Previous studies made on the same subject have presented figures of substance abuse among elders. In 2005, there were 184,400 individuals aged 50 and above placed under drug rehabilitation programs. Earlier in 2001, there were 143,000, which means an increase of roughly 8% in just a few years.

Below are some facts on elderly substance abuse we need to be familiar about:

1. Interventions are considered more of a necessity for elderly substance abuse cases. Senior citizens don’t often admit to having problems as they are afraid of what other people might say about them. This is why intervention should be done as early as possible for such cases.

2. The most common type of substance abuse at this level is alcohol abuse. Yet at present, the trend is increasing towards prescription drug abuse in this age group.

3. The bright side of it all is that when senior citizens are placed under rehab, they usually are more successful compared to other age groups. They are highly motivated to finish the program and they can easily adapt especially when the treatment program is designed for them.

4. Other types of drug abuse such as heroin or cocaine use seldom happens for senior citizens.

It is very important that elderly addicts be separated from their younger counterparts. There is a big difference between a younger addict and an elderly addict. Unlike younger people with substance abuse problems, senior citizens don’t behave as extreme as those of other age groups. They even prefer to be on a treatment program which gives them more time to be on their own rather than interacting with others on the same situation.

Unfortunately, not all drug abuse cases get the necessary treatment or therapy. More than 23 million people in America are hooked on drug and alcohol use, yet only 2.6 million receive the help that they need to sober up again.

When this problem occurs in the family especially on kids, parents should be ready and equip themselves to be able to deal with the situation. When parents suspect their child is into drug use, it’s best to have him immediately tested. Parents can purchase drug testing kits for their children or acquire the services of professionals in doing the process.

Kids are not the only ones who need help with drug problems. Parents too need the proper information and support to better handle their kids’ problems. The more parents learn about the condition of their kids, the more they are able to help them get better. There are many organizations that offer their services to help parents in complicated situations.

It is necessary to have the parent-child talk, but it should be done at the right time and place. Do not attempt to talk to kids when they are under the influence or when there are other people that could hear your conversation. Yet it is important that the talk should be made at the soonest possible time before things get worse.

Parents should never let shame or fear get in the way of helping their child. After all, there are other families who experience the same problem and resolving the problem is much more important than keeping family reputation.

RASE started its operation in May 2001 when a group of treatment professionals as well as those in recovery for substance abuse started it in Pennsylvania for the benefit of those who are in need of the services they provide.

Executive director Denise Holden, who was once herself an addict but successfully overcame her challenges, said that RASE serves as an outlet for people who have the same experience as hers to help out in the community.

“When people get clean they disappear into anonymous recovery communities to protect themselves from the stigma,” she said. Through RASE, fully recovered victims will be given the opportunity to make a difference by volunteering to help others.

At present, RASE has established recovery centers for women in Cumberland and Dauphin counties; addiction treatment care facility for adults in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Perry, and Lebanon counties; and support centers and services at Lancaster and Dauphin counties.

The organization has also provided professional training and information dissemination and educational services throughout the areas they have covered. They also hold events that address the problem of substance abuse with ready resource speakers. Assessment and referrals as well as family interventions are also being done.

Funding is important for any organization, but RASE founders say, their advocacy will continue even if financial support is limited or completely runs out. The fact that they are able to save a lot of lives that might have been otherwise wasted by substance abuse is enough for volunteers and other members to continue each and every day of their operation.

For those interested to help and share, you may contact RASE Project at 717-232-8535 or visit www.raseproject.org.

There are three basic types of intervention: simple, classical, and family system.

Simple intervention happens when a person asks the drug or alcohol addict to simply stop his or her addictions. This type of intervention needs to be done repeatedly, though, to be effective in most cases. You’ll be surprised on what a simple request can do. This type of intervention should be the first to be considered before going into more advanced methods.

Classical intervention has been used for the longest time to help addicts. It happens when the element of a drug and alcohol treatment facility is involved. The goal for this type of intervention is to persuade a troubled individual to seek the help of professionals to control his addictions.

The family system of intervention is usually focused on the family and not only on the addict. The whole family gets involved in helping their troubled family member fight off his addictions. This will require changes in the whole family’s behavior to have a positive influence on the addicted member. These changes will help an addict consider getting help from drug rehabilitation centers to be sober again.

Yet the family’s involvement in the healing process is vital, whether their addicted family member goes into a rehab center or not. This is why proper education and the correct information or knowledge should be shared to the whole family so that each member will know how to deal with the troubled individual.

When a family is in trouble with drugs, the best way to address the situation is through family counseling. This is where families will be able to get in touch with professionals that will help them overcome their addictions. In facilities that offer family counseling, everything that is needed for treatment is available, and both adults and children will be dealt with accordingly by counselors.

Family counseling also evaluates the whole family as to how deeply rooted their drug problem is. They use tools such as Addiction Assessment and even Alcohol Evaluations, as alcohol is closely linked to drug problems. The most important part of the family service is the behavioral treatment. Family members who undergo behavioral treatment will learn how to cope with life’s challenges without using drugs. This is where they learn to control their cravings and how to avoid situations that will trigger drug use or relapse.

As each individual is unique, family counselors usually use combined treatment methods like individual or family counseling coupled with cognitive behavioral therapy. Hopefully, families will be able to rebuild their personal relationships that were destroyed by drug use and they will be able to restore their roles in the community with these combination therapies.

If you think drug addiction does not happen in very young children, you can be very wrong. For family therapists, it isn’t a surprise when they encounter very young drug addicts in a family where the adults battle drug addiction. The therapists will help these children by providing them with the age-appropriate methods of treatment and behavioral counseling, and include the family as a whole to have a stronger family support as they go through the treatment process.

They may also had printed works or books that helped them better understand their situation. Here are some examples of books worth one’s attention in their mission to get better.

1. A Gentle Path Through the Twelve Steps: The Classic Guide for All People in the Process of Recovery by Patrick Carnes – This is one of the best self-help books that illustrate the different processes in treatment. It has a workbook form that will make a patient integrate the twelve steps into their daily lives towards full recovery.

2. Alcoholic Anonymous by Alcoholic Anonymous – Known as the ‘Big Book’ which contains the basics from Alcoholics Anonymous, this includes a number of testimonies from AA members who have triumphed in their battles.

3. The Harder They Fall: Celebrities Tell Their Real-Life Stories of Addiction and Recovery by Gary Stromberg and Jane Merrill – When it comes to things that could perk up one’s interests, celebrities make for useful tools, even for addicts. This compilation features Richard Pryor, Mariette Hartley, Alice Cooper, Steve Earle, and Grace Slick, all sharing their honest and affecting essays.

4. Over the Influence: The Harm Reduction Guide for Managing Drugs and Alcohol – Instead of forced abstinence, this book will help a person develop the skills and understanding for harm reduction which they can turn into positives that will help them mend their ways. It also offers support and comfort, and the solace that every troubled individual needs.

Representatives from both the magazine’s and Lohan’s camp have yet to release a comment on the news, but it looks like LiLo will be taking her clothes off for the popular men’s mag.

Playboy allegedly offered Lohan $750,000, but the actress’s camp wanted a million. They reportedly agreed somewhere in between the two amounts.

While waiting for her date with Playboy, Lohan will continue her community service at the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office which she has started last Friday. Lohan is expected to fulfill 16 hours of duty and will have to appear in court on November 2nd.

Meanwhile, Lindsay’s also-controversial father Michael Lohan has been arrested in Tampa, Florida for domestic violence.

Police responded to a distress call from Michael’s home, and he was later arrested for physically hurting his live-in partner. But as police took him into custody, Lindsay’s dad complained of chest pains and was taken to a hospital. After checking out from the facility, he was placed under arrest.

Earlier in March, the 51-year-old Lohan was also arrested for the same violation in Los Angeles. He was charged with one misdemeanor count of corporal injury to a cohabitant.

Lindsay and her dad are still on a strained relationship, but they both took a stint at the Betty Ford Center for family counseling while she was undergoing treatment.

The “Iron Man” star was welcomed on stage by a standing ovation from the audience that included Jennifer Aniston, Jodie Foster, and Jon Favreau.

Gibson presented Downey Jr. his award, and afterwards, when the crowd finally stopped clapping and started listening to him, the actor surprisingly shared his experiences, and how his longtime friend Gibson helped him at a time when nobody dared to give him a chance.

The actor can still remember what Gibson at that time told him. He said if he (Downey Jr.) will acknowledge that he’s in deep trouble and accept what he has done, Gibson would help him fight his substance abuse problems. Gibson gave him the role in the film “The Singing Detective” which was supposed to be a feature tailor-made for Gibson himself, yet Gibson opted to help out Downey Jr. and asked nothing from him but to do the same when the time comes that somebody else will be needing his help.

But Robert never imagined that it would be Gibson who will need his support. So in front of last Friday’s group of actors, executives, and other Hollywood personnel, Robert decided to give back the favor to Gibson. He took the opportunity to tell everyone that his friend, Gibson, had “hugged the cactus long enough,” and it was about time that the industry bestows the same forgiveness that was given to him before.

Applause immediately followed, this time it wasn’t for Downey Jr., but for Mel Gibson. Gibson humbly accepted the honor; a sign that will hopefully start the process of forgiveness which he has long been waiting for.

Any individual who wants to be sober again should first take out all the traces of drugs and alcohol in his body. But when a person’s system becomes dependent on these substances, getting rid of them completely becomes the hardest part in the process.

This is why there are detox centers and doctors who help out people in their quest to quit drugs or alcohol simply because doing it on one’s own can prove to be a challenge. The time it takes to completely clean out the body depends on how intoxicated a person is. It regularly takes about 3 days to 2 weeks to complete the process.

When detoxification takes place on alcoholics, symptoms like headaches, trembling, insomnia, loss of appetite, vomiting, and convulsions may happen. For the drug dependents, they could experience hallucinations, anxiety, sweating, confusion, cramps, and tremors. All these signs make detoxification a very inconvenient procedure and one that is going to take a lot of will and patience for both patients and the medical providers.

After the whole cleansing activity, it could be relatively easy for an individual to stay clean, at least when he’s in isolation. Yet when he goes back to his usual life, the pressure and the temptation could easily lead him back to where he was before. The best remedy for this is to avoid doing the things that one was used to while still an addict. If there is a need to change one’s lifestyle and the surrounding people, then it should be done. Learning to control one’s self is a key to prevent relapsing.

1-855-DRUGFREE was launched by the Partnership at Drugfree.org, to cater specifically to concerned parents and families of children struggling with substance abuse. The toll-free helpline is bilingual, and will be able to accommodate both English and Spanish-speaking families.

Manning this helpline is a team of social workers with practical experience in substance abuse intervention and treatment. These social workers offer advice to help parents come up with measures to help their teens who are struggling with substance abuse and provide a list of resources and treatment facilities in their area, when needed.

Johanna Bos, the Lead Parent Support Specialist for 1-855-DRUGFREE, shared: “By listening to the stories that callers have to tell – the challenges, setbacks and emotional turmoil that go with a child’s substance abuse or addiction, we help parents outline a course of effective action – whether it’s prevention, intervention, seeking treatment or supporting recovery – grounded in the science-based resources we have built at drugfree.org.”

In addition to helping families regarding the appropriate approach towards helping a child with substance abuse issues, the helpline also aims to help parents take corrective action before there is a need for the child to undergo treatment, or before the child even begins to turn to drugs or alcohol.

The helpline, however, is not a 24-hour crisis hotline; it is staffed on weekdays, Monday-Friday, from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. EDT.