Judge Amero says he makes those under the treatment become taxpayers instead of becoming tax burdens and liabilities of the community. He was inspired to undertake such mission when he was faced again and again with drug users who say no one was addressing their problems so they continue with their habits.

It is the third accountability court of the country from among the 3,000 which have been set up in various areas nationwide. They help offenders not by sending them to jail, but through intensive rehabilitation programs that focus on the underlying problems that fuels their addictions. It is also equipped with a DUI court and a mental health court.

John Foller, the Atlanta-based coordinator of the state’s accountability court system says the drug court is considered an investment where more people are treated at the least expense.

An amount of $10,220 is allotted for the duration of a two-month program which includes counseling, screenings, and courtroom costs. Compared to the $85,440 that the state spends to incarcerate a person for five years, the drug court’s budget is significantly lower.

But before other offenders get the wrong idea and think that it’s an easy way out, the program is organized to effectively ensure an individual’s total recovery. Jail time can be suspended but offenders are required to attend counseling sessions of at least nine hours a week, 20 hours of community service weekly, and other activities such as random drug testing and police searches.

Most of the participants say they are learning a lot from the program and that they are kept busy which is a good way of taking their minds off from their addictions. If a person under the program fails to complete and follow all the guidelines set, he will have to serve his initial jail sentence.

“It’s a remarkable savings,” Amero said. “It’s not just a tax saving. You’re also allowing people to reconnect to the community in a positive way.”

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.

Case Western Reserve University has identified these cravings as the major causes of relapse after teens undergo treatment for substance abuse. A new study suggests that teens that help other teens who were in the same path as they were before increase their resistance to go into substance abuse again.

This new finding on teen substance abuse was gathered through a study that was participated by 93 males and 102 females aged 14 to 18 years old who were all graduates from drug courts or from substance abuse treatment facilities. About 92 % of the study population was addicted to marijuana and almost 60% of them were previously hooked on alcohol.

Maria Pagano, an associate professor of psychiatry, described the results of their study. “Our findings indicate that service participation in 12-step programs can reduce the craving symptoms experienced by adolescents in treatment for alcohol and or drug addiction.”

Among the participants in the research, who were all interviewed within the first 10 days of their 12-step program and were released after two months, helping others go through the same treatment process made four out of seven substance abuse cases successful, and two types of cravings symptoms were reduced as psychological dispositions improved.

It was also noted that teens who had stronger spiritual pursuits (those who prayed, meditated, and did worship more) were more readily available to help others too.

Pagano confirmed the role of religion in the success of an individual going through the 12-step program. She said that teens who identify with their religion found it easier to adapt to the program which paved the way for them to get better.

Those who entered the program without any religious affiliation had more difficulty surviving the program.
“In turn, youth entering treatment with low or no religious background may require greater 12-step facilitation or a different approach to derive equal benefit from treatment.”

Judge Orndoff believes that every child should be put under a parent’s care. “Our goal here is to reunify the family and keep the kids with their biological parents. The question is: How do you put a kid back into a home where the parents use methamphetamine?”

This he does by encouraging parents to get into rehab to address any problems that may have led them to become drug dependents. Judge Orndoff visits the Kings County Probation Department every week to check on the recovery status of those under the program. He and the members of his team identify cases which are making great progress and closely monitors those which need a little more of the push.

The Juvenile Court Judge says that honesty is a key to one’s recovery. Although most addicts may deny that they have problems, getting them to admit their troubles in a large group would somehow make it real to them.

The Family Drug Dependency Court started its operation last April 1 and while it hasn’t been in existence long enough to determine its efficacy on drug abuse and addiction problems, it only reported two failed cases, so far, from the original 14 members under the program.

The award received by the group gave them more reasons to continue their advocacy. Judge Orndoff says he only wants a few things for their endeavor. “… I just want the program to be successful, to give these people a chance to have a job and a family. … Helping these people is what’s important to me.”

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.

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.

The 1st Fine Art and Written Word Extravaganza was presented by the Kane County Drug Rehabilitation Court.

The art show showcased various mediums of expressions – poems, essays, drawings, paintings, and collages, all of which illustrated the suffering and waste associated with addiction to alcohol or drugs. A statement on one of the entries rang true: “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but everyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Judge Patricia Piper Golden, presiding judge at Kane County drug court, shared that the event provided recovering addicts with the opportunity to share their creativity. Judge Golden shared: “What we try to do in drug court is to replace using behavior with positive behavior, and to do that, they go through treatment… An important part is to get to know each other without using.”

One of the drug court poems was from Eric D., who wrote: “Recovery, for me, has truly changed my life… Each day is brighter than the next … . Now I work an honest job, pay taxes and bills … . It’s nice to live a ‘normal’ life. This was all impossible while still using.”

Ed W., on the other hand, shared: “I would do whatever I needed/To get a fix/And I must admit it’s not worth/All of this… Not any more/That life is not for me/I have found life is so much/Easier drug free.”

Therapy and counseling now involves physical, mental, and social transformations which have been proven to be more effective in helping troubled individuals.

Here’s what a particular treatment facility offers to its patients to be able to achieve lasting recovery results with regards to alcohol and drug addictions treatment.

1. Exercise. Physical activity is very important especially when a patient is in a residential addiction treatment set-up. Fitness therapists and facilities are essential for a patient to have a well-organized, long-term physical fitness plan. Some examples of exercise methods used are swimming, walking or jogging, weights training, yoga and visits to recreational facilities.

2. Art. This is a method of psychotherapy which helps promote creativity and self-discovery of patients. Do not underestimate simple shapes and colors as they can be very powerful tools in a therapeutic treatment process. There are times when individuals have difficulty in expressing themselves and this is where artistic expression comes in. No boundaries and limits are set when it comes to art which makes it an ideal tool in facilitating one’s self understanding.

3. Pharmacotherapy. This therapy may not sound too promising for most, but the key factor is how drug therapy is applied and just how much is enough to treat mental problems of addicts. Rehab facilities make it a point that they use medications that have the lowest risk of dependence and all procedures must be approved by chief psychiatrists or medical directors before given to a particular patient.

What Sunset Malibu wants to point out is that when an individual decides to seek help, he must be true to himself and focus on getting better. Sunset Malibu owner Richard Taite adds, “If you are playing to the camera on a reality show, regardless of your motivations, then you are being less than 100 percent authentic.”

The Malibu facility is one of the most luxurious and effective drug and alcohol treatment center in America. They provide a residential type of facility with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, with no cameras, which they believe will help make treatment more effective to their patients.

They are offering their services for free to any of the participants from “Celebrity Rehab” providing they undergo an interview with the facility’s staff just so they can evaluate the individual’s mind set and willingness to undergo treatment towards a sober future. They would accommodate any celebrity subject to availability and all applicants will be asked to follow their house rules, policies, and procedures.

Taite is inviting “Celebrity Rehab” stars to take advantage of his offer to them. He believes that only when these troubled stars get to experience world-class treatment provided by Sunset Malibu will they be of his offer to them. He believes when these troubled stars get to experience world-class substance abuse treatment provided by Sunset Malibu, they will know the real path to recovery from their addictions. They will get the kind of service tailored to their needs with the best facilities unmatched by any other rehab center.

Treatment for alcohol and drug addictions usually starts with the detoxification process, followed by actual treatment and measures to avoid relapse. If an individual should break away from the dangerous habit, it is advisable that a long-term plan be adopted — one which will specifically address the needs of a person, not just a general approach.

There are many things that we have to know about substance abuse treatment. Years and years of experience have enabled professionals and authorities to gather basic facts that will help us understand the process of treatment.

1. There isn’t a single method of treatment that can be applied to everybody. Drug and alcohol addicts each have their own needs, therefore an individual approach should be taken in dealing with an individual’s situation.

2. Any type of treatment should be made accessible and affordable to those who want to get better.

3. There are no short cuts in the road towards getting sober. The amount of time spent in a therapy is crucial for the method to work.

4. Every treatment should include counseling and behavioral therapy. They can greatly affect the recovery process of an addict.

5. There are times when medication is needed to treat a person under drugs and alcohol addiction. Combined with the right therapy and counseling, it will make the healing process faster and more efficient.

6. Treatment should be assessed from time to time to meet the needs of the patient.

7. Constant monitoring of a patient’s day to day activities should be done to avoid any drug or alcohol use during the treatment process.