The Hills star Heidi Pratt has gotten a lot of guff for her plastic surgery ventures of late. But the new focus of those conversations have turned to her recovery from surgery. Specifically, friends of hers co-cast members have voiced concerns (or would it better be termed “catty gossip”) that Heidi is relying a bit too heavily on her painkillers post surgery.

While one show insider is reported as describing Heidi as a “shell of her former self,” Heidi’s reps are reportedly firing back that these comments are “completely ridiculous.”

But one source says that Heidi has been exhibiting increasingly odd behavior of late. The source describes Heidi and Spencer, her husband, as having “crossed over to this bizarre place.”

Recognizing Painkiller Addiction

Agreeing to undergo 10 plastic surgery procedures in one days is admittedly extreme, but is it really a sign of painkiller addiction? No, say Heidi’s reps, but sources are saying that the painkiller abuse is just one of her odd quirks that happened as a result of the strange decision to undergo so much surgery in order to get media attention.

Says the source: “They are addicted to the fame. As The Hills winds down and people start to care less, they are desperate to get back that high.”

The Signs and Symptoms of Painkiller Addiction

Attention-seeking behavior is not exactly a sign or a symptom of painkiller addiction. It’s not even a sign of drug abuse. Alcohol can cause people to behave loudly or obnoxiously in public (hence the “drunk in public” citation) and people can make poor decisions under the influence, but many who choose opiates and other sedative-type drugs like prescription painkillers are just as likely to want to blend into the woodwork as land on the cover of a tabloid.

There are more definitive ways to determine whether or not someone you care about is abusing prescription painkillers. Painkillers are opiate-based and include prescription drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, hydrocodone, Percocet and others. They generally sedate those who take them, and those who take too many or take them too often may appear “out of it” or tired. They may “nod out” and be unable to focus on conversations and appear unfocused on what they are doing. They may forget things that were said or commitments they made. Hand-eye coordination is impaired and as a result accidents of all kinds can occur. Financial issues soon develop because prescription pills are not cheap and those who are taking copious amounts of them are rarely able to go to work every day or do well if they do.

These kinds of behaviors when they are uncharacteristic and not attributable to anything else can signify painkiller addiction in your loved one’s life.

Treating Painkiller Addiction

Painkiller addiction is best treated at an holistic inpatient drug rehab that specializes in opiate addiction and detox. Here you can receive the medical care you need to make sure that your physiological symptoms are taken care of as well as the psychological dependence. Call now for more information.

The Internet is the best way to find information, stay in touch with people, track down anything you could possibly want to buy, watch videos and play games. With so much to offer, many people find themselves online at least once a day, but for some, the Internet becomes an obsession. More and more time spent online means less time spent on in-person relationships, work, school, hobbies. All of these areas of life suffer in service of being online. The cravings and compulsion to check email, connect on forums or social networking sites, play games, et cetera, can be overwhelming to some and devastating to the structure of the lives. Though some think classifying excessive internet use as addiction is overstating the matter, many who live with the problem struggle with the same recurring issues as those who live with drug or alcohol addiction.

Internet Addiction and Social Issues

For many, addiction begins as a way to socially lubricate in a social situation. Feeling awkward in public or experiencing anxiety when communicating with others can make even the most innocuous new encounter extremely uncomfortable. Alcohol and drugs are often a way to ease the discomfort and make social interactions more comfortable.

The Internet offers those with social issues a way to meet people without feeling uncomfortable. The anonymity of online interactions makes it easier to maintain relationships, share similar interests and converse in a way that is impossible in person. This feeling of comfort and self empowerment can be addicting and many begin to shirk other responsibilities in order to remain in this “comfort zone.”

How Many Internet Addicts Are There?

Since there is still some discussion on whether or not Internet addiction is a full fledged addiction that requires formal, medical treatment, there are few numbers to clarify the depth and severity of the issue. Some estimate that about 5 percent to 10 percent of those who use the Internet are addicts. A Stanford Medical School study said that about 14 percent of Americans with Internet access find that it’s hard for them to stop going online for more than a few days.

There are extreme cases of Internet addiction, like the South Korean couple whose infant daughter starved to death because they spent up to 12 hours a day playing an online fantasy game. There are more common cases where relationships fail when one partner opts repeatedly to stay online rather than go to bed or interact with the family. Students who skip classes to play games, adults who miss work or go to work after minimal sleep, and kids who ignore household chores and homework in favor of staying online are even more common.

Getting Help for Internet Addiction

There are no plans for the classification of internet addiction in the new edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) put out by the American Psychiatric Association, but if addiction of any kind of destroying your life, the only way to make a clean break is to get treatment. The Canyon can help you learn more about the nature of addiction and determine whether or not you or your loved one require treatment. Call today for more information.

It is being reported from a variety of sources including Us Weekly and ABC News that the actor Corey Haim, 38, died early this morning from what appears to be an accidental overdose.

The details of the death of Haim, famous for 1980s movies including “Lucas,” “The Lost Boys” and “License to Drive,” vary from source to source. All agree that Haim was found between 1am and 3am in his apartment by paramedics and he was unresponsive.

Haim has had a long history of drug abuse and addiction and it is assumed that his death was the result of a drug overdose. However, he was reportedly ill before his death and taking over the counter medication, so it is just as lpossible at this point that he succumbed to his illness as died of an overdose. An investigation is ongoing and a toxicology and autopsy report should be revealing.

Police Sgt. William Mann was on the scene. He said that Haim’s cause of death is unknown as of yet: “He could have succumbed to whatever (illness) he had or it could have been drugs. Who knows? He has had a drug problem in the past.”

Foul play is not suspected.

Haim was taken from an apartment in Oakwood apartment complex in Burbank to the hospital by paramedics. The apartment complex is said to be popular among young actors.

It is also being reported by some sources that Haim’s mother was with him when he passed.

Haim was certainly not in denial when it came to acknowledging his long struggle with drug addiction.

In 2004, he told The Sun: “I was working on Lost Boys when I smoked my first joint. I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack.”

His drug addiction history continued when he entered drug rehab and was put on prescription drugs, using both stimulants and sedatives.

Haim said: “I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck. But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day.”

Later, in 2007, he told ABC’s “Nightline” that: “I feel like with myself I ruined myself to the point where I wasn’t functional enough to work for anybody, even myself. I wasn’t working.”

Haim was a teen heartthrob in the 1980s, but dropped off the map for awhile during the peak of his addiction. He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1997, but in the past few years he had been working to reestablish his career. He did a reality show with fellow actor Corey Feldman on “The Two Coreys,” which was cancelled after two seasons; Feldman said that Haim’s drug addiction made their working and personal relationship difficult to maintain.

Haim also worked on a few movies that have not yet been released.

Whether or not Haim died of a drug overdose, he never beat drug addiction in his lifetime. He told Larry King in 2007 that he was “a chronic relapser for the rest of my life.

Mental illness has treated like a dirty secret for thousands of years, causing people to be shunned and isolated. Mental illness fairly common among the human population. Only in the last several decades has it been getting respect as a treatable condition worthy of medical and professional attention. Stigma interferes with people stepping forward to get the treatment they need. The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) works to create awareness every year during National Mental Illness Awareness Week.

Stigma Keeps People From Getting Mental Health and Addiction Treatment

Stigma is a bad image or association made with something or someone. The stigma surrounding mental illness says “You are worthless and crazy if you admit you have a problem,” or “You aren’t worth helping,” and even, “Don’t tell – no one would believe you anyway.” The potential embarrassment from others’ reactions is often what keeps people with a mental illness isolated and tight lipped.

What if they say unkind things to you? What if they don’t respect or love you anymore? Could you lose your job because someone thinks you can’t hold your life together? These may sound like extreme examples, but they’re not. The stigma surrounding mental illness is so powerful that many people with a mental illness would rather suffer longer than risk rejection or more emotional pain from the negative reactions of others.

People With Dual Diagnosis Get A Double Whammy of Stigma

As if it’s not difficult enough to deal with a mental illness, imagine the stigma of having an addiction on top of it. You are doubly cursed, crazy and a drunk, a druggie and nutcase – the list could get worse from here. Mental illness and addiction are sometimes judged by others as stemming from a permanent character flaw. People with these kinds of problems are just losers or defective in some way, the dredge of society.

Of course, it’s much easier to point the finger when it’s directed away from you. Having a drug addiction and serious depression or anxiety may be too much for some non-affected people to comprehend clearly. It sounds so horrible and all-engulfing, so they distance themselves from it.

Mental illness and addiction may illicit negative reactions of pity, disgust, superiority, rejection, name-calling, cruel jokes, fear, mistrust, and many more. When someone is uninformed (or worse, poorly informed), biased against people with challenges, or not very empathetic, these negative reactions are more likely to occur.

Erode The Stigma of Mental Illness to Help Your Community

Each individual develops their own beliefs on mental illness and drug addiction, including any stigma against them. That means you have the power to challenge and expand your understanding of mental illness. As more people understand the truth about mental illness and addiction, the stigma can be lessened. One day, starting drug rehab or mental illness counseling could become as acceptable as getting treatment for a heart condition or cancer.

Stay At Home Moms & Drug Addiction

On the outside it may be unthinkable for a mother to abuse drugs or alcohol while caring for her children. The view from the inside, however, can be quite different. Raising children is the biggest, most important commitment you can ever make. Frequently, this task falls on the mother’s shoulders – or rather, her breasts, as breastfeeding is typically the main focus for an infant’s first three to six months of life. The father’s task, then, is to provide for the mother and child until they are both able to fend for themselves.

Quick Switch in Roles Leaves Women Feeling Lonely and Depressed

What may have been a modern, progressive living situation prior to baby’s arrival, reverts (quite literally) overnight into the ancient male/female, provider/nurturer roles. In a culture founded on equal rights and doctrines of non-discrimination, such an immense shift in personal values may leave Mom and Dad wondering where they went wrong.

Added to that sense of secret shame is a newfound, neverending workload of diapers, laundry, and dishes, endless nights without adequate sleep, constant pressure and performance anxiety, all rewarded generously with extra helpings of baby poop, vomit, and breastmilk covering every piece of clothing you own. Weight gain, fluctuations in hormones, enormous eating habits, and total lack of any free time whatsoever leaves Mom completely frazzled and exhausted. And that’s just on day three.

Depression Leads to Drug and Alcohol Abuse as A Way of Coping

Who wouldn’t love a quick reminiscence of “normal life,” a much needed break from waiting on everyone else hand and foot? When you’re bogged down in teething toys and dirty diapers, and you haven’t had a real conversation with another adult in days, it’s tempting to reach for the one thing you know will bring you instant relaxation.

If you already struggle with depression, mental illness, or drug addiction, being off your meds during pregnancy can invoke enough anxiety that you either withdraw or act out in unpredictable ways. Depression, and the general stress of motherhood, increases the likelihood of consuming drugs or alcohol as a way of controlling the chaos of your new life.

Quality Relationships Help Recharge Mom’s Batteries and Fend Off Depression

Questioning your own competence at being a new mother is perfectly reasonable, considering the skills needed to provide constant care to a child are ones that many people don’t have until they’ve been thrust into the limelight. Instinct (knowing you need to do something) is part of it, but experience (knowing what to do) carries much more weight.

Connecting with other moms who are going through the same crazy scenarios as you can provide a genuine sense of relief, not to mention support, encouragement, and valuable tips and tricks for making your everyday life a little easier. Alone time is also a must, so Mom can have the opportunity to indulge in something she enjoys and a chance to connect with her personal needs that otherwise would never be met.

Tell Us: What’s your favorite way to relax and stay connected to the things in life that bring you joy?

Women with a dual diagnosis such as bipolar disorder and drug or alcohol addiction have a greater chance of being involved in the criminal justice system than women without a dual diagnosis. That’s a lot to swallow – in essence, bipolar and addiction can set women up for a criminal record. Men with this diagnosis combination have yet a greater risk for criminal activity. Nonetheless, untreated bipolar and addiction is a nasty combination – a ticking time bomb for disaster.

Reports on Women and Dual Diagnosis in Prison

In a 2005 workshop from a Women’s Mental Health conference in the UK, Marcia Rice reports some startling statistics. While working in the US, UK, and Europe for 15 years, she found that over 60% of women in prison receive treatment for mental illness. Also, many women in prison have experienced trauma and abuse in their past. Interestingly, she also reports that creative therapies such as art therapy, singing, drama, and music were needed to meet women’s mental health needs.

According to another report about a Midwestern US jail from 1999, women make up only 10% of the prison population but have over twice the rate of mental illness as men. A stunning 75% of women with mental illness also had a co-occurring addiction.

Women generally acquire an addiction through emotional pathways. This helps to explain the high rate of overlap between mental illness and addictions among women in prison. Overall, women tend to have more mental health needs than men while in prison, and are not likely to be placed in facilities that can meet these needs.

After Prison for Women With Dual Diagnosis

The concern becomes re-entry into the community. What happens to the women who’ve been in prison for several years, getting hit-or-miss mental illness and addiction treatment? When they return to their hometown, how many have really had the kind of dual diagnosis drug rehab that treats the whole person, especially for a woman?

Certainly, many prisons and jails are trying to make the experience more of a rehabilitation than strictly punishment. And with women-only prisons and detention centers, there are now more opportunities than ever before to focus on the needs of women. However, studies in women’s addiction are a more recent phenomenon. Putting this important research information into practice takes time.

Studies in women’s addiction has been a more recent phenomenon. There are certainly many fine drug rehab facilities all over the United States. However, the holistic drug treatment approach is still somewhat of a unique option. It is therapeutic for both men and women alike, but this approach speaks especially well to the needs of women. The sense of community and connection fostered in a holistic healing environment is of particular importance for women.

Holistic Dual Diagnosis Drug Rehab Helps Women

The Canyon is a holistic dual diagnosis drug rehab well-suited for women. Finding excellent dual diagnosis treatment can be challenging enough. When a woman needs residential treatment, she needs to look no further than The Canyon. Contact The Canyon now to ask questions and begin the journey of holistic addiction recovery.

The rate for depression in the United States is 1 in 4 women and 1 in 8 men. It’s no wonder depression is called the “common cold” of the mental health world. By no means is depression a casual ailment like a cold. However, it’s frequency makes it a steadfast problem in our society. Alcohol often enters the picture, which unfortunately creates another set of problems for women. Effective dual diagnosis treatment is often the only answer. Take a minute to learn about important facts about women, alcoholism, and depression.

Problems With Depression and Alcohol

Alcohol is a depressant to the nervous system and the brain because of its dulling effects. The body is already slowed and stressed during depression. Drinking alcohol only worsens this condition, causing you to feel even more miserable than before the person started drinking. It may seem to take away the sharpness of the emotional pain for a while, but it really creates an even bigger problem in the end.

Alcoholism Develops in Women Differently Than in Men

Current research suggests that alcohol problems can more commonly show up later in life for women than for men. The stigma against being alcoholic may prevent many women from seeking treatment, especially after they may have already lived many years with a certain reputation.

Depression and heavy drinking are strongly connected with women, with isolation being a major factor. Depression tends to become established for women before they develop alcoholism. This pattern has big implications for alcohol addiction prevention for women. Treat depression more effectively across the female population, and there may also be a reduction in alcohol addiction.

Women Have a Greater Risk Than Men for Depression In Their Lifetime

Many factors make women more vulnerable to depression than men. These aren’t intended to show sexism or negative stereotyping, simply research-based information that has been collected about women with depression. Reproductive hormones can play a big part in the emotional stability across a woman’s lifespan. As compared to men, women’s brains are “wired” in such as way that emotions take a larger role in their perspective of the world.

Women tend to be more focused on doing for others and neglecting themselves, seeking approval, and covering up inadequacies in order to stay “in control”. Women are also more likely to run problems over and over in their minds, perpetuating circles of negativity. All of these vulnerabilities make it clear how women are at a higher risk for depression over their lifespan than men.

Alcohol Affects Women Differently

Research has shown several ways that alcohol affects women differently than men. Medications such as birth control slow down the process of eliminating alcohol from the body. Also, it is widely known among researchers that it takes smaller amounts of alcohol to affect women in the same way as men.

This means that a woman could do more damage to her body, get more intoxicated, increase her tolerance, and possibly develop an addiction in less time than a man drinking the same amounts. This effect is from larger amounts of fat in women’s bodies, women’s relatively smaller body size, and women having smaller amounts of an important enzyme that breaks down alcohol.

Effective Dual Diagnosis Rehab for Women

Dual diagnosis treatment gives a woman with depression and alcoholism the best chance at recovery. The holistic alcohol rehab approach at The Canyon provides an ideal environment for healing. The experts at the Canyon provide alcohol detox, a high level of specialized dual diagnosis treatment, and sober living options in California.