LGBT Drug Treatment Blog

Drug addiction help is not hard to find, but quality drug addiction help is. There seem to be so many drug addiction treatment providers in Florida and surrounding states it stresses even a seasoned professional to keep up with who is doing what. I can’t even imagine what a person goes through who is not familiar with the addiction treatment community and has only the internet or the yellow pages to rely on. The best I can suggest is to begin educating yourself on what aspects of addiction treatment are important to you, what they should consist of and the provider of those services.

One of the most complete sites I have found that provides this type of information is Recovery Connection. This nationally recognized site is comprehensive and up to date site consisting of all kinds of addiction and psychiatric information. It includes, but is not limited to topics such as; drug addiction, alcoholism, eating disorders, dual diagnosis, intervention and relapse prevention. In addition, it also provides the reader with live access to drug addiction help if needed. The addiction help is a 24 hour, toll free drug addiction helpline with referrals made to rehabs all over the country at absolutely no charge to the caller.

To reach the helpline directly, you can call 1-800-99-DETOX.

Whether a person is genetically or bio-chemically predisposed to drug addiction or alcoholism is a controversy that has been debated for years within the scientific, medical and chemical dependency communities. One school of thought advocates the “disease concept,” which embraces the notion that drug addiction is an inherited disease, and that the individual is permanently ill at a genetic level, even for those experiencing long periods of sobriety.

Another philosophy argues that drug addiction is a dual problem consisting of a physical and mental dependency on chemicals, compounded by a pre-existing mental disorder (i.e. clinical depression, bipolar disorder, or some other mental illness), and that the mental disorder needs to be treated first as the primary cause of the addiction. This is referred to as a dual diagnosis or dual disorder. In many cases, it is necessary to prescribe medication for effective dual diagnosis treatment. A third philosophy subscribes to the idea that chemical dependency leads to “chemical imbalances” in the neurological system.

The fact remains that there is scientific research to support all of these concepts, but that none of these theories are absolute. Based on national averages we have a 16% to 20% recovery rate. The message is clear that we have a lot more to learn if we are to bring the national recovery rate to a more desirable level.

There is a 4th school of thought, which has proven to be more accurate. It has to do with the life cycle of drug addiction. This data is universally applicable to addiction, no matter which hypothesis is used to explain the phenomenon of chemical dependency.

The life cycle of drug addiction begins with a problem, discomfort or some form of emotional or physical pain a person is experiencing. The person finds this very difficult to deal with.

Here is an individual who, like most people in our society, is basically good. He has encountered a problem or discomfort that he does not have the ability to resolve. This could include problems such as difficulty “fitting in” as a child or teenager, anxiety due to peer pressure, identity problems or divorce as an adult. It could also include physical discomfort, such as a broken arm or a bad back.

The person experiencing the discomfort has a real problem. He feels this problem is a major situation that persists and he can see no immediate resolution or relief from it.

We have all experienced this in our lives to a greater or lesser degree. The difference between which one of us becomes an addict and which one does not depends on whether or not, at the time of this traumatic experience, we are subjected to pro-drug or alcohol influences via some sort of significant peer pressure when the problem is manifesting itself. The painkilling effects of drugs or alcohol become a solution to the discomfort because the person experiences relief from the negative feeling associated with the problem. As soon as the addict experiences relief from the discomfort, he inadvertently attaches value to the drug or drink, because it helped him feel better. Even though the relief is only temporary, it is adopted as a solution to the problem and this assigned value is the only reason the person ever uses drugs or drinks a second, third or more times. At this point, it is just a matter of time before the person becomes fully addicted and loses the ability to control their drug use.

To locate effective drug addiction treatment you can call the national drug addiction helpline for help at 1-800-99-DETOX.

A few years ago I tried to buy contact lenses online. I couldn’t do it without first going to an optometrist and getting a prescription. The strength I was using hadn’t changed in a decade and the worst consequence was discomfort that would make them unbearable, or not being able to see very well. So, I’d replace them. However, if I want to get a prescription drug that could turn me into a drug addict, ruin my life and that of my family, and possibly kill me or land me in drug detox and rehab, no problem.

How easy is it to get prescription drugs online? According to an article I read today, trucking companies in Appalachia had to add trucks to their routes to accommodate drug shipments from illegal online pharmacies. That’s just one small area of the U.S. Online pharmacies are making doctor shopping obsolete. Just go online with your credit card, and hundreds of websites will supply you with addictive and potentially deadly prescription drugs.

Here’s how it works: The person ordering the prescription fills out an online questionnaire. The questionnaire is reviewed by a doctor who has made an agreement with the online pharmacy to do so – he needs money, maybe is in debt, maybe retired. The doctor writes the prescription. The customer pays the online pharmacy which then gets the prescription filled by a down-on-its-luck legitimate pharmacy that sends the drugs to the customer. The doctor gets $10 - $25, the legitimate pharmacy makes money on the prescription plus a little extra, and the customer gets the drugs.

More than 98.5 million dosage units of hydrocodone products were illegally dispensed by online pharmacies last year, enough for a month’s supply for 410,000 people. And quite possibly enough to fill every single drug detox center in the U.S. capable of handling prescription drug addiction.

If you are in need of a quality drug detox, you can go to www.99detox.com or call the national addiction helpline at 1-800-99-DETOX.

Choosing a Drug Treatment Center
Facing the fact that someone you love is not only suffering from drug addiction, but now must receive help to overcome the addiction, is difficult for anyone. Where should you start? Who do you turn to? What questions do you need to ask about drug treatment programs? Perhaps, you may have been at this point before, and you now feel a sense of hopelessness in finding a residential treatment center that will work this time around. Maybe, though, this is the first time you’ve had to take these steps to help someone you love. The process can feel overwhelming.

Ultimately, you want your loved one back. You want that person you love free from drugs. You want that person to live a healthy and productive life. By asking the right question on each of the following areas when choosing a residential drug treatment center, your chances of making this happen for your loved one will increase. For additional help in locating an effective drug treatment program call the national addiction helpline at 1-800-99-DETOX.

1. Success Rate of the Rehab – What is the success rate of the drug treatment center? Obviously, the higher the success rate, the more likely your loved one will succeed. Ask to speak with graduates of the drug rehab facility or their families. Get real opinions from real people.

2. Drug Addiction Treatment Philosophy– What philosophy does the drug treatment center use? Ask yourself if they are addressing all aspects of your loved one’s addiction, including what led them to drugs in the first place. Methods that only deal with one aspect of addiction are more likely to fail. Remember addiction results from a combination of many factors, including a lessening of morality and integrity and an increasing burden of guilt and shame. The life of an addict includes bad habits, poor health and difficulty facing problems. After speaking with the drug rehab program, ask yourself if they are handling not just the psychological aspects, but also the physical and mental aspects of addiction as well. Are they providing practical skills that will help your loved one succeed once the drug rehabilitation program is completed?

3. Addiction Treatment Services – What services does the residential drug treatment center offer? This is not only for your loved one, but for you as well. Will they help with legal issues? Will they assist in an intervention? In other words, to what length will they go to make certain your loved one gets the drug treatment they need?

4. Addiction Treatment Staff – Who are the staff members at the drug treatment center? The best trained staff will have had experience with drug addiction. They will not have learned about it in a book. Are they qualified for their positions? What real-life knowledge do they have with drug addiction? What is their reason for working in this field?

5. Follow-up Program – What type of follow-up program does the drug addiction treatment center offer? This is important. Sending a newly rehabilitated drug addict back into the world without any follow-up can be disastrous. Make sure that there is a program of this type in place. Good drug addiction treatment programs keep in touch over the phone regularly after one leaves the program.

6. Drug Treatment Program Location – Where is the residential drug treatment center located? A residential drug treatment center should be protected. Ask how easy it would be for your loved one to leave. Many addicts when first coming off drugs want to leave. Ensuring that this is difficult, while not seeming like a prison, increases the chances that the person will stay to finish.

7. Length of Drug Addiction Treatment – How long does the residential drug treatment center take? Although the standard program is 28 days, if the residential drug treatment center offers a longer program, it is more likely your loved one will succeed. However, if the residential drug treatment center allows your loved one to work at his or her own pace, without imposing time constraints, your loved one has an even greater chance of overcoming drug addiction.

8. Price of Drug Addiction Treatment – How much does the residential drug treatment center cost? Before eliminating any program because of its price, ask yourself this: What are they offering? Look back at the points above and determine what the drug rehab is truly giving to the one you love. Yes, the more it offers, the more likely the price will be higher. However, your loved one will have a greater chance at becoming a healthy productive member of society. How much is that person worth to you?

Choosing a drug treatment center can be difficult. Dealing with a loved one suffering from drug addiction is devastating. By breaking the process down into what is important and finding out the answers to the questions above, you will be able to make an informed choice as to which residential drug treatment program can best help you and your loved one. Drug addiction can be dealt with and overcome. For help in locating a quality drug rehab you can call the national addiction helpline for help at 1-800-99-DETOX.