A recent article reports that Kevin Federline has just had a subpoena issued to a drug rehab administrator at the center where his ex-wife, Britney Spears, underwent treatment just 5 short months ago. The subpoena, asking for a deposition from the drug rehab administrator, was the fifth doled out by Federline, who is battling his famous wife for custody of the couple’s two young sons. When it comes to releasing medical information from a drug rehab center, you have to wonder why Spears isn’t protected by doctor patient privilege?
 
Doctor patient privilege involves the right to withhold evidence from discovery and/or the right to refrain from disclosing or divulging information gained within the context of a “special relationship.” Special relationships include those between doctors and patients, attorneys and clients, priests and confessors or confiders, guardians and their wards, and so on.

In Spears’ case, the deposition may be allowed as, according to an attorney not connected to the case, the subpoena when to an administrator instead of a doctor, nurse or another person responsible for giving medical treatment. Therefore, it does not violate doctor patient privilege.  And because there is an issue of substance abuse in the custody battle, the judge may allow it.

Spears was released on March 21st from a Malibu treatment center and has since been seen out partying on several occasions. If information about her treatment is allowed, she may lose custody of her children. In fact, based on some of the recent articles in magazines – she may lose them one way or another. If she’d gone to a successful drug rehab program, it may have addressed some of Britney’s underlying issues, and her kids would now be safe.

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The heroin problem is bad in Afghanistan – not surprising when you consider that the country produces 92 percent of the world’s opium. I read an article today about a 60-year-old man who is addicted to heroin, along with his eight children. After one child died from heroin addiction, the man and his eldest son, just 17 years old, decided to check into drug rehab.

They drove for four days to Kabul, which houses the only residential drug treatment center in the area. The center has 10 beds, and a waiting list of 1000 people. Somehow they managed to be admitted.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) says that nearly a million people in Afghanistan are addicted to heroin – about 3.7% of the population. However, since drugs are taboo in Afghanistan and it’s possible some people didn’t admit they are on them, it is suspected that that estimate is low.

Drug rehab programs in Afghanistan are scarce. According to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MCN), there are only 36 rehabilitation facilities for drug addicts in 22 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. Many are full and have to turn away clients and, like the one in Kabul, many have long waiting lists.

Another tragedy is that about 80 percent of the country’s addicts will never make it to drug rehab - most of the centers are in the cities and addicts in rural areas have no way to get there.

Afghanistan has been torn apart by 30 years of war and deterioration. This makes heroin an attractive relief – especially when it’s cheap and right there in your own backyard.

Inroads are being made to stop opium production and there is some funding from international donors for treatment centers, but Afghanis need a fast solution.  If more drug rehab centers aren’t put there soon, a lot of addicts will die before they can get help.

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I was reading through the Naperville Sun today and came across an article about a man and women who recently finished a drug rehab program. He guy thought he was in love with her, they moved in together, she got pregnant, and they got married. She had become verbally abusive, belittled him, and did everything she could to keep him away from his friends. He said he feels obligated to stay with her because of the child. This is exactly the type of situation, and relationship, that someone who’s just finished drug rehab wants to avoid.

Going through drug addiction, and drug rehab, can be tough for anyone. Finding  and completing a treatment program is a big step. But what about life after drug rehab? How do you prevent relapse? What happens when leave the drug treatment center and get into a fight with someone, or see your dealer on the street or get into a “bad relationship?” How do you handle things in the environment that you sometimes feel you have little to no control over?

The choices you make after completing a drug rehab program can determine your future. That’s why learning skills to cope with and build or repair relationships is an integral part of a successful drug rehab program. Make sure you choose a program that includes how to deal with life’s problems once you get back out into the world.

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Today I read an article about a substitute teacher who was arrested for dealing drugs. Prescription drugs – Vicodin and Percocet. Maybe others, the article didn’t say. This brings the subject pretty close to home for me, as a parent. The idea that a teacher could entice my child into taking drugs is pretty alarming. Statistics show that almost 10 percent of 12th graders have taken prescription drugs to get high, and about 30 percent have smoked marijuana. In other words, three out of every ten kids in school may be on their way to drug rehab. And some of the teachers may be in on it.

Let’s do the math: In a classroom of 30, that’s nine students. In a school of 1000, that’s 300 – 300 people from one school alone who may wind up in drug rehab. In 2003, Florida had 2.8 million kids aged 5 to 17. Thirty percent of them will have taken drugs before they get out of high school. That’s nearly one million kids. And that’s only in Florida.

The UN said in a recent report, which was published as a press release and was all over the media, that the drug scene is getting under control. That production, distribution and consumption is stable – i.e. not increasing. Worldwide, not specifically in the U.S.

A report like that tends to give hope – tends to make the drug problem seem less than it is. It outrages me that anyone would do that. People read the media and, often, believe it. How many people are going to breathe a little easier thinking that the situation is now under control?

Well, it’s not. It’s a mess. Ask the parents of one million school kids in Florida.

If you know someone taking drugs, do something about it. Get them into a successful drug rehab program fast.

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A few months ago I was at a family gathering and was very surprised to see what was supposed to be a low-key family get-together quickly turn into a raging drinking party. More than one family member and several friends had way too much to drink. I sat there thinking, “am I the only one who thinks that some of these people could use drug rehab?”

I was wondering if I was making a big deal out of nothing until I came across a news article that said over 30% of Americans suffer from alcohol addiction. The article went on to say less than 25% of them seek treatment. While it didn’t specify the reasons for that, it did say that other research indicated there is a common belief among doctors and the public that alcohol rehab doesn’t work.

Alcohol is one of the oldest abused substances. It dates back more than 10,000 years when grapes were first used to make wine. There are no reports about the level of consumption or the number of people addicted at that time, but, today, alcohol is one of the most widely-abused substances out there. And, unfortunately many that need drug rehab for alcohol addiction aren’t getting it.

I’m not sure if it’s because people think treatment for alcohol doesn’t work or because those addicted don’t think they have a problem, or both. Why do you think so many American suffering from alcohol addiction are not getting into a drug rehab program?

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I’ve read several news stories about celebrities wearing ankle bracelets that detect alcohol. The most recent article reports that five-time world champion boxer Johnny Tapia is wearing one of the bracelets as a condition of release from an alcohol rehab program.

How do these bracelets work, and can they really stop someone from drinking?  The Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor (SCRAM) is available in 43 states and has been used on about 40,000 people in the U.S. It is often ordered by the court as a condition of release - as in Johnny Tapia’s case. Lindsay Lohan wore it voluntarily.

The bracelet is worn around the ankle or lower leg and measures the evaporation of alcohol in sweat. The information is transmitted electronically to the manufactuers, who then turn it over to probation officers, alcohol rehab centers, or whoever is in charge of the clients’ treatment program.

However, according to an article in Reuters, the data can only be collected if the wearer is within 30 to 50 feet of a special wireless transmitter. Unfortunately, the transmitter is usually placed in the person’s home so, once they leave, they are no longer monitored.

A better approach might be getting the person through a successful alcohol rehab program that actually stops their addiction.

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Barry Bonds’ record setting is not getting the accolades won by Hank Aaron. In fact, boos were heard in the stadium. The difference, of course, is that Aaron did it without using performance enhancing drugs, or any drugs at all for that matter. One newspaper editorial suggested Bonds be tried in drug court, and sent to drug rehab if found guilty.

The authors are largely concerned with Bonds’ message to kids: athletes are role models for kids, and following in the footsteps of their heroes shouldn’t be a potentially fatal move.

NPR had a similar opinion in today’s early morning sportscast. 

Bonds will go down in history, but I’m afraid it may not be for the record he’s set. If he goes to successful drug rehab program and cleans up, there’s a chance that he could regain the country’s respect. And save the lives of those who look up to him.

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Amy Winehouse, the singer famous for the ballad about not going to rehab, has apparently had a change of heart. According to a recent news report, the singer has checked herself into a drug rehab program after a suspected drug overdose.

Winehouse, who has always maintained that she would never seek professional help for her excessive drinking and suspected drug use, decided to go into treatment after meeting with concerned family and friends.

Every addict who eventually goes into drug rehab goes through this – they don’t want to go, but eventually they change their mind. Often it’s due to the influence of a friend or family member.
 
I speak with a lot of people who want to get treatment for a family member or someone they care about, but they frequently come up with reasons for not doing it now: “They won’t go until they’re ready, ” “were going to wait and see how it goes,” or “we’re going to try a less aggressive approach and see how that ends up.”  In every case, both the family and the addict continue to suffer.

Even when someone is unwilling to go into treatment, intervention from family and friends can change their mind. Too much is at stake to wait for an addict to decide to do it on their own – and the chances of that happening are very slim. Why wait for them to overdose to get help? Get them into a successful drug rehab program now.

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Calgary is now fighting crime by sending criminals who commit drug-related crimes to drug rehab. But this program has an extra service that gives them a better chance to succeed.

According to an article in the Calgary Sun, the program, which has selected addicts to get through drug treatment and job training rather than face prison time, is aimed at curbing the city’s rise in crime and drug use. The city has committed $100,000 over the next two years to fund the five-bed program, but it will take more of a commitment from the government and police force to make it work long term.

The program is gaining a lot of publicity as the inner city of Calgary is filled with drug addicts living on the streets, in the same area where high-powered business men go to work every day. If the program is successful, it will take these people off the streets and put them back into society, as productive individuals.

In my experience, the training part of the program is essential to success. I’ve known many people who complete drug rehab and return home not knowing what to do with themselves. This really opens the door to relapse. But when you put an ex-addict through job training and give them a job there’s a much better chance of full recovery. This kind of training should be part of every successful drug rehab program.

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Whether it’s performance-enhancing drugs or illegal narcotics, the use of drugs in professional sports is an ever-growing problem. But when players test positive for drugs, the only consequence is suspension from games. Shouldn’t they also have to do a drug detox or drug rehab program to get off the drug?

Professional athletes are role models for sports fans. Everything they do is admired and mimicked – my younger brother grew up watching Michael Jordan and Jerome Bettis. He watched the games, and practiced the moves on the field or the court the next day.

But when pro athletes are taking drugs, that can also be admired and mimicked.

Pro athletes send a message to every fan and aspiring athlete. If they had to get off drugs in order to play, it would help them, their fans and their protégés. Getting through a successful drug rehab program sends the positive message we expect from world-class athletes.

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