Many colleges have alcohol and drug-free dorms but, as the agreements to be substance free are loose, they’re not as effective as they could be. One current solution in Texas is the ’sober dorm’ facility. The majority of people living there are college students who, like Maggie, have completed a program in a residential drug or alcohol rehab center and they too want to stay sober.

Sober dorm is strict - men and women are segregated, there’s a curfew, and everyone has to attend regular 12 step meetings.

It’s not exactly the carefree college life, but for students who really want to quit drinking or taking drugs so they can get through college and get the most out of their education, it may be the only option.

‘Just say no’ hasn’t worked very well as an anti-drug/alcohol campaign, but it’s imperative that you do just that after getting out of an alcohol rehab center. Living in a dorm with others as determined as you are could be pivotal. The first step is an alcohol or drug addiction treatment center, but make sure arrangements are made for what’s going to happen when the program is complete.

Doctors not understanding how to prescribe the drug is another major factor. Of course, they followed the FDA’s recommendations.

The third factor is that patients sometimes take more than is prescribed because they don’t get the immediate relief they expect. But because the drug is already in the blood-stream, they overdose.

The fourth factor is the combination of drugs and alcohol. This is probably where drug addiction treatment should come into play. Doctor’s aren’t looking at the patient’s history to see if they can be relied upon to not take other central nervous system depressants - including alcohol. The doctor who prescribed the methadone to one person who died knew of this history and said he told the patient to stop drinking. Well, as anyone familiar with addiction knows, telling someone who’s taking drugs or drinking a lot to stop is simply not enough. They need the help of a drug addiction treatment center.

Bottom line - this is one area where doctors just don’t know what they’re doing. Nor do the patients. Nor does the FDA.  There might be studies out there somewhere that could have predicted something like this happening with methadone but, since drug companies that conducted the studies don’t exactly have a reputation for putting all the cards on the table, we don’t really know.

Drugs are a little like politics - if you don’t really do your research and understand the issues, you can wind up voting for someone who can wind up with some big, and unfortunate, surprises.

Do your research, look for drug-free solutions, and if you or someone you care about has a drug or alcohol problem, get them into a drug addiction treatment center. The prescription drug addiction epidemic is bad enough - we don’t need people getting killed by these drugs right off the bat.

The doctors, not having the time to do the research themselves - especially since drug cmpanies go out of their way to hide information that makes the drugs look bad either because they’re ineffective, can cause prescription drug addiction or are candidates for abuse - largely rely on drug company info - which often amounts to little more than propaganda.

This is one big thing that’s going to have to change if we want to get rid of our current drug culture. Right now, to avoid problems with prescription drugs, patients are obliged to do their own research - thoroughly. That’s really the only way you can come close to guaranteeing your own safety.

The doctors don’t know, the drug companies lie, and the FDA doesn’t even insist they have all the research. Buyer beware. If you’re already taking prescription drugs and think you might be in trouble - or it might be someone you care about - get help in a drug addiction treatment center.

Some parents think that kids will grow out of their interest in alcohol or drugs but, more often than not, the younger they start the lower the chances are of them stopping. Also, the longer it takes to get them into drug addiction treatment, the lower the chances of them ever getting rehabiliated and the harder it’s going to be.

Read this story. Realize that it’s not an isolated incident. And that, no matter how great your kids are, drugs can do this to them. And if you have kids doing any drugs or even drinking more than rarely, contact Drug Rehab Referral to speak with a counselor and see if your kid does need alcohol rehab or drug addiction treatment.

The news story doesn’t say if the child is hers or not.

I’m sure there are grandparents all over the U.S. who worry about their grandchildren because they know the mom or dad is on drugs. Although you hate to do it, it is possible to get custody of the kids. A better solution would be a drug addiction treatment center for the parent(s). Then you won’t have to worry about the grandchildren, or your own.

I remember being in the drug world years ago. One family had a child not more than a year or so old. Both parents were on heroin, although the mother didn’t seem to be doing too much anymore. The dad, however, was not only on heroin himself, he constantly had people over to the house who were also shooting up. Unbelieveable environment in which to raise a child. But, honestly, I barely noticed there was a child there. When you’re on heroin, you’re just too out of it and too disassociated from the real world for that sort of thing to effect you. I don’t know whatever happened to those people - I left town shortly thereafter. But you can be sure they’re no longer together as a family, unless the dad did get into a drug addiction treatment center.

If you know anyone using drugs who’s around children, help them get the drug addiction treatment they need now.

While it’s not a school’s responsibility to get kids into alcohol rehab, it would be an interesting turn of events. If kids were told they have to go to alcohol rehab to continue in school, it would open the door for them to stay and get their education - and would also drastically change their life. They’d no longer be alcoholics, and they’d still have a chance to accomplish their education and career goals.

Do you think college students should be ordered to alcohol or drug rehab? Florida has plenty to choose from. At the very least, parents should ensure it happens.

There’s a lot of information in this article - Treatment for Pain Divides Physicians - and anyone who’s taking OxyContin, Vicodin or other prescription painkillers, or who is in chronic pain and considering doing so, should read it.

One of the doctors, Dr. William Witt, a pain management specialist, doesn’t prescribe narcotics for anything other than post-surgical or similar conditions. According to him, there’s no evidence that these drugs improve function or even continue to give pain relief after six months. He also brought up the recent evidence that narcotic painkillers actually cause pain after taking them for a certain period of time. So, your original pain could well be gone and now you’re taking the painkillers to relieve the pain the painkillers are causing. And, by that time, you can be pretty sure you also have a problem with prescription drug addiction and need a drug addiction treatment center to help you get off them.

Crazy situation. And worthy of hot debate.

The thing is, Dr. Witt is a pain management specialist. And he’s apparently good at it. He’s getting people out of pain - serious, chronic pain - every day, without the use of narcotic drugs and without risking prescription drug addiction or the need for treatment in a drug addiction treatment center.

So, why even debate the issue? If you have the option to treat someone without the risk of prescription drug addiction and other side effects, if you have the option to treat the cause of the pain so it is not just being masked with drugs, if you have the option to treat in a way that won’t eventually cause even more pain - what’s there to debate about?

Part of this is the fault of our health care system. I know people on medicare or other health plans that don’t cover alternative therapies. Does your coverage include chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, herbs and other natural therapies or supplements? Probably not. And it’s likely that same for a lot of people. Especially when what’s needed is long-term treatment rather than just a few sessions. And a lot of people, probably most, just can’t afford to pay for it out of pocket.

So, here we are with all these highly trained doctors and other health professionals who aren’t being fully utilized or accepted within our health care system, with about 60 million people in the U.S. in pain every single day, doctors paying a fortune for malpractice insurance, patients in drug addiction treatment centers, hospitals, ERs and morgues because of prescription drug addiction and abuse, alternative health practitioners practically being lined up and shot by the medical establishment, and it’s all costing the U.S. $100 billion a year in medical costs and lost productivity.

Who’s coming out ahead? In the end, probably just one industry. The guys who make and sell the drugs.

While I couldn’t agree more privacy is worth protecting, sometimes it just might be over-rated when it comes to taking responsibility for our fellow human beings, and for ourselves.

Prescription drug addiction is a dangerous epidemic - it’s not like having a favorite TV show that you just have to watch every Tuesday night. It ruins people’s lives, it kills them, it spreads like wildfire, people on drugs steal, lie, cheat, are dangerous to others and to themselves - really, they belong in a prescription drug addiction treatment center, not in a pharmacy getting another prescription.

Do we have the right to protect people from themselves by invading their privacy? It’s a question that is in constant debate. Perhaps the answer depends on the situation and the real intention behind it. Would you, for example, see your son or daughter, husband addicted, their lives ruined, or dead rather than invade their privacy? I wouldn’t think so.

Getting someone into a drug addiction treatment center when they need help is sometimes uncomfortable - chances are they’re not going to agree to do it without you being a little pushier or invading a little more of their privacy than is comfortable for you. Or them. But … consider the alternative. And then find a drug rehab. Florida has plenty. Call us to find out which is best for your situation.

One of the major problems staying clean and sober after the baby is born is that the husband, who was drinking and doing drugs just as the mother was before the pregnancy, doesn’t stop. It’s just the mom. So, after the baby is born the mom is still in the same environment and gets back into it. If the dad had gotten into alcohol rehab or drug addiction treatment, she would have had a much better chance of staying clean herself.

Saddest, of course, is what this does to the child. The mom obviously had good intentions, but now the kid is going to grow up with parents who drink and take drugs. I don’t know the exact statistics on it, but I’m certain that most kids in foster care are there because their parents were substance abusers.

Those who are soon to be grandmothers and grandfathers would be wise to get both their son and daughter-in-law, or vice versa, into an alcohol and drug addiction treatment center to make sure both parents get their substance abuse problems fully handled. Don’t think that because mom managed to quit or cut down during pregnancy, that she’ll be able to continue. It’s going to take the support of the husband as well. If both go into an alcohol or drug addiction treatment center, they’ll both get straightened out and can create a good family.

Prior to gaining this number one party school position, an estimated 10,000 of the University of Florida’s 51,000 students may have needed alcohol or drug rehab. There’s a good chance that being the number one party school in the U.S. will bump this up even more. 

With prescription drug addiction and abuse being a problem with about 15,000 students as well, it looks like roughly half the kids at U of F may be either taking drugs or drinking - both to excess.

Parents should be on the lookout for drugs and drinking and do something about it. With about $50,000 being spent on most State college educations, you want to make sure that, if needed, your kid gets alcohol and drug rehab. Florida has several alcohol and drug addiction treatment centers to choose from. If you need help, call Drug Rehab Referral - they can help you find one that’s good for your situation in or around Gainsville.

Of the 51,000 students in the University of Florida

With prescription drug addiction and abuse also being so prevalent in Florida, it’s