Drug Abuse Treatment

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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What Betty Ford Gave to Troubled Stars

Posted by Drug Free in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Rehabilitation, Prescription Drug Abuse on July 10th, 2011

Last week, former First Lady Betty Ford died at the Eisenhower Medical Center at age 93. Many young people may not be familiar with her these days, but what her name means to a lot of Hollywood actors and actresses could not be compared to any other.

Betty FordThe famous Betty Ford Center, located almost two hours away from Hollywood, was obviously named after her. It’s the place known for having the most comprehensive and top-notch addiction treatment facility where troubled Hollywood personalities often go if they want to get help on substance abuse issues.

The Betty Ford Center opened in 1982 at Rancho Mirage, California and has since served more than 90,000 individuals including famous celebrities like Johnny Cash, Elizabeth Taylor, Kelsey Grammer, and Marlee Matlin. Recently, Lindsay Lohan checked herself in the facility, but unfortunately did not complete her stay.

Betty Ford herself was not an exception when it came to drug abuse. After leaving the White House, she confessed to being hooked on painkillers and alcohol. Instead of letting herself spiral down further, she confronted her problem and welcomed patients at the rehab center telling them that she too is no different from them.

“People who get well often say, ‘You saved my life,’ and ‘You’ve turned my life around. They don’t realize we merely provided the means for them to do it themselves, and that’s all,” Ford had said.

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Bacon Street: Fighting Teen Drug Abuse for 40 Years

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Prevention, Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction on June 19th, 2011

For Bacon Street, it’s now 40 years since they started helping kids with drug addiction issues. It was in 1971 when James City was faced with the growing problem of kids using marijuana, LSD and cocaine, and people in the community were anxious and did not know how to solve the growing problem.

teen drug abuseIt was then decided that a new group be formed to help address the needs of the people, and the Drug Action Center was created. Sandy Fagan, a member of the nonprofit group, says that they later changed their name into Bacon Street, inspired by their second location in Bacon Avenue, as their previous name did not sound good for kids. “The kids all thought we were nerds,” he says.

Thus, it has been 40 years since they have been in the community starting with phone services, provided by Williamsburg Hotline, for substance abuse and suicide issues of the youth. They soon added counseling programs and their Bacon Street facility soon became a drop-in center accepting teens who were in need of counseling.

In a post on The Virginia Gazette, Bacon Street provides camping trips and rope courses in the mountains to promote the values of teamwork and self-confidence among kids. They have seen countless transformations on the teens that they handled. Their counselors say most of the group’s success is accounted to the flexibility of how they treat patients.

Laura Townsend, a therapist for Bacon Street since 1979, proudly tells, “We are a real team. It’s a supportive team. I don’t ever feel like I’m in it alone.”

Despite budget cuts and financial constraints, Bacon Street and its members stay focused on their goals. They are aware of the decline in drug prevention services, but they reassured the community they will not stop their advocacy for as long as there are teens and families that need them.

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Drug Alliance Continues Programs Despite Financial Challenges

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Prevention, Drug Abuse Treatment, Prescription Drug Abuse on June 18th, 2011

The saying “if there’s a will, there’s a way” certainly holds true for members of the Upper Freehold-Allentown Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, or simply Drug Alliance. The group mainly operates with the minimal grant from the Monmouth County every year, and they would have to at least raise 25% of the total amount as cash match before they can receive the money. This year, they needed $9924, and thanks to their supporters, they were able to do it.

prescription drug abuseAccording to Deborah Minnick, coordinator of the Drug Alliance, the members of their group and advocates of the same cause made it possible for them to raise the needed amount of money. The Upper Freehold Township Committee, the Allentown Borough Council, and Hamilton Township Councilman Kevin Meara, were the top solicitors of their projects, pledging more than half of the cash match that they needed.

“If we did not receive this funding from both towns, we would not have been able to continue to apply for the grant and fund our programs,” Minnick said. “We are proud to announce that all of our programs will continue for 2011 and 2012 grant period years.”

According to a feature on the Examiner, Drug Alliance latest program called Count on Me Kids through Camp Fire USA aims to address the problem of substance abuse, prevent violence in and outside of homes, and to equip teens with good decision making skills and positive interpersonal development skills. Throughout the year, the Alliance also had special programs for senior citizens on the matter of prescription drug abuse.

Upcoming activities of the Drug Alliance include a 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament and a Dunk Contest slated on July 23 at the Byron Johnson Recreation Area in Upper Freehold. They will also be holding car and motorcycle shows scheduled later this month and in the following months.

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First Wilderness Therapy Program for Teen Substance Abuse

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Rehabilitation on June 16th, 2011

The Phoenix Outdoors’ wilderness rehab program in North Carolina is now offering the first neurofeedback therapy for teens having substance abuse problems. Neurofeedback has been previously utilized in the treatment of learning disabilities such as ADHD; Phoenix will be the first to offer it as treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.

wilderness therapyThe process allows affected teens to experience the wilderness at a base camp to help them develop new skills that they can apply as soon as they go back to the real world. The neurofeedback therapy will be done on the participants every two weeks by a board certified psychologist in the person of Dr. Phil Ellis, Ph.D. There will be three sessions, each at 30 minutes to be completed by the camp’s participants.

Wilderness Program executive director Shawn Farrell talks about the encouraging results of their project. “Phoenix Outdoor is one of the first wilderness therapy programs in the country to offer this cutting-edge treatment to teens struggling with drug or alcohol abuse. So far, the results have been promising.”

In just a few weeks of training for the neurofeedback program, staff and students at Phoenix Outdoor claimed positive effects such as less anxiety, added capability to maintain a sober state, improved focus and attention, less impulsiveness, and better ability to cope.

Phoenix Outdoor is especially created for teens 13 to 17 years old who are having substance abuse problems and those with behavioral or mental health issues. The camp is located at the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina where participants are immersed in a wilderness therapy patterned on a 12-step model. The program aims to intervene and help teens with their problems and make them change their ways.

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Celebrity Rehab 5th Season Cast Revealed

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

Dr. Drew Pinsky has taken charge of the new batch of stars put under his guidance in the fifth season of his hit show, ‘Celebrity Rehab.’ According to VH1, the latest season of their reality program will start on June 26, 9PM ET/PT.

Celebrity RehabThey have recently released the names and identities of the celebrities who are slated to check into Dr. Pinsky’s facility. The most notable personality from among the roster of B-listers appearing in the show would be Lindsay Lohan’s father, Michael Lohan. It was just in February when he said that he has been invited by a Florida clinic to do drug interventions.

In a feature from the Reality TV World, other celebrities who will be within the confines of Dr. Drew’s Pasadena Recovery Center are baseball star Dwight “Doc” Gooden; “Long Island Lolita” Amy Fisher; Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler; actress Bai Ling; former Survivor: Gabon and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains castaway Jessica “Sugar” Kiper; and actor Jeremy Jackson.

Michaele Salahi of The Real Housewives of D.C. was originally in the cast but was taken off the list when she failed to show any proof that she is under any addiction.

This fifth season of ‘Celebrity Rehab’ will showcase the same process of Dr. Drew Pinsky and his staff attending to the celebrities who want to get better. Each individual will be exposed to detoxification steps and therapy to help them cope with their addiction problems. Joining Dr. Drew’s team are counselor Bob Forrest and resident technician Shelley Sprague who have appeared in the show’s previous seasons.

In addition to the staff, Dr. John Sharp will also be helping out especially on problems involving bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. Former manager of the Sober House Jennifer Gimenez will also be seeing action in the latest season.

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