Archive for June, 2010

Alcohol Addicts And Alcohol Treatment

June 14th, 2010

Drinking is such a common everyday activity that you may not notice when you cross the line that defines you as an alcohol addict who is in need of alcohol treatment.  When you realise that you rely on alcohol to function both physically and mentally, then you have become an alcohol addict.  Alcohol treatment therefore aims to eliminate your dependency on alcohol.

Alcohol addiction exposes you to health, social and drug problems.  You may develop liver, kidney and heart complications which may be fatal.  You become socially challenged as your personal relationships, performance at work and school suffer; and you even run into problems with the law.  As an alcohol addict, you are also in danger of developing drug addiction.

The following reasons may drive you to become an alcohol addict:

1. Genetic predisposition

If you have a history of alcoholism in your family line, then you are genetically predisposed to developing an addiction to alcohol; this is also dependent on your upbringing, social environment and emotional health.

2. Painful memories

You may consume alcohol excessively to supress painful events you may have experienced.

3. State of mind

If you are suffering from mental illness such as depression and panic attacks; and you are using alcohol to self medicate, you are at a risk of developing alcoholism.

4. Peer pressure

If the company you keep indulges in excessive drinking, you may develop an addiction.

The length of an alcohol treatment program will depend on the severity of your alcohol addiction.  You will go through the following basic steps in most alcohol treatment prorams, that will put you on the track to sobriety:

  1. Detoxification
  2. Counselling
  3. Aftercare

Physical dependence on alcohol is addressed by detoxification which aims to cleanse your body off the toxins that have build up due to alcohol consumption.  This process results in extremely uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms and is therefore carried out by medical professionals and cousellors to make it safe and bearable.

Psychological dependence is addressed by counselling.For this to be effective you must be completely open and honest during therapy sessions.  This is the only way that the cousellor will determine the root cause of your alcohol addiction, and help you deal with it.  Individual counselling will help you confront your past issues and develop better coping skills.  Group sessions are also offered, where you will meet recovering addicts like yourself.  This is a great forum to share experiences and develop a support network.

Aftercare will help you keep on the right track, to avoid relapse.  You need to surround yourself with people who understand what you are going through as a recovering addict.  It is therefore important that you continue therapy, attend your weekly support group meetings and strictly follow the relapse prevention program that you were taken through by your counsellors.

The most crucial time after completing your alcohol treatment program are the first few months.  But, remember, the battle against alcohol addiction is a life long commitment and you will always need your support system to ensure that you remain sober.

If you or someone you know needs help with alcohol addiction or finding an alcohol treatment center, please call our toll free confidential hotline at (888) 842-3167 .  We’re here to help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Comments Off »

Posted in Alcohol Treatment Drug Rehab

Tags:

Conquering Drug Addiction the Rehab Way

June 14th, 2010

The effects of drug use to physical and mental health are obviously detrimental. Drug use also brings financial and legal problems. Joining a drug rehab is one possible way to rid oneself of the drug problems. Drug rehab are available in multitudes in any country and they offer varied medical treatment options and other approaches to facilitate your total recovery from drug addiction. Below are the methods employed by rehabs to aid in recovering from substance addiction.

  • Twelve step program

This program is used by Drug rehab to help victims of drug abuse regain soberness and strength and subsequently lead a drug free life.  In this approach drug addicts are taken on a self realization process. What is involved in this process is admitting past errors and examining them and finally admitting that one has no control over the addiction but has merely to be guided out of it. This process involves humility to God and asking for guidance from him in the drug conquest process. God is the only power to guide and make you conquer addiction. The twelve step process does involve lots of prayer and meditation.  The spiritual awakening gained from this process will help one be able to soberly conduct all his/her life’s affairs after the rehab in a sober way.

  • Pharmaceutical therapies

Drug rehab do employ the use of various pharmaceutical products to help rid addicts of the addiction problem. Methadone, Buprenorphine and Ibogaine are popular pharmaceutical medicines on this concern. Tapering sedatives are also medicines used to overcome addiction to sedatives. It should also be noted that there are various medical therapies that will help one conquer addiction. This includes replacement therapy. Many pharmaceutical companies are currently developing drugs to help in overcoming addiction.  All pharmaceutical drugs should be taken on the administration of a doctor.

  • Behavior model of addiction

This is a situation where drug rehabs approach the whole issue of your addiction to drugs as a bad behavior rather than a sickness.  Thus the whole structure of therapies and counseling carried out on you will be to aid you in behavioral change. The therapies can be called behavioral change therapies.  This method is better than the disease model of addiction where a drug addict is taken as someone sick. This method will leave you feeling worthless and hopeless and will do less to help you conquer addictions.  Whereas the disease model renders you powerless over your addiction problem the behavior model gives you control over your problem.

  • Guidance and Counseling

Guidance practitioners are normally employed by drug rehabs to guide addicts out of drug addiction. The process of overcoming drugs needs sufficient guidance from someone knowledgeable and well versed on drug conquering mechanisms.

Counseling is also of vital importance. The twelve step program involves lots of spiritual counseling which has been attributed to its success. Counseling on psychological and physical matters is also needed because life involves three elements: the body, mind and the soul.

Drug addiction is easily conquered in a drug rehab. Drug rehabs approach to conquering drug issues involves relevant therapies, treatments and programs  which have worked for many and will work for you.

If you or someone you know needs help with addiction treatment or finding an drug rehab center, please call our toll free confidential hotline at (888) 842-3167 .  We’re here to help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Comments Off »

Posted in Alcohol Treatment Drug Rehab

Tags:

Basic Alcohol Treatment Programs

June 7th, 2010

Alcohol Treatment programs are designed to reduce the dependency on drugs and enhance the intergration of the patient back into the society. They meet the physical and psychological dependence on drugs and alcohol.

Different philosophies are used to design the programs for different patients’ demands.  The approaches in drug rehab could be based on gender, sex and age. The period, intensity and cost are determined by the diagnosis done on the patient.

Some of the basic programs in alcohol treatment are: rapid detox, alcoholism, social drinking, heroin addiction, cocaine addiction, dual diagnosis, teen drug addiction, drunk driving, prescription drugs hallucinogens, club drugs, drugs and denial ecstasy rehab.

Rapid detox is done in the hospital with the administration of anesthesia.  Addiction to these substances is treated:  codeine, dilaudid, morphine, Percocet, percodan, lortab, oxycontin.  The medications administered under anesthesia in the drug rehab process, accelerate the physical reactions to the rapid withdrawal process and can last from four to six hours.

Alcoholism is a disease that comes from the acute dependence on alcohol. While the people who drink do not understand why the rest of us complain, the symptoms of this disease include craving, loss of control, physical dependence and greater tolerance for alcohol. Though there are claims that alcoholism is genetically inherited, the disease is curable.  In this program, it is necessary that a complete withdrawal from alcohol is done.  A mere cut down of consumption does not help much. There are exciting new directions in alcoholism management programs which include genetics – finding the chromosomes that will reduce the consumption rate, medication development, combined medications/behavioral therapies.

Social drinking alcohol treatment programs tend to deal with the issues of progressive drinking from events. It is closely associated with alcoholism in that social drinking mostly graduates into full blown alcoholism. It is also curable and requires a lot of self discipline from the addict or patient.

Alcohol treatment and heroin drug rehab program are another one designed to curtail the excesses from the use of this drug. Heroine is the processed form of morphine, got from the extract of seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. This program has the extended issue of the management of the addicts for HIV/AIDS as addicts mostly use shared needles. Injection is the most common form of the use of this drug.

Cocaine addiction program is also another basic program.  Crack as it is called on the street, presents itself as a fine, white, crystalline powder often diluted by street dealer with cornstarch, talcum powder or sugar. It is at time mixed with procaine or other stimulants such as amphetamines.

The problem associated with cocaine use is that the level of decay of the patient/addict increases with increased usage level.

Teen alcohol treatment program is another basic program that is common. This is because a greater number of our teens have tried marijuana at a tender age and this has to be dealt with in programs that address their needs.

Finally, dual diagnosis alcohol treatment programs deal with the treatment of drug addiction with other associated medical illnesses.

If you or someone you know needs help finding alcohol treatment, please call our toll free confidential helpline at (888) 842-3167 today

Comments Off »

Posted in Alcohol Treatment Drug Rehab

Tags:

Achieving success in Drug Rehab program

June 4th, 2010

No one can deny the ultimate attraction of drug toward its victims. This shows   the fact that drug abuse is one of the most dangerous habits in life. Not all of the patients are successful in drug rehab treatment, some of them even get re-addicted afterward. But keep in mind this: If your will is strong enough, nothing is impossible to overcome. However, the most important thing in drug rehab process is re-addicted treatment. OK, you have been successful in abating the addiction for few days/weeks, when you return home, your addicted-mate pays you a visit, and you see him using the drug right before your eyes. It is 99% that you will come back to drug fairy in the next moment. This is actually one of the biggest problems of people who decide to quit drug addiction.

Now coming back to the question: How to fully achieve success in Drug Rehab program? First and foremost, it is your will. Prepare to face the worst feeling ever in your life. You will suffer pain, struggling, and above all, the ultimate desire for enjoying drug. A weak won’t be able to stand against it, neither will an unprepared mind. Don’t expect easy thing, also don’t be overconfident. Many persons think they are more than capable of fighting against drug addiction, some of them even try drug to prove to their relatives how they fight, but eventually fall.

So think of your parents, your spouse, and your children, all of your relations. Actually they are the second requirement here. A suitable environment will provide a surprisingly lots of help in drug rehab. Encouragement from your relatives will give you more strength in the battle with drug addiction. There are proven facts that almost all drug addiction cases without relative’s support failed. So in drug rehab, always involve communication. You can always do the job  at home, but it will be better if you go to a center, as it has the  specialized tools and equipment, as well as medicines to help you put. Generally, there are some processes in a good drug rehab center. These include residential treatment, local support groups, care center and sober house for you to choose.

Finally, as said before, the battle against re-addiction is in fact the most difficult part. This involves all of the above; a good environment without anything related to drug, support from your relatives, and strong will against the seduction of drug. Unlike the thought of most people, this part of drug rehab is very long. It is not only 1 month or 1 year, but may last for 5 years, 10 years, or even all your life. The argument is, though you have been biologically treated, just one moment of your weak will  can make all your suffering start over again.

If you or someone you know needs help finding drug rehab, please call our toll free confidential helpline at (888) 842-3167 today

Comments Off »

Posted in Alcohol Treatment Drug Rehab

Tags:

Andrew Koppel, son of famous newscaster Ted Koppel, dies of alcohol consumption

June 1st, 2010

After a daylong drinking ordeal, Andrew Koppel, 40, was found dead in a NYC apartment.  Koppel had started drinking around noon yesterday and met up with another gentleman.  Shortly thereafter, the two men began to hop from bar to bar and continued on in to the night until Koppel was finally brought to an apartment in Washington Heights, where he would be found dead later last night.

Andrew Koppel was convicted in 1993 of punching out a senatorial aide in a drunken dust-up in DC and was ordered into alcohol treatment. Three years earlier, he got into a drunken fender bender while driving his father’s Mercedes in their home state of Maryland.

If you or someone you know needs help with an alcohol problem or needs alcohol treatment and detox, please call our 24 hour confidential helpline at (888) 842-3167

Comments Off »

Posted in Alcohol Treatment Drug Rehab

Tags: