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Adolescent Treatment Parents Comments

November 14, 2008

Hello All Visions Staff:

Thanksgiving is nearing and we wanted to be sure that you know how thankful we are that you have been a part of our lives. One year ago, we received a phone call that our son had overdosed and was on the way to the hospital via ambulance. We were in a state of fear and apprehension. It seemed very likely that he would die from an accidental or intentional overdose.

Today, we hear from our son daily. He talks about his dreams, his program, and his gratitude for this day. The difference in our relationship with him is almost unbelievable! One day last week, he called and mentioned that it was kind of a rough day at school. We listened and told him that tomorrow was another day. His response was, “Don’t get me wrong, a bad day now is better than any good day I used to have.”

Our son had nine months of sobriety on November 15. A couple of months ago, his NA sponsor relapsed and went back out after years of sobriety. He quickly found another sponsor, who is a tech at In Balance Transitional Living. Although we are sorry about his former sponsor, this change has turned out to be pivotal in our son’s recovery. He has worked steps one through six with his new sponsor, and the fact that his sponsor lives on site is an added blessing.

We have read testimonials from past Visions’ parents thanking you for giving them back their son or daughter. What you have given us is a completely new son. Each of you helped to lay the groundwork for the transformation that is taking place day by day in our son. He is learning to love, value, and accept himself; and as a result, to love, value, and accept others. Last week, after a community meeting, our son called home to tell us that he had been moved to tears. He said he never thought he would hear the kinds of things said about him by others that he had heard during that meeting. The fact that his peers recognized the changes in him was very powerful.

Heading into this holiday season, we send our love and gratitude to each of you. Your jobs are difficult, demanding, and often we would imagine, heartbreaking; but…you change lives…you make a difference in this world…you have changed the life of our son.

God bless you all,
With love and gratitude,
Proud Parents of a Visions alumnus

Article in the LA Times today (“The 30-Day Myth”) Drug Rehab

There was an excellent article in the LA Times today (“The 30-Day Myth”) which supports the idea that for lasting recovery, more treatment time is essential. The 28 day program is simply not working anymore. Research indicates that relapse rates are proportional to how long an individual has been in treatment. Many people come unwillingly into treatment, so their recovery may not even start within the first month. It may take weeks for a patient to “clear” or “detox,” which can also impede progress. These facts are what made Visions reconsider their residential policies.

Visions opened as a 30-90 day treatment program for adolescents. Over time Visions learned what this article reveals; that extended treatment ensures better outcomes in terms of relapse prevention. Currently, the minimum stay at Visions is 45 days. Addictive behaviors develop over time and so it’s no surprise that there is no quick fix in the treatment of addiction.

For more on this topic see today’s paper or follow the link:

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-addiction10-2008nov10,0,1225784.story

Adolescent Drug Treatment or Acting?

Adolescent Drug Treatment or Acting?

So for almost 8 years now the only profession I've been interested in is one in the entertainment field. I'm and actress. My adrenaline rushes at the thought of being in front of an audience and hearing their emotions come to life. I love the camera and Ive been told it loves me too, ha ha. I mean that in the most humble way! I love being an adult and playing make believe as a job. Of course it is probably the most difficult job choice one can make. There are no guarantees, not set pathway to go to become a successful working actor- just the determination to make the dream come to life.

In those 8 years I haven't had any other career interests outside of acting. At 29 that is a little scary. People say find a fallback plan and I've always been opposed to the idea of that...its almost like thinking my goal of a sitcom won't come true. Then, finally, something has come along that I've found a passion for: working to help adolescents battle their drug addictions. I'm not saying I'm giving up performing by any means, but Ive found a place in my heart and spirit for helping adolescents in need. Maybe I'm reaching out to help teen addicts because I couldn't help my birth parents fight their drug addiction and now they are gone because of them. Maybe its my mother instinct kicking in. Who knows!

I love seeing the teen drug addicts recover. I laugh inside at their teenage defiance and I tear up when they finally connect. Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers has allowed me the ability to reach out to teens and their families in a different way than acting does and its equally fulfilling. I've been through abuse and turmoil myself and any way I can help a teenager come out of their difficult situations and see that life is wonderful despite any injustices and bad days we come across warms me to the core.

Maybe I'll figure out a way to combine both passions and be able to help change lives of adolescent addicts while bringing a little make believe and magic to their lives.

Amy Lawhorn

Adolescent Addiction and the Disease Concept

As a chemical dependency counselor at Visions Adolescent Treatment Center one of my duties is to educate the Adolescents on the disease concept of addiction and alcoholism. As an southern Californian, with a mother who has been sober through Alcoholics Anonymous for the last eight years, I am very familiar and comfortable with the disease concept. I am not going to lie, when my mother first got sober I was an ornery 13 year old teen who believed that the disease concept was an excuse that alcoholics used to disregard their horrid behavior. I thought that alcoholics and drug addicts, not knowing that I was one, needed to buck up and take the blame for their behaviors. (I did not know at this point that the twelve steps were solely aimed at taking responsibility for our actions and making them right.) However, through the process of going to adolescent rehab at Visions Adolescent Treatment Center myself and getting sober I became very familiar with the disease concept and readily accepted it. When people ask what I do for a living, I tell them, with pride, that I am a chemical dependency counselor for adolescents. Many are intrigued to learn more about the recovering community and most people praise me for helping others. Not once have I received negative feedback or people giving me weird looks, as I originally expected. So you could imagine my surprise, when I found out through a gentleman who was touring our facility, that around the world many people are skeptical about the disease concept. When I say skeptical, I mean that the impression that I got was that is was widely discarded as hogwash, for lack of a better term. This gentleman explained to me that he taught a course in the U.K. on the disease concept. He described the way that his students reacted to it and the various ways that he had to go about getting the information to these people without the entire class balking at him. I was speechless. Sometimes, I for one, take for granted the recovering community that I have grown up in, in southern California.

Working in Adolescent Drug Treatment

An Outsider’s Perspective

When I started working at Visions Adolescent Drug Treatment Centers two years ago, I didn’t know the 12 Steps from a 12 pack. I wanted to familiarize myself with the program not only for my job, but to satisfy my own curiosity. What I found is that the principles of AA definitely apply to my life. When you get down to it, AA is really about living a life of integrity and service, and staying the course when things go bad. I found that it is about taking care of ourselves and each other, and taking the appropriate actions to right our wrongs. I am lucky to be surrounded by so many recovering adolescent alcoholics and adolescent addicts, and I have nothing but a great respect for those Adolescents and adults who have been reborn through AA, NA, CA or any “A” for that matter!