difficult process, so moms can only have their children join them after they have completed it. There are medicines that can help to reduce some of the symptoms, but clients need to get a prescription from a doctor for any medications they will need before they come to Parisi House.

The new withdrawal management program requires Parisi House staff to be specially trained on how to safely monitor women as they go through detox. For example, during the first 72 hours, clients must be checked every 30 minutes. Vital signs – blood pressure, temperature and heart rate – are taken every six hours.

Once moms have made it through detox, they can transition to our residential treatment program and begin their recovery journey.

Parisi House Expands Services

Parisi House on the Hill has been approved by the state of California to provide withdrawal management services so moms can stay with us while they go through detox. Prior to this, moms had to go to a different facility licensed for withdrawal management before they couldenter our residential treatment program.

“This will remove one of the barriers to getting help,” says Jeff Geiger, Program Director at Parisi House. “Sometimes we get calls from women who are ready to quit using, but when they find out they first need to go through detox somewhere else, we lose them because there are too many obstacles and they never make it to the other program for detox, so they never call back.”

Now women seeking treatment can come directly to Parisi House to get the support they need withdrawing from drugs or alcohol. Withdrawal management is for women who are using drugs or alcohol daily and are unable to stop on their own or who are already in withdrawal and need support and supervision that does not require medical care from a doctor.

Detox can take anywhere from three to seven days. During that time, depending on the substance, women may experience a range of symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, depression, anxiety, extreme tiredness, irritability, tremors, paranoia and confusion.

It can be a very difficult process, so moms can only have their children join them after they have completed it. There are medicines that can help to reduce some of the symptoms, but clients need to get a prescription from a doctor for any medications they will need before they come to Parisi House.

The new withdrawal management program requires Parisi House staff to be specially trained on how to safely monitor women as they go through detox. For example, during the first 72 hours, clients must be checked every 30 minutes. Vital signs – blood pressure, temperature and heart rate – are taken every six hours.

Once moms have made it through detox, they can transition to our residential treatment program and begin their recovery journey.