Let’s face it, looking at the other guy and thinking he really has a drug problem is a whole lot easier than squaring up to the realization that it’s actually you that may be in trouble because of drug abuse, dependence, or addiction. Not only that, but when someone’s in the grip of drugs, it is so much simpler just to deny anything at all is wrong.

Is it any wonder then that it’s often so difficult for the person who really needs help to know when drug rehab makes sense? For the purposes of discussion, let’s say this person is you – although the same suggestions apply if you are looking for ways to help a loved one or friend get more information on whether drug rehab is the right choice now.

Life Spiraling Out of Control

There are many aspects of drug use that could be examined in order to get at the specifics of how bad it has to be before someone needs professional help. That is beyond the scope of this article. Suffice to say that when the drug user’s life is spiraling out of control, that’s when treatment is necessary – and fast.

But what, exactly, constitutes a life spiraling out of control? Here’s what it isn’t. It isn’t when you just seem to have a bad day, aren’t making enough money to suit you, or are vaguely dissatisfied with life in general.

Likewise, if your drug use is limited to occasionally taking a prescription medication for pain or anxiety or depression – and you take it as directed by your doctor, that’s not an indication that your life is out of control. You may be in a little more discomfort than you had in the past, but injury, aging, or accidents could be the reason for that. And, the body is pretty miraculous in how well it can heal, given enough time.

Here’s a clearer picture of life spiraling out of control:

• You are constantly thinking about where, how, and when to get drugs.
• You become anxious and agitated the closer it gets to the time when you normally use.
• Thoughts about using – anticipating the rush, how good you feel after you use – consume your every waking moment.
• You lose interest in anything not connected with your drug use.
• You stop associating with former friends and your only companions now are those connected with drug use. These may be the pals you use with, your dealer, or other drug-related acquaintances.
• You stop taking care of yourself physical needs. You don’t eat properly, sleep is fitful and plagued with nightmares. You have medical conditions that you don’t seek treatment for.
• Your physical appearance suffers: skin is pale, or sallow, maybe hangs from your frame like a drape or you are so emaciated that your bones are visible.
• You completely disregard personal hygiene, refusing to take regular baths, shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth. Your gums may bleed and your teeth may be rotting – especially if you are addicted to crystal meth.
• Your family has disowned you, kicked you out of the house, or the relationship is so strained that your homelife is like a powderkeg.
• You lose your job or get demoted as a result of your drug use.
• You squander all the household income in order to finance your drug use – as well as alcohol use and/or other addictions, such as compulsive gambling, compulsive spending, and so on.
• Your home goes into foreclosure.
• You have to file bankruptcy.
• You get arrested on drug charges.
• Legal bills mount, along with court costs, fees and fines.
• You go to jail.
• You start thinking that suicide may be the answer.

Do any of these sound like things you are experiencing in your life right now? If so, drug rehab could very well make sense for you.

Getting Past Denial

Of course, no one wants to admit that they have a drug problem. The person with the drug problem is usually the last one to recognize that their life has spiraled out of control. Everyone else around him or her can see it, but not the one who’s constantly using.

No, the person – maybe you – thinks, “I can take care of myself. My drug use is under control. I don’t need any help.” There are many different variations of what you tell yourself, but the synopsis is always the same: don’t have a problem, don’t need help, don’t want help.

That is a huge mistake.

Until you can wake up to the truth and admit that you do have a problem with drugs, you’re only going to perpetuate the misery you’re currently in. In fact, your downhill slide is more than likely going to happen quicker.

What will it take for you to be able to see how unhappy your drug use is making you? What about the looks on the faces of your loved ones, your spouse, your children? They only want the best for you, even if life with you has become intolerable, frightening, even dangerous.

If you live with a spouse or others who also abuse drugs or alcohol or engage in other addictive behavior, self-recognition of your problem becomes even tougher. That’s why couples who both use have such a hard time staying clean and sober following treatment unless both are committed to long-term sobriety.

Facing the reality that your life is now as a result of drug use takes courage. It’s certainly not pleasant to look at the mess you’ve made of your life, how much sorrow you’ve caused those who care about you.

But you can do it. First, you have to squash that inner voice that tries to insist that you’re okay. You’re not okay, and deep down inside you actually know it.

Can’t You Just Quit on Your Own?

While you might be an extraordinarily strong person, trying to quit drugs on your own is like trying to fly. You might have a brief success, but you’ll ultimately crash. Why is that? When you become dependent upon or addicted to drugs, your brain becomes habituated to the presence of the drugs. It changes in dramatic ways so that the messages sent to the brain’s pleasure center only react to the next intake of drugs. Your body demands the drugs, that’s why you have such intense drug cravings. The only thing that qualms the cravings is to use.

Sure, you may have all the best intentions. You toss the drugs or flush them down the drain, or use up the last of your stash and vow not to buy any more.

Guess how long that promise lasts?

Only until you start feeling the first symptoms of withdrawal.

Funny how it works. Even a brawny, six-foot-plus male who prides himself in self-discipline (except for his drug use) is reduced to a crazed search for drugs once withdrawal kicks in big-time. Going cold-turkey on drugs is just as foolhardy, in most instances, as trying to kick drinking when you’re a stone alcoholic. It could be more than just mild withdrawal symptoms you’ll have to deal with. Depending on your drug of choice, how long you’ve used, how often you use, and how much you use, whether you abuse alcohol as well as drugs – along with other factors such as your general health and pre-existing medical conditions – withdrawal can be severe or even life-threatening.

So, quitting on your own is just not a good idea. You need to undergo withdrawal under 24-hour medical supervision. This can be done at a detoxification center, either a hospital or detox center, or residential drug rehab that also has a detox facility on-site.

Besides, detoxing – or getting all the toxic substances (drugs) out of your system – is just the prerequisite or first step to getting better. Without treatment, usually consisting of counseling and perhaps medications to help control or reduce urges, you’ll only relapse and be right back where you started.

That’s when drug rehab makes sense. When you want to quit and know that trying to do so on your own is likely to fail, going into treatment for substance abuse is a very good option. In fact, it may be your only opportunity to get clean and sober – and have any hope of a meaningful recovery.

Rehab Close to Home or Away

Maybe you have your reasons for not wanting to go into rehab. One of these may be that you need a complete change of venue in order to make a complete break from your past addictive ways. That’s perfectly understandable. There are many drug rehab facilities that are in other parts of your state or in other states that may be within your reach.

On the other hand, maybe you are worried that you can’t possibly go into drug rehab because you need to be close to your family. You’re afraid that if you’re away from them, something bad will happen.

Actually, going into drug rehab is the best thing you can do – for for yourself and for your family. What do you think will happen to you and to them if you continue your current drug usage? Your problems, whatever they are right now, will only get worse. You may resort to petty crime to finance your drug use, become aggressive and violent with your loved ones, close friends, even strangers.

This is not a situation you want to contemplate, but you need to look at how drug abuse changes individuals. The sorry picture you have of certain incidents that happened in your past due to drug use is nothing compared to the world of hurt you might be in store for if you don’t get help now to overcome your addiction.

Can’t Afford the Time

Here’s another excuse – yes, let’s call it what it is – that many people offer up as a valid reason for not going into drug rehab. Even when they know they need help, that they will continue to go downhill without professional help, they complain that they just can’t afford the time.

What about eternity? That’s time without end – and that’s what you’ll be looking at sooner than you think if you keep on abusing drugs. What’s a 30- or 60- or even 90-day treatment program in the vast scheme of things? If you come out of treatment better equipped to deal with life’s stresses, challenges, and opportunities without resorting to drugs, isn’t that a good use of your time?

You know the answer to that one. Of course, drug rehab makes sense – especially when your life right now doesn’t make much sense at all.

Afraid of What Others Think

If you’re deep into drug use, you may think that you’re so far past caring about what others think, but you’d be surprised. Studies have shown that even chronic alcoholics and drug addicts have a sense of what their community members (those who also abuse alcohol and drugs) think. Dr. Gabor Maté, physician and author of In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts, who works in a clinic for addicts in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, notes how the men and women there – all addicts – care for one another, despite how far down on the rung of humanity they’ve slipped.

These addicts, many of whom support their habit by prostitution, petty crime, handouts, know what they are. Yet they still cling to hope, even the faintest shred of it. Due to the non-judgmental attitude of Dr. Maté and others at the clinic, the addicts receive treatment for their medical condition, prescriptions to help them with sobriety, allay anxiety, combat depression, even help with living conditions. If they want counseling, that is provided for them as well.

Different world? Perhaps. Vancouver’s system is rather unique. But that isn’t the point. What is the point is that addicts the world over are human beings. And as human beings, we each have value. We each have an innate worth, even if we’ve buried it so far beneath years of drug use that we can’t even recognize it.

Why should you care what others think? If anything, they’re thinking that they wish you well and hope that you get the treatment you need to overcome your addiction.

You should care about you, and what you think about your life right now and how much better it can be in the future. This is when drug rehab makes sense.

Where to Find Treatment

Looking for a drug rehab center that will work for you is not that difficult.  You can call 877-378-6407 to find out about drug treatment options in your area.  Or you can go to the Treatment Facility Locator (http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/) maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This is an online searchable database that includes drug and alcohol treatment facilities across the United States. You can also call their toll-free treatment referral helpline at 1-800-662-HELP and speak with a representative who can assist you by directing you to local treatment facilities, state agencies for treatment assistance, answer questions or send you informational material.

Another source for finding treatment is to talk with your doctor, local health agency, your health care provider, even a friend who has gone through drug rehab with good success.

The point is that if you can admit that you have a drug problem and want to get help for it, drug rehab makes sense. And if drug rehab makes sense, take the next step and make plans to go in for treatment. The sooner you get treatment, the quicker you’ll be on the road to recovery.

Imagine a future where you’re no longer a slave to your drug habit, where you’ll have the opportunity to live your life to its fullest, setting goals and achieving your dreams. You can have this. It is attainable. Now, do your part and get started with drug rehab. It really does make sense.

When Drug Rehab Makes Sense is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The Ranch is a drug addiction treatment program located on a working ranch just south of Nashville. Their unique treatment program offers equine therapy as part of their treatment, a highly effective treatment tool that is particularly effective for anyone who has struggled with addiction, relapse, and has underlying issues such as depression, anxiety, and trauma.

Equine-assisted psychotherapy, often called simply equine therapy, has turned out to be a highly effective way to help people with drug addiction, particularly if there is any underlying issue that makes talk therapy challenging.

So why exactly are horses such an amazing tool in drug addiction treatment?

Drug addiction presents many challenges to the therapist. Years of hiding the addiction means many with addiction develop ways of manipulating others, often by lying or hiding important facts. Over time, the addicted person becomes so comfortable with half-truths that it can be difficult to tease out the whole story. Sometimes this leads to resistance in therapy. The addicted person can become frustrated, because they themselves honestly cannot access their true feelings. Drugs have undermined their ability to understand what they are feeling and why.

[Show as slideshow]

Enter the horse. These gentle, majestic creatures allow such clients to relax and surrender to a phenomenal process. Their interactions with the horses become metaphors for issues and frustrations in their lives. Deeply buried emotions can come to the surface but in an environment that feels comforting and healing.

The therapist is integral to the process – they observe and note the interactions between the client and the horse. They often discover those unfulfilled needs, hopes, and dreams of the addicted person. Sometimes these needs, hopes, and dreams have been so buried by the addiction that even the person expressing them is surprised to discover them.

The relationship between the addicted person and the horse seems to allow people to be more vulnerable and open. They can work through feelings about past rejection, confusion about who they are and where they are going, and their need for support and nurturing and unconditional love, yet still feel protected and safe.

Equine therapy offers a unique opportunity to test new possibilities in many areas of life by taking initial risks in the context of relationship with another living being, before taking the bigger risks in the context of human interaction.

The Ranch has an equine-assisted psychotherapy team with horsemanship experience and over 20 years of professional counseling experience. They guide clients in learning through the therapy about effective communication, self-worth, integrity, trust and respect in relationships, the difference between assertive and aggressive, and the importance of respect, teamwork and community.

Learn more about drug addiction treatment and the equine therapy program at the Ranch by calling 877-378-6407.

Drug Addiction Treatment at The Ranch is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Sometimes being the take-charge individual who has to do everything on his or her own is not the way to go. This is particularly true when it comes to trying to overcome addiction on your own. Chances are you’ll face an uphill battle. But it’s actually more than just a tough road to go: it may be impossible. Here are some things to think about, possible consequences of not getting treatment for addiction.

You Aren’t Your Best Counsel

First of all, let’s be upfront about one thing. If you have an addiction – whether your substance is alcohol, illicit drugs, or prescription drugs used nonmedically, or a compulsive behavior such as gambling, shopping, work, sex, or an eating disorder – you aren’t the one that’s best equipped to give yourself advice. You simply don’t have enough information, aren’t trained in how to overcome the challenges and hurdles, aren’t certified and licensed to treat addiction, and so on.

And, even if you are an addiction professional, if the patient is you, all the more reason why you shouldn’t try to take matters into your own hands.

Again, you aren’t your best counsel. It’s too hard to be able to follow the necessary steps, adhere to appropriate schedules, analyze your own thoughts and motivations, or teach yourself how to cope. That’s why people who really want to get clean and sober and change their lives go into treatment. Why put yourself through unnecessary – and pointless – frustration by trying to do it on your own? Go into treatment. It’s the best chance you will ever have to put your life back in order.

Access to the Facts

Let’s say that you are a strong-willed person who is used to doing research, making educated decisions, following things through to a conclusion. These are terrific skills, but it still doesn’t mean that you should avoid going into treatment. You can access a wealth of information through various means, the Internet being the most readily available, and still have nothing but a lot of facts – without context. It takes a licensed and certified professional – actually, a staff of professionals – to do the necessary interviewing and assessment, create a personalized treatment plan, and get you into detoxification, if required, and progress to active treatment. There’s also relapse prevention training and preparation of a recovery plan – none of which you should do on your own.

What you can do, in preparation of getting treatment, is to research addiction treatment facilities in your area. Find out the specifics, including whether they specialize in treating your particular addiction, multiple addictions (such as drug and alcohol abuse), or co-occurring disorder (such as substance abuse and a mental health disorder). Make a list of the treatment facilities (residential and outpatient) within easy access and go to their websites to learn more about their treatment philosophy, staff, licensing and credentials of personnel, go through the Q&A, find out about costs, how much insurance pays for, whether or not the facility offers sliding-scale or ability-to-pay arrangements or other financial assistance, including scholarships or grants.
Where should you start to find an addiction treatment facility? The best place is the Treatment Facility Locator (http://dasis3.samhsa.gov/) maintained through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). You can also call their toll-free treatment facility referral helpline at 1-800-662-HELP. There is no charge for this service, and all calls are confidential. When you are serious about getting treatment for your addiction, streamline the process by doing this important fact-finding step first. That is very much something that you can do on your own. Then, you need to put yourself into the capable hands of the professionals.

Tomorrow Is Not Always Another Day

We are such an incredible species. We are intelligent, resourceful, curious, stubborn, independent – and prone to self-deception, procrastination, denial, finger-pointing and a few other negative traits along the way. While every person is unique in both their addiction, there is one thing each has in common: addiction is something we really don’t want to deal with. We tell ourselves that we’re not addicted, that we have it under control, that it really isn’t that big of a problem, that we’re not hurting anyone, and a dozen other excuses. And that’s really what they all are. There’s no truth to any of it. Telling ourselves these distortions of the truth, half-truths, and outright lies is just another way to put off doing what we need to do – and that is, to get into treatment.

When it comes to facing reality, most addicts, and those dependent on a particular substance or compulsive behavior, find many other pressing duties or activities that demand their time and attention. Taking care of themselves, getting sufficient momentum going to actually do something positive to overcome addiction, just isn’t in the cards. Maybe tomorrow, we tell ourselves, only half believing the words.

Here’s what happens the longer we avoid facing the reality: We get worse. Statistics show that, without treatment, addiction is a progressive and debilitating disease that may result in death. If you think that’s out of the realm of possibility, think again. Whether the addiction is alcoholism (where you can die from cirrhosis of the liver, heart disease, or other physical complications and conditions), or prescription drugs used nonmedically (where you overdose or suffer drug interactions), or gambling (where you may become so distraught and filled with self-loathing, remorse, and despair that you commit suicide), or any other addiction, death – or serious and debilitating complications – are a very real potential outcome.

Others Will Undoubtedly Suffer

Addiction treatment professionals say that addiction is a family disease. What does this mean? It doesn’t mean that everyone in the family is an addict – although in many instances, there are numerous addictions within the same family. It does mean that when one family member has an addiction, everyone else in the family suffers as well.

Let’s take a look at how this works. Perhaps the wife and mother is an alcoholic, or pops pills to be able to get through the day. Originally, she may have needed prescription medication as the result of an accident or injury, or to combat depression or anxiety. She may have found that a cocktail helps ease the stress and tension of work and taking care of the family. Maybe she combines alcohol and medication without thinking.

Over time, the combination of alcohol and medication, or too much of alcohol or medication, isn’t enough to dull the pain, take away the anxiety, smooth out the stress. She takes it more often, and increases the amount. Pretty soon – sooner than you think – she’s so dependent on the alcohol or pills (or both), she can’t function without them. After more time passes, she’s completely addicted. She may want to, or try to, wean herself off them, but can’t take the withdrawal (nausea, pain, headaches, jitteriness, anxiety, depression – the list goes on). She goes right back to her drug(s) of choice.

What do you think happens in the family when all this is going on? The husband and children gradually notice that something’s not right. Things aren’t being taken care of like they should be: meals aren’t on time, or are haphazard, the house isn’t clean and orderly any longer, the wife/mother’s appearance begins to suffer, and emotional outbursts may become common, and so on. When questioned, the wife may lie to her husband about drinking or taking pills. She probably hides the booze and medicine all over the house and will become hysterical if it is discovered and destroyed.

The children no longer want to have their friends over, fearing their mother will embarrass them or create a spectacle. They may no longer trust their own mother, since she begins to act in more bizarre ways, can’t be relied upon, and shouts and screams at them. The husband probably notices a distancing on the part of his wife. She’s no longer loving and receptive sexually. She may exhibit coldness or an aloofness, or suspicion and jealousy. Money may start disappearing. Bills are no longer paid on time. The family may suffer financial collapse, especially if another addiction that’s been added to the wife/mother’s list is gambling.
It’s easy to see that one person’s addiction, in this example, has an adverse effect on all the members of the family. Again, it doesn’t matter who has the addiction – husband/father, wife/mother, child, sibling, grandparent, aunt or uncle – if the person who’s addicted resides in the household, everyone suffers. It also doesn’t matter what the addition is. Addiction is a family disease: everyone in the family suffers. Without treatment, they will not only continue to suffer, but the suffering will get worse as addition progresses.

Time Is Not On Your Side

Another negative consequence of not getting treatment for addiction is that time is not on your side. Without treatment, you more than likely can’t overcome your addiction on your own. That’s not to say it’s totally impossible – some people can and do overcome addiction without going into formal treatment. They may make do with self-help books, going to 12-step meetings, and sheer strength of will. But it very rarely happens.

Do you want take that chance? After all the heartache and self-doubt and anxious nights and tortuous cravings and urges, do you really want to go through this alone? Worse yet, are you willing to allow your life – and that of your family – do continue to spiral downward as a result of your addiction?

Sure, it takes time to go through treatment. Depending on your type of addiction, how long you’ve been addicted, how frequently and how much you use, your physical and mental health, family history, environmental, genetic, and other factors, it may take 90 days to six months to a year before you are in recovery. Actual treatment times vary greatly. Since a treatment plan is tailored to each patient, there is no one-size-fits-all type of program. This is true whether the treatment takes place at a residential addiction treatment center, an inpatient hospital setting, or an outpatient facility.

Some types of addiction can be effectively treated on an outpatient basis. Those patients who require detoxification should have that done only under close medical supervision at a licensed detoxification facility. Many residential treatment centers have detox facilities on-site. You can’t go into the active treatment phase until you are clean of the addictive substance (alcohol or drugs). In some cases, medication may be prescribed to help ease the withdrawal symptoms you may experience during detoxification. This is another reason why you need close medical supervision and why you should never attempt detox on your own. You can’t prescribe yourself medication and you likely won’t go through detox by yourself if you have to suffer the withdrawal symptoms – which can range from mild to moderate to severe (and life-threatening, in the case of alcoholism).
Can you afford the time away from your job, family, and friends? Naturally, this would be high on your list of reasons why you can’t go into treatment at this time. But it’s not a good enough reason. If not now, when will be the right time? In fact, when you look at it that way, you’ll never find the time is appropriate to go into treatment. Frankly, you need to get over yourself and your own obsession over controlling what happens. You obviously aren’t in control of your addiction right now. It’s controlling you, and it will only get more demanding as time goes on.

You don’t have time on your side. The sooner you make the decision to go into treatment – and go through with it – the sooner you can resume your life on a clean and sober basis. You need to go through a little pain and discomfort, learn how to cope with cravings and urges, make healthier behavior choices, and plan for and embark upon a new life. You can do all this. But you need to take the all-important first step. You need to admit you have a problem and accept treatment.

You Lose Everything

No one wants to be alone. The thought of losing our family, our friends, and our way of life scares the living daylights out of all of us. When we are the instrument of our own demise, it’s all the worse. The rest of our lives will be spent in self-hatred, self-recrimination, anger, self-destruction, and downward spiral.

Who in their right mind would wish such a future upon themselves? No one would, of course. But it happens all the time when someone pretends their addiction isn’t that bad, that they have it all under control, and that they’ll just gradually cut down or taper off or… fill in the blanks.

The truth is that the longer addiction has a hold on you, the less likely you’re able to think and act clearly. You will find yourself saying and doing things that you’d consider reprehensible if you witnessed it in anyone else. But watching someone else self-destruct and doing it yourself are two different things. When it happens to you, you often never see it coming until it’s too late.

You don’t want to lose everything, do you? Stop what you’re doing and get busy figuring out how to get the help you need.

Next Steps

Once you make the determination that you want to overcome your addiction, you need to take action. Start by doing your research on where to find treatment that may be appropriate for you. Get your finances in order. Talk with your family – your significant other, your parents, siblings – whomever you need to and who will be your immediate support network. Tell them that you have a problem and you want to get help for it. Ask for their encouragement and support as you go through the treatment process and into recovery. The fact is that you can’t make it without support – and a loving family is the best support network you can have.

If there’s a time delay or waiting period before you can get into treatment, don’t let that stop you. Buy books or take them out through the library on overcoming your particular addiction. Learn all you can about the disease. Look up 12-step groups in your area and attend meetings. Start with their websites. Every addiction has a 12-step group, everything from Alcoholics Anonymous to Narcotics Anonymous to Marijuana Anonymous to Gamblers Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Sexaholics Anonymous, and so on. These people are committed to one thing: recovery – yours and theirs. They know what it feels like to be engulfed in compulsive behavior or locked in an endless drug-seeking way of life. They can offer encouragement and support that’s nonjudgmental and asks nothing in return – except for the same type of encouragement, support, and understanding when they may need it. It’s at least a good way to get started on your own personal journey to recovery.

Will you ever be normal again? This is a question many people ask, usually when they’re new to recovery (after they’ve completed treatment to overcome their addiction). It’s perfectly understandable to be anxious and wonder if your life will ever get back to normal. The first few months of recovery can be pretty scary, since this is the time when you’re putting into practice all the things you learned during treatment on how to avoid the people, places, and things that caused you to use, how to cope with cravings and urges, how to establish better communication with family and friends, and how to live a healthier life.

The good news is that you will get better. The longer you are in recovery, the stronger you will get. There will be good days and bad days at first. Over time, you will gain more self-confidence in your abilities, more trust in your decision-making, more pride in your accomplishments. You will look forward to your future, a future that will be of your making according to the plans you’ve put into place.

Will you ever be normal again? For many in recovery, this is the time when they first started to feel normal. For others, it’s the best time in their lives. Why not make this your plan for your future?

Remember the saying from Confucius: “The longest journey begins with the first step.” While it’s appropriate for many things, it’s really apropos with respect to getting treatment for addiction. Begin your recovery journey today by taking that first step. Make the decision to get treatment. Your future awaits you.

Possible Consequences of Not Getting Treatment for Addiction is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The interesting thing about drug addiction is that it does not play favorites. We may think we can identify the drug user or addict by a specific stereotype, but such an approach will often return erroneous results. Instead, it is better to look for specific signs.

In the case of elderly individuals who are on a number of medications, they could be at a heightened risk for addiction. Let’s examine 20 different signs of addiction that can help loved ones identify a problem that may just be at its start or one dangerously controlling a life.

1. Control in Quantity

A true sign of addiction is when an individual needs more of a substance to achieve a desired effect. The alcoholic will fill a glass more frequently and the drug addicted individual will run through a prescription faster. In the latter example, the increased speed is generally blamed on a physician or pharmacist error or some other excuse rather than an increase in dosage.

2. Hidden Substances

The individual who is using medication prescribed by a physician has nothing to hide. The individual who is drinking when they should not be or consume more of a drug than prescribed will take to hiding medications or bottles of alcohol in odd places. It is important to check in obscure places, but be prepared for tempers if the loved one feels their privacy has been invaded.

3. Things Disappear

It isn’t unusual for things around the house to disappear when there is an addict living within the home. This is especially true for items that hold any type of value and can be sold for cash to acquire more medication. The need for money will appear desperate without obvious cause.

4. Drinking Ahead of Time

It isn’t unusual for the alcohol addicted individual to drink ahead of time before festivities get going. This is often done to make it appear as though they are dinking the same amount as everyone else, when in fact they have consumed far more over the course of the evening.

5. Throwing You Off the Track

Manipulations are not uncommon for those individuals who want to throw people off their scent. Alcoholics will drink alone to show they are not drinking more than others and teen drug users are known to admit to lesser drugs – like marijuana – when bigger drugs are the true issue. What appears to be honesty is really just an attempt to divert attention away from the true problem.

6. Spending Patterns

Both drugs and alcohol are expensive substances and most individuals do not have the disposable income to support a full blown habit. It is important to look for unusual money behaviors, especially frequent trips to payday loan establishments and spending sprees.

7. The Vodka Trick

Vodka is a powerful drink and not always pleasant upon first intake. It remains one of choice, however, as it looks like water. It is also easily added to soft drinks and juice without changing the color or smell of the liquid.

8. Irregular Attendance

The maintenance of addiction takes considerable time, which usually leaves little for socializing or a busy lifestyle. A person who misses an important event or is unreliable and secretive about their activities generally has a problem bigger than an inability to keep appointments.

9. A Narrow Focus

Those dealing with an addiction will have a very narrow focus on life and tend to block out other interests and activities that once held significant pleasure and fulfillment. A subtle change may happen at first, which makes it harder to detect over time.

10. The Magic Bottle

It is not uncommon for the individual living with an alcoholic to check the liquor cabinet to monitor bottle levels. If there is a “Magic Bottle” that appears to never be empty or one that has a level that goes both up and down, it is likely the individual is trying to hide his or her liquor intake.

11. The Diet Promise

The body image is one area that can be especially dangerous. Certain “uppers” like crystal meth and cocaine stimulate energy and people find they rarely need to eat. This results in rapid weight loss, which is erroneously viewed as a positive thing.

12. Cleanliness

While the saying makes us believe cleanliness is next to godliness, an overuse of certain hygiene products is a sign that someone is trying to hide something. Is the person constantly spraying a perfume or using gum or breath mints? Eye drops come in handy to hide reddened eyes and going through bottles quickly should be a sign something is wrong.

13. Check the Bathroom

Prescription medications generally belong in the bathroom. If the bathroom cabinets have no supplies, users are generally quick to check other people’s bathrooms. The sound of extended water running is a hint the person is trying to hide their activities.

14. Managing the Mood

The stark contrast between ups and downs should be a sign that something is aloof. Loved ones should also look for moods that go from numb and calm to extremely aggressive in as little as a few minutes.

15. Dead Asleep

The individual that is sleeping so hard they won’t wake up is a sign something is wrong. Alcoholics and addicts consuming “downers” will sleep very heavily and will also fall asleep at inappropriate times; giving a signal something is wrong.

16. Never Ending Pain

Back pain is a common complaint– people use to get prescription painkillers. Back pain is hard to diagnose and even harder to treat, making it easy to pull the wool over the doctor’s eyes in attempting to get a prescription. This pain also never tends to wane and needs more and more medication to treat.

17. Unfounded Sickness

Vague illnesses are common with addicts as they are seeking an excuse to duck out of work or simply to be left alone to abuse their substance of choice. These individuals also tend to appear sick, without any real diagnosis or cause.

18. Panic

Pot, drugs and alcohol can cause attacks of paranoia. At times, the symptoms are temporary, but over time can completely change the personality of the individual. When the substance is cocaine, it alters the brain and can cause psychological symptoms that greatly impair the individual.

19. A Good Story

The user and abuser know they have a problem, but they don’t want anyone else to know it. They will use a variety of stories that seem to be very believable to throw attention away from them. Keeping close track of these stories is likely to reveal a pattern of deception.

20. Laying the Blame

Alcoholics and addicts are known for pointing the finger at someone else, not wanting to take ownership of their problem or its causes. This tendency increases the conflict level and will take a formally peaceful person to a war zone participant.

20 Signs You May Be Living With an Addict is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

But Hamilton knows well what it is like to swim in the trough of the waves too. It wasn’t so very long ago that drug use got him kicked out of the sport entirely. A recent article in a Canadian paper outlined Hamilton’s inspiring personal story.

The man with the golden bat today was a first round pick back in 1999 when he was quickly snatched up by the Tampa Bay organization. Just as quickly Hamilton went from being the darling of baseball to being addicted to alcohol and drugs and being shown the door. He fought his addictions and made a major league comeback in 2007. Hamilton was initially picked up by Cincinnati but was traded to the Texas franchise before his athletic prowess became the stuff of history. Hamilton is one of only 16 baseball players to ever hit four home runs in a single game, boasts a batting average of .406 and is currently leading both leagues in home runs (14) and RBIs (36).

Hamilton readily credits today’s successes to God’s mercy in his life. He admits that he made plenty of bad choices and says only God is behind his ability to play at his current level. The baseball star is facing free agency next season, but says that he plays the game and lives his life just one day at a time. One day may be the crest of the wave and tomorrow may be the trough, but Hamilton’s ability to live out his one day at a time mindset means there is no fear about the future. After all, he quips, today is all that we’ve been given.

Josh Hamilton: Baseball’s Golden Boy Lives One Day at a Time is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Defense Department officials recently released a statement saying there has been steady increases in the numbers of soldiers who have been referred for treatment regarding opiate abuse in the past decade. The Army and the Department of Defense are both expanding their programs to include the two prescription drugs: hydroquinone and hydromorphone but they have yet to determine when they will begin testing for the benzodiazepines, says Troy Rolan, an Army spokesman.

The Navy has a drug policy that is zero-tolerance and although the overall levels of abuse among military personnel are significantly lower than the regular civilian population, Navy officials are concerned. They hope that by adding the two drug families to their standard panel of drug testing, this will allow a more inclusive understanding of the prescription drug abuse problem among the naval population.

February is when the Department of Defense first made the announcement, saying they were giving its service members an amnesty period of 90-days to search out treatment options before random testing started. Sailors were informed that their prescriptions should be properly documented in health records before May 1st.

The Navy has medical treatment programs and facilities ready to assist sailors and members of their families who need their help for abuse or misuse of these drugs. If they have a positive urinalysis they may be punished under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and then processed for administrative leave from the U.S. Navy.

Navy Now Testing for Prescription Drug Abuse is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Some of these patients are people who have dental emergencies. Either because of lack of insurance or lack of motivation, some people do not schedule preventive dental exams and will not see a physician until their pain in unbearable and lands them in the emergency room.

Doctors are used to seeing dental patients in the emergency room and have previously just provided a quick pain prescription and sent them on their way until they could get in to see a dentist for further procedures. Unfortunately, some patients are now using this act as a ruse to acquire narcotics to feed their drug addictions and doctors are put in the difficult position of figuring out whether the patient honestly needs the medicine or not.

Abusing Emergency Rooms

A new study published in Medical Care, is the first to record the frequency of administering prescription painkillers to emergency room visitors complaining of dental pain. Dr. Christopher Okunseri, a dentist and a professor from Marquette University School of Dentistry, analyzed records from 1997 to 2007 from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for his study.

In those ten years, three out of four people who came into emergency rooms with dental pain went home with prescription painkillers. Also, over that decade, the percentage of prescription painkillers given to patients complaining of dental pain rose by 26 percent.

Unfortunately, some of these patients are abusing emergency care. Some patients are faking dental pain in order to get another prescription drug. These abuses are now conflicting doctors on whether to trust the patient’s word or withhold a potentially harmful narcotic from them.

Some doctors have figured out the game of some drug abusers. In one instance, a doctor said that he has had patients claim that they are allergic to all painkillers except Vicodin. But many other times, the doctors are helpless to object the request for painkillers from someone who claims that they are in pain.

Why Are Patients Getting Drugs They May Not Need

Emergency room doctors are often not skilled in taking care of dental emergencies and often lack the proper equipment to treat them. Therefore, the easiest remedy has been to prescribe a painkiller until the patient can visit a dentist.

There are multiple reasons that ER visitors are walking out with legal, yet potentially harmful drugs. Doctors often prescribe prescription painkillers because of the following:

• Lack of equipment, like X-ray machines for dental diagnosis to examine nerves of teeth
• Inexperience in giving dental blocks which are local anesthetic injections that last for up to 16 hours
• Save the time by writing a prescription rather than giving a dental block
• Don’t have access to computer records to see if patient is taking any other prescription painkillers
• Fear of being rated low on patient satisfaction survey for not treating pain adequately.

A Doctor’s Dilemma

When patients rush to an emergency room, they need to be treated immediately. It is the job of the ER personnel to administer this professional care. But today, doctors regret having to think twice about whether their prescription care will actually hurt rather than help their patient.

The changing methods of how drug abusers obtain their narcotics may eventually change the ways that emergency professionals are trained in emergency facilities.

Drug Abusers Are Using Emergency Room Visits To Obtain Prescription Painkillers is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The program is sponsored by Major League Soccer (MLS) and they informed the Galaxy organization at the end of April that Saunders would not be available for play time until after he finished with the rehab program.

Spokesmen for Galaxy say that Saunders had not failed any drug test administered by MLS, but were less forthcoming about details surrounding the player’s game absences. Personal reasons were cited and that was as specific as the information got.

Since moving up into professional soccer eight years ago, Saunders has largely filled the role of backup goalkeeper. But when a broken arm put first string goalkeeper Donovan Rickets on the sideline Saunders had the chance to show his stuff.

As it turned out, he had lots to show. Saunders provided eight shutout matches and delivered record-setting game time. It was enough to lead Galaxy to make the replacement permanent by trading Rickets away.

As sports news reporters remind us, this is not the first hint of substance abuse in Saunders career. Back in 2004 when he was goalkeeper for the Portland Timbers, Saunders was pulled over for driving 102 mph through a construction area at 2:30 in the morning.

Saunders was judged to be driving while intoxicated. His car was seized but Saunders was not jailed. Instead he was released to a friend’s custody. So, it seems, Saunders was arrested but not really arrested.

Jump ahead to today. Is Saunders suspended or not suspended? No one wants to use the "S word" it seems. However, in 2010 a similar situation unfolded around New England Revolution’s Shalrie Joseph.

Joseph missed a total of six weeks of season play in order to complete the MLS rehab program. At the time, MLS spokesmen used similar words to describe the missed play – "not suspended."

Usually for substance abuse treatment to be effective the person needs to admit there is a problem. Are we really helping things along when we don’t call things what they are?

Josh Saunders in Rehab But Is He Suspended? is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

A recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that one baby every hour is born with an addiction to painkillers. Sadly, many mothers don’t even realize they are harming their children. They believe that if a doctor prescribed their medicine then it must be safe.

A Different Kind of Drug Addiction

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that more people each year die from a drug overdose of prescription drugs than from heroin and cocaine combined. The drugs that were once thought of as safe are only safe if used properly.

Lead author of the study, Stephen Patrick, a fellow in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the University of Michigan, found that 13,539 infants a year were born addicted to the drugs found in prescription painkillers. Records from 2009 reveal that 3.4 of every 1,000 babies were born with the same withdrawal symptoms as adults who used narcotic painkillers.

Vicodin and OxyContin were the most common drugs found to ignite the addictions. Expectant mothers were often taking these drugs to manage pain that had been caused by an injury or an illness.

Patrick emphasizes that the prescription drug epidemic is now reaching beyond senior citizens, adults, and children, all the way into the womb of America. Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is attacking children who have not even developed a voice to say no to drugs.

Born Crying

Doctors and nurses have claimed that they can tell a child who has been born with NAS just by hearing their cries. Their cries are different than a healthy baby’s. Their cries are of pain, respiratory distress, and irritability, and often their cries are constant and inconsolable.

Most of these babies are born underweight and have feeding problems. In addition to the problems mentioned above, common withdrawal symptoms seen in these babies are the following:

• Seizures
• Tense muscles
• Tremors
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

Treating an Infant Addicted to Drugs

Doctors are still searching for the best ways to treat an infant who, upon birth, is immediately plunged into withdrawal. Being taken from the womb of a mother who is addicted to pain medication is the same as an adult quitting narcotics "cold turkey." To ease the baby out of withdrawal, some babies are given smaller and smaller amounts of methadone or morphine, over time.

Other babies are slightly calmed by being swaddled tightly or by being fed. But Patrick says that most babies are inconsolable.

To be born into the world in such a way is unfair. Patrick stresses that although there are some methods to help comfort the children and ease them out of their distress, there needs to be much more research.

Babies Born With Prescription Drug Addiction is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

An article details information about how drug experts are troubled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed these companies to explore a pain pill that could be ten times the strength of Vicodin.

The drug that is being explored would be a pure form of hydrocodone, which is an ingredient in Vicodin.

Hydrocodone in its current variety is a pain killer that is already abused. Experts believe that if there is an even stronger version then addictions would also increase.

Those who run drug rehabilitation facilitations are also concerned about the addiction factor and how they could help patients who may become dependent on a drug so powerful.

Some say the stronger pain pills won’t make a difference in the amount of people who are addicted to these types of drugs. Officials say that abusers will get their hands on the drugs no matter what.

They say on average that someone who abuses pain pills tries six to seven types of drugs to get the high they need.

That may be the case, but the concern is that the extreme of the drug could only add to the complications of fighting the prescription drug battle and trying to get the help to those who suffer with these addictions.

Pain pills have already been proven highly addictive and can be fatal if taken in excessive amounts. If the strength of the drug is so much higher than current pain medications, one would only anticipate the rise in the addiction process.

There would be concern too that people may become addicted even quicker, thus continuing to feed the already growing problem.

Pumping up Pain Pills is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment