Drug Abuse Treatment

Recovery Month: Beating Addiction Means Freedom

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Rehabilitation on September 19th, 2011

September is National Recovery Month, and across America, those who have gone through addiction – and beat it – look back at their experiences, and have renewed appreciation for having that part of their life behind them.

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

drug abuse recoveryThe 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.”

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Alternative Methods for Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Rehabilitation on August 21st, 2011

When we say counseling and therapy, people often picture a scenario where a conversation between a patient and his psychotherapist takes place. Yet when it comes to alcohol and drug addiction recovery, therapy and counseling could mean more than “talk.”

fee yourself from drugsTherapy 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.

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Sunset Malibu Says “Reality TV” Not an Effective Treatment Method

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Rehabilitation on August 12th, 2011

People at the luxurious Sunset Malibu rehab facility do not believe in the effectiveness of substance abuse treatments on reality TV. This is why they are offering free services to any of the stars from the “Celebrity Rehab” show.

Celebrity RehabWhat 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.

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Facts on Substance Abuse Treatment

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment on August 11th, 2011

It is very important for substance abuse to be addressed at the earliest time possible. Avoiding acknowledging one’s addiction and prolonging the condition will only result to complicated and irreversible consequences.

substance abuseTreatment 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.

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Why Teen Substance Abuse Needs Immediate Action

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Prevention, Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction on August 9th, 2011

Parents should never underestimate the effects of teen substance abuse. There are some who take the situation normally, telling themselves that it’s just a phase that every teen passes through. Most often than not, parents only act against their child’s substance abuse problem when everything is literally too late and treatment becomes a very challenging endeavor.

teen substance abuseWhen an uncontrolled substance abuse situation occurs, it can greatly affect a teen’s behavior. Drugs and other dangerous substances are capable of controlling certain areas of the brain which affects an individual’s motor skills. All important processes and activities in the brain gets messed up, and hormones that regulate pleasure, memory, and learning as well as a teen’s alertness, judgment, attention, and movements get all mixed up leading to behavioral abnormalities.

When a child is under a certain type of drug addiction, there are a lot of consequences he may face, such as the following:

a. A teen could endanger his life by engaging in risky behaviors. Drugs and alcohol can easily alter a person’s disposition, making them the leading causes of fatal vehicular accidents among teen drivers. Teenagers can also become violent and suicidal tendencies come out.

b. He or she may also get into complicated situations, such as having unwanted pregnancies or acquiring sexually-transmitted diseases.

c. A teenager will lose his focus and encounter difficulties in school, which could lead for one to drop out of it.

d. He could get into other types of drug addictions. Chances are he won’t be satisfied with just one drug and he will find something new every now and then. This could mean very dangerous conditions that will destroy his health, or worse, cause mental problems due to brain damage.

e. Legal complications may also arise from his addictions.

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A Look into Psychedelic Treatments for Drug Abuse

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment on July 30th, 2011

Treating drug addiction is never easy, and it requires much time and effort for a person to become sober again. When an individual is trapped in his addiction, a lot of factors come into play, and they all contribute in coming up with complex troubles that a drug abuser and the people around him eventually experience.

There are some who prefer to go into alternative types of treatment for drug addiction. Among the methods, the psychedelic substance treatment is one of the promising ways to treat drug addiction, although many will be doubtful of their efficacy at first glance. Psychedelic which means soul-manifesting was first introduced in 1957 by Humphry Osmond, a psychiatrist.

psychedelic substance

One psychedelic treatment that comes all the way from the Amazon is the Ayahuasca. It is a brew made from a vine and a leaf which has been known to treat problems of the body, mind and spirit. It has unique healing properties, which has been proven by a large congregation in Brazil. The Santo Daime claimed that members of the church who struggled with substance abuse were able to turn their backs on their addictions just by having regular consumption of ayahuasca brew.

The Iboga is another psychedelic plant drug from West Africa which contains the alkaloid ibogaine, known to take away an individual’s addiction to certain substances by fixing the brain chemicals that will control his mental and biological inclinations.

Lastly, the cactus peyote is also a psychedelic drug which can fight drug addiction. In fact, the Native American Church’s religious ceremonies of legally dispensing peyote have been a sought-after rite by those who want to be free of their drug dependency. There has been a number of testimonies made by troubled addicts that this plant has helped them get back on the right track again.

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