Month: December 2009

It’s college application time and being a young recovering addict can add a bit more stress to an already stressful situation for any teen. While most teens look at going away to college as a chance at freedom and unlimited partying, as a recovering alcoholic and addict, the idea of leaving my established support system and being surrounded by college binge drinking makes me uncomfortable. Fortunately, in adolescent treatment, I learned the value of how to set up safe situations for myself.
Many colleges now offer sober college experiences, or “dry” dorms, or floors of dorms where students agree not to drink, smoke, or use drugs. AA and NA meetings are available across the country whether it be in New York, California, Dallas Texas, etc. There are nationwide calling plans and internet access allow for an easy connection to sponsors and 12-step support. As I research schools, I am also checking out the availability of 12-step meetings and housing options at each school. I am considering living off-campus in order to avoid crazy dorm life. Some schools even offer scholarships to students who pledge not to drink while in school. I feel that with my strong recovery foundation, I will be okay no matter where I go, as long as I take the steps necessary to keep my recovery a priority. I am used to being a teen that doesn’t drink, but sometimes it is hard to explain my sobriety to people who don’t know me. I am excited to be going to college. Before I got sober, I didn’t think I would be able to do it. Sobriety is the reason I have the freedom to go to school, and remembering that will help me succeed wherever I end up attending college.

The drummer with Avenged Sevenfold, a rising force in the heavy metal scene, died on Monday at his home in southern California, the group and authorities said.

James Owen Sullivan, nicknamed “The Rev,” appeared to have died of natural causes, Huntington Beach police Lt. John Domingo told the Orange County Register. He was 28. The Orange County Coroner’s Office is investigating, the paper said.

“It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we tell you of the passing today of Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan,” the band said on its Web site. “Jimmy was not only one of the world’s best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother.”

Avenged Sevenfold, which Sullivan co-founded in 1999, hit No. 4 on the U.S. pop album chart in 2007 with its most recent album, a self-titled release that went on to ship more than 500,000 copies, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

In recent years, Avenged Sevenfold tried to live down its reputation for debauchery. Sullivan, in particular, had raised eyebrows after a 2006 cover story in metal magazine Revolver described his penchant for drugs and a cocaine addiction.

Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this extremely difficult time.

Visions Treatment Centers.

I remember one Christmas where I was so loaded that the nutcrackers started walking around during dinner and I couldn’t look up from my plate. Then there was that other year that I threw a tantrum and locked myself in the bathroom through dinner. Oh, and that other year where I nodded out for most of the day on prescription drugs and later threw up in the front yard. Ah, memories. It seems like the holidays tend to bring out the beast in active addicts, for one reason or another. My addiction really put a damper on the holidays for myself, and also for my family. It became a time that we all dreaded, rather than looked forward to.

Then one Christmas, I got sent to rehab. I wasn’t too excited to spend the holidays in rehab, as you can imagine, but at the time, it ended up being the best holiday my family or I had had in years. Instead of a car, or a pony, or a new iPod, I got the gift of recovery. Thumbs down, I thought. Totally lame. I didn’t want to do the crafts, I didn’t want to go to group, and I surely didn’t want to stop using drugs and alcohol, but as time went on, I began to change despite myself. The staff’s patience and love gave me the room and tools to find the best, truest version of myself. I’ve had some really good holidays in Jackson Hole, Wyoming since then, all thanks to that one year I got to go to rehab for Christmas.

drug rehab.

Actress Brittany Murphy passed away on Sunday morning in Los Angeles at the age of 32.

Her husband Simon Monjack is outraged at the rumors that his wife died from a drug overdose or causes related to an eating disorder.

People just don’t typically die at 32 of natural causes!

Murphy reportedly went into full cardiac arrest and her husband, immediately called paramedics to save his wife.

Murphy was announced dead on arrival at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after paramedics and doctors could not revive the 8 Mile actress.

Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this extremely difficult time.

Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers

Adolescents are often referred to treatment for substance abuse but are not referred to a program for appropriate diagnosis and treatment of any underlying cause for their drug and alcohol use. The issue is that many teens have symptoms of a mood disorder that may in fact lead to self-medicating with drugs and alcohol.

Families know how difficult it is to find treatment for an adolescent who abuses drugs or alcohol but also is diagnosed with a co-occurring disorder; i.e., ADHD, depression, or bipolar disorder. Traditionally, programs that treat a mental health diagnosis do not treat teens with substance abuse issues, and programs for substance abusers are not programmed for people with mental illness. Adolescents are often caught in this treatment or services gap.

It is important to find a program that is designed and staffed in a way to treat adolescent with a dual diagnosis. you should ask the fallowing questions when looking for a dual diagnosis treatment center:

-Do you have a Medical Director and what is their role?
-How much time does your Medical Director/Psychiatrist spend working with your child?
-Are your therapists licensed professionals (many programs save money by using inexperienced trainees)?
-Are your clinicians at the facility full time?
-What is the facilities daily staff to client ratio?
-How many staff are actually on site at any given time?
-Does the program provide neuropsych testing?
-Does the program provide weekly clinical supervision meetings for the case management of your child?
-Do your therapists, counselors and Medical Director work together as a team?

Not everyone is a candidate for residential dual diagnosis treatment programs. It all depends upon the severity of the problems. For people whose drug or alcohol addiction is not severe enough to warrant residential treatment, an outpatient treatment program in might be the solution.

If you or a loved one needs dual diagnosis treatment please click here- underlying cause.

The holidays are thought of as a time for family, giving, and cheer. The Holiday season also comes with a ton of family stress, holiday depression, social pressure and let’s face it a lot of drinking and drug use! For the recovering alcoholic or drug addict this time of year is one of the most dangerous “triggers” for relapse. I’ve known many an alcoholic or addict that succumbed to the triggers that the holiday season brings. It is Important to have and use a plan to prevent relapse during the Holidays.

-Go to meetings…lots of them!
-Fellowship (hang out with sober people)
-Keep phone #s of sober friends handy and use them if you think you may drink
-Be of service (volunteer not just in AA or NA but in your community). There is nothing like helping someone else with their problems to help us forget about our own.
-Remove yourself from situations you do not feel comfortable in.

If this is your first clean and sober holiday it may be a good one to spend the majority of your time with your new found friends that are in recovery rather then your family. Nothing against family, there’s just a lot of stress that comes along with them and family just doesn’t have an innate understanding of what your going through.

If you or a loved one is in trouble please click here for help during the holidays!.

Oh, you kids today!

Marijuana is becoming increasingly popular among teens in the US, which is supposedly attributed to the national debate over medical marijuana and researchers believe it makes it seem safer to teens.

Teens also feel this way about abusing prescription drugs, which may make them more popular in the future.

But booze remains the most popular drug of choice for teens with 43.5 percent of 12th graders admitting to drinking in the past month.

Some things never change!

Borrowed from perezhilton.com celebrity gossip. Even he is paying attention to this issue and the way it affects teens, thank you for taking notice Perez!

If your interested in help for yourself or your teen please click here adolescent drug treatment

Experts that work in adolescent drug and alcohol rehab say the best way to determine if your children are using drugs or alcohol is to talk to them. There are many resources available to parents for help in talking to your kids about drugs. The problem with that approach is if your children are using drugs or drinking while underage, they are not likely to admit it. Kids usually come into treatment minimizing their drug use. They have been trying to hide their drug use from their parents, teacher, coach, etc… If your child is using drugs or alcohol, it’s more than likely they are doing all they can to cover up that activity so that they can continue to participate in their drug use. What you want to do is look for warning signs that your child is using drugs. Some of these are as fallows:

-Change in behavior
-Change in appearance
-Change in friends
-Trouble at school
-Drop in grades
-Tired all the time
-Loss of sleep
-Red eyes
-Dilated pupils
-Glassy eyes
-Slurred or incoherent speech
-Weight loss
-Smoking cigarettes
-Lying
-Stealing
-Will not participate with family
-Loss of passion for hobbies
-Drug paraphernalia

Remember that teens try new things and experiment, but a decline in appearance or behavior, or any combination of the signs listed above, especially if it lasts for a while, is a sign that something is wrong. It’s not always drug use that causes these changes. Their may be mental health problems like depression, too. If you notice a change in your child don’t overreact and accuse him or her of using drugs, but if you do see a combination of the above indications it’s time to look for help. Please contact us by clicking here is my child using drugs?

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Please click here for more information about adolescent drug treatment or teen prescription drug abuse.

Tips for finding treatment for teens:

1.) Does the program specialize in adolescents? Teen addicts face a very different set of circumstances than adults. A program that focuses on teen recovery provides the essential facet of peer identification and support.

2.) Does the program provide treatment for the entire family? Teen drug and alcohol abuse affects the entire family. Proper counseling for the family is necessary to ensure a productive environment upon the teen’s return home. Also, it is important that the family get to process the anger, fear and frustration that comes with dealing with a teen in active addiction. Both teens and families must learn to break old destructive cycles and habits.

3.) Does the facility treat all aspects of the disease? Addiction affects the mind, body, and spirit. Good drug programs should offer group and individual counseling, medical supervision, and a nurturing program to continue beyond treatment, such as an introduction to 12 step fellowships like AA and NA.

4.) Does the program offer aftercare? Experts have concluded that a “soft landing” into the outside world after treatment greatly aids in ongoing sobriety. This can include sober living houses, sober high school, and outpatient treatment.
Visions Adolescent Treatment Center works to address all aspects of teen addiction, working with the teen and their family to create an individualized program geared towards lifelong success.

Please click here for more information about adolescent drug treatment.