Archive for June, 2008

Oklahoma Drug Rehab

Sunday, June 29th, 2008

Oklahoma drug rehab centers offer a very effective program that provides treatment to drug addiction and alcoholism. People travel the world to come to Oklahoma because it has one of the best drug rehabs. It’s a long term rehab facility located in the southeastern part of the state. Families that want a medical treatment facility located out of urban or city settings should get more information. An Oklahoma drug rehab program provides a therapeutic setting which includes a lake front facility, basketball, volleyball, fishing, and 200 acres of an outdoor setting. This is very beneficial for a person recovering from drugs or alcohol.

Drug addiction in Oklahoma has become worse because of meth and prescription drug abuse. People who have a drug problem and are addicted to methamphetamine do not have to travel out of state. They can stay in Oklahoma and still find an effective drug rehabilitation program. Not only do they provide treatment but also a medical detox as well.

Cocaine Addiction Treatment

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

Cocaine addiction treatment centers have housed millions of people including celebrities like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie, Daryl Strawberry, and Amy Winehouse. Unfortunately many other famous people like Len Bias never received the proper treatment for his cocaine addiction and was the victim to a very sad death. Len Bias had all the potential in the world but one night of cocaine abuse led to his death and loss of one of the greatest basketball players ever.

Many centers that specialize in cocaine treatment provide not only a residential setting but also detox, life skills therapy, anger management, cognitive counseling, and a structured aftercare program. In order for a cocaine rehab center to be effective it must address all aspects of addiction. Many people think that cocaine abuse is a mental addiction and that there are no underlying issues or cravings for the drug. This has been medically proven to be false. Most individuals addicted to cocaine report that they crave the drug when they don’t have it.

Patients of cocaine drug rehabs have a lot to face in recovery but certainly have taken the right step by accepting there is a problem. The first step to recovery is admitting there is a problem than finding a program that will work. Many of the cocaine treatment centers that are on the internet are successful in getting a person off of drugs.

Inpatient Drug Treatment

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

What is the difference between outpatient drug rehab and a residential inpatient facility? To many this decision will be life or death, or maybe the difference between happiness and misery. With most alcoholics or drug addicts the thought of leaving home or having to live in a residential drug rehab is impossible. Sometimes kids or a family is what is keeping them from taking the jump and entering into long term residential treatment center. Statistically speaking outpatient does not work and can sometimes cause a person more trouble because they are able to meet drug connections during this type of treatment.

An inpatient drug rehab is more equip to address all aspects of addiction like a medical detox, physical cravings, mental and emotional components, and of course aftercare. Whether you choose an inpatient facility in state or out of state make sure it offers at least a 90 day program. Generally anything shorter than 90 days is not effective. The longer the program is the better chance you have of overcoming your addiction. Many of the residential inpatient centers offer programs that are 6 months to a year. These are very effective programs because it not only allows for the patient to learn about the causes of their addiction but then gives them the chance to apply what the learned in house.

Many of the residential drug treatment centers that we refer to have a high success rate because of the length of stay and the treatment modality. Finding a holistic treatment program that does not subscribe to the notion of replacement drug therapy is another good choice.

Celebrity Drug Rehab

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Drug rehab for celebrities has been a hot topic as of recent in the news. Look at all these facilities that are structuring their programs to fit the needs of VIPs or celebrities. Though a very profitable business, the results in terms of success are very low. All you have to do is look at people like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Amy Winehouse to see the revolving door at these residential drug rehabs. These exclusive drug rehab centers promote their lavish amenities, organic food, yoga classes, massage therapy, and Egyptian cotton sheets to lure their next patient into their treatment center. Many times the rehab program will even promote that various celebrities have been to their program but of course due to confidentiality reasons will not release names.

Certainly my intention is not for a person to avoid enrollling in a program which will be both comfortable and private, but at the same time it is important to remember the reason the individual is entering rehab in the first place. You are not going to rehab to learn how to ride horses or rock climb; you are going to get off drugs and alcohol and re-learn how to live life without these things, and so it is of vital importance that the program—not just the amenities—are effective.

Psychedelic Drugs

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

LSD and its cult followers helped to define the sixties. Secret government and the CIA all became obsessed with LSD that they actually used it as a weapon during the early 1950’s as a covert research program where countless witting citizens were used as test dummies. As a matter of fact the CIA wanted to keep LSD to its own but unfortunately it slipped through and made its way to the streets of California. Not only did LSD destroy college campuses but also impacted political and social upheaval that changed the face of America.

Once LSD had become a popular drug celebrities and artists the usage reached astronomical levels. Years before the emergence of LSD also known as acid had become a street drug; the number of people whose lives were destroyed from this psychedelic drug can be easily seen. The most highly published community which promoted acid was the Haight-Ashbury clinic in San Francisco. The Haight-Ashbury clinic is where LSD caught mainstream hype and intensified into a drug that gained worldwide attention.

The sad story is that mental institutions became filled because of the psychosis that LSD produced on people. Many medical experts to this day say that LSD or acid is the most dangerous drug to use because of what it does to the brain and mind. Fortunately we now have effective drug rehab programs that can help people who are addicted to psychedelic drugs.

Unknown Side Effects of Drugs

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

All drugs and alcohol can produce unwanted, disturbing reactions upon withdrawal or discontinuation. For some drugs that have been around for years, especially opiates like heroin, withdrawal reactions are well documented in medical journals. However, doctors are too often unfamiliar with withdrawal symptoms associated with many prescription drugs they routinely prescribe.

Stimulants like Dexedrine, Ritalin, and Adderall, which are prescribed for ADD and ADHD, have no real medical data in terms of withdrawal effects. Other prescription drugs like SSRI antidepressants, such as Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft often cause suicidal and distressing withdrawal, yet many physicians appear to be unaware of this and continue prescribing.

Oxycontin which was produced by Perdue Pharmaceuticals came under lawsuit because they had lied about how addictive this painkiller is. Now residential drug rehabs have noticed a huge increase in enrollment because of Oxycontin. Many abusers of Oxycontin later turn to heroin because it is cheaper to purchase of the street.

Drug Addiction, Crime and Rehabilitation

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

Drug abuse and drug related crime is at an all time high in the US. Court rooms are full from people who have been arrested for some type of criminal activity. After doing some research it has been found that 80 percent of crime is drug or alcohol related. People who get arrested for Driving under the Influence (DUI) can be charged with a felony. Not to mention if they are arrested for drugs or paraphernalia. Prison systems are becoming full from people being charged with possession of drugs or intent to sell.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has beefed up its task force to stop this continuous flow of narcotics into the United States. This is a vital step to cleaning up the streets because if there are no drugs to buy than there aren’t any drug addicts which brings crime down considerably. With more effective drug and alcohol treatment centers we will also be able to fully rehabilitate a person from crime and addiction and turn them into a productive member of society.

We need more government programs like drug education, drug prevention, classes on addiction, and intervention sessions. Below are a list of websites that you can visit to help you learn more about drugs, alcohol, addiction, crime and rehabilitation:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

http://www.samhsa.gov/

http://www.nida.nih.gov/

Is Drug Rehab Necessary?

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008

Does drug rehab effectively get people off of drugs and restore the moral level to produce a person free from drugs and alcohol? This is a question many families have before selecting a drug rehab program. More importantly as a family should we invest into something where there is no guarantee? How can a recover from drug or alcohol addiction when they don’t even want help? All of these are valid questions which at Alcohol Drug Treatment we hope to answer.

Rarely does an alcoholic or drug addict enter into a residential treatment facility excited. Most addicts and alcoholics have run out of ways to afford their habit and see no other option so finally accept help. Usually families have cut them off financially, emotionally, and given them two options, life or drugs? Most people once they have exhausted all resources and manipulated everyone they know and finally now cut off, they ask for help. Once this occurs you need to move quickly and get them into a drug rehab facility and its best to find a center out of state.

When trying to find the most effective form of treatment ask the addiction counselor who works at the rehab facility. If a person is addicted to cocaine or heroin try to find an effective program that specializes in cocaine treatment or heroin treatment.

Alcohol Addiction Treatment

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Recovering from alcoholism is one of the hardest tasks for an individual with this addiction problem. Unlike heroin, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, prescription drugs, crack, and ecstasy, alcohol is offered in most every social situation. An individual who has just completed an alcohol rehab program may feel confident in his or her own sobriety and have all the intentions in the world not to drink but unfortunately will find that it is the first thing offered to them at a restaurant. People addicted to street drugs have to search to purchase them and won’t be given a list of substances to abuse when walking into a restaurant, but an alcoholic must struggle with glancing at a beer and wine list and must maintain the strength to continually turn down the offer and any urge to consume alcohol or even view a beer and wine list. Although this is not impossible, it certainly isn’t easy.

It is because of all these things that the only real form of effective treatment for alcoholism is a long term residential facility. Months and years of living a certain way and depending on alcohol to get one through the day or through life’s often tough times is just simply not cured in 21, 28 or 30 days. The physical withdrawal from alcohol alone can take several days or weeks to get through. To ensure the process of withdrawal is as safe as possible, look for programs that provide a medical detox. An acute alcoholic will require a medical detox to avoid life-threatening withdrawal symptoms such as delirium tremens and seizures.

When seeking an effective alcohol treatment center, keep all of the above factors in mind. An alcohol abuser needs a long term residential facility to enable one to reprogram their way of life and establish new patterns of conduct as well as life and situation skills.

Prescription Drug Treatment

Tuesday, June 10th, 2008

I rode on a public transit bus recently, and during my 30 minute commute I was saddened to overhear the story of an addict sitting beside me. His story was like many I had heard before—an opiate user who couldn’t live without his next fix and who the state-run programs had given up on. No longer using illegal drugs, he was now addicted to the very thing his doctor gave to him to become free of his addiction.

Prescription drug abuse has caught up to us in terms of its lethality. Drug rehab facilities holding fast to the theory that addiction is an incurable disease treatable only by highly addictive prescriptions are not only masking the real problem, but they are trading one addiction for another.

This is not only the case for drug users who trade their illicit drugs for those prescribed by doctors. The average American who cannot sleep well at night or feels the ups and downs that life throws at him is prescribed Ambien or Abilify. A perfectly normal individual who has an unfortunate accident is prescribed addictive pain medications. And for many of these people, their lives are never the same.

When looking for a solution to these situations, look for a long term drug rehab that provides a drug-free treatment program that will help you to get to the root of the real situation and help an addict to live life again without the crutch of a prescription.