Rather than buy into a $5000 a plate dinner to benefit the cause of the month as many celebrities do, Beyonce Knowles has decided to take a different philanthropic route. She and her mother, fashion designer Tina Knowles, have opened the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center at the Phoenix House Career Academy in Dumbo, Brooklyn for those recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and/ or mental illness.

The Benefits of Beauty School for Dual Diagnosis

Beyonce’s new beauty school offers those who are dually diagnosed an opportunity to gain job skills in a supportive environment. Those who have successfully completed rehab and who are focused on getting their lives back on track after active addiction can come here without worry of being judged for their past or discriminated against due to psychological issues. As long as they remain on a healing track, the Beyonce school offers a 7-month program that is focused on continued dedication to recovery and learning.

Beyonce, Hair Salons, and Recovery

According to Beyonce, hair salons are inherently a place for community and support. Her mother, Tina Knowles, worked in a salon when Beyonce was a child and Beyonce remembered it as a place to “share stories, cry, laugh, and get advice. The first sign of recovery is caring about your appearance and hopefully, this Center will be a place that will change lots of lives every year.”

Combining beauty school with recovery was an idea that came to Beyonce when she spent time at Phoenix House while preparing for her acting role as Etta James.

Says Beyonce: “Through their stories, I realized that all of us have our personal struggles and we all have something to overcome. But it is mostly drug and alcohol addiction that has the stigma that must be removed. Drug addiction is a disease and these beautiful women I met did not choose to become addicts, but they have chosen to get better, and the staff at Phoenix House is important to that healing process.”

This isn’t the first move Beyonce has made on behalf of the women who inspired her at Phoenix House: she also donated her salary from her role as Etta James to the foundation. She and her mother will also donate $100,000 a year to their beauty school.

Recovery and Rejuvenation

While there are only a limited number of openings at Beyonce’s new beauty school, there are a ton of opportunities for those coming out of drug rehab and looking for a new focus in life. Programs are available across the country that provide a sober living as well as assistance if not training in reaching a new educational or job goal post-rehab.

The Canyon is one such place. Located in southern California, we can provide a sober living environment for those who have successfully completed drug rehab. Contact us today to learn more about our program or to schedule a tour of the facility. Find out if The Canyon is the right place for you.

DMX was arrested in Arizona last month for cocaine possession. In addition to being a charge that stands alone, DMX (born Earl Simmons) is also in violation of his parole. He was taken to a local county jail to await further action from the court.

About a year ago, DMX spent 90 days inside on charges of fraud, drug possession and animal cruelty.

DMX’s lawyer, Gary Jenkins, blames the rapper’s history of problems with the law on drug addiction. Jenkins says those problems are a continuing issue and one that requires an intervention.

Jenkins told TMZ: “He’s been battling addiction for some time and he’s in need of treatment. We’re hoping that maybe Dr. Drew might be able to help him. He’s a talented man…we’re praying for him.”

For his part, DMX doesn’t take much of the blame for his actions on himself. Rather, he blames law enforcement and others for targeting him. He also claims that his rights were abused and ignored.

DMX told the court: “Look at the fair treatment going on. I’m the only one in here, I’m the only one who got arrested today. Every time they do it to me! My rights are being violated but I got to be quiet about it.”

While DMX believes that he isn’t to blame for his arrest, others heartily disagree. Sheriff Joe Arpaio is one such person. He believes that DMX should be punished with jail time for his behavior. He sees DMX’s latest behavior as part of a longstanding pattern that needs to be dealt with.

Says Arpaio: “I’m surprised he came back. He doesn’t like the sheriff, he doesn’t like my office. I’m sure he doesn’t like all the times he’s been arrested. He’s also been a problem. He doesn’t show up for court. I had to send my deputies to Florida twice to bring him back. We’ve been treating him with kid gloves. I think it’s about time to give him hard time.”

Enabling Versus Assisting: How Much is Too Much Help to Give a Loved One Addicted to Drugs

While there’s something to be said for helping friends and family members who are going through hard times, when continued drug and alcohol addiction is the source of your loved one’s problems, there needs to be a limit to the amount of assistance given for your sake as well as theirs. Continuing to “clean up” after someone who consistently causes problems for themselves and their family due to drug and alcohol use only enables them to continue to live actively with addiction. The best way to help someone you love who is addicted to cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, heroin, and other drugs of addiction is to help them understand that getting help is the only way to heal.

If you are concerned about someone you love, call The Canyon. We can give you more information about drug and alcohol interventions as well as the type of treatments that are available for your loved one. Call now.

It’s not just individual country governments that are taking on drug addiction. The United Nations is now putting its power behind an initiative to halt drug trafficking trade and sales with an eye towards protecting developing countries from the potential “health disaster” that could result otherwise.

The Neo-Colonialism of Drug Dependence

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is dedicated to helping these smaller countries that lack the manpower and funds to protect themselves against the blight of drug addiction.

Antonio Maria Costas is a chief at UNODC. He says: “The developing world lacks the treatment facilities and law enforcement to control drugs. This seems to have been forgotten by people in rich countries calling for loosening of drug controls. Why condemn the Third World, already ravaged by so many tragedies, to the neo-colonialism of drug dependence?”

Different developing regions are victim to different drugs, according to Costas. East Africa is seeing an increase in heroin abuse and addiction while West Africa has seen a rise in cocaine addicts. In the Middle East and Southeast Asia, heroin and other drugs are becoming more and more of a problem.

But no matter what the drug of choice, drug addiction can be a “a kind of weapon of mass destruction,” according to Ali Asghar Soltanieh, the Iranian envoy to the UN. He calls drugs a “threat destroying the foundation of families.”

Drug Addiction Treatment and Medical Treatment

Access to drug treatment is the primary focus of the UN initiatives. The problem is making sure that all socioeconomic classes can get the treatment they need. Costas believes that inequality among people in developing countries is part of the problem, and that it “marginalizes poor people who lack access to treatment.”

On the other hand, access to pharmaceutical drugs is just as necessary to the building of a new nation. Says Costas: “The medical use of narcotic drugs continues to be indispensable for the relief of pain and suffering.”

Costas also says that UN member nations should “overcome cultural and socio-economic factors that deny a Nigerian suffering from AIDS or a Mexican cancer patient the morphine offered to Italian or American counterparts.”

Finding Drug Rehab Help

Whether it’s treatment for drug addiction or drug treatment for medical disorders and diseases, it’s about getting the right medications into the right hands that wrong drugs out of everyone’s hands. It’s a huge undertaking and it’s certainly not easy. It’s something that individual governments of some of the most powerful nations of the world have a hard time doing. It’s no wonder then that the assistance of something as large as the United Nations is what is needed to help these developing countries overcome drug addiction.

Luckily, over here in the United States, access to drug addiction treatment isn’t a problem. If you or someone you love is living with drug addiction, you can find the help you need. The Canyon is one place where you can find alcohol rehab, drug rehab, drug detox, and extended aftercare services. Call today for more information.

There is one country in the world that imprisons more people than anyone else and consumes 66 percent of the world’s illicit drugs. According to Ruben Rosario at TwinCities.com, that country is the United States.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse released a 188-page study linking criminal behavior with drug and alcohol addiction. The Center calls the study “the most exhaustive analysis ever undertaken to identify the extent to which alcohol and other drugs are implicated in the crimes and incarceration of America’s prison population.”

The number of drug-related offenders in all manner of lockup make up 85 percent of the prison population. So why isn’t there more of an effort to get treatment to those who are inside? Without it, they simply make more connections with other drug users and sellers while locked up and leave the facility to hit the streets a smarter, more hardened criminal than before with the same drug addiction issues.

Joseph Califano heads the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. He says that if “all inmates with substance-use disorders who are not receiving treatment were provided evidence-based treatment and aftercare, we would break even on this investment in one year if just over 10 percent of those receiving such services remained substance- and crime-free and employed.”

As it stands, only 11 percent of inmates with drug addiction disorders receive drug addiction treatment during their incarceration, according to the study. Officials always like to cite cost as a reason for not providing a given service in any context, but the fact that federal, state and local government agencies spend upwards of $74 billion on probation, parole, court costs and prison costs makes it difficult to believe that diverting some of the funds toward drug rehab instead wouldn’t be cost effective, especially when the recidivism rate is effectively decreased as a result, which in turn decreases future costs.

How much do they currently spend on drug addiction rehab and abuse prevention for prisoners? About $632 million, according to the new study. That’s less than 1 percent of what is invested into other forms of “rehabilitation” through imprisonment.

Califano comments on the financial aspect of the issue:

“For each succeeding year that these inmates remained substance- and crime-free and employed, the nation would reap an economic benefit of $90,953 per inmate in reduced crime, lower arrest, prosecution, incarceration and health care costs, and economic benefits from employment. That’s a return on investment that would satisfy even the greediest Wall Street bankers.”

Just to be clear, the suggestion to insert drug rehab more dominantly into the prison system should in no way be interpreted as a “get out of jail free” card for violent offenders with drug addiction issues. The idea is to actually help the person who has a drug addiction that is putting them in a position to do things they otherwise wouldn’t. The hope is that drug treatment over imprisonment will increase their chances of successfully kicking their habit as well as the treadmill of prison rather than digging a deeper hole for their lives that is harder to get out of.

But don’t take my word for it. Take a look at the study online and draw your own conclusions.

Online gossip magazines are abuzz again with the latest news in Tiger Woods’ personal life. It seems the golf pro will be staying at drug rehab (or is it sex rehab?) to continue his recovery and wife Elin is returning home to Florida without her hubby in tow.

Sex Rehab or Drug Rehab?

Conjecture of the masses can’t seem to agree: is Tiger blaming his many illicit affairs on sex addiction? Or is painkiller addiction that has him making decisions that he wouldn’t ordinarily? No one knows for sure right now, though it is being reported as fact by some sources that he has enrolled himself in treatment for Ambien addiction and Vicodin addiction.

Some view the fact that, on the night that Tiger got into his car accident, Elin told police that her husband had prescriptions for Ambien and Vicodin. The implication that many news sources took from this was that Tiger’s use of these prescriptions was perhaps the cause of the accident.

One source told The National Enquirer that, “In therapy, Tiger blamed a lot of his cheating behavior on his drug addiction, saying that the drugs were responsible for impairing his judgment.”

The only thing Tiger had to say about drugs in his recent public statement was: “They said I used performance-enhancing drugs. This is completely and utterly false.”

Of course, few would describe a sleep medication like Ambien and a painkiller like Vicodin as “performance enhancing” drugs, so perhaps this commentary doesn’t quite refute the possibility of drug addiction as the reason for his stint in rehab.

Dual Diagnosis: Sex Addiction and Drug Addiction

It’s not uncommon to find that those living with sex addiction are also dually diagnosed with drug and/ or alcohol addiction. Having two simultaneous diagnoses is exceedingly common as those with psychological or psychosocial issues often feel uncomfortable and seek to self medicate with drugs and alcohol. It’s exceedingly important in these circumstances that treatment for both disorders is received simultaneously.

The old way of doing things was this: if drug addiction is present, treat that first and then treat the co-occurring disorder. That’s no longer the accepted way of doing things. Too often, further treatment was not sought after drug rehab and, in many cases, drug addiction treatment wasn’t as effective as it could be because issues associated with the other disorder got in the way. Dual diagnosis treatment is the best way to increase the effectiveness of recovery for both disorders.

Drug Rehab and Sex Rehab: Getting Treatment

Whether you or someone you love is living with sex addiction, drug and alcohol addiction or both disorders, it is essential that you choose rehab to heal. Both of these conditions are medical conditions and it is imperative that medical treatment is sought. It is almost impossible to walk away from these conditions for any meaningful length of time without holistic treatment that addresses the many different levels of addiction, including psychological addiction. Call The Canyon today for more information about dual diagnosis treatment.

The reasons why people first experiment with drugs and ultimately develop a drug and alcohol addiction are practically endless: genetics, depression, co-occurring psychological disorders, financial problems, relationship issues, unresolved childhood issues.

Cameron Douglas—or at least his lawyers—have found a source for his drug and alcohol addiction: his father’s fame. Cameron Douglas is Michael Douglas’ son and Cameron’s lawyers recently convinced a court to give Cameron bail because he was “pushed into a life of drugs because of his father’s fame,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The charges? Cameron Douglas, 31, was arrested during a drug raid on his hotel room at New York City’s Hotel Gansevoort in August of 2009.

He pled guilty to one count of possession with “intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession of heroin.” At first, he was placed under house arrest at his mother’s home in Manhattan but was then brought to jail after he allegedly asked his girlfriend to bring him heroin by smuggling it into the house in an electric toothbrush.

When requesting bail in court, Cameron’s lawyers defined Cameron’s “difficult upbringing” as the source of a great many of his troubles, including his issues with drug addiction which led to the charges.

Says Dan Gitner, Cameron’s defense attorney: “(Douglas’) serious heroin addiction (stems from) notoriety that is not due to any acts of his own but by dint of birth and a difficult upbringing.”

Co-counsel, Nicholas DeFeis, for Cameron said: “He didn’t benefit from his celebrity. He was hurt by it in a variety of ways, including ways in this case.”

Dr. Robert Millman is Cameron’s psychiatrist. He concurs: “(Douglas) has been sort of a reckless person since he was really young, endangering himself constantly. Not violent, just screwing up in every way – car accidents, motorcycle accidents, tattoos. I think a lot of it had to do with who his parents are.”

Unfortunately for Cameron, the judge remained unconvinced. Concerned that Cameron would relapse while awaiting trial in April, bail was denied.

The moral of the story? The reason why drug addiction develops is irrelevant to the law. The causes or contributory factors are more important to you, the individual, as you take on recovery. It’s not about blaming anyone for your current predicament or taking the heat off yourself for your actions. Rather, it’s about discovering the broken parts of yourself that made drugs look like the only option out and addressing those issues positively and more healthfully so that drugs no longer look so good to you.

Drug rehab is a great place to begin an exploration that will help you uncover some of the early causes of your drug addiction. Through talk therapy, group sessions, alternative therapies and holistic treatments you can uncover some of these raw emotional experiences and deal with them while learning non-drug related ways to deal with the pain, sadness, anger, and depression that usually accompanies these problems. When this is taken on in a safe, recovery setting, you have the opportunity to begin to heal and, in so doing, give yourself a new lease on life after drug rehab.

The other day, we started talking about drug trafficking and how your drug addiction and drug use in general in the United States is causing the deaths of thousands each year. We are looking at a specific case, Culiacan in Sinaloa, Mexico, and the violence that occurs daily due to United States drug use and addiction.

How the Government Fights Drug Trafficking… Sort Of

Every Mexican president that has come to power in the last couple of decades has claimed to want to fight drug trafficking and the resulting violence. According to Manual Ortiz at the San Diego New Network, each president has even incarcerated a few drug bosses, but this has only serve to assist the drug bosses remaining on the street and exacerbate the problem. In essence, the Mexican government is in support of drug trafficking, though the specific bosses and cartels backed changes with each new president.

Drug Trafficking and Poverty

The only people making money of drug trafficking is the drug bosses. The government puts its support and money behind the drug cartels and not the people, so education suffers. As a result, an extreme and polarized society occurs with the rich and violent drug cartel on one side and everyone else living in poverty and no hope of escaping it. Locals depressed by the outlook and with regular access to drugs end up becoming drug addicts themselves.

The War on Drug Trafficking

While Reagan declared a War on Drugs in the ‘80s and flooded the public school systems and television air waves with public service announcements about the effects of drugs, President Felipe Calderon, the current president of Mexico, declared a war on drug trafficking in December, 2006.

Since that time, it is being reported that about 16,000 people have been killed due to the ongoing war between cartels and authorities and infighting between the cartels. Every year the violence increases: 2009 was the most violent year yet with 7724 murders.

Calderon has his own media Reagan-style media blitz, but his commercials are focused on his “successes.” According to advertising, the government is winning the war against drug trafficking and the violence and deaths are proof.

Many disagree with the government’s bright view. They say that more focus should be placed on money laundering and that while it’s true that some drug cartels are crumbling, others are allowed to prosper and grow. Culiacan is home to a number of laundering houses where bags are passed through windows and big trucks drive in and out of the town rather openly. It’s no secret.

Edgardo Buscaglia is a United Nations expert on security and organized crime said: “I would like to see Mexico also strike at the Sinaloa Confederation. That has not, up to now, produced the number of arrests and sentences that have been occurred in other criminal organizations, like those of the Beltrán Leyva, La Familia Michoacana, Los Zetas and the Golfo cartel… Let’s hit everyone evenly.”

How You Can Help

While you, in your home, can do little by yourself to effect great change in Mexico and other drug trafficking regions that serve the United States, recognizing that there’s no such thing as harmless drug use is a step. If you continue to actively live with heroin addiction, cocaine addiction and marijuana addiction without getting the treatment you need to walk away from drugs forever, you are helping to keep drug trafficking and violence alive. By choosing heroin addiction treatment, cocaine detox and marijuana rehab, you are, in effect, doing your part to take away the demand for the drugs that keeps drug trafficking alive.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) has released their first draft. In this new version of the American Psychiatric Association document used by virtually everyone to diagnose behavioral health problems, the disease categories for substance abuse and dependence will be replaced with a brand new “addictions and related disorders” category.

Why The Categorization of Drug Addiction is Changing

The hope of the American Psychiatric Association has for making this change is that it will create a clearer line between those who are physically dependent upon a prescription drug and those who are addicted to their drug of choice.

In a press release, the APA stated: “Eliminating the category of dependence will better differentiate between the compulsive drug-seeking behavior of addiction and normal responses of tolerance and withdrawal that some patients experience when using prescribed medications that affect the central nervous system.”

Their point is that many people will develop a physical dependence upon a drug during the course of treatment, but that this singular fact does not make them a drug addict. When it is appropriate for their treatment, they can simply cut back on their dose slowly under their doctor’s supervision and stop taking the drug completely and without incident.

Someone suffering from drug addiction will find this simple exit plan from their drug of choice to be impossible. The psychological addiction and cravings are the defining characteristic of drug addiction and it is this distinction that the APA would like to make in the new DSM-V.

How the Categorization of Drug Addiction is Changing in the DSM-V

One of the biggest changes is the new category that will include substance-use disorders. Each drug type will get its own category with its own diagnostic criteria. Not much will change in terms of diagnostic criteria except that “drug craving” will be added and “problems with law enforcement will be dropped.” As the APA points out, “cultural considerations… make the criteria difficult to apply internationally.”

Cannabis withdrawal criteria is also a new addiction to the DSM-V. The APA says it occurs with the “cessation of cannabis use that has been heavy and prolonged,” results in “clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.” Some listed symptoms of marijuana withdrawal include irritability, anxiety, anger, weight loss/ decreased appetite, insomnia, depression, and physical symptoms like sweating, fever, headache, et cetera. At least three of these need be present to diagnose marijuana withdrawal, according to the new DSM-V.

Why The Categorization of Drug Addiction Matters

For many, insurance is the only way to pay for drug and alcohol rehab. If the problem is not categorized as a medical issue that requires medical treatment, then insurance companies may start rejecting claims that request coverage for drug and alcohol detox treatment and medications. As these are both necessary for recovery and typically very expensive, it’s important that their classification be as clear as possible.

Charles O’Brien, M.D., Ph.D., is the chair of the APA’s DSM Substance-Related Disorders Work Group. He says: “The term dependence is misleading, because people confuse it with addiction, when in fact the tolerance and withdrawal patients experience are very normal responses to prescribed medications that affect the central nervous system.

“On the other hand, addiction is compulsive drug- seeking behavior which is quite different. We hope that this new classification will help end this wide-spread misunderstanding.”

Gladys Lillas, of New Zealand, was notorious for her drinking habit. Often drunk, Lillas would walk and dance in traffic, forcing cars to swerve out of the way to avoid her. Many an accident was narrowly missed due to her antics, and the local courts finally decided recently that enough is enough: they forcing Lillas into rehab.

Typically, a person’s family members have to be the ones to push someone into alcohol and drug rehab if they aren’t choosing it for themselves. In the event that criminal acts are done under the influence, some courts have drug court options in which the offender is offered drug rehab rather than jail time, but still no one is forced into anything. If the offender decides not to opt for treatment, they are well within their rights to choose jail time instead.

In short, it’s highly irregular for a court to force anyone into treatment and though no one can deny that Lillas is an alcoholic and that her behavior under the influence is dangerous, some are a little hesitant about the court’s decision to force her into drug and alcohol addiction treatment.

Said Judge McGuire who presided over her case: “We need to get you help for your alcoholism to quit finally so some poor motorist will not have your death on their conscience when you walk out in front of them drunk.”

To be clear, Lillas is far from a first time offender. She has been picked up numerous times over the years with drunk and disorderly charges. Her favorite pastime seems to be walking in traffic and yelling at the top of her lungs. She even did three months in an alcohol rehab facility but the court was told that she immediately began drinking again upon her release. The police are have been inundated for years with phone calls from concerned citizens who feared for Lillas’ life due to her behavior, and the courts seem to have decided that it was time to step in.

Says Police Prosecutor Aroha Cooper: “It’s sad because she is such a lovely person. Everyone loves Gladys. She has a real sense of humor but on the down side when she has been drinking, all police can do is lock her up and detox her. She needs some help.”

Inspector Greg Sparrow also commented on Lillas’ situation, saying: “We’ve usually been called when she has been wandering out on the road presenting a danger not only to herself but to other road users. We are pleased that danger may be mitigated. It is obviously a concern for us having people wandering about on the roads. The last thing we want to see is Gladys being injured.”

What do you think? Is it fair or constitutional to mandate treatment for those who refuse to help themselves if they continue to be a danger to others? Or should the judicial system only be allowed to levy fines and enforce jail time for offenses no matter what the cause of those choices?

Former Oklahoma State basketball coach Sean Sutton, 41, was arrested for trying to get prescription drugs illegally from out of state. He spent the night in jail and was reportedly dealing with withdrawal symptoms like nausea and vomiting and profuse sweating when he was released.

Sutton arranged to pick up about 40 pills under a false name. The pills in the package included clonazepam, an anti-anxiety medication and two types of the stimulant Adderall and another drug.

Sean’s arraignment is set for next week where it is expected that he will be charged with “obtaining a controlled or dangerous substance (CDS) by fraud, possession of a CDS, attempted possession of a CDS and use of a communication device to facilitate a felony,” according to New York Breaking News.

Drug Addiction and Genetic Predisposition

Sutton is not the only one in his family who has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. His father, Eddie Sutton, was also a former Cowboys coach until May of 2006 when he was in an alcohol-induced car accident and was forced to relinquish the position.

After the car accident, Sean replaced his father as the Oklahoma State basketball coach but had to resign in April 2008.

Now, he is dealing with legal issues due to drug addiction as well. Considering how difficult prescription drug addiction is on the system and the severity of the withdrawal symptoms, hopefully his first stop will be at a prescription drug detox and addiction treatment center.

Drug Addiction Treatment

Whether your issue is alcoholism or prescription drug addiction to drugs like OxyContin, Valium, Xanax, hydrocodone, Percocet and other pills, drug addiction treatment is the only way to safely change your life. Even if you are committed to breaking your addiction to your drug of choice, it is not recommended that you stop using an addictive drug by yourself if you experience withdrawal symptoms. It is recommended that you instead enroll yourself in a drug detox and addiction treatment program that provides you with an holistic treatment program.

The Benefits of Holistic Treatment

Holistic drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs allow you to get multiple layers of treatment for your addiction. This multi-faceted approach makes your experience at drug rehab as well rounded as possible, allowing you to explore many different types of therapy and treatment.

The more time you spend learning how drugs of addiction affect your brain and body and honestly exploring your own personal experience and drug history, the better equipped you will be to learn new tools to fight off relapse when you return home. The more time you spend in treatment and the more varied the therapies you undertake during your rehab experience, the more likely you will be to stave off relapse for long periods. Statistics show that the more immersive your treatment, the better you will do in recovery.

For more information, contact The Canyon today.