Most people who have no direct connection with using drugs find it very difficult to understand the illness of addiction and the process of drug abuse recovery. And, to make matters worse, there are some common generalized myths about drug addiction and drug use that have become firmly rooted in society. In this article we will take a look at some common myths with the object of dispelling them.

1. The person using the drugs is bad and makes a choice for that lifestyle.

The choice to initially experiment with the drugs is definitely within the user. But then certain factors assert themselves that are beyond the control of the drug addicted person, such as genetic factors. At some point in using drugs they “crossed the line” into addiction. At that point they have lost the ability to control their use of drugs, and the phenomenon of obsession and compulsion to use take over their entire life. They prioritize drug use above all else, even family and work. Ironically, it does not mean they do not love their family, they are mesmerized by the drug.

2. Stopping drug use means just saying no.

While ultimately the goal is to never use drugs, being in complete abstinence, is not as easy as simply saying no. In order to be successful, the person must be physically detoxed from the drug. They need to address triggers and situations which led them to use drugs to begin with. Next they need to find a new way of life, living skills, and communication skills to handle the ups and down of life without resorting to drug use. If drugs were providing relief to life situations, we need to work on skills to handle life situations. This takes time and education.

3. You can’t force people into treatment; it has to be their own choice.

Eventually the person has and must make the ultimate decision to become abstinent and stay sober, this is true. However, studies have shown that people entering treatment through interventions, the power of a court order, or other involuntary means have the same outcome rates as people who voluntarily entered treatment. Many people who are “forced” were backed into a corner to enter treatment come to the realization while they are there that their problem is significant. They may become agreeable about dealing with it. The fact is, treatment works.

4. Once a person completes treatment or rehab they are done.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact of the matter is that maintaining longtime abstinence and sobriety involves a lifelong process of maintaining awareness. A metaphor might be riding a bicycle uphill. As long as you apply force and effort you will continue to move forward uphill, but as soon as you stop peddling the pull of gravity is toward falling down or a slide toward the bottom. A drug addict’s natural pull is to use drugs. There must be a constant effort and awareness applied against that natural tendency.

Technorati Tags: Addiction, drug abuse recovery, drug-abuse, drug-addiction, Drugs

In this, second in a four-part series on the faces of drug addiction and alcoholism recovery, we’re going to speak about Phase 2, Learning Abstinence.

Learning Abstinence.

The primary goal in this phase of treatment is to learn the tools and skills necessary to not use drugs and alcohol. In Phase 1, a person has overcome denial and ambivalence and has realized that they need to stop using. The most important concept in defining abstinence is that it means no use of mood altering substances whatsoever. That includes any drugs or mood altering substances that are secondary to the drug of choice. That is a difficult concept for some people to accept.

They believe that if cocaine for instance, was the drug of choice, and they understand they must give that up, it might be okay to continue to smoke marijuana because it never gave them problems. Wrong. Abstinence is an all or nothing concept. Because one of the definitive qualities of having an addiction is a loss of control over the substance, any time one engages in the substance they are in deep trouble. The concept of “controlling” usage does not have mainstream acceptance. Why? Because it doesn’t work.

In this phase of treatment there is a definite learning curve. Most people do not understand the full ramifications of psychological dependence, physiological dependence and addiction itself. Treatment private professionals can help a person understand key addiction concepts such as tolerance, withdrawal, psychological and social attributes.

There are three major treatment goals in the early abstinence phase of addiction recovery. The first is learning triggers and cues. These are events, situations, or people that start the relapse process happening. Triggers can be any stimulus gets a person thinking about using. These need to identified and either avoided or planned for. Left unchecked, a trigger can rapidly grow into the second danger of maintaining abstinence, and that is – cravings and urges.

It is not a question of if, but more a question of when, urges and cravings to reengage in drug and alcohol abuse will occur. Sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, the urge to resume use will occur. It is necessary to learn the skills to both identify a craving in to get through it, without re-engaging in drug or alcohol use.

The third goal of this phase of drug and alcohol addiction recovery and treatment, is to start to develop wide and deep social support network. These are people you can turn to for help in moments of need, or if the urge to use strikes. Addiction has been called a disease and isolation with good reason. As people slide deeper into their addiction they push the people they love and care for away from them so they can continue to use drugs and alcohol without interference. Building social support system is almost the reverse of this process. 12 step groups fulfill the social support need very well. A wise person in addiction recovery will have developed a variety of people were willing to help, perhaps a sponsor, 12 step friends, a counselor, perhaps clergy and relatives were all aware of his desire for recovery.

Another key purpose of developing a wider social support network is to prevent boredom and isolation. Most addicts have spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about, using, or recovering from drug use. When that activity is removed, they are often left blocks of time that need to be filled. If they are not filled, boredom and isolation can creep in. Boredom and isolation are 2 factors have that been identified by many addicts who relapse as being their primary relapse trigger.

For the complete series Click Below:

Part 1. – Beginning Addiction Treatment
Part 2. – Learning abstinence.
Part 3. – Maintaining abstinence.
Part 4. – Entering and maintaining recovery.

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Addiction-Treatment, Alcoholism, drug-addiction, drug-treatment, substance-abuse

The problems and suffering related to alcohol abuse or alcoholism has its tentacles deep into human society for ages.

Though its true effects are being shown in the light only recently, it is obvious that innumerable families have lost their loved ones along with a lot of hopes and dreams to this menace. Alcoholism is a terrible psychological and behavioral disorder which has drastic effects not just on the life of the individual alcoholic but his entire family. The major step towards total recovery is obviously the first one and unfortunately, the toughest one too. The individual suffering from this disorder must come to terms with the fact that he or she has a problem that requires treatment.

There is a diverse assortment of alcohol treatment programs available today provided by quite a big number of health care providers and cooperative societies. However, picking out the right alcohol detox or alcohol treatment program is not as easy as picking socks from a discount store. What is required is an intense research on the condition of the alcoholic and the kind of alcohol treatment that would be suitable to treat his/her condition. The facilities providing this treatment provide care depending on the intensity of the condition and the living situation of its client. Only after carefully analyzing the facts should one choose upon an alcohol treatment program to deal with alcohol abuse.

In order to make the right selection, a sound idea of the various kinds of the alcohol treatment programs would be necessary. Most of the treatments would include a particular specialty bunched with a variety of other services. Here are some of the common alcohol treatment programs that are offered.

o Outpatient Treatment Program: This particular alcohol treatment program is suggested for individuals who are in the milder stages of alcohol dependency and can be treated with daily sessions of treatment, which could include medication, counseling, and rehabilitative care. This is also good for individuals who have already completed the in-patient program and are on their way to a successful recovery.

o Inpatient Alcohol Treatment Programs: This alcohol treatment program is targeted towards those individuals who have chronic issues related to alcohol dependency whose situation is on a rapid decline. Such individuals would require 24-hour supervision and intensive detox sessions. This program is suitable for patients who have already tried quitting a number of times but have failed. The inpatient alcohol treatment helps provide support to individuals who have lost hope of overcoming this condition on their own and require continuous support and medication therapy to attain passage into the sobriety club..

o Partial Hospital Treatment Program: In this alcohol treatment program, patients are treated four hours a day at a stretch for five days a week. This treatment method is one step behind the inpatient method and one step ahead the outpatient method in its intensity. It basically aims to help alcoholics who need to be provided with consistent support but of a less rigorous kind. In this method patients are allowed to stay at home while participating in the program during particular hours of the day.

o Adolescent Alcohol Treatment Program: The percentage of the number of alcoholics amongst the adolescent age group is increasing at an alarming rate. Hence, a number of special treatment programs have been purposely developed to treat these youngsters successfully and help them get rid of teenage alcoholism.

o Therapeutic Communities: A therapeutic community consists of individuals who form a kind of cooperative society to support individuals suffering from alcohol dependency. They regard alcoholism as a purely mental condition, which facilitates the need for constant counseling and supportive therapy. Hence focus is laid on ensuring changes in behavior in the alcoholic’s home environment. The content, length and type of treatment in this case may vary from one community to the other.

These are various kinds of alcohol treatment programs that are used commonly. As mentioned before, each program follows its own curriculum and is designed specifically to meet the requirements of its clientele depending on the intensity of the dependency and the need for a particular support system. Some can be harsh in implementing its regimen; however, this is basically in the best interests of the individual to get on the road towards a new sober life. The treatment methods and services of each facility may differ by nature from the others. But one thing that is common amongst all these programs is the fact that they have the same aim to reach. All of the programs have the ultimate goal of helping alcoholics deal with alcoholism, maintain abstinence and finally attain a state of sobriety for the rest of their life.

And now I invite you to Alcohol Treatment Center. You are important. You can change your life. You deserve it. Please call me, Matthew Brindisi, right now at 866-211-5538 and speak to me or one of my staff. Learn more about Alcoholism Treatment Center today.

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Alcoholism, Centers and Counseling Services, types of treatment

I get so angry when sometimes well-intentioned people will make statements to the effect of only 5%, 10% of the people make it in addiction recovery. How disheartening for somebody who’s trying to turn their life around to statements like that. Why not focus on the fact that addiction treatment works.

Just today I attended a conference and Dr. Lewis Baxter Sr was the keynote speaker. He is the president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine known in the field as ASAM. He provided some rather heartening statistics. But these have to be qualified. He was speaking of people who have gone through a “full treatment experience”. A full treatment experience includes:

1. Detoxification

2. Rehabilitation

3. Maintenance

These are patients who received a full assessment, and an accurate diagnosis of their condition. They’d gone through proper detoxification and/or medical maintenance. Rehabilitation – means therapy and addiction counseling. Aftercare and continuing care refers to ongoing treatment with social support such as a 12 step program and/or continued therapy throughout the year.

Two separate peer-reviewed, empirical studies* showed these statistics:

For people who I gone through a full treatment experience:

The general population at a recovery rate of 77% at one year.

For those who had gone through detoxification in rehab only the recovery rate was 33% at one year.

For those who underwent detox only, the recovery rate was less than 10%.

Now before I get a ton of e-mails saying those statistics don’t sound right I ask you to look at the qualifications very carefully. For instance, in my experience as an addiction therapist when I see a patient who has relapsed, and I inquire about their follow-through on aftercare about 90% of them say that they did not follow through. That explains the big drop in the recovery rate to only 33% when continuing care recommendations are not followed after they leave their initial phase of treatment.

I can also anecdotally tell you that I have had patients tell me ‘I’ve been to 10 treatments’ and when asked how long each treatment was, they say ‘about two days’. There is an erroneous belief for some that detox is the same as treatment. Detox is certainly not treatment it as simply medical stabilization.

Now the one thing I firmly believe about statistics is that when it comes to addiction recovery they are inherently accurate. I believe that it is the individual’s action determine their success in addiction recovery not the random allocation percentages are statistics.

*(Gaber,Davidson,1992; Mclellan 2002)

A question that I am very frequently asked is how go about locating local  addiction treatment help.

In all honesty, I would not trust an Internet search because there is a lot of bad information and huge advertising budgets out there. The one solid recommendation I make is to use the addiction treatment locator provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration which is a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

If the treatment center is licensed, or certified it will be listed here. You simply click on the map; enter a radius from your zip code and you will see an amazing amount of drug rehab services located in your area with a brief synopsis of the services offered.

Here is that link: Click Here Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator

There are vast quantities of information on the subject of alcohol and drug rehabs and addiction in general. Data from one source may be diametrically opposed to that from another.

It can be difficult to know which sources you can trust. Keep reading to learn more of the facts about addiction treatment.

Just about everyone has a distinct opinion about how to end the use of addictive substances and to treat addiction; there are just too many lines of thought out there. Is there a ‘best’ track of therapy for people who have been diagnosed as being addicted to drugs or alcohol?

There is no agreement on the best resolution. People debate the merits of controlling negative consequences, controlling the substances and staying away from the substances all together.

Not long ago, I saw 2 review studies; its research reported data drawn from hundreds of controlled research surveys and present the facts which are seen to be consistent across the board. There were some interesting points which were uniform across both of these review studies. These were:

1. Growing a huge support system is a must in recovery.

The rate of success for patients in substance abuse treatment is
significantly better where these patients have a support network, including loved ones and friends. Self-help groups and other support networks can also play a worthwhile role in helping patients to stay in recovery.

2. Staying in treatment longer is better.

Being in treatment for the long haul is more effective than is short term intensive treatments, bringing credence to the old saying in recovery circles that sobriety is not an event, but rather an ongoing process.

3.There is no ‘best’ treatment.

There is no single correct answer that works for every patient. Cognitive behavioral treatment, the 12 step system and others have all been just about equally effective in different cases. Project Match is a government study that tried to match up patients to different treatments by type  and their findings were that all of these recovery methods worked equally well.

4. The old ‘in your face’ style is not effective.

The confrontational school of addiction treatment widely used in the 1980s did not yield results as readily as does rendering support and positive reinforcement to patients.

5. The relationship with your counselor is critical.

All of the available data indicates that patients are much more likely to be successful in recovery if they have a deep, positive relationship with their therapist or group members. These relationships keep addicts in recovery involved in the recovery process.

The common elements of any solid addiction treatment method are training, working to build coping skills, building and restoring interpersonal family relationships and keeping the patient included over the long term.

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Addiction-Treatment

I was searching the Internet for some ideas on getting people into addiction treatment And found the following article.

How to Get a Resistant Alcoholic Or Drug Abuser In Treatment

By Mike Shery

There are compelling reasons why people become addicted to alcohol and drugs. Psychological factors are extremely powerful. The addicts conscious and unconscious cravings become the dominant software programs that run his self-destructive life.

Our brain as reflected in the day -to-day experiences of our mind is everything. Because of disorders in our brain or the way we think, the psychiatric implications of drug abuse are omnipresent, and can cause major dysfunctions in the life of the one who is addicted-and his family.

The psychological scripting or indirect hypnosis which determines the quality of the addicts lives is well known. To illustrate, if one is the child of a substance abuser it is likely that, as he grows, he will rapidly justify the use of these substances to himself and REALLY think that it is OK!

In some unintentional way, the addict has been programmed by his parents to think that since it is OK for them, it must be OK for him. He is, in effect complying with the suggestions of this powerful indirect hypnosis.

Mind-altering drugs and alcohol have a compelling, gradual, silent and insidious effect on ones brain and, consequently, the way the addict perceives his life. It is life-changing and becomes a serious brain, mind, perception and behavior problem.

Ones brain can get so accustomed to depending on these chemicals that over time it actually “talks” itself into needing them, producing various extremely compelling withdrawal symptoms in order to get the addict to feed its self-defeating and toxic cravings. The feelings and perceptions of reality created by his chemically-fed brain literally changes his reality.

Contrary to reality, his cravings and use are viewed by him as legitimate, in his control and actually life-enhancing. This addict fights treatment and feels misunderstood and unappreciated.

So what is required to overcome the psychological causes of drug and alcohol dependence on one who is in denial or refuses treatment? The answer: Getting help from a psychological counselor or interventionist; it is a tried and tested method.

Since, the addict in denial will resist any attempt to engage him in treatment, the professional help of an expert interventionist is a MUST! The professional interventionist can make it possible for the treatment-resistant addict to successfully overcome his denial of harm that has occurred to himself and his family.

Talking to a counselor or psychologist who specializes in the use of clinical interventions is a good start to finding ways to get the resistant addict to overcome his addiction. There are many excellent intervention specialists available to the families and significant others of treatment-resistant substance abusers.

The best of these will be licensed in the practice of psychology or substance abuse counseling. Even though the resistant addict will not go into a rehabilitation facility on his own, rehab facilities can be quite effective.

There, they learn how to live life without the use of mind-altering substances. The purpose of interventions is to get substance abusers out of their denial and show them the ways in which their disease is affecting the people they love the most and then, most importantly, to get them into a rehab center right away!

The goal of a professionally-led family confrontation or intervention in the home would be to break down his resistance so he will enter inpatient treatment, not tomorrow or the next day, but, immediately!

Doesn’t the drug or alcohol abuser have to want help? No, the abuser does not have to want help, however the most successful interventions occur when there have been significant destructive consequences resulting from the persons drinking or using.

These consequences are then used to show the abuser the ways in which his life has become out of control and unmanageable. Cost? It is true that inpatient treatment and the intervention itself can be expensive.

However, while the intervention itself must be paid for out-of-pocket, most alcohol and drug abuse patients will find that their health insurance will cover a substantial portion of their inpatient and treatment expenses. Do these interventions work?

It is believed an intervention has a 90-95% success rate when done under the guidance and supervision of a licensed specialist with the help of the family and friends who are close to the individual needing the intervention. They can be very successful because, although drugs and alcohol have taken over a persons life, it is still very painful for the abuser to be confronted with his/her abusive behavior and the pain it has caused to his loved ones.

A substance-abuse intervention is a last-ditch attempt by family members and friends, often in the home setting and under the guidance of a professional counselor or psychologist, to help a treatment-resistant chemically dependent person get help for his/her problem. The good news is that these interventions are often successful and can get the initially resistant patient into a drug and alcohol treatment program immediately.

With the help of a specialist and loved ones, the intervention process can be the beginning of a new life for the addict and those close to him.

Dr Shery is in Cary, IL, near Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Marengo and Lake-in-the-Hills. He’s an expert psychologist and interventionist. Call 1 847 275 8236 and make an appt or  learn more about counseling at: http://www.carypsychology.com

Question Is Asked:

im on 18 months formal probation and im required to go to 6-month outpatient program drug rehab. i cant afford a lot of money. does anyone have any resources for me?

Reader Answer Provided:

lyyman // Apr 5, 2009

You go should discuss this with your probation officer. Most of these programs are income sensitive. You need to take it seriously and not just “skirt the rules”. Yes it’s a pain in the a** and as you know if you don’t like it you can serve the time. Stay the hell away from the people you used to use with. I’m glad I’m straight now. I don’t need constant reminders and lectures. Enough of the people I hung with are dead or in jail. I just want to get on with something else besides the damn meetings and reporting in.
Call your health dept. if your PO doesn’t have any good suggestions. Mine was at no cost. Good luck.

My Answer:

You can search at: Treatment Locator

Your Answer: Use the comment form below.

Technorati Tags: drug-rehab, formal probation, money, outpatient program

I wrote a post a couple of days ago, Drug Abuse Treatment Programs: 10 Things To Look For In Selecting The Right One and a reader wrote a great comment I wanted to share. He makes some great points and I will address a couple at the end. Here goes:

J. Heller
http://addictionnewsnetwork.com/

Brian, (sic, Bill)

Your list is a great start, but after 15 years on both sides of treatment I think even more is needed. As corporations continue to buy up (or simply put out of business) the single owner/operator facilities that were based on helping a fellow addict first and then making a few bucks, what is needed badly is transparency.

I’ve been inpatient several times, and I’ve also done everything from intake to creating (at the time) the biggest recovery site on the net. Trust me when I say that the directors of these corporations currently on a buying spree are not in recovery themselves, and they view rehabs as a very lucrative, consistent cash flow business.

As it is usually a spouse or parents who make the initial contact with a TX center, they have no idea that an “intake specialist” is in actuality a “closer”- a salesperson whose job it is to close the deal. And as far as methodology, years ago when a Judge first sentenced someone to AA, it began a cycle in which AA became the governments defacto (and free) treatment provider. As a person who originally got sober in AA, it pains me to see parents putting out 10, 20, 30,000 for what is often a 12 step program with a few counselors. No aftercare, here’s your Big Book, go to meetings…that’s the discharge plan.

There are still a few great programs out there, but it has come down to buyer beware-if a client leaves a facility early, many programs (it’s in the fine print) have a no refund policy. Should a client not agree with the treatment provided and leave, even after just a few days, the financial effects and the relationship issues could be devastating.

Like an earlier post, I believe there should be some form of guarantee-not that a person would stay sober, as that’s just not possible to guarantee. But programs advertising 80%+ success rates is also impossible. When we’re talking the price of a new car, there should at least be some care after discharge.

More transparency, more options, and an acceptance that science has in fact finally caught up with addiction treatment. There are many. many more options today for someone seeking help-from medications to therapy to brain scans and behavior modification, as well as non-12 step support groups.

In closing, the number one way that the majority of people stop using or drinking? Most never enter the rooms of AA or a Treatment Center. They experience some type of event that causes a serious change in lifestyle-and they simply stop. A former junkie like me used to have a hard time with that one-but the vast majority of studies done on the subject backs it up.

My apologizes for the ramble Brian-and keep up the good work.

Respectfully,

JJH

JJH is addressing a trend in the industry that few on the outside know about, that is treatment centers are being acquired by large corporations. When profit is the motive, some things can happen, helping becomes a product, an appropriate referral becomes salesmanship. I work at a nationally recognized top tier facility and never heard of having to pay for a whole program if you leave early. Does it exsist? I have no doubts.

One of the fascinating things about addiction recovery is that there is no ‘right or better’ way. This opens the doors for some questionable programs and downright fraud: like the fellow on TV aassociated with a treatment center offering a cure when you buy his book. Unethical at best.

I am sorry… there never will be a guarentee in recovery because so much more depends on the individual than the program. That is why I find all statistics a load of hooey. One’s success or failure depends on their own action ( or lack thereof), this is a dependent variable, not a random event. Do the work, focus and follow mainstream addiction recovery principles, and you can succeed.

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Addiction Recovery, Addiction-Treatment

Finding A good drug abuse treatment program.

1) Accreditation and Licensing – while there are personal and private peer support groups out there composed of former addicts who simply wish to help others get rid of their addictions, it’s still a good idea to look for a licensed and accredited drug rehab program because the people in it will have more training and better equipment.

2) Success Rate and History – experience counts for much. Look for a rehab group that has a reputation for success, one that has helped a lot of people. Look for ones that helped their members kick the habit permanently, as some groups help drug addicts to kick the habit for the program’s duration, but afterwards they find themselves backsliding.

3) Anonymity Policies -  There is nothing wrong with asking for help from a rehab group, but it’s up to you to decide how much privacy you want and how much you feel comfortable letting other people know.

4) Treatment Methodology – there are a lot of different approaches to drug rehab, ranging from purely mental conditioning to ones involving detox medication. Ask what methods the rehab group uses, then do your own research to find out it’s success rate. If the program seems right for you, go for it.

5) Staff Training – accredited rehab groups will often have trained personnel, but the question is, what kind of training have they received? Ask the rehab program for more specific details as to what qualifications they have for their personnel. Backgrounds in psychology and medical training specializing in drug rehab are things to look out for. Volunteer personnel, on the other hand, are well meaning but may not always be as competent unless the rehab program only accepts highly qualified volunteers.

6) Medical Support – anything can happen in a drug rehab program, so of course medical facilities in or near the place is a must. But aside from emergency contingencies and first aid measures, medical support also means that some rehab centers actually use detox medicines to help their members in dealing with withdrawal and to wean them away from addiction. Check if the rehab program you’re entering uses these, and ask yourself if you’d prefer a purely mental approach to detox or if these medications will help.

7) Aftercare Programs - some rehab centers focus purely on getting rid of the addiction of their members. The best ones, on the other hand, include programs that help their members deal with life after kicking the addiction – literally helping them pu their lives back together and avoid the triggers that caused them to turn to addiction in the first place.

Relapse Treatment – in the event that people who went through their program suffer a relapse of addiction, some good rehab programs offer second and third chances for their members to get their acts together. If you feel that you WILL kick your habit, then there is no need to look at this option. Still, it’s a useful thing to know that the group you ask for help won’t reject you if you fail to kick the habit the first time.

9) Family and Associate Assistance – some good rehab programs don’t simply involve their members, but also include training for their families and friends who want to help. If you’d prefer to do things on your own and battle your demon your own way, then there’s no need to look for this option. However, remember that no one stands alone, and it’s a good idea to get the people who love you to help you through your troubles.

10) Patient Follow Up and Alumni Support - finally, good rehab programs continuing care options that don’t immediately assume that once you go through the program it’s over. The best rehabs will do follow ups on their members after the program to check on their welfare and to make sure that they don’t backslide. This monitoring is not only useful, but also shows that the rehab truly cares about it’s members.

Technorati Tags: drug treatment program, drug-abuse, drug-abuse-treatment

If you are wondering if you need drug addiction treatment, maybe you’ve answered your own question, if your drug use is starting to cause progressively more problems in your life.

Individuals who are chemically dependent want to continue the drug use as long as they can in increasing quantities They will rationalize it in any way, including by making up fantasies and stories. They did all this to convince themselves that it was ok to continue with their drug abuse. This is because of the damage imposed on themselves and others around them.

Over time, the tales and lies that drug abusers concoct will fail to interest others. You finally realize what is happening. They realize that they require an increasing quantity of drugs to get high, or even worse, the drugs no longer work. Users are noticing that they are sicker and sicker when they are not using drugs and that they are having to use more often. These can be indicators of normal drug addiction symptoms such as tolerance and withdrawal.

They can no longer convince themselves that they’re not hurting people around them but the urge to continue the drug use is still there as strong as ever. It is very frightening. The gut wrenching stomach level twisting, is to go use the drug, at any cost,they know they’re destroying themselves and everyone around them yet the pull from inside.

The characteristics of addiction called compulsion and obsession,there are. If it were as easy as making the decision to stop using drugs then we would not have drug addicts today, in fact that is only the first step in a long process. The only solution is not a cure, but rather to put addiction in a state of remission through abstinence. In order to accomplish that everyone will have to help.

The best suggestion I can offer in getting started to seek drug addiction treatment is to get an assessment by a competent professional. Not all are appropriate or effective for all people,are there are different levels and types of drug treatment available. Your chances on being matched to an appropriate drug addiction treatment program,a competent assessment by an addiction professional will increase.

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Addiction-Treatment, drug-addiction

In 2 words here is my rebuttal to the recent NY Times article. Are you ready? Here we go…Treatment Works. End of story.

Here is the link to the nefarious story: Drug Rehabilitation or Revolving Door

I am so angry I don’t really want to respond right now. But hey, it gives me a chance to practice anger management skills…deep breathe, in with the good…out with the bad.

I will post more later, half the fun in owning a blog is being able to vent at will.

Technorati Tags: drug-addiction-treatment

With all the conflicting information on addiction and drug and alcohol treatment, how can you possibly separate fact from fiction? Read on to learn some verified facts.

Concerning addiction treatment, everybody seems to have an opinion on how to stop using drugs and alcohol. The problem is there are too many opinions.

If you fall, land on your arm, experience pain and see bone sticking out, it would be an obvious fact your arm is broken. Go to a hospital and there is about a 100% certainty your bone would be set and a cast put on. Obvious, right?

With chemical dependence, the diagnosis, let alone the treatment is not so obvious. If a person is diagnosed as being addicted to drugs or alcohol, what treatment is recommended? Here is where it gets interesting, as nobody can agree. Even abstinence is a debated subject, some people believe in harm reduction, or controlled use.

I recently became aware of 2 review studies.* Review studies take a look at 100’s of controlled, published research studies and then look for facts supported across many studies. Each of these 2 review studies found certain facts consistent across the boards. Here they are:

1. Social support is critical.

Success rates are drastically improved with a large social support network. This network can (and should) include family, friends and professionals. Engaging in new social networks such as self-help groups plays a significant role in maintaining recovery.

2.  Long term treatment is better.

The evidence states that long term uninterrupted treatment produces better results than intense short term treatment. This tends to lend support to the recovery adage that getting sober is a process, not an event.

3. No one type of treatment is best.

There is no one clear leader or ‘gold standard’ type of treatment. 12 step treatment has been shown to be as effective as cognitive behavioral treatment and others. Project Match attempted to match types of patients to types of treatments and found out they all worked equally well, with a slight edge to 12 step facilitation because of the encouragement of long participation.

4. Confrontation does not work well.

The ‘in your face’ methods of treatment popular in the 1980’s do not work as well as forming an alliance for change with the patient. Patient support and positive reinforcement works better than ultimatums.

5. Therapeutic relationship is key.

Without a doubt the evidence states that having a positive relationship with either the therapist or a group (self-help) is a strong factor in recovery. If the is relationship is positive, patients are more likely to stay engaged.

Almost all successful addiction treatment models have commonalities of education on the disease, building life skills, repairing relationships and staying engaged over time.

This is just the tip of the iceberg on the realities of addiction treatment.

* Lebow, Jay, Addictions Treatment: Myth vs.Reality, Psychotherapy Networker, March/April 2004

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Addiction-Treatment, drug-and-alcohol-treatment

This is the first state to force insurance companies to grant parity for addiction treatment.

August 10, 2008 by Eric Helmuth

Capping years of effort by addiction policy advocates and their allies at the statehouse, Massachusetts enacted legislation last week requiring the state’s private health insurers to provide unlimited coverage for medically necessary treatment of substance use disorders and other mental health conditions.

"This historic legislation is both health care expansion and civil rights legislation," said Rep. Ruth Balser, D-Newton, the author and lead sponsor of the legislation. "It will go a long way towards ending stigma by recognizing that addiction is an illness like all other illnesses, and those who suffer from them will receive the treatment they need and deserve," said Balser, who is also a clinical psychologist.

Addiction treatment and recovery advocates, who had been working on parity with Balser and other supportive lawmakers for years, expressed delight at the legislation’s passage. Calling it a "monumental accomplishment," Connie Peters, vice president for substance abuse at Mental Health and Substance Abuse Corporations of Massachusetts (MHSAC), said the new law will "help us further remove the stigma of addiction by requiring it to be treated as the chronic disease that it is." Peters coordinates the Massachusetts Coalition for Addiction Services, an alliance of several professional and grassroots groups that supported the parity legislation.

For complete article click  http://www.jointogether.org

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Addiction-Treatment

By Bill Urell

High self-efficacy in addiction recovery can greatly increase the likelihood of long lasting sobriety, But what is it?

Self-efficacy is a fancy way of saying that one has belief in their capabilities of attaining a certain goal, behaving or performing a certain way. It is the idea that we have the power to accomplish what we are setting out to do or manage the situation. Whether or not we can really do it is not the point, we believe we can. Self- esteem relates to self-worth, self efficacy relates to our perception of our ability to accomplish a goal.

Why the lesson? I was looking through some professional addiction journals where empirically valid and controlled studies are published. I discovered high self-efficacy is related to good outcomes in sobriety. It makes sense, if we truly believe that we are capable and have the ability to get and stay sober, our chances are greatly increased.

If, on the other hand, we were operating from a position of hopelessness and fear, it would make sense that the likelihood of a good outcome is much less likely to occur. Where am we going with this?

A study in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment Nov, 23 2007, ’ “Predictors of changes in alcohol-related self-efficacy over 16 years.” by McKellar J, Ilgen M, Moos BS, Moos R., looked at over 400 people over a 16 year period. A long term study such as this is called a longitudinal study. These are seldom found in addiction treatment due to the difficulty in retaining participants.

It was indicated that these factors, if applied in the first year sober affected outcomes and actually predicted increased self-efficacy over 16 years.

The study urged clinicians to treatment should be focus on:

1. Identifying and addressing depressive symptoms.

2. Try to engage and keep patients engaged in 12 step AA

3. Improve patient’s coping skills

4. Enhancing and growing a social support network.

There is also a caution to “reduce the risk of relapse by monitoring individuals whose alcohol problems and impulsivity improve unusually quickly.” That statement seems to indicate to watch out for people who have the ‘pink cloud syndrome’ Where everything is a bit to easy and wonderful.

It is interesting to note theat regular attendance at 12 step meetings directly handles 3 out of 4 issues mentioned by that research study, the exception being depression. You can draw your own conclusion but mine is that 12 step programs have proven effectiveness in addiction recovery. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Here are some other nice articles on addiction treatment from around the web:

What Makes Addiction Treatment Work? – No single treatment is perfect for a drug addict and hence these rehabs have various methodologies to choose the treatment. As different causes are responsible for the addiction, focus is also given differently here. …

How Casual Drug Use Leads to Addiction – The National Institute on Drug Abuse recently published Principles of Effective Drug Addiction Treatment, which features many of the most promising drug treatment programs to date. As this booklet explains, the programs with the most …

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Addiction-Treatment, sobriety