I grew up with an alcoholic father, so you would think I'd know
exactly what to do with an alcoholic boyfriend. But I don't. I have
tried getting him to agree to go to alcohol rehab but he insists he
doesn't need treatment. He doesn't even see that he has a problem. He
is drunk almost all the time. I have researched probably hundreds of
different treatment programs, and recently a counselor at one of the
treatment centers I reached out to recommended that I look into doing
an intervention. From what I understand, these can be pretty
effective. Has anyone out there with a story similar to mine had any
success with an intervention on someone who was as strong-headed and
in denial as my boyfriend is?
For example, as a result of using cocaine an addict will usually begin lying and stealing, feeling guilty when coming down off of his/her high and then feeling depression (varying from mild to deep) and then continuing to use drugs as a way out of the depression. The question, then, is this: Does the program include real and thorough methods which address the lying, stealing, guilt and the continued relapse? A 30 day program that only offers yoga and walks on the beach may sound nice--but 30 days away from cocaine doesn't necessarily mean the person is cured. What do they DO in those 30 days? In most cases, group therapy and detox is just not enough.
Cocaine addiction is best resolved with biophysical rehab followed with cognitive counseling and life skills training. Biophysical drug rehab will eliminate the drug residuals out of the body--this eliminates the body's physical dependency and gives the individual a fresh start physically as well as a "clear head." Cognitive counseling will address the individual's responsibility and choices and will help the addict realize his ability to remain drug free when confronted with situations in the future. Last, life skills training will reinstore a person's ability to live life productively--the skills we often take for granted (i.e.: communication skills, "people-picking" skills, planning and administrating one's own life, etc.)
I hope this helps you in your search for answers.
We tried just about everything for my daughter's oxycontin addiction. The doctors had her on Methadone and eventually Suboxone but nothing kept her from using. This whole nightmare started after my husband (her father) had knee surgery and was prescribed the drug for pain management. He used only a few of the pills. She was already headed off the rails, and I noticed one afternoon while cleaning that the once-full bottle of oxycontin that lived in my bathroom cabinet was now down to just a few. Who knows how long it had been going on before we finally sat down with her and she admitted she needed help. I wish I could say this was the end of the story, but she flip flopped all the time... sometimes she needed us, and sometimes we were her enemy.
Things got worse. My 23 year old daughter was turning into a complete stranger. She didn't come home most nights, and when she did it broke our hearts to see her. A few times we got her into different short-term programs (12 Step and such.) We went with her to meetings, we tried the prescription drug route, we tried it all. One night, in desperation, I went online in search of a program. I knew she needed something different, something comprehensive and something that would WORK. Our daughter was slipping away, and in place of her was a liar, a thief, a drug addict and God knows what else.
I must have called 20 different drug treatment centers and asked everyone a hundred questions each. I found every kind of rehab there is...expensive, free, religious, rapid opiate detox, etc., etc. I finally found this great holistic treatment program that made sense to me. They allowed her the time she needed to really recover, and they took up her addiction in pieces--mentally, physically, morally and ethically, spiritually, etc. She has her life back, and she has the tools to live a productive life now. I would recommend Holistic treatment to families in any similar situation.
Posted by: jtdaily in drug rehab, drug addiction, ADD on
Jan 10, 2010
I can't put into words how it felt to have my son tell me he hated me.
Or the feeling of doors slammed in my face, cuss words thrown at me,
money disappearing from my wallet... and all of these things at the
hands of my little boy who had grown up too fast and somehow ended up
addicted to crystal meth.
Around 14 he distanced himself from us, but my husband and I just thought it was a stage that all young teenage boys go through. I was unaware that anything was seriously wrong until 16, when it became all too obvious that something was going on. Our doctor told us he had ADD--he couldn't focus. He was always so bored and tired and was failing in school. So we started him on a medication to address these things. The medications helped in the beginning but then we noticed an addiction forming. He needed more and more every week, and eventually he needed the medication to get out of bed every day.
He slipped through our fingers for 12 years. It took a family intervention on my 26 year old son (11 members of our family came to show their love and support) and a 6 month long term drug rehab program to undo the messes of over a decade of drug use. His counselors kept us a part of the recovery process and phoned us daily or every other day. His individualized program included a medically supervised physical cleanse as well as steps which addressed his guilt, the bridges he burned with his family, the hurtful things he did to his family and his friends and most importantly, the building of a productive, drug free future.
Today he is 30, happily married and with a baby on the way. As a family we have all given our apologies and moved on. This is a priceless gift for which I thank everyone who helped our family.
What may begin as a legitimate use of a prescription pain medication for something such as a back injury or dental work, all too often turns into a prescription drug addiction. Many commonly prescribed prescription pain killers are well known to be addictive, but the justification the physician uses is that they will only give a one-time prescription or that if there is a legitimate underlying pain issue that there is no addiction (in other words the person continues to take the pain medication because they are actually in pain and not because they are addicted). This justification is passed on to the patient who may claim to continue to have pain in order to keep receiving the pain meds. Ironically, the pain meds slow down the healing process and are known to build up acids in the muscles which causes pain, especially when the patient tries to stop taking them, so it becomes a self perpetuating vicious cycle. This person is addicted and can benefit greatly from prescription drug rehab.
Further complicating the issue is the fact that many people have become aware that they can get "high" from taking higher doses of the pain pills. Often patients will invent pains in order to get their doctor to prescribe them some pain pills so that they can sell them to friends and co-workers. Some people actually make quite a little part time income in this way. Many times an addict has convinced themselves that they are not addicted because these are available as a prescribed medication and because they really do have some sort of pain. This is one reason that a prescription drug problem can be more sinister than an addiction to an illicit drug. The other classic form of denial and belief that the user can quit if they choose to also persists. The truth is that the addict needs the help of a qualified prescription drug rehab in order to break free.
A prescription drug rehab will be identical to other types of drug rehab. The first step will be to detox the drugs from the user's system. This can be done with or without the use of medication. Hot saunas and a detox diet may also be of value. The addict will also need counseling and behavior modification therapy. They will need to get to the bottom of any emotional issues that may have lead up to their drug use and find new ways to deal with them. They may also need to find new ways to deal with physical pain, such as proper diet, massage therapy and aromatherapy.
Every type of addiction can be difficult and have a negative effect on all those involved. A prescription drug addiction problem is every bit as menacing as any other type of addiction. Recognizing the problem is the first step. Next comes realizing that you need help. Once you have reached that point, it is time to research a qualified prescription drug rehab and begin treatment. A better tomorrow begins with the choices you make today.
After countless short-term programs claiming "effective rapid detox," and "a lifetime of sobriety," we realized that my brother's heroin addiction, which over 10 years had spiraled out of control, was going to require more than a few weeks to cure.
Our family was torn apart. We tried talking to him, we tried living with him and we tried living without him. We let him go live his life the way he wanted to live it--this is not something I would recommend to anyone in a similar situation, as standing by and watching your loved one destroy their life is the most agonizing and perhaps the stupidest thing anyone could do. After not seeing or talking to my brother for two years, I found him one day panhandling on the street. I did a double-take and realized that this homeless, dirty stranger was my brother. He begged for my help and for a way out of the life he was trapped in.
His resolve to get clean was not constant; it waivered about as much as a dandelion on a windy day. All of a sudden he was "fine" and didn't need to go to a drug rehab, and then the next day he would be pleading for help again. This rollercoaster ride is what addiction IS. And once you see that, you can become the one who doesn't falter and keeps on towards the goal of effective rehab and sobriety.
We found a good program for him--it was all natural, alternative of course. No more prescriptions. He needed a fresh start physically and mentally. He did a cleanse, replenished his body of nutrients they sorely lacked, he regained communication and life skills and, most importantly, the confidence he needed to rejoin society and achieve happiness.
Today he is nearly 10 years sober, living proof that addiction CAN be cured.
Posted by: jtdaily in non 12 step rehab on
Jun 02, 2009
What is holistic medicine, and is it effective for a drug rehab program? Over the last 50 years, medical professionals have been researching and studying ways to "treat" addiction.
Presently drug and alcohol addiction is looked upon as an incurable medical disease which should be treated with drugs. The typical treatment modality used today in most drug and alcohol rehabs is the 12 Step program. The 12 Step philosophies hold that addiction is an incurable disease, once an addict always an addict and that relapse is part of recovery. Though this philosophy has helped a few, statistically speaking it has failed for most people who are trying to overcome their addiction.
Over this past decade we have seen a growing interest in alternative medicine; more natural and alternative cures to our every day medical issues. Addiction is one medical problem which many rehabs have found a "cure" for while keeping their programs natural and drug-free. The type of programs that offer a cure for drug and alcohol addiction are non 12 step rehabs. With years of research and testing we now know scientifically how to handle drug and alcohol addiction in a holistic setting. A holistic drug rehab is the one of the most effective forms of rehabilitating an addicted individual.
Holistic drug rehabs that offer detoxification or a cellular cleanse to remove drug and alcohol metabolites from the tissues of the body are offering the first real step to recovery. Once the holistic detox is complete, the next step is to address the underlying issues including the mental and emotional factors which caused the individual to turn to drugs and alcohol as a solution. Cognitive counseling and life skills therapies are very effective forms of rehabilitative treatment in not only addressing the underlying issues but also in giving the person the tools to be successful in life.
Remember, just throwing drugs at a problem is not the solution. Figuring out why a person uses drugs in the first place and then rehabilitating those issues in a holistic way is the most effective form of rehabilitation.
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