Drug and alcohol addiction is complicated. It blends the physical and mental aspects of addiction and how they affect a person’s lifestyle. To better understand how a drug addict can have so much trouble starting their recovery, let’s take a look at the basics of physical addiction.

Drug Addiction Creates Physical Dependency Symptoms

When a person is said to be addicted to a drug, they have developed physical dependency. In other words, they don’t just have one or two drinks and call it a night. They don’t just take one hit once in a while at a party. They compulsively seek out the drug, often dropping obligations and breaking promises to do so.

Their body has gotten so used to having the drug, it doesn’t feel normal unless there is a certain amount of the drug in their systems all the time. If an addicted person goes for a while without the drug, they may experience withdrawal symptoms. The body can react strongly to a decreased level of drugs.

Meth and heroin are two drugs that cause exceptionally uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Addicts trying to get sober on their own often can’t stand the withdrawal symptoms and start using again just to feel well. Alcohol withdrawal is often not as bad, but it can cause shakes, nausea, and headaches.

Using Drugs More Than Intended Just To Feel Normal

A person with an addiction uses more of the drug than they intend much of the time. They might go out with friends saying that they are just going to have a “few drinks”. Instead they have 7 or 8 drinks, then go to a friend’s house and have 7 or 8 more. Anything more than 5 drinks in one setting is considered a binge. A pattern like this often goes on most days of the week for an alcoholic. Alcohol treatment can help a person get through the difficulties of enduring the physical aspects of alcoholism.

They also use more and more of the drug to get the same feeling. This is particularly bad for hard drugs like meth and heroin. The first time is usually the strongest and best, which makes a person easily hooked. Unfortunately, the body tends to quickly need more than the first time to get close to the same high. The
person “chases the high” by using more and more, trying to get to that elusive high they had the first time. After a while, they are using way more than they did in the beginning, and they need that amount just to make their body feel normal. Drug rehab with detox is usually the only way a person with a physical addiction like this will get off the drug.

Drug Rehab Helps With Physical Addiction and Withdrawal Symptoms

Drug addiction has many other factors and characteristics. Physical dependence is a key part of distinguishing drug or alcohol abuse from addiction. Drug abuse can often be stopped by the person on their own or with some social support. They may have some psychological struggles with quitting, but they are not physically addicted. If you know you are physically addicted to drugs, make your first phone call to a drug treatment center or drug rehab facility now.

The other day, we talked about 5 characteristics of successful drug addiction treatment and today we continue with five more characteristics to look for on your hunt for the right drug rehab for you.

1. Master’s level, credentialed staff – If you don’t have professional doctors, psychologists, and counselors properly trained to implement the latest cutting edge treatments or know the latest on traditional treatments, then you won’t benefit. It is important that you know whether or not the counselors and medical professionals at your drug rehab of choice have the certifications and understanding they need to help you succeed. If you are addicted to opiates and require specialized detox medications, then this is even more important.

2. Drug testing during treatment – To ensure that you or your loved one are protected from temptation, it is important that you choose a facility that includes spontaneous drug testing. Knowing that there is a chance that you could be caught is a solid deterrent to relapse in those crucial first 30 days of drug and alcohol addiction treatment. Though it is sad that some may manage to smuggle drugs and/ or alcohol into treatment, it can be protected against with impromptu drug testing.

3. Dual diagnosis – If you or your loved one struggle with a psychological disorder in addition to drug and/ or alcohol addiction, the only successful drug treatment for you is one that incorporates treatment for that psychological disorder at the same time. The treatment of two disorders at once is called dual diagnosis treatment. In most cases, the one disorder tends to exacerbate the other, making it impossible to isolate and treat one first even if you feel that one is the primary disorder. Whether you started out with depression or anxiety issues and self medicated with drugs and alcohol, ultimately developing an addiction or whether you first abused drugs and alcohol and subsequently developed psychological issues, you must treat both problems at the same time in order to experience a successful drug addiction treatment.

4. Effort matters – Though it has been shown that drug and alcohol addiction treatment can be successful for those who don’t initially want to enroll in drug rehab, it is also true that the more you focus during treatment and put forth effort in your therapy, the more likely that you will succeed in sobriety when you return home. Like anything, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

5. Follow up – Just because you successfully complete your drug rehab program does not mean that your drug addiction treatment is over. Your drug and alcohol rehab should offer aftercare options and/ or sober living facilities. Aftercare can include check-in meetings or phone calls on a regular basis after your return home. Sober living means a protected place for you to live that has a less rigid schedule but still offers the safety of a drug-free home and certain expectations.

The Canyon offers all 10 of the characteristics for successful drug addiction treatment. If you have any questions, contact The Canyon today.

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. Drug addiction recovery is a process of time, not a single intervention or solution. When a person is staring their rock bottom moment in the face, drug rehab can seem like such a huge leap.

Drug Rehab Can Seem Like a Huge Leap

When you are at the bottom, it seems hard to imagine how you will ever climb back up. With drug addiction, this is so true. Just getting the mental energy together to imagine what would come next can be exhausting and confusing.

From this perspective, going to drug rehab can seem like a nearly impossible leap to make. So much change, so much to do, so much uncertainty about how it could ever come together. Take comfort in this thought – that’s a pretty normal response to that kind of moment.

Of course it’s difficult to see how things will all turn out right now. They are so quickly going down the drain, and you might have trouble telling which way is up. But it may help to think of drug rehab or any kind of drug treatment as simply a step. You don’t go from addiction to drug rehab to complete recovery. That’s just way to much to expect, hardly realistic.

Addiction Thinking Is Black and White

Addiction thinking has a way of making everything seem black and white, all or nothing, right or wrong. There’s very little gray area in there. So now it may not seem like such a surprise that your brain can’t compute the journey from where you are now to being in recovery.

You could think of drug rehab as more of a place of reorientation. Think about when you are at the mall or a large public building and you find a helpful sign that says “You are here”. Sometimes, there might even be a helpful person there to get you going in the right direction if you are still unsure.

Drug rehab is obviously a little more complicated than talking to a person behind a mall help desk. However, the very basic function of both are quite similar. You approach them seeking some understanding because you feel lost. You hope that by going there, you will find the way to where you want to go. It isn’t your final destination, but you know it can help you get there.

Drug rehab helps you clear your body and mind of harmful drugs and alcohol. It gives you a chance to learn a few things about yourself and how to make healthy choices. It gives you the opportunity to learn how to connect with others in good ways so you can join your family and community again. It doesn’t end your
problems, but it is a stop on the journey of recovery.

Take Drug Treatment And Sobriety One Step At A Time

Going to drug rehab is a big step after facing you lowest drug addiction moment. But it isn’t the last step you will take as you keep striving for a sober life. Just one step at a time is all you can ask of yourself, no more and no less. When you are ready to start, drug rehab can get you facing the right direction towards a healthy sober lifestyle.

If you are looking for a drug addiction treatment for yourself and your loved one, your primary focus is likely finding the most successful drug and alcohol rehab that you can. It may be close to home or offer a schedule or price that suits your needs, but if it won’t be successful, it’s just a waste of time and money. Here are 5 essential characteristics of any successful drug addiction treatment:

1. Personalized treatment – It can’t be stressed enough: there is no one treatment that will work for everyone. If a facility is telling you that their way is the one and only way that works and offers no opportunity to customize the treatment to fit your needs and experience, then it’s not the right one for you. Also, along the same lines, make sure that your drug rehab offers a variety of therapeutic options so that you can better optimize your time there to include therapies that speak to you.

2. Medical detox – If you are physically addicted to drugs or alcohol, then your drug and alcohol treatment center must incorporate a medical detox into the program. This means that there should be medical professionals who can supervise your progress and prescribe medications as necessary as well as medical facilities and equipment to stabilize you should you run into trouble. If you are addicted to opiates, you may also wish to make sure that your rehab offers opiate maintenance and has doctors who are certified to prescribe medications like buprenorphine and methadone, should you need it.

3. Option for long-term inpatient treatment – Even if you start out by enrolling in a short-term treatment program for 30 days or fewer, your drug and alcohol rehab should offer the option to extend your time in treatment if you so choose. Some drug addiction treatment facilities offer only drug and alcohol detox, which lasts three to seven days and others offer only outpatient treatment, which is usually fewer than 30 days long. However, you may not necessarily realize how much treatment you need until you enroll and since continuity is important, make sure that the drug rehab you start off with is the one you end with as well.

4. More than just detox – Your drug and alcohol addiction treatment must address more than just physical addiction. Though dealing with physical addiction must come first, it is not enough to keep you clean and sober for any length of time. Drug addiction treatment that speaks to the psychological, mental and spiritual aspects of addiction is essential in order to achieve long-term sobriety when you return home.

5. Therapy is essential – Many dread it, but one-on-one psychotherapy sessions are an essential part of any successful drug and alcohol addiction treatment. An in-depth examination of the motivations behind drug and alcohol addiction, the skills you’ll need to fight cravings and triggers to use later, and replacement activities that will help you avoid drug use is a crucial part of treatment. It also gives you an opportunity to check in, update your treatment goals, monitor your progress and make changes to your schedule as needed.

Stay tuned for 5 More Characteristics of Drug Addiction Treatment….

Andy Dick is a comedian who’s made name for himself in the last fifteen years. He is often recognized for his recurring role on Newsradio from the 1990′s and has done a lot of voice over work since then. Unfortunately, he is more well known now for his drug addiction and embarrassing public antics.

Lots Of Public Problems Led Andy Dick to Drug Rehab

Andy Dick has been on the current cast of “Sober House”, an offshoot of the show “Celebrity Drug Rehab“. The last few years, he has had a build up of troubling public incidents. He has groped and licked guests on nighttime talk shows. He’s also slapped a reporter. He’s been charged with urinating on a sidewalk, drug possesion, and been accused of throwing beer bottles at his neighbor, and dropped his pants onstage at a comedy club. And the list goes on and on.

His drug legal problems began in 1999 with a car accident and a drug charge. Instead of drug rehab, he went through a drug diversion program. His drug charges were then dropped. At William Shatner’s roast, Dick became a distraction when he touched and licked several of the guests. After that, he went into drug rehab.

He has reportedly had possession of or used the following drugs: marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, Xanax without a presription, and drug paraphernalia. On one episode of Sober House, he admitted that his drug and alcohol use was behind so many of his publicly embarrassing behaviors.

Sober House Means Sober Living For Andy Dick

I recall watching one episode of Sober house that showed an entire evening of free time with a curfew. Instead of going out with the other housemates, Dick chose to stay at the house and cook dinner for friends. He stated that he preferred staying home so he wouldn’t get himself in trouble, and he preferred having his friends around him. He also tearfully discussed the role his drug and alcohol use has played in his family life. He talked about a strained relationship with his son, which he was hoping to reconcile while he was doing drug treatment at the Sober House.

It’s not clear if he will return for another season of Sober House or any other reality show. Watching the reports of his disturbing antics has been tough for me over the years. I so enjoyed watching him on Newsradio for five seasons. I thought he was a terrific physical actor and had a solid career ahead of him. It seems he was in need of drug treatment even back then. I’m hopeful that by reaching out to Dr Drew, he has begun putting his life back together.

Provigil is a prescription drug that does exactly what it sounds like; it’s pro-vigilance. It helps you stay awake. The marketing spouts off on Provigil’s ability to keep you awake without getting you hooked, but some are saying that that may not be true. The concern is that Provigil is yet another route to prescription drug addiction.

What is Provigil?

The generic name is modafinil, but it’s sold on the shelves as Provigil. It’s FDA approval is for helping those who struggle with sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and sleep disorders associated with working the graveyard shift. But many who get a prescription for it don’t suffer these disorders. Because of its reputation as being non-addictive, it is often prescribed for those who are just tired and need a pick-me-up… with the result that they’re now awake, but unable to wake up without the drug.

Who Thinks Provigil is Addictive?

According to Daniel J. DeNoon at WebMD Health News, there may be a big prescription drug addiction risk with Provigil. Some researchers agree.

Nora D. Volkow is the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). She is one of the lead researchers who think that Provigil may be more addictive than previously thought. She says:

“There is an increasing use of this medication, and people have promoted the off-label use of stimulants and Provigil as cognitive enhancers with the belief that these drugs are safe. But these drugs have side effects, and their use without proper medical oversight could lead to abuse and addiction.”

Provigil, Cocaine and Crystal Meth?

The side effects to which she is referring and the chemicals released as a result of the drug resemble the effects of cocaine and crystal meth, though on a much smaller scale.

Volkow says: “The changes we are observing in dopamine concentrations with modafinil are equivalent to those we have reported for [Ritalin] in the human brain. So not only does [Provigil] increase dopamine in the human brain, but does it by similar mechanisms to Ritalin and cocaine, by directly blocking the dopamine transporter. It is not working by some distinct, different mechanism.”

Who Thinks Provigil is Not Addictive?

There are many researchers who disagree with Volkow, only because they feel that ‘addiction’ is too strong a word. David Weinshenker, PhD, is an associate professor of human genetics at Emory University, Atlanta.

He says: “What is Provigil’s street value? It is zero. There are not addicts walking around buying and selling modafinil. Most people who take Provigil don’t report euphoria or being high. They don’t even report feeling particularly stimulated, like caffeine. In terms of addiction and withdrawal, it just doesn’t do that.”

Provigil as a Cure for Cocaine Addiction and Crystal Meth Addiction?

Daniel J. DeNoon at WebMD Health News says: “Weinshenker and Vogel both note that because it blocks the brain receptors needed by cocaine and methamphetamine, researchers are exploring whether Provigil might help wean addicts from these life-threatening addictions.”

Just like methadone, which is an addictive opiate in its own right, is used to treat those addicted to opiates, Provigil may be a good medication to treat those addicted to stronger stimulants. What do you think?

Nobody ever said drug treatment was a rose garden. It’s really hard work for your brain, your soul, and your body. Drug rehab so much work that many addicts are tempted to quit or not even start. But the rewards, the rewards of the hard work give back to you over and over again every day. Can you keep yourself going through recovery to reap the benefits?

Drug Rehab Can Be Hard Work For A Drug Addicted Mind

The hard work of keeping an addicted mind focused is more challenging than you might think. An addicted mind (even one in recovery) is very prone to distractibility. It has been trained to seek immediate rewards and doesn’t tolerate waiting very well. If the mood or desire strikes, the drug addict will act impulsively. Drug seeking behavior, taking off in the middle of something, becoming aggressive or argumentative – all of these behaviors stem from the immediate gratification “training” of addiction.

Drug rehab programs come at this problem in many different ways. Yoga is a great way to focus on slow movement and relaxed thinking. The atmosphere and accepting nature of yoga helps to retrain the brain. The mind and body can learn a different way of being for a while. After practice and time, a person can put themselves in that relaxed focused state more easily.

Another way drug rehab centers come at the addicted mind is through therapy. Drug rehab counselors learn about everyone who comes to the facility for help. They use talk therapy to help drug addicts understand their flawed thinking patterns, intrusive thoughts, beliefs and values, etc. They can help the addicts retrain their minds through awareness and being in a safe environment.

Rewards From Drug Rehab Sometimes Not Immediate

The rewards of drug rehab? Well, they may not all come around immediately. And that can be a problem for drug addicts. It takes a lot of adjustment to see the long-term rewards in staying sober. Improved trust in relationships, greater emotional security with oneself, improved intimacy with a spouse or partner – all of these things can possibly occur after a successful stay at drug rehab.

Many drug addicts have trouble staying with jobs for very long. Or, they may stay stuck in a lower paying or less satisfying job because they have difficulty focusing their efforts to move up. After drug rehab, job security can be more attainable. Decreased impulsiveness, improved focus, increased number of days sober can all spell better things for a prospective employee.

Of course, these are but a few of the rewards that can come from a stay in drug rehab. Again, it’s no fairy tale. You go there to work on some really hard stuff, and sometimes the rewards can seem far far away. But in time, the rewards can sink in just as deeply as the pain has. And then, the hard work feels like it’s all worthwhile.

So you’ve heard of the chicken and egg debate… you know, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Well, this type of ‘which is the instigator and which is the instigated’ sort of debate in the drug addiction treatment and law enforcement community is common as well: which came first, the drug dealers or the drug buyers? If we take away the drug dealers on the street, will those who want the drugs just find other sources or will the problem be taken care of? If we eradicate drug addiction, will we put drug dealers out of business or will they just create new addicts? Ultimately, the big question is, which group do we target to mitigate the cost and damages done to communities due to drug addiction?

Drug Buyers Fuel Worldwide Drug Trade

According to TimesCall.com, “When a person in America lights up a joint, injects heroin or methamphetamine, swallows a pill of ecstasy, snorts cocaine or takes any other controlled drug, he or she is contributing to a world of drug trafficking and violence.”

Though some drugs are made or grown in the United States (like crystal meth or marijuana, respectively) there are more than 146 countries on the CIA’s World Factbook as sites of drug trafficking, growth and manufacturing. Unfortunately, the destination for a great amount of the drugs grown in these countries is none other than the United States. It’s our demand for the drugs that keeps these countries—and their illegal abuse of children and local resources and reign of international terror—in business.

Stop Drug Manufacture and Growth

In my opinion, if you stop drug addicts from buying, you simply fill up the prisons with nonviolent offenders and waste the community’s money. Meanwhile, new drug addicts are growing in their place. If there were no drugs to experiment with, then there would be fewer addicts, right?

But if we take out the drug dealer in the community—someone who likely started out as an addict, someone who must get money from somewhere to continue to support his or her habit and likely won’t be able to hold down any legitimate job—then we are again putting more people in prison and opening up a spot that someone else will just quickly fill.

So why not start with more stringent control of international trade? The Coast Guard routinely takes down ships traveling international waters toward the United States with literally tons of cocaine and marijuana. Stepping up the search of incoming vessels and packages should be the focus of federal funding, while state funding should go toward treating our addicts and increasing the education of children and teens on the devastating effects of drug abuse and addiction.

Drug Addiction Treatment

The Canyon offers highly personalized drug addiction treatment that speaks to the need of anyone who is struggling with any kind of drug of addiction. Be it cocaine, marijuana, heroin, crystal meth, alcohol, club drugs or a combination thereof, you can find a drug addiction treatment program that

Freedom and drug rehab – that doesn’t sound like much of a match at first. Sounds like drug rehab would be more like a prison than a place of freedom. Your perspective on drug rehab and addiction recovery really matters here.

Drug Rehab Has Rules But No Confinement

Actually, most people might think of drug rehab as a confining place with lots of rules. That’s why you’re there, right? You’ve ruined your life out in the real world so you have to go to this place to get better and stay alive. Things are so bad you can’t even live at home while you get drug treatment.

Well, yes, there are certainly rules at drug rehab. The average drug addict has probably broken laws, promises, and many social rules. Having rules is really a good thing. It brings order to the chaos, provides something stable to fall back on when there is uncertainty.

Living At Drug Rehab Has Benefits

Living at the drug rehab is helpful for several reasons. First, drug addicts that are newly sober may experience health problems and side effects from withdrawal. Also, mental illness issues can present themselves at all times of the day or night. It’s important for addicts to know they have support and quality care at all times. Until they are able to function on their own, this round-the-clock availability is necessary.

When you really live somewhere for more than a few days, you tend to develop emotional attachments and let a few “roots” sprout. The common atmosphere and community spirit of drug rehab is its own healing force. Outpatient drug treatment and twelve step support groups can be marvelous for many people. But there’s no substitute for the connection of a community that lives and shares together like the people staying at a drug rehab.

Drug Rehab Helps With Freedom From Addiction

The key to freedom at drug rehab is being able to loosen the grip of addiction on your life. When you can develop trusting relationships and share pain, your loneliness can get better. When you find that you can stay sober longer than you ever have before, you can celebrate with people who really understand. When you finally get treatment for your bipolar or anxiety problem, you can finally know relief from the pain.

A drug rehab set way out in the hills on a lonely road may be the last place you’d expect to find freedom. It seems like this could be confining and regimented. On the contrary, the drug rehab professionals are there to help people unlock themselves from the prison of their addiction. They may find they had the keys to their own prison cell all along. Drug rehab just showed how to use them.

It’s the stuff that a CSI or Law & Order episode is made of: a lawyer is caught lying and cheating, abusing and addicted to illegal drugs and all eyes are on the trial, waiting to find out if Ken Lawson, the lawyer in question, will go to jail or be put on probation. The burden is on a federal court judge to make the decision and it seems that the choice will depend on just how deep the conspiracy went.

Prescription Painkiller Conspiracy

That’s right. I said it: conspiracy. That’s what this case is all about. It was a criminal conspiracy to obtain hundreds of thousands of prescription painkillers. But that’s where the agreement on events ends. No one disputes whether or not it was a conspiracy. The question before the court is exactly how deeply involved was Lawson, the lawyer on trial.

Federal Prosecutor’s Story on the Prescription Painkiller Conspiracy

The prosecution says that Lawson was not just a key player in the prescription drug conspiracy, but its ring leader. They contend that he coordinated a Cincinnati doctor to write prescriptions for painkillers in other people’s names, knowing that Lawson would end up with the pills. The names used included those of clients, his friends and family, even his five children. The prosecutor wrote in a court filing that: “These children were taught that you ‘did what daddy told you to do’ and were clearly unduly susceptible to the illegal wishes of the defendant.”

The conspiracy was the source of 2500 fake prescriptions which yielded 450,000 doses of hydrocodone and oxycodone. But for what purpose did he intend this number of pills? The prosecution says that the sheer numbers demand that the court at least consider a possible intent to distribute.

Lawson’s Story About the Prescription Painkiller Conspiracy

Lawson will be the first to tell you: he was a drug addict, addicted to prescription painkillers, and that to feed that he habit he did whatever he had to do, including lying, cheating and manipulating. In short, he did everything that drug addicts do. And he got caught for it. He’s more than willing to pay the fines associated with that prescription drug fraud. But, he says, he never sold anything and never had any intention to do so, an assertion that would preclude a prison sentence. He has been clean and sober for two years.

His lawyer wrote in a sentencing memorandum: “His conduct … has not only demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, it has demonstrated self-sacrifice, devotion to the needs of others, and positive contributions to the well-being of the community.”

Other Factors in the Prescription Drug Addiction Case

For one thing, the defense would like you to know that the doctor who was prescribing these pills illegally should take some blame. Also, that doctor was under investigation for providing illegal prescriptions well before Lawson began his prescription drug fraud, bartering free legal services for illegal prescriptions. In fact, the defense intimates that the prescription drug addiction likely began due to the doctor actively prescribing Lawson these medication in an effort to get him hooked and elicit free legal services to fight these federal investigations.

The prosecution, on the other hand, says that that is not only untrue, but that Lawson misled the doctor into believing that he needed the prescriptions and then threatened him in order to keep the pills coming when the doctor wanted to stop the conspiracy.

Lawson faces up to four years in prison if he is convicted of leading and perpetrating the conspiracy through threats. He is hoping to receive probation and be remanded to a prescription drug rehab.