Jennifer Nicolaisen's Contact Details

Jennifer Nicolaisen's Company Details

SeekHealing

Asheville, NC, US • 5 - 9 Employees
Hospital/Clinic

#RethinkRehab-------------------------------------SeekHealing is a community-sourced treatment model that empowers people to heal rather than achieve certain outcomes.-------------------------------------Addiction is a symptom of an unhealthy social environment.Connection is a human need as basic as food, shelter and water. When we connect with others in a meaningful way, our brains produce natural opioids.[1] When we don't get those compounds naturally, we try to get them however we can. In many ways, modern life makes real connection hard to find. Regardless of socio-economic standing, we all live in a culture that inherently separates us. Childhood trauma can wall us off from each other even more. Isolation and loneliness are the main drivers of opioid addiction. When prescription painkillers became widely available, it was like throwing a lit match into a haystack.Conventional approaches to addiction do not address these root causes. Consequently, 80% of people who complete a drug rehab program will relapse within a month.[2] This happens when a person returns to a life that drove them to addiction in the first place. Without healthy relationships, the loneliness can become unbearable. The brain begins to starve for natural opioids. That's why many people revived with naloxone will use again within 24 hours, and why 51% will die within thirty days.[3] To treat addiction effectively, we need communities that value and promote authentic human connection. We need to teach people how to listen to each other and share what's really going on in a way that overcomes stigma. We need to empower people by helping them to become aware of their own needs. We need treatment that supports people in setting and following their own goals for personal harm reduction rather than requiring certain results. We need all members of communities affected by the overdose epidemic to relate to each other with less shame and more empathy.