Lindsay Lohan is a familiar name to the majority of US citizens. Some movie gurus imagine a red-haired, freckled pixie youngster trolling the set of Parent Trap. Others hear “Lindsay Lohan” and immediately flash to compromising photographs of Lindsay that have circulated throughout common media outlets. Perhaps when you hear the name Lindsay, you picture her breaking down in the court room after a judge sentences her to spend time in jail.

Turn on the TMZ channel or E! News and you are bound to hear news of the latest details on the whirlwind of events that have defined Lindsay’s notoriety in the public eye. Fellow addicts and alcoholics can certainly empathize with her struggles to move forward in her career as a result of the disease — at this point, her career is essentially on hiatus. According to a January 3, 2011 article by PopEater reporter John Mitchell, “This fall, [Lindsay] missed opportunities to promote her role in the film ‘Machete’ because she was in jail and rehab and was dropped from what she’d hoped would be her comeback vehicle, the Linda Lovelace biopic ‘Inferno.’”

In and out of court for drug and alcohol-related indiscretions, Lindsay finally ended up at the Betty Ford Center in Arizona for close to 100 days. Betty Ford’s drug and alcohol facility has earned itself a reputable rap among addiction specialists, interventionists, and various experts in the field. Betty Ford is most likely best known for its family service program. Family therapy sessions at Betty Ford prove valuable not only to the “identified patient” of the family – i.e. the addict or alcoholic — but also provide a high degree of value to surrounding family members as well. Learning to function as a healthy family system, rather than enabling and manipulating one another as a byproduct of addiction, is a key aspect of a successful and long-term abstinence from an addiction.

Unfortunately for Lindsay, family therapy has not always been an integral part of her story. We catch wind of her father in the news for various run-ins with the law. Lindsay’s father, Michael, has racked up a litany of transgressions that illustrate his propensity to play a detrimental role in Lindsay’s life. Dina, Lindsay’s mother, is also notorious for her enabling behaviors. Allegedly, Dina has sought out and purchased cocaine on Lindsay’s behalf. Historically, we couldn’t imagine seeing the three human beings that comprise the “Lohan family mobile” butting heads together to change self-destructive patterns for the better.

However, both of Lindsay’s parents surprised us by attending family therapy at Betty Ford center.

Dina claims to have learned a lot from the experience and is looking forward to a healthier family dynamic. Lindsay’s father, Michael, has agreed not to make public comments on behalf of his daughter in future media collaborations. According to an interview with RadarOnline, Michael was quoted saying, “I have pledged not to comment about anything relating to my daughter,” after his time with Lindsay at Betty Ford treatment center. “However, what I will say is that I am an incredibly proud father tonight. My daughter is progressing extraordinarily well.” We hope he stands by his promise to protect his daughter’s anonymity. Reneging his promise to Lindsay has the potential to jeopardize her sobriety. While in rehab, a large number of alcoholics list “family” as one of the biggest triggers – meaning, a bullet point within a list of people, places and things that risk contributing to a potential relapse.

The way in which this winter 2010 stint in Betty Ford rehab has affected Lindsay in the long-term remains to be seen. We wish her the best, and although we are happy for Lindsay to have reunited with her father, we hope their efforts to maintain a relationship do not lead the actress astray from her recovery-related priorities. Dina claims to be “very happy” that Lindsay is out of rehab. Let’s hope her happiness is based in the right reasons, involving love and compassion – and little to do with Lindsay’s ability to generate cash for the family.

Recent news has broken about Nicole Bobek, former Olympic figure skater and US champion from the 1990′s. In 2009, she was arrested for her alleged involvement in a crystal meth distribution ring. Just recently, she was sentenced with five years of probation and community service. However, she greeted the news with optimism for the future and a desire to help others. It sounds like she might even start training on the ice again.

Sheltered And Protected From Regular Life

Nicole Bobek captured the hearts of figure skating fans fifteen years ago with her beauty and spirit. Today she faces her personal demons and tries to start anew. The never-give-up spirit that endeared her to so many fans will serve her well in her current situation. Despite her fame and success, it seems she more strikes against her than the public realized.

As a professional skater, she was removed from much of the organic social support many girls her age would have developed. She apparently did not attend regular school classes of any kind in order to focus on her career. Her mother raised her alone with no involvement from her absent father. Nicole’s life was set up for athletic success, but maybe not for personal satisfaction and well being.

Isolation And Celebrity Status

Imagine the isolation from doing just one thing for most of your day. Imagine the hyper-focus that allowed Nicole to excel upwards but did not permit her to experience the more relatable ups and downs of her peers. It seems she and her mother have been close, but it’s hard to tell about friendships. How much time could she have had to develop them with such an intense schedule?

Also, consider the price many celebrities have to pay every day for their fame. Private events become publicly scrutinized in a heartbeat. Personal struggles become public struggles. Celebrities are misquoted, second-guessed, glorified, and manipulated to serve other people’s needs. For some people, fame is intentionally self-serving. For others, it is extremely isolating.

Drug Scene Started After Career Faded

One of the first things that NFL rookies do is meet with people to help them figure out what they are going to do after the NFL. Their careers are typically only a few years, so it makes sense for them to plan for life after athletics. Nicole had been constantly competing and working single-mindedly for years. Once her career started to fade, reports say she was ultimately not prepared. Perhaps she didn’t have the type of career transition guidance that NFL rookies receive.

Nicole’s drug use history is unclear. It has been said that she liked to party, but there’s been no direct mention of an addiction to crystal meth or any other drug. It may take more time for the facts to come out about her situation. If she is planning to help people, she may reveal more about her journey in the future.

Nicole Bobek’s Future Without Meth

As Nicole professes, maybe some very good things can come from this. It may be somewhat delayed, but maybe now she can find her way to a peaceful satisfying lifestyle. Maybe she can speak out to others about getting trapped in the dead-end world of drugs. Hopefully, the spotlight on Nicole Bobek will show her on the rise once again.

In a well publicized article in the UK’s The Sun, Lindsay dished the details on her drug and alcohol use, how her abuse of specific drugs affected her and scared her and went on to say that she was done with that behavior as a result.

It appears that that was a resolution that quickly faded for Ms. Lohan. After London and Atlantic City, Lindsay was busted in Los Angeles partying with drugs and alcohol as per her usual not once, not twice but for three consecutive nights.

Concerns for Loved Ones On the Edge of Drug Addiction

While paparazzi and close friends publicize Lindsay’s nights out at Bardot Hollywood or Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, gossip about her apparently ongoing desire to rekindle a relationship with ex-girlfriend, Samantha Ronson, and discuss the actress’s worn appearance, others are expressing concern for Lindsay and worry that she’s headed to a dark place with drug abuse and addiction and potentially should go back to rehab before that happens.

One friend close to Lindsay told the press that Lindsay “needs help. She needs to solve her problems. She’s just not taking care of herself.”

Michael Lohan, her estranged father, is concerned as well. Though Lindsay say that it was Michael who first introduced her to cocaine, Michael blames Lindsay’s behavior on her feelings about his divorce from her mother.

Michael Lohan told People Magazine that: “The reason Lindsay tries to drown her sorrows and mask her pain was because of my divorce from her mother, which in turn tore her apart.”

How to Help Friends and Loved Ones with Drug Abuse Issues

It’s a difficult spot to be in: someone you care for has had obvious difficulties curtailing drug and alcohol abuse in the past, but they claim that they are now okay and can use socially without any long-term detrimental effect. Support them on this and you could be aiding them as they sink deeper into addiction. Fight them on it and you could lose contact with someone you care for deeply as they fall irrevocably further into a life that will eventually kill them.

So how do you help your friend or loved one effectively? First, don’t make it the focus of every interaction with them. When their drug and alcohol addiction or their behavior under the influence hurts you, someone else or them physically or emotionally, take note.

Next, find others who share your concerns. If drug and alcohol addiction is truly a problem, then there are others who have noticed as well: family members, significant others, siblings, close friends, bosses or mentors. Gathering a handful of these people together for an intervention can be an effective way to allow everyone to communicate their concerns and convince your friend that it’s time to get help at a drug rehab.

Finally, you need to be prepared that your friend may or may not accept help. For everyone in any relationship, there are deal breakers. Drug and alcohol addiction or continued abuse of drugs is likely one of yours, especially when it means that you have to watch your friend hurt themselves and others. Let them know that if they don’t get the help they need for themselves, that you will no longer be a part of their life. And then follow through: if they choose drug rehab, be there to support them with letters, phone calls and visits and make sure you are available and supportive when they come home. If they choose not to go to rehab, then walking away and maintaining your distance is the right thing to do for both of you.

Pregnancy and Drug Addiction

While the dangers of exposing your unborn child to drugs and alcohol are clear, researchers have discovered that actually engaging soon-to-be moms with questions about their substance use is still quite muddled. The risks are paramount, yet doctors are reluctant to talk to their prenatal patients with anything more than the outdated “Drugs are bad. You shouldn’t do drugs because they’ll hurt the baby,” routine.

Probing the Subject of Drug and Alcohol Use: A Catch-22

Dr. Richard Frankel, a medical sociologist elaborates, “Pregnant women are sensitive about being asked about substance abuse and some healthcare providers may feel that talking about these issues will compromise the provider-patient relationship, however, the evidence suggests that the benefits of a frank discussion about substance abuse far outweigh the costs to the relationship….

“Previous studies have shown that one minute of a doctor’s time for tobacco counseling has a measureable effect on attempts to quit smoking. We believe a similar strategy could be used to teach providers to engage pregnant women in brief but effective discussions of alcohol and drug abuse risks,” he says.

Better Prenatal Communication Leads to Reduced Drug Dependence

Could it be that medical professionals are in denial about the extensive nature of drug and alcohol use among pregnant women? That’s not to say that all women who use substances during pregnancy are addicts, but even so, free campaign literature for sobriety during pregnancy and while breastfeeding are practically a moms-to-be first shower gift. The intentions are good, but the message gets tossed in the trash all too often.

Physicians and midwives need immediate access to drug and alcohol rehab referrals, along with training in how to approach patients in a nonjudgmental, nonthreatening way. Partnering with local counseling and therapy services makes information available to all women – not just those who may look as if they’re at risk for abusing alcohol or illicit drugs.

“Obstetrical care providers may be more comfortable dealing with tobacco but alcohol and illicit drugs are just as, if not more, important to address. Doctors and midwives need to know what resources are available for counseling and which of these programs are most likely to work for expectant mothers. By helping the patient with alcohol and or drug abuse the provider can make a major difference in the health of the baby throughout his or her lifetime,” urges Dr. Frankel.

Tell Us: Would you be more likely to get help for a drug or alcohol problem while pregnant if you knew there was somewhere safe you could go for help?

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.

We’ve talked about women and the need for alcohol rehab, how more and more women are becoming alcoholics, and how depression and alcoholism affect women. Recently we even talked about women who are pregnant and in need of alcohol rehab. Today, we’re going to check out how pregnant women interact with another addictive substance: cocaine.

The Effects of Cocaine During Pregnancy

According to PLoS Medicine and Medical News Today, “when mothers use cocaine during pregnancy, the exposure of the developing brain to the substance can cause specific neurological and behavioral abnormalities.”

It’s the development of the fetus’ brain that is of primary concern, and a recent study focused on exactly how cocaine works during pregnancy to create these adverse effects. It turns out that cocaine metabolism affects how cells interact with each other, signal each other and basically work together to produce proteins that the baby needs for a healthy brain.

But it’s not just the brain development of the baby that is affected during prenatal cocaine use: the long-term health of the child is impaired when cocaine is present in utero. In fact, structural changes in the DNA occur, which in turn cause structural changes in your child.

Do You Need Cocaine Addiction Treatment During Pregnancy?

As if those who are struggling with drug addiction don’t have it hard enough in terms of stereotypes and the belittling judgments of strangers, just add a child to the mix and watch that judgment turn into outright disdain. It’s difficult to get treatment even when you aren’t pregnant. If you need cocaine addiction treatment, The Canyon can provide that to you without judgment. We congratulate you on making a healthy choice for you and your child expeditiously. Putting your child first starts with putting yourself first. Get the help you need to stay healthy and give your child the start he or she deserves.

Women are complex creatures – not many people would argue this point. Unfortunately, they become even more complex when mental illness and addiction is thrown in. Emotions are important to men and women, but they play a unique role in the onset of mental illness and addictions. This means that effective drug alcohol rehab must include methods that address the unique needs of women.

Mental Illness and Addiction Under-reported

Health professionals generally agree that the true number of people suffering from mental health and substance abuse diagnoses is somewhat unknown. Because of social stigma and distorted thoughts, many people simply don’t tell anyone that something is wrong.

It is estimated that mental disorders and substance abuse problems are under-reported during pregnancy and the postpartum period. No mother wants to appear that she is unwell or doing a poor job of caring for her child. Many pregnant women with addiction or mental illness simply sweep them under the rug, keeping silent about their problems for many months or years.

Differences Between Women and Men With Mental Illness and Addiction

Women also acquire the same mental illnesses and addictions to the same drugs that men do. However, the emotional center of a woman’s brain is larger than in a man’s brain. This means there are many more connections in the brain related to emotions.

Because of this difference in brain structure, women are “wired” to be more aware of emotions and more skilled at navigating emotional connections with others. However, this also appears to increase their vulnerability to some mental illnesses such as depression. It is possible that this is due to women reporting depression more frequently than men do.

Men typically keep depression to themselves, seeing it as their role to be self-reliant and not ask for help. They often turn to alcohol and drugs, being a workaholic, or becoming overabsorbed in a hobby or sport activity. If depressed men do report symptoms, it is more likely to be physical and perhaps not diagnosed as depression for quite a while.

Greater emotional connectivity means that women usually become addicted to drugs or alcohol through an emotional pathway. Women also have more successful recoveries when they acknowledge and address the emotional pain that lead them to their addiction.

Women and Dual Diagnosis Drug Rehab

When a dual diagnosis woman decides it is time for drug rehab, she needs to feel reassured that her distinctly feminine needs will be fully met. Many treatment programs are based on the needs of men and do little to understand the unique perspectives and emotional issues.

The Canyon has master’s-level professionals, ready to treat each individual woman who comes for help. The holistic treatment approach of The Canyon is wonderful and comprehensive for anyone needing treatment. It particularly speaks to the needs of women by providing an open and accepting environment, conducive to building and restoring emotional health. If you or a woman you care for needs drug rehab, don’t hesitate to contact The Canyon get addiction help now.