drug rehab centers

Drug Treatment Centers - Treatment Center Resources

Drug treatment centers are facilities designed to help alcoholics and drug addicts heal physically, mentally and spiritually, and rediscover themselves in a drug and alcohol-free environment. The safe, comfortable and drug-free settings of various drug treatment centers serve as tranquil and even spa-like surroundings for addicts and alcoholics to rehabilitate themselves. The successful effects of drug treatment centers are real, and these treatment centers save lives every day. With the growing demand for drug treatment centers, several niche centers and alternative means of treatment have arisen to ensure adequate drug treatment centers and programs are available for all kinds of addictions, mental health disorders, and individual needs. While the main kinds of treatment programs available are still outpatient, residential short-term and residential long-term, the philosophies of drug treatment have spread far beyond the 12-step program. Not every addict responds positively to the 12-steps, especially those who have been in treatment multiple times. Drug addiction and alcohol abuse are life threatening diseases and loved ones are generally not willing to give up hope if the first attempt at treatment proves to be unsuccessful. For this reason, alternative treatment centers and philosophies have become more popular. In these centers, counselors and therapists can approach addiction through holistic measures, acupuncture, religious, and gender specific treatment. Most drug treatment centers, no matter what the philosophy, operate with a very structured program, always focusing on the source of the addiction and relapse prevention through life skills. Drug treatment centers experience success in group and individual counseling for addicts and alcoholics seeking drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Counseling is crucial in treatment center programs as most addictions have underlying issues that make the addicts more susceptible to relapse. Support is also one of the more important aspects of rehabilitation, and for that reason, there are support groups available for addicts during and after treatment programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and a multitude of other groups and resources.

drug rehab

Drug Rehab - Rehabilitation Information and Resources

Drug rehab is a supportive approach to treatment and recovery from chemical dependency and drug addiction. "Drug Rehab" is the umbrella term given to the process of medical and psychological rehabilitation for drug addicts and alcoholics. No matter what the substance abused, treatment is the key to recovery for individuals and families suffering from drug abuse and alcoholism. For drug rehab programs to be effective addicts must enter the rehabilitation process with honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness; treatment only works when its roots are in an honest assessment of the reality of addiction. Drug rehab centers are not a "one size fits all" proposition. The key to effective drug rehab programs is their ability to help an addict find an understanding of what's driving the addiction in the first place - namely the behaviors and thought processes of the addict. Drug rehab is available in a many forms, from basic outpatient detoxification programs through intensive long-term residential rehab centers in beautiful settings. The ultimate goal of any drug rehab program is to enable the individual in recovery to live a life free from the effects of drugs and alcohol, therefore not returning to their use and abuse. Rehabilitation is not easy, but professionals at high quality programs will give you every opportunity to get clean and stay sober through kindness, education and support. Drug rehab is a process with many phases that will help guide the addict to an existence free from the devastating effects of chemical dependency and substance abuse.

addiction

Drug Addiction, Abuse and Recovery

Drug addiction is a life-shattering illness. It rips families apart and breaks people down. It all starts with that one little hit and the thought that you can quit whenever you want. It has many end results: living on the streets, alienating your family and friends, death. For most addicts, drug addiction is a lifelong illness, with relapses even after long periods with no drug abuse. Drug Addiction is rarely arrested without the help of a drug rehab or drug treatment center.

A drug addict is defined as a person who is unable to live a normal life without drugs. He or she has a continuous craving for a certain drug. All aspects of his or her social life is disrupted because of this addiction. Addicts may be either mentally or physically dependent on a drug. The addict who is mentally dependent takes the drug to feel psychologically refreshed, mentally functional etc. The physically dependent drug addict shows physical signs if the substance is not available to them. Drug rehabilitation centers and alcohol rehab programs exist to help individuals who suffer from drug addiction and alcoholism recover.

addiction intervention

Addiction Intervention

Addiction intervention becomes a family's last resort when dealing with a loved one addicted to drugs and alcohol who will not agree to get help. Drug and alcohol addiction often come with denial on behalf of the addict or alcoholic. Denial is a part of the disease of addiction and tells the addict that he or she does not have a problem and is only doing what they need to be okay on a daily basis. Addiction intervention is used as a last resort when no amount of prior begging has worked to get the addict into treatment. Professional interventionists are called in for the addiction intervention and despite desperate pleading in the past, addiction interventions have a tendency to be very successful. Read here about interventions, interventionists and how the process works.

detoxification

Detoxification

Detoxification or detox is the physical process of the removal of a substance (or substances) from the body. With most all illicit drugs and alcohol, there are considerable withdrawal symptoms that take place when the substance is kept from the system. A detox is the process of going through the withdrawal symptoms to the complete removal of the substance(s) and while some detoxifications are fairly quick and harmless, they all carry a rather severe discomfort and agitation as withdrawal symptoms.

Heroin Addiction

April 2006

Young Adult Heroin Addiction

Young Adult Heroin Addiction

This story reported on NBC's Dateline, is the story of the Forbes family and Carrick Forbes, a 19 year old heroin addict. It is the story of the struggle to overcome addiction and the reponse of the family to their daughter's addiction. It is a compelling story that gives insight in young adult drug addiction and the angst of the family and the parents. It also looks at the relationship of the sibling in the family.

Here is an excerpt from the story as reported on www.msnbc.com.

For years, Thom and Dierdre Forbes have been consumed by a desperate struggle to save their daughter’s life: 19-year-old Carrick got started with drug addiction after she dropped out of high school.

Two summers ago, Carrick was living in a downtown New York apartment with her boyfriend,  40 minutes by train but a world away from her parents home in Hastings-on-Hudson, an affluent suburb of New York.

Her father, Thom Forbes and her mother, Deirdre, both 52, knew where their daughter was living. They knew she was an addict, but what they didn’t know was how to stop her.

Over the next year, they would confront the ugly truth that their precious little girl had turned into a hardened junkie.

And in the year to come, they would grapple with a heart-wrenching dilemma: To save Carrick, they might have to turn their backs on her at her most vulnerable moment, even if it meant she might die in the process.

There was much at stake for this family. Besides Carrick, the Forbes have a teenage boy named Duncan, and they were worried he might go the same route as his sister.

Carrick visits home
It was a hot summer afternoon in  2003 when "Dateline" first met Carrick Forbes. She had recently come up with a way to make some money— she needed to get a job. But in order to get one, Carrick needed an ID card and she needed her mother to vouch for her identity at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

In mid-August, Carrick took the train from Manhattan to her parents home in Hastings.

Before Carrick arrived, Thom, who works at home as a freelance writer, took precautions and hid his money. He even urged his wife and son to do the same. It might seem shocking, but that had become routine for Thom. Carrick had repeatedly stolen money from her parents to buy drugs and he knew that she might try again when she stopped at home before her mother drove her to the DMV.

On that day, August 14th, the entire Northeast region plunged into a blackout.

The depths of her drug addiction were that day: Panic set in as she tried to figure out a way to get back to New York City where she knew she could buy heroin.

After a visit to the DMV, Deirdre drove Carrick back to their home in Hastings. Once there, she and Thom gently tried to explain to 14-year-old Duncan why his sister seemed so agitated.“She’ll be away from her fix,” Thom explained.

By 6 p.m., Carrick had started to sweat and her breathing quickened — signaling the beginning of her body’s withdrawal from heroin. The effects of the drug last just a few hours, so addicts have to take the drug several times a day. Otherwise, they get sick.

While Carrick paced around the house, Thom, Deirdre, and Duncan appeared calm. They had been through this so many times before. By the time “Dateline” met them, Carrick had been in a dozen detox clinics and rehabilitation centers.

In the months to come, their strategy would change. But on that day, her parents simply let her go, not knowing how dangerous the lifestyle she was returning to really was.

With the power out and no lights, Deirdre recorded her thoughts for the camera that night:

"Today was a typical day that we have with Carrick very often. Emotions get out of hand. Impulsiveness. Does this have anything to do with being dope-sick? She said "yes." I just wish she could see that she deserves a lot more."

The Forbes' past with alcohol, and how Carrick slowly became a junkie
Thom and Deirdre Forbes were both journalists when they met 30 years ago at the Daily News, a New York tabloid, where she became a photographer, he an editor. They shared a passion for news and for booze.

Deirdre and Thom continued to drink heavily when they got married in 1977, and Dierdre only scaled back only when she was pregnant with Carrick.

Carrick Forbes was born six weeks early in August 1984.

Deirdre continued to drink after Carrick was born. And so did Thom, but Thom remembers a pivotal day when baby Carrick was about a year old and she forced him to take stock of his own drinking. "Carrick was crying and she wanted my attention. And I felt I had to go out and get a bottle of vodka," recalls Thom. "And I remember her holding on to my leg and I’m saying, ‘I’ll be right back. I’ll be right back, and we’ll play.'"

He bought the vodka that time, but he stopped drinking that very week — a development Deirdre didn’t like.

"It was real scary because he was my drinking buddy," says Deirdre. "But my real buddy was the booze."

About a year and a half later, with Thom’s support, Deirdre gave up alcohol as well.

When the two of them did give up drinking, through sober eyes, they finally saw little girl Carrick. "Oh, she was beautiful, happy, entertaining, ingenious, creative, funny and a joy," says her mom. "She was always dancing and singing and getting on top of tables."

But when Carrick turned 5 years old and started school, her parents said all that life and energy seemed to drain out of her. School was crushing for Carrick as early as kindergarten.

The school suggested she had a learning disability, a condition that often contributes to feelings of low self-esteem. Experts say this can make children more at risk for trying drugs when they get older.

"She didn’t quite fit in. She had problems cutting paper," says Thom.

Throughout elementary school and middle school, Carrick struggled to keep up. Her parents tried to get her help, enlisting special education tutors and psychologists  — even changing schools, but nothing they did could keep Carrick interested in school. She felt like a failure.

"I think she struggled with trying to be part of the mainstream, yet feeling she couldn’t be," says Deirdre. "And then eventually, she thought, 'Well, I can’t be, so I’m not even going to try anymore.'"

By 7th grade, Carrick was cutting classes. Carrick began lying to her parents, piercing her body, and shoplifting— out of control behavior that her parents could not stop.

Deirdre started to feel helpless, and those feelings grew into a full scale depression. Deirdre was hospitalized for three weeks. Thom split his time between caring for his wife who became suicidal, and trying to help a daughter who was spiraling down.

By the time Carrick was 13, the Forbes were convinced she was smoking marijuana, and to prove it, they took her to a doctor for a drug test.

"On the way to have the test done, she breaks down and says, 'Yes I did. I’m was smoking.'"

But that confession didn’t stop Carrick from continuing to sneak drugs and alcohol into their house, the extent of which, the Forbes only pieced together later. Under their nose, Carrick and her friends were smoking pot, and drinking beer and wine.

In high school, Carrick continued to perform poorly and her drug use escalated to more and more potent drugs, a pattern experts say is typical. Deirdre even remembers getting stuck with a needle one day. "I went into her room one day to just talk to her. And she was sitting there and she shoved something under the bed, and I said, 'What’d did you just put under there?' 'Nothing,' she said. And somehow I just put my hand down on something and I got stuck. And that’s when my heart kind of flipped."

Looking back, there were other clues that their daughter had a serious drug habit: Money was gone all the time. Carrick would take $20 at a time from her parents' wallets and they wouldn't even know it.

But the hundreds they lost to Carrick’s stealing was nothing compared to the tens of thousands of dollars they have spent sending her to rehabilitation programs.

When she goes in, the Forbes' hopes are raised — and then dashed again when she doesn’t stay clean.

"But I’ll tell you one thing about a rehab," says Thom. "You know she’s safe. You know she’s not getting high."

But after the programs, Carrick always turned back to drugs, causing her parents to long for more drastic measures.

"As a parent, you start praying the kid will get busted for something not too severe but enough that maybe they will be ordered to treatment or ordered to treatment in jail," says Deirdre. "It’s about keeping them alive. And sometimes that’s the best you can do for a while until they can reach the point where they want recovery for themselves."

But would Carrick ever want recovery for herself? It was her parent’s greatest hope. But a month after we met her, Carrick showed no interest in getting help for her addiction to heroin. Her only interest was getting a job to pay for her habit."