Reasons for Choosing Rehab

Just as there are a variety of reasons to start using drugs, there are a range of reasons for choosing to enter a rehabilitation program. It takes courage to admit addiction and to recognize the toll that substance abuse has on the integrity of life. Looking for treatment facilities is one of the first steps in the long road to recovery.

The need for drug or alcohol rehab may come as a cataclysmic event but most often comes from an accumulation of small signs that show help is needed. Some individuals may even need an intervention before they realize that drugs have destroyed their lives. Listed below are some reasons that help people realize that they need drug rehab:

• Drug overdose: occurs when large quantities of drugs or alcohol. Accidental overdoses may result from irresponsible behavior and continued abuse of illicit drugs. A drug overdose can often lead to death.
• Crime: Whether it is driving under the influence, violent or sexual crimes, committing crimes is commonly linked to drug abuse. Research by the ONDCP shows that illicit drug users are 9 times more likely than non-users to be arrested on an assault charge.
• Health: Many drug addicts disregard their health and it can be especially devastating if they are pregnant. Marijuana, alcohol and even tobacco can cause your baby irreversible harm while in the womb. Some effects of drug usage during pregnancy include fetal alcohol syndrome and even giving birth to a drug dependent baby.

Afflicted by Eating Disorders

With unrealistic images of celebrities and cultural obsessions with the ideal body, it is not surprising that 70 million individuals are affected by eating disorders worldwide. Studies show that as many as 1 in 5 women suffer from an eating disorder. This is not only a female affliction as 10 – 15% of males are amongst the diagnosed.

There are many different types of eating disorders and it is possible for an individual to suffer from more than one disorder:

• Anorexia nervosa is characterized by a low body weight and a distortion of body image. It is a crippling fear of gaining weight.
• Binge eating is distinguished by periods impulsive or continuous eating beyond the point of feeling comfortably full.Bulimia nervosa is characterized by self-induced vomiting, the use of laxatives to lose weight, over exercising and even binge eating.
• Over exercising is when an individual takes exercising to an extreme. Characterizations include scheduling daily activities around exercise and exercising for long periods of time to the point of fatigue.

Like any other addictions, eating disorders can be difficult to overcome. Those suffering from eating disorders also need continued support and help to conquer their affliction. It is estimated that only 1 in 10 people with eating disorders receive treatment. In addition to offering support, professional help is one of the best things to offer someone battling an eating disorder. Treatment may include evaluation by a doctor, psychotherapy, nutritional counseling and support groups. Nowadays, there are even eating disorder outpatient services to help the patient transition back to a healthy life.

So, if you or anyone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, it is crucial to get help as soon as possible.

Clean Water

Over 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have access to a safe water supply. In many developing countries, water can be scarce and sanitation resources are not available for adequate access to clean water. Millions of children and women spend hours a day just collecting a small supply of water for their family’s use. On the other hand, the average American uses about 80 – 100 gallons of water per day. With so much water seemingly available, it is easy to forget the scarcity of this natural resource.

Even so, Southern California is facing a water supply shortage for the third year in a row, according to the LADWP. Conservation is in full effect as customers are expected to cut back 15% of their water usage. Customers will be charged a higher rate per gallon if they go over the allotted amount. This shortage is nothing compared to what occupants of third world countries face on a daily basis.

According to the World Health Organization, 3.6 million people die a year from water-related disease. 98% of these deaths occur in developing countries. There are many organizations that provide aid and relief to individuals who do not have access to safe drinking water. One hundred percent of donations given to the Water Project is used in funding water projects in Kenya, Zambia, India and Cameroon. In addition, UNICEF Water and Sanitation provides aid in 90 countries worldwide.

While looking at water statistics, I came across an interesting invention – the LifeStraw. The LifeStraw is a portable water purifier that removes 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria, 99.99% of viruses and 99.9% of parasites from a water source. It is a large plastic tube that is used like a straw. Water sucked through the LifeStraw passes mesh and a carbon chamber that cleans it. Used like a conventional straw, the LifeStraw costs around $5 and can filter up to 700 liters of water, approximately one year of water consumption for one person. This ingenious invention can possibly help the millions that are suffering from a lack of safe water. LifeStraw’s goal is to reduce that number by half by the year 2015.

It is important to be aware of the needs for water conservation. Whether it is cutting back on the number of days you water your lawn or taking shorter showers, conversation doesn’t hurt. Even though we may not directly feel the effects, wasting water is unnecessary and it will have negative consequences for generations to come.

Summer Destinations

So, do you have any plans for the summer yet? There is so much to do and hopefully someday, I’ll get to do it all. For now, here are some of my highlights and dream destinations:

• Lollapalooza is a three day music festival in Chicago, Illinois. This year, it runs from August 7 to August 9. The lineup is great and includes: Depeche Mode, Kings of Leon, Beastie Boys, Silversun Pickups, and many more.
• Summer in Iceland. As some would say, the best thing about Icelandic summers is the summer nights. The summer solstice is marked by twenty four hours of sunlight! With an average summer temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll be sure to have a cool summer.
• Las Vegas is always a fun getaway. It can especially be affordable if you book early and negotiate a good price by using a site such as Priceline. Setting a gambling budget also helps too! If you’re tired of the main strip, there are unique landmarks in the surrounding area. For example, the Golden Nugget features a swimming pool surrounded by an aquarium. It even has an enclosed slide so you can go through a shark tank.

For those of you who are lucky enough to have a break from school or work, it’s definitely time to enjoy your time with loved ones. Vacations do not necessarily have to be exotic or expensive. Make sure to check out events in your area. One of my favorite local resources is Yelp and Gothamist.

The Reality of Drug Addiction

Nowadays, there are many television shows that revolve around the difficulties of substance abuse and drug intervention. A&E TV is noted for its Emmy-nominated show, “Intervention”, which profiles individuals struggling with drug abuse, sexual addiction eating disorders, and various other disorders. Vh1 also broadcasts series including “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” and “Sober House”, which focuses on celebrity’s struggles with drug abuse and sobriety.

These shows are ways of letting the public know more about the problem of drugs and shed light on the addiction that it breeds. Although some think that TV shows are solely for entertainment, the struggles of addiction are a reality for some individuals. Drug addiction effects approximately of 22 million Americans. Effects of drug abuse can include: increases in blood pressure and heart rate, skin abscesses, anxiety, dysfunction of organs, heart disease, coma, and even death.

Family support and sober assistance is crucial for those battling with addiction as the effects of withdrawal are emotional and physically draining. This is why choosing a personal recovery assistant that fits your needs is just as important as the support you receive from loved ones. These certified assistants have real-life experience and can truly connect with those struggling with addiction.

From rehab transport to ongoing monitoring, rehabilitation services provide a strong foundation and tools that aid in the road to sobriety. This path is hard and it may be frustrating at times. It is important to be of strong support to and remember that recovery is an ongoing process.

Alcoholism Treatment Centers

The battle against alcoholism may prove to be challenging for you or a member of your family. So you need to find a suitable alcohol treatment program. However, you may realize that searching for an alcohol treatment facility could also as tricky as your quest to counter off the alcohol addiction.

This fact is not because there are not enough alcohol rehab centers across California. The search for the right alcohol treatment center is tricky because there are several alcohol treatment programs available. These treatment programs vary from one treatment center to the other.

The following are some tips in searching for a suitable alcohol treatment:

Locate a treatment center. Browse the internet for different alcohol treatment centers for alcoholism. Online search will not only save you money on gas, but will help you get fast results in less time as well.

Identify proximity of the treatment center to your place. If you don’t have an alcohol treatment center within your city, go for a residential or inpatient treatment program where you don’t have to commute daily for the treatment options. Various recovery centers for alcohol abuse offer this service. You may then request for aftercare treatment on your locale.

Check the alcohol treatment programs offered. Different treatment centers offer different treatment programs. Get as much information on the different programs they offer and the manner they implement such program by reading the About Us and FAQs pages of their websites.

Know the alcohol treatment facilities available. It is important to note that not all alcohol rehab centers have complete facilities to help you combat alcohol addiction. Check if they have alcohol detox programs, or if you would have to get detoxification from outside detox treatment centers.

Be informed of other medical programs available. Know the medication therapies they provide while you are on detox treatment. It is best to remember that alcohol treatment can be very costly, so select a program that is appropriate and affordable for you.

Do research. There are countless alcohol treatment programs throughout the entire
California and each of these treatment centers have different programs and treatment options. Try to know how each program is implemented.

Seek assistance from alcohol treatment centers. These institutes have counselors and health personnel who are more than willing to help you find the right treatment program for you or the family member who is into alcohol addiction. More than anything else, seeking counsel can help you find state accredited treatment centers from where you could get guaranteed results.

Details of Prescription Drug Treatment

Prescription drug treatment is imperative for those who suffer from drug addiction of any sort. People get addicted to the prescribed drugs when they get used to these drugs and then they start making excuses so as to get those drugs daily.

Prescription drug treatment can help in curing varied addictions, such as Halcion addiction, Valium addiction, ProSom addiction, Xanax addiction, prescription drug abuse, cough syrup addiction, Codeine addiction, Dexedrine addiction, Ritalin addiction, Dilaudid addiction, Vicodin addiction, OxyContin addiction, Dilaudid addiction, Lomotil addiction and all kinds of addiction that are developed because of taking medically prescribed drugs.

This addiction can lead to several symptoms in your body in case you try to quit the drug intake. Some of the most common symptoms that are noticed because of this addiciton include restlessness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

It is important for you to join a rehabilitation center in case you are unable to combat the addiction. It is very much natural for addicted individuals to get stubborn and start lying for the sake of getting the drugs they are craving for. These addicted individuals lie before their parents and familiars to get money for buying the drugs by giving false excuses of suffering from the diseases which is cured by that specific drug.

This addiction can be cured in the rehabilitation center where you can find a number of physicians having certification in addiction drugs. These physicians have sound experience and expertise of curing the prescribed drug addiction of individuals. The prime objective of these rehabilitation centers is to make you physically as well as mentally strong so that you can combat with the cravings of prescribed drugs. You can start a new and healthy life with full vigor and vitality after successfully completing the prescription drug treatment.

Outpatient Drug Rehab

There are different addiction treatment programs like detoxification (detox), residential addiction treatment services, counseling, inpatient drug rehab and outpatient drug rehab, and aftercare.

Outpatient drug rehab therapy is an ideal addiction therapy for patients with a moderate addiction condition. This is also an effective addiction therapy for those with functional jobs, the primary caretakers of children and those who are socially active. Patients who have been trough residential or inpatient treatment are also recommended users of outpatient drug rehab solutions.

With lesser complications than other drug rehab therapies, outpatient drug rehab centers offer regular treatment for patients without acute withdrawal and need of complex therapies to regain sobriety. Many of outpatient drug rehab patients are directed here by courts, employers, unions, families. Some patients, mostly in early stages of addiction do register themselves for the outpatient drug rehab program.

The outpatient drug rehab programs, like other treatment facilities, are also equally effective in achieving long-term abstinence from drugs and alcohol. It does make considerable improvement in psychological, social and behavioral attitude of the patient.

Mostly outpatient drug rehab centers focus on medical, therapeutic community, social education, cognitive-behavioral, holistic, religious, 12-step and family-based model. The most common services that an outpatient drug rehab center may offer are:

* Individual treatment program
* Group therapy program
* 12-step recovery program.
* Drug and Alcohol education
* Religious and Spiritual activities
* Separate Male / Female groups
* Relapse prevention therapies
* Short and long-term aftercare
* Life skills improvement

A reputed outpatient drug rehab center will treat the patient psychologically, socially, behaviorally, emotionally and spiritually as well as medically. The object remains to make their client a fully functioning, crime-free, sober individual and a contributing member to his/her society. Outpatient drug rehab therapists understand basic extra-medical components of maintaining sobriety and help individuals grow and mature for long-term recovery.

Medical Detox Program

Depending on the condition of patients, there are different addiction treatment programs like detoxification (detox), residential addiction treatment services, counseling, inpatient treatment program, and outpatient treatment program.

If you are looking for some useful information on medical detox program, a type of addiction therapy, here is some help.

Detox, formally detoxification, is a practice to physically stabilize the patient and expel the alcohol or drugs elements from his or her system. This is a necessary step prior to addiction treatment.

Medical detox is a withdraw process, administered with the use of some proven medicationss to ease the withdraw symptoms. The patient should be treated under the supervision of qualified medical professionals only.

Detox therapy is always conducted in a hospital or a licensed residential medical facility so that its effects can be monitored and recorded. It is necessary to receive detox treatment in a medical premises so that to monitor the dosage of medicine and observe the best suitable quantity for the patient.

There are some contradictions between experts about the medical detox vs non medical detox. Whatever one thinks of them, the fact is that a medical detox is helpful in reducing pain and providing safety to the patient, especially in case of abnormal withdrawal symptoms. Some also suggest the non medical detox over a medical detox, stating its pain to be a lesson for the addict not to return to addiction.

In both the cases, it is quite advisable to let your doctor decide the right thing for the patient. Considering its severest results and adverse effects of non medical detox, patients that are adolescents and some women should be advisably treated with medical detox only however the decision should be left entirely on medical professionals and a full care must be taken with any possible reaction by body.

Sober Living Homes

Sober living homes are proving to be a healthy start for persons with addiction histories. The sober home living brings people suffering from addiction and aiming a sober life together. A sober living home provides the opportunity to learn about the disease of alcoholism and drug addiction and how their lives have been impacted as well as those around them.

Sober living homes widely differ by their beliefs. Some follow very strict guidelines for the residents while others believe in liberation and live as you please environment.

What you should look for in a sober living home is their religious restrictions if any, suitability of available groups and most importantly their 12 step structure. After all these are not meant to be lived in only, but they are also your schools to learn how to stay sober for an extended period of time.

A typical sober living home offers group therapy, family therapy and one-on-one sessions to identify and examine your behavior and circumstances that might have compelled you to drug or alcohol addiction. Another opportunity that many sober living homes allow is doing job while staying in sober living home. This helps the patients continue their daily lives and also enjoy the sober living benefits.

Sober living homes offer stay packages of various duration like 30 days, 60 days or 90 days. The longer you can spend time in a sober living home the better are the chances of your staying sober in the long-term.

You can always find a list of famous sober living homes in your vicinity on internet. You can opt to visit them personally and confirm the conditions there. Alternatively, there are many agencies that can help you a perfect sober living home for you.

Whatever way you go, sober living homes are really helpful improving your sobriety and transition back into society and employability.