A California judge is fed up with Lindsay Lohan’s inability to comply with her probation requirements. Lindsay got into trouble in 2007 for a number of offenses. She drove drunk twice, had cocaine in her system and drove recklessly.

Lindsay is no stranger at this point to the world of alcohol and drugs, or the court system. She was put on probation for a three year period and has been wearing an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet since May, and well before that, ordered by the court to attend alcohol treatment classes. But, she keeps pushing her luck. She’s been caught drinking with the alcohol bracelet on and she’s missed several of her treatment classes.

Well, it looks like her luck ran out. She’s been sentenced to 90 days in jail and has to go to an in-patient drug rehab program. When the judge came down with that sentence, Lindsay started to cry and plead with the court not to do that to her, but it was too little, too late. The judge basically looked at the apology as insincere and the tears as those of a crocodile.

News has also surfaced about Lindsay being prescribed a very strong painkiller called Dilaudid. This is a drug that has been compared to morphine and even heroin. She’s also prescribed Ambien (to help her sleep) and Adderall (to combat anxiety). There are too many bright, young stars being prescribed whatever drugs they want with tragic outcomes like overdose and death.

Honestly, I think the judge is doing right by Lindsay to up the ante in terms of her consequences. So far, probation and an alcohol-detecting ankle bracelet haven’t worked. And, with doctors being willing to prescribe whatever drugs she wants, coupled with the idea that she’s basically untouchable, she obviously doesn’t have a clue about responsible behavior and moral values. If she’s not willing to help herself, the law will.

Hopefully she actually dives into the drug rehab program portion of sentence and gets a clue. It would be awful if she wound up dead like so many of our favorite celebs and singers in recent years.

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Over the last 8 weeks, a doctor from Kansas and his wife have been on trial for illegally prescribing prescription medications to dozens of patients who wound up dying. In total, they were linked to 68 overdose deaths.

This week, they were finally found guilty of the charges. And, the reason behind all of the prescription writing was money. So, the “doctor” was no more than a glorified drug dealer.

With prescription drug abuse being such a rampant and devastating problem here for us in the US, it’s amazing that they got as far as they did before getting into trouble. I mean, how come 68 people had to die before anything was done?

This makes it more important than ever to put prescription monitoring programs into place. Not only are we dealing with addicts who “doctor shop”, but we’re dealing with shady doctors who don’t care what the effects are in terms of prescribing dangerous medications as long as their pockets continue to be padded with cash. I’m not referring to all doctors, of course, but there are some out there, apparently, who need to have this enforced. Such a shame!

Prescription drug overdoses are the second leading cause of death in the United States right now. We seriously need to get on the ball and start putting some programs in motion to straighten out the mess that has been created. And, that doesn’t mean sending all of the heroin users to methadone clinics either! We need to get people rehabilitated and living drug free lives.

If you know of anyone who is suffering from prescription drug abuse, or uses them recreationally for a “little bit of fun”, it’s no joke! They need help! Drug rehab help, to be exact. Don’t let them become a prescription drug overdose death statistic.

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Many kids, with all of the energy that they have, are into sports. Some enter high school and become great athletes. But what if your athlete child gets an injury during a practice or a game and winds up being prescribed painkillers for their injury? What is the likelihood of them become addicted to those painkillers? Unfortunately it’s high and who would have thought that as a parent of an athlete you’d be in a position where you would be looking for a drug rehab program rather than a good college?

Unfortunately, this is quite common in the drug detox and drug rehab world and these types of facilities see this every day. They don’t just get people needing help for drugs like Cocaine, Meth or Heroin, they are helping children who have addiction problems due to sports injuries who become dependent and/or addicted to their pain medication.

As a parent, it’s important to stay on top of helping your teen with prescription painkillers or any medications for that matter. Not only because of the risk for dependency and addiction, but also because of the risk of overdose. With the rising statistics of teenage prescription drug abuse, it’s your duty to play this role in your child’s life.

And, while it can be considered controversial, there’s always drug testing. Whether at home or in school sports programs, however controversial it may be, it could save a child’s life!

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Tens of millions of parents, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, are in a state of frustrated despair about the drug taking or drinking habits of a family member. And most of them think the person will never change. That may be true if you leave it up to them. But, for the most part, if they could do it on their own they would have quit already. Isn’t it time to take the bull by the horns and get them into an alcohol and drug addiction treatment center, no matter what it takes?

Really, you don’t have to live like that. An alcohol and drug addiction treatment center gets them off the drugs or alcohol, works with them to find the reasons they’re drinking or taking drugs, helps them resolve whatever those issues are, and works out the changes they need to make in their lives so they can stay sober. And it actually works! It’s not a hopeless situation.

The state of New York is currently running a new campaign to get people to quit drinking and taking drugs. They have a website with alcohol and drug recovery stories – stories of parents who got their kids back, or long-term addicts who’ve served jail time and, after getting help through an addiction treatment center are now, and have been for years, up-standing members of their community. Read the stories – you’ll see that it is possible.

There are some things in life we have little control over – but alcohol and drug abuse in the family is not one of them. Get your family member through alcohol rehab or a drug addiction program and it will change their lives, and yours.

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It’s unbelievable to me that various states are fighting to keep their drug court funding. It costs far less to send someone to drug rehab than to prison and they get rehabilitated so they can stay off drugs, hold down a job and live a better life. They also stop their involved in the drug-related crime that affects so many lives in addition to their own and costs individuals, businesses, health insurance companies and the government so much money. When you consider that the majority of people who go to prison end up back in prison, the expenses are even higher. There are so many things desperately in need of the tax dollars used for prisons – all the money saved could be diverted to something other than locking someone up.

Nevertheless, lawmakers are threatening to cut drug court funding in Virginia (which has a serious prescription drug addiction problem and needs help more than most other states).

This is an issue the general public really should be up in arms about. It helps everyone – parents who are worried about their kids being exposed to drugs will have less to worry about, the environment will be safer overall, the cost of private health insurance could go down if we’re not paying for people showing up in hospital emergency wards because of overdoses or drug-related accidents – the list of potential benefits goes on and on.

As taxpayers, we have the ability to influence how our tax dollars are spent. If you don’t want our money to be wasted on systems that don’t work, like our penal system, get active – speak to your congressman to get them to back up drug courts, addiction treatment centers and other things that can effectively handle the drug problem.

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Merry Christmas!!

We at Drug Rehab Referral have helped a lot of people over the last year. Thanks to their hard work in an addiction treatment center, they’ll be enjoying a sober Christmas – for some, it’s their first in many years. No drugs, no alcohol, and with new family and personal relationships that truly make the holidays the warm, joyous and fun experience they should be!

If you are among the millions of people who still have loved ones with a drinking or drug problem, even a problem with prescription drug addiction, contact us soon. No matter what you’ve been through already, no matter what you’ve tried or how hard you’ve worked at it, it is not a hopeless situation. Contact us, and we will find a way to help you.

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Many people feel that a drug rehab center is the last place they want their loved one to spend Christmas. But for alcoholics and drug addicts, it can be a relief. One center in Canada even says admissions are higher during Christmas than other times of the year. It’s an ideal time for families to get together, do an intervention, and send their loved one to get some real help.

So, what about the idea that Christmas is a happy time when everyone lets by-gones be by-gones. Some experts say it’s a myth. And anyone who has an alcoholic or drug addict in the family would probably agree. The addicts are filled with guilt, the families are embarrassed and frustrated, and it often ends with recrimination and hopelessness.

Imagine the relief of knowing that the person you love will feel good about themselves this Christmas, and the family will feel they’ve given a gift that’s really life-changing. It’s not too often you get to give someone something like that.

Here’s the story of one alcoholic who is thankful she spent Christmas without alcohol and without guilt.

It’s not hard to find an addiction treatment center than allows visits from family and friends at Christmas – some even have their own celebrations and parties. Check it out.

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The University of Georgia has the right idea about preventing and handling alcohol and drug addiction. They have a program called SAAF (pronounced ’safe’ - stands for Strong African-American Families program), and its statistics show alcohol use reduced by 28% two years after starting, 25% six years after starting, and a decrease in sexual behavior problems, marijuana use, and caregiver depression. They also estimate that the likelihood of conduct problems was reduced by 74% – they checked that after two years.

They’re really changing lives. And that’s what it takes to get rid of or prevent problems with drugs and alcohol.

Unfortunately, the program is only for African-Americans. God knows there are just as many caucasians and other races that need the same thing.

How do they do it? With videos, games and activities, the parents learn how to monitor their kids and how to communicate with them and give them emotional support. The kids – both younger and older kids - learn to set goals, handle peer pressure, and build strong relationships with their parents and other adults.

The program also includes instilling pride in being African-American. Something I’m sure Obama’s election also strengthened.

Someone should Obama about this program so it can be used more widely.  And parents who are having trouble with their kids or want to form a better relationship should find out more about it. Even if they don’t live in Georgia, they may be able to get some helpful hints on how to do something like it on their own.

Parents whose kids are already involved in drug or alcohol abuse - or parents in the same position – should get into an addiction treatment center for help. A good alcohol or drug rehab program will actually address some of these issues.

But if your kids aren’t taking drugs or drinking, and you want it to stay that way, consider something similar to SAAF. It will do a lot more than curb alcohol and drug abuse.

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If you want to educate your kids about the dangers of drugs, it’s a little hard when you don’t understand much about them yourself. StopMethAbuse.com provides a video that educates parents about drugs. Check it out – Truth and Secrets Revealed About Drug Abuse.

Even parents who took drugs when they were younger sometimes don’t realize how the scene has changed. They’re looking for certain signs and, not seeing them, think their kids aren’t involved. But did you know, for example, that kids hide drugs in drug parphernalia in felt-tip pens? Probably not. And did you know that there’s a legal drug on the market that can be bought over-the-counter in tobacco shops that causes hallucinations more severe than LSD? Probably not.

The video includes info on drugs like heroin and cocaine, but also covers tobacco and alcohol. Arizona kids have a serious alcohol problem. According to an official survey 24 percent of eighth-graders, 39 percent of 10th-graders, and 47 percent of 12th-graders drink.

However, considering that nearly half the adults in Arizona think it’s okay for kids to drink under parental supervision, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Does it never occur to the parents that if the kids are drinking at home they’re probably also drinking elsewhere? And what about others’ kids? How do they get home safely from the home where drinking was allowed?

If you don’t want your kid to end up in an alcohol or drug addiction treatment center, watch this video. Kids whose parents talk to them about drugs and alcohol are 50% less likely to use them. But you’d better know what to say. This video will help.

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The family that plays together doesn’t look like they’re having a very good time. Redmond O’Neal, son of movie stars Ryan O’Neal and Farrah Fawcett, was busted for drugs and on probation. An apparently routine probation search uncovered methamphetamine in Ryan’s bedroom (Redmond also lives there) and drug pharphernalia around the house. Both Ryan and Redmond were arrested.

Ryan’s lawyer says Ryan doesn’t do drugs of any kind and he was hiding the drugs in his bedroom so his son wouldn’t find them. That’s the story right now – but they just got their court date moved up to January 9th, presumably to come up with something more believeable.

The obvious question will be why didn’t he just flush the drugs down the toilet or something? If he doesn’t do them and wants to keep them away from his son, why have them around at all?

They say it’s all a big “misunderstanding,” but this sad picture of father and son tells a different story. That’s one shamed father, and one reproachful and shamed son. Let’s hope they both get into an addiction treatment center that can really help them.

There are a lot of fathers who do drugs. Do you really want to bear the guilt of what you’re doing to your kids? If not, get into drug rehab. You can do it. Drug Rehab Referral can help you find a good treatment center.

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