The holiday season is here again. As much as we try to put the drug problems of our family members aside for the holidays, they always seem to surface at family gatherings. Either the person doesn’t show up, or shows up stoned, or leaves early, or slips outside for some drugs during the get-together – and it’s usually painfully obvious that they have a problem. If you want things to be different next year, you need to get them into a good drug rehab program now.

But how do you know it will work? How do you know which one to choose?

Kentucky recently passed a bill allowing prisoners guilty of non-violent drug offenses to leave prison early and, instead, check into drug rehab. The first 1,000 will arrive in drug rehab facilities early January. One of the people who runs a rehab center spoke to the press and said that, realistically, only one in ten of those people will actually make it through drug rehab and stay off drugs. Is that really true?

Absolutely not – IF you choose the right drug rehab program. Unfortunately, not enough people do. They do not do thorough research.

It’s understandable that in that situation, parents, spouses and other family members are pretty desperate. Sometimes they don’t even ask about success rates when they’re contacting a drug rehab for help. They don’t ask about the specific procedures that are used to rehabilitate the person, they don’t personally evaluate whether or not those procedures could actually work. They just want to get their son, daughter, husband or wife to get help. And they think that, no matter what the program is, if it’s called ‘drug rehab,’ it will be helpful.

But it is essential that parents know the difference between a successful drug rehab and one that has miserable results – like one in ten.

What parents don’t understand is the degree to which a drug addict is messed up. They think that their son or daughter got into trouble because they started hanging out with the wrong people, that those people introduced them to drugs, or alcohol for that matter, and that the drugs actually caused the problem.

While it’s true that those things did have an influence, the real question is why was that person drawn to hang out with those people in the first place. And why they were willing to experiment with drugs.

Some stories are about kids who were high producers – they were stars on the football team, or they got straight As, and so on. Then things ‘changed.’ The parents may or may not have noticed the changed, but they usually have no idea that their kid is on drugs until the trouble starts.

But when things start to change, there’s a reason. And it’s usually pretty deep-seated. They already had the problems, however hidden they were from loved ones, and it’s those problems that led them to start with drugs, the ‘wrong people’, and so on.

The reason why many drug rehab programs don’t have high success rates is that they don’t actually find out what those problems were, get down to the bottom of them, and help the individual solve the problems so they no longer need or want the drugs.

That’s what successful drug rehab is all about. After the addict has gone through withdrawal, after they’ve started restoring their physical health, they need to work with someone who can help them figure out what led them to drugs and help them resolve those issues.

Every time someone fails at drug rehab and gets back on drugs, their confidence in being able to stay off drugs is shattered. They think THEY are the problem. And with every failure, they’re closer to really giving up.

Would you go to a doctor for surgery when only one in ten of his patients survived? No, you would choose a doctor with better success. The same goes for drug rehab.

Drug Rehab Referral had helped thousands of people find the best drug rehab program for their situation. Rather than trying to figure it out yourself, seek help from experts. People who are familiar with every type of program going, which methods work, and which don’t. For the best chance possible, contact Drug Rehab Referral. Do you want next year to be different? Call now.

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People who have never taken drugs, or have never been addicted, often think that addicts should just be able to quit with will power alone. This week I read the story of an addict who eventually got sorted out through drug rehab, and now counsels others, but it took him 11 years to get off drugs.

He was taking heroin, primarily, although he started with marijuana. He said he could never get “high enough” with any drug, so he kept trying one drug after another, each one stronger than the last, until he finally settled on heroin, which he used for years.

He tried to quit a few times. But even when he was in rehab he snuck out to get heroin. The rehab programs he chose were definitely not right for him – he was still in the same environment, with the same people right outside the door, same peer pressure. Quitting was all but impossible.

He even had several friends die of overdoses or contract HIV and AIDS – but even watching his friends die was not enough to enable him to quit.

If someone you care about is an addict, don’t expect will power to do it. The person needs to be in a completely different environment, where he is not surrounded by the same friends, the same lifestyle, the same problems and the same temptations he’s trying to resist.

Addicts want to quit. But they need help. They can get it in a good residential treatment center. After they’ve completed the program they may even have to move to a different area entirely to begin their new life. A good treatment program will help determine whether that is necessary, along with other steps the person needs to take to stay clean.

Often addicts go through several rehab programs before they are totally free of drugs. This not only wastes time and money, every time an addict goes through a program that doesn’t work for him, he also loses confidence that he will ever be able to quit.

Better to do your research and look for one that works in the first place. A long-term residential drug rehab, away from home, is usually the best option.

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Here’s the first paragraph of a recent news story from the UK: “The Government has announced its new drug strategy with an uncompromising drive to crack down on those involved in the drugs trade combined with revolutionising treatment services to offer recovery as a route out of dependency. “

Wow. A revolutionary treatment – actually getting the person through a drug rehab program that makes an addict no longer an addict, and no longer wanting to take drugs. A new life.

It’s hard not to be flippant about that. It is so obviously the only real solution.

But in the UK, and in other countries, getting people to actually be able to stop taking drugs and not want to take them is a concept that was abandoned quite some time ago. Instead, they try to reduce the harm caused by the drugs.

There are several programs designed for harm reduction.

Methadone treatment. Methadone was originally intended, for most people, for short-term use to get someone through heroin withdrawal so they can get through a drug rehab program. Instead, people are parked on methadone for years and without any actual rehab at all. The rationale? It’s better than heroin: no needles, no crime (the methadone is supplied at nominal cost through the government), and they can often work and carry on a more or less normal life – as long as they keep taking this dangerous, highly addictive drug.

Other programs include needle exchanges, where the addict can come to a needle exchange site, get a clean needle instead of using one that’s been used by someone else and may be infected with HIV or other diseases. They can also shoot up at those sites, with personnel there to take care of them if they overdose.

Both reduce harm, true, but neither gets the person off drugs.

James Brokenshire, England’s Minister for Crime Prevention is determined to make changes. “There are no quick fixes, what we want to achieve is a generational shift, to get people to take responsibility for their actions and free themselves from the vicious cycle of drug and alcohol dependency.

“Today’s message is clear. Simply focusing on reducing the harms cause by illicit drug use is no longer enough. We must focus on recovery as the most effective route out of dependency.

“We will also tighten the net on unscrupulous drug dealers, introduce temporary banning orders to allow us to take immediate action against new ‘legal highs’, protect vulnerable young people by preventing them from falling into a cycle of dependency, and encourage record numbers of drug users into treatment.”

Hallelujah! More power to you!

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Did you know that prescription drug poisoning is the second leading cause of death in the United States? A recent study has shown that between the years 1999 – 2006 hospitalizations for accidental overdose of prescription drugs has increased by one-third. And, as if that’s not bad enough, hospitalizations for intentional overdoses of prescription drugs has gone up by 130% over that same period of time.

These staggering figures include people of all ages, teenagers, twenty-somethings, thirty somethings, up to the elderly. The study has shown that women under the age of thirty four are far more likely to be admitted for accidental overdose. When they looked at men vs. women, the study showed that men were more likely to be admitted than women for accidental overdose though (of all ages).

As I mentioned above, teenagers are no exception to this study. Prescription drugs really aren’t that difficult to get. Whether through a doctor, their parent’s medicine cabinets, or even from a dealer selling them.

Controlled substances like psychoactive drugs as well as other substances like depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens and anabolic steroids have a tendency to hook people. They are easy to become dependant on and/or addicted to. They are not something, obviously – from viewing the results of the study, that anyone should play around with. And what most people don’t consider is that just because they’re prescribed by a physician or taken by parents or family members, this does not make them safe and give a green light to use them for fun.

If you know anyone who has what you think even might be a problem with prescription drugs, or you-yourself are taking them inappropriately, I hope that this is a wake up call and that you do something to stop immediately. The last thing anyone wants is another prescription drug overdose to add to the statistics for the next round of case studying. Get help now for prescription drug addiction and good drug rehab program or drug detox can be the answer.

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In the past, we would hear about the dangers of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and other street drugs, but more and more, we’re hearing about illicit use of prescription drugs. And, this illicit use is happening in our schools and with our children everyday. In fact, it’s the fastest growing category of drug abuse, and when I say growing, I mean it’s becoming an epidemic! With this in mind, it’s extremely important that you understand what’s going on with prescription drugs and the dangers involved, if you don’t want to wind up in drug rehab in the future.

When I say prescription drugs, I’m referring to drugs like prescription painkillers (Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocent), prescription stimulants (Ritalin and Adderall), anti-anxiety drugs (Valium and Xanax) and prescription sleep aids (Ambien). All of these drugs can have physical and mental affects on teens along with a high chance for addiction problems.

The drugs that I mentioned are all highly addictive and can cause physical dependence issues. Because this is possible, drug detox and drug rehab may be required in order to help a person stop taking them.

In teens, the use of these drugs can cause their brain to stop growing. And, with most teens being unaware of the dangers involved, they think it’s ok to experiment with them. It’s important to educate kids about what can happen to them. It’s also important for us, as parents, to be educated, especially if doctors want to put kids on drug therapies for attention disorders, anxiety or depression.

Kids get a hold of these drugs not only from their friends, but from their parents’ medicine cabinets. It’s important to stay alert to this and make sure that prescriptions don’t fall into the wrong hands.

Another factor that can perpetuate this, is kids seeing their parents taking prescription drugs. They think it’s not dangerous because, if their parents are taking them, it must not be bad. The same goes for alcohol abuse if you, if kids see their parents drinking, especially abusing alcohol, there’s a good chance that they will drink.

Have you had enough of a drug problem of your own or perhaps a drug problem that a loved one is going through? Call us at Drug Rehab Referral to find a successful alcohol or drug rehab program. We help people get through this every day!

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Now, more than ever, people who take prescriptions are realizing they can’t get off of them.  It’s a hard fact, but people who take prescription pain medications, anti-anxiety drug and sleeping pills, to name a few, will most likely need to go through a drug detox and, if there’s an addiction, they will need to go through drug rehab program as well.

What you don’t realize when your doctor is prescribing these medications is that even if you have only taken the drugs for a short period of time you are likely to need drug detox because of the withdrawal symptoms, which can be painful and quite uncomfortable.

‘Addict’ seems like such a harsh word and I’m sure that a lot of people out there who started out taking their medications as directed never intended for that to happen. People start out taking them for all sorts of innocent reasons like injuries, pain management for surgeries or for an illness. However, everyone – legally prescribed or illegally acquired on the street – will have to endure the same withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking them.

Are you one of these people? Have you taken these types of drugs for a short period of time, or perhaps even for years, and you can’t seem to stop? When you do try, the sickness and pain that you feel keeps you on the medications and you wind up calling your doctor and asking for more?

You’re not alone! At Drug Rehab Referral, we see this time and time again.

And, it is possible to stop. Going through a drug detox program will help your body safely and comfortably detox from the drugs that are holding you prisoner. If you want to stop, there is a way. Get help!

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Say you were put on some type(s) of antidepressants by your doctor and you’re not interested in taking them anymore. Is it possible that you’ll need to detox? Will you need to go to drug rehab? It’s certainly possible – and a drug rehab program would most definitely be necessary if you’re taking the drugs illicitly or because of an addiction.

An unbelievable number of people take antidepressants and other prescription drugs based on the FDA’s recommendation and approval to help or treat depression. And, as it turns out, some drug manufacturers may have omitted or left out (however you choose to view it) information that most likely would have made it extremely hard, if not impossible to get their drugs approved.

Billions and billions of dollars have been made by selling these drugs to unsuspecting citizens and these companies should be held accountable. These unsuspecting citizens aren’t just adults either, they’ve made drugs for teenagers, children and even toddlers to keep them from being too hyperactive. What is this doing to our social environment? I’ll tell you what; it’s putting an expectation on children that they should be quiet and still. And that a pill can “cure” depression.

So, how does one go about getting off of these drugs? The best way to handle the addiction or dependence is by going to a medical drug detox facility to withdraw from the drugs under medical supervision – according to medical professionals.

If you need to safely withdraw from any prescription drugs call Drug Rehab Referral and we will help you find a successful drug detox program.

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Have you ever heard or read stories about people going through drug detox and/or drug rehab more than once? In fact, I’m sure you’ve come across some people that have gone over and over again! There are many ways that people go about conquering drug addiction and dependence. The first step that many people take is to go through a drug detox program. This is important to get the residual toxins left by the drugs or alcohol out of the body.

One time, I read a story about a guy who had been through detox for heroin use ten times – one time at a hospital, eight times he did it ‘cold turkey’, and once he went through rapid detox – which he explained was more painful than any of his cold turkey attempts to wean himself, and had side effects that lasted for months afterward. None of these detoxes actually helped the guy battle his heroin addiction that he kept succumbing to and he eventually chose methadone treatment. Now, he’s more than likely, permanently addicted to methadone and he doesn’t seem to be even looking at the possibility of ever coming off it. Can you see what went wrong with this story? I can… he never went to a good drug rehab program!

While it is a very important step in the rehabilitation process, drug detox only assists people to get them through withdrawal from their physical dependence. A common idea that a lot of people have is if they can just get through withdrawal, they can stop taking the drug. But what happens when they go back home and their friend tells them that they’re going out to get high – and perhaps they didn’t have a particularly good day? Who’s to say that the mental addiction won’t just kick right back in? I can tell you this much; if you don’t address the issues behind the addiction – which are not just physical – then the person will go back to drugs. No doubt about it!

Drug detox is important, but it’s only one of the steps needed to get an addict through their addiction and fully recovered. If you know of someone who has gone through drug or alcohol detox, but has relapsed, you now know the facts! Help get them into a successful drug rehab program. It could save their life!

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A second methadone clinic is opening in Pennsylvania, where heroin addiction is “rampant.” Methadone clinics are controversial – some says it’s trading heroin addiction for methadone addiction and, in fact, it is. Even the director of the clinic, Glen Cooper, acknowledges that methadone treatment is not a cure, and that it ”works best” in tandem with counselling. Which they also deliver. The counselling, I assume, is an actual drug rehab program that gets people off drugs completely – heroin and methadone.

The public in the area are suspicious – they don’t want a bunch of ’drug addicts’ around, and they don’t particularly care what drug they’re taking. Cooper’s response? ”I think people should keep in mind that people in methadone treatment programs, if they are successful, are no longer using drugs and don’t need to steal.”

I’m not sure what he means by ‘if they are successful,’ or they ‘are no longer using drugs.’ Does he mean that if they’re successful they’re no longer using heroin or methadone? If that’s not what he means then, yes, they are using drugs. They’re using methadone.

True, they don’t need to steal. They get their drugs from the clinic and it’s either free – not likely, since it’s a for-profit organization, or they’re relatively inexpensive.

Either way, it would be nice if we could expect something more than  they ‘don’t need to steal’ from a drug treatment facility. Sure, that’s a step in the right direction but how many are actually taking the next step – becoming completely drug-free?

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Years ago I ran a medical clinic that used hair samples to analyze nutritional deficiencies and the presence of toxic substances. We didn’t test for drugs, that wasn’t what we were after, but hair analysis is an effective way to find out about drug use – and it could help prevent prescription drug addiction and problems with street drugs.

A company based in San Diego, California, is now offering hair analysis kits that test for drugs and you can use them in your home.

The type of hair analysis I’m familiar with would not tell you if your kid did drugs last night, but it will certainly tell you what’s been going on for the last few months.  You can see if your kids been experimenting with drugs and get them into a drug addiction treatment program early enough in the game to prevent much of the damage caused by prescription drug addiction and abuse.

While it’s true that you might not be the most popular parent in town, unless you do get your kid off drugs, for which he will be eternally grateful, this is not too harsh a move in my opinion.  Years ago all we had to do to make sure our kids didn’t kill themselves was keep them off the street until they learned to look both ways. Now we’re faced with new dangers and, as parents, we have to do something about them. A little antagonism for so-called invasion of privacy is nothing compared to prescription drug addiction and abuse killing our kids and ruining their lives.

If you think your kid needs help, contact Drug Rehab Referral. We can help you find a drug rehab or addiction treatment center that will get them off drugs and help them address the issues that got them started with drugs in the first place.

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