Drug Rehab and Drug Rehab Programs
January 10, 2008
Inpatient Short-Term Drug Rehabs and Drug Treatment Centers
Short-term inpatient drug addiction and alcohol rehab programs keep patients up to 30 days in a drug rehab or alcohol treatment center. Most of these addiction treatment programs focus on medical stabilization, abstinence, and lifestyle changes. Staff members are primarily medical professionals and counselors trained in the treatment of drug addiction and alcohol addiction.
Short-Term Residential drug rehab and alcohol rehabs provide intensive but relatively brief residential addiction treatment based on a modified 12-step approach, talk and group therapy. Once primarily for alcohol abuse treatment, these programs expanded into drug abuse treatment in the 1980s. Reduced health care coverage for substance abuse treatment and drug rehab programs has resulted in a diminished number of these programs, and the average length of stay under managed care review is much shorter than in early programs, averaging 7-14 days.
Gay, Lesbian Needs for Substance Abuse Treatment
January 10, 2008
People who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) represent a substantial minority of the U.S. population, yet pervasive prejudice and stigma often inhibit the development and provision of appropriate drug rehab and dual diagnosis services for them. This article provides basic information regarding common drug rehab and dual diagnosis concerns of GLBT persons to aid in the development of culturally competent mental health services.
Gay, Lesbian Substance Abuse Issues Research findings vary on rates of alcohol abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction and drug abuse among lesbians and gay men, but experts maintain that drug and alcohol abuse are significant health and mental health concerns for sexual minorities. One study found that lesbians and gay men were twice as likely to be moderate drinkers, but about equally as likely to be heavy drinkers, as heterosexuals. Experts note the likelihood of a link between internalized homophobia, low self-esteem, ongoing discrimination and alcohol abuse and drug abuse. GLBT who seek addiction treatment for substance abuse problems may encounter barriers to addiction treatment in unsupportive service settings. This is the reason for the need of gay friendly drug rehab programs and gay friendly alcohol rehab programs.
Drug Rehab Programs in Maryland
January 5, 2008
Drug rehab programs in Maryland are geared toward the rehabilitation of persons who are trying to overcome their drug addiction. There are many types of drug rehab programs in Maryland with some being of short duration, some are residential addiction treatment centers and others are long term addiction treatment programs.
Maryland drug rehab programs are designed to address the physical aspects of drug addiction and the psychological aspects of integrating back into society. Some drug rehab programs are residential, especially for persons with serious drug addiction and may be covered by private or public insurance to some extent. There are also chemical dependency units where there is about a 3-6 week period of inpatient addiction treatment care where withdrawal from drugs is done in a medically safe fashion. It has been shown that plain replacement of opiate craving with methadone, while helpful is not as effective as a more comprehensive program with counseling and medical care.
New Drug Rehab Program Model Used in New Mexico Prison
January 5, 2008
A new drug rehab program that uses long-term nutritional and sauna-based detox - with no alternative drugs - is achieving high success statistics in a prison setting. Run by Rick Pendery, the national executive director of the Second Chance Centers, and Joy Westrum, the president of the Second Chance Program, the drug rehab program has been running for several months in a secure setting in Albuquerque, NM.
Westrum explains that the purpose of the drug rehab program is to “provide secure, long-term drug rehab for substance abusers in the criminal justice system, and then to transition them back into society so they can lead a stable life free of crime and drugs. The drug rehab program includes the administration of vitamins and mineral supplements twice a day, drills designed to extrovert the inmate’s attention, and physical techniques designed to decrease the physical trauma of alcohol withdrawal that are administered by other inmates. The entire process is supervised by a staff member trained in the process.”
This long-term detoxification process has been used throughout the world, not only to assist people in getting off drugs, but also to remove chemicals and other toxins from the system. For example, it was used by the New York Fire Department and others who worked at Ground Zero after the disaster of 9/11.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment and Substance Abuse
January 2, 2008
The term “dual diagnosis” may be new to your life and vocabulary or it may be something you are familiar with and have heard about before today. While not particularly well-known, dual diagnosis is more common than you might imagine. According to a report published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), “Thirty seven percent of people who suffer from alcohol abuse and fifty-three percent of people who suffer from drug abuse also have at least one serious mental illness, which creates a dual diagnosis. Of all people diagnosed as mentally ill, 29 percent abuse either alcohol or drugs (NMHA, 2005). “Dual diagnosis” is defined as an individual who has two separate but very interrelated diagnoses. For the purpose of this article, dual diagnosis means a person has both:
1. A psychiatric diagnosis
2. A substance abuse diagnosis which may include drug addiction or alcohol addiction
A dual diagnosis occurs when an individual is affected by both chemical dependency and an emotional or psychiatric illness. Both illnesses may affect an individual physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually. Each illness has symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to function effectively and relate to themselves and others. Not only is the individual affected by two separate illnesses, both illnesses interact with one another. The illnesses may exacerbate each other and at times the symptoms can overlap and even mask each other making diagnosis and dual diagnosis treatment more difficult.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
December 30, 2007
Integrated dual diagnosis treatment can be difficult
Effective management of either substance use disorders or mental health disorders is challenging. Dual diagnosis can mean an increase in challenging behaviours including self-harm and aggression, avoidance of services, and resistance to or non-compliance with addiction treatment and recovery programs.
Research suggests that people with a dual diagnosis respond well to integrated drug rehab programs that address both their mental illness and their substance abuse. However, these drug rehab programs were uncommon until recent years. Some of the reasons for this include:
- Dual Diagnosis can be difficult, because it isn’t always clear which problem has the more severe symptoms. Health services are now becoming more able to recognize dual diagnosis.
- Mental health services are usually reserved for people with severe problems, so dual diagnosis clients with less severe mental health problems may not get treatment. They should, however, be referred to a suitable service.
- A person with a mental illness may receive treatment, but their drug use problem could be dismissed as a minor side effect of their illness.
- The number of workers trained in dual diagnosis treatment is slowly increasing. The services for mental health and substance abuse generally don’t overlap, so professionals in one field aren’t knowledgeable about the issues in the other field. It is hard to find professionals who are skilled in treating both substance abuse and mental illness.
If you are looking for a quality and effective dual diagnosis treatment program, go to www.steppingstonecenter.org or call the national dual diagnosis helpline at 1-800-511-9225.
Dual Diagnosis and Drug Rehab
December 25, 2007
Dual Diagnosis and Drug Rehabilitation: The New Hybrid Disorder and Addiction Treatment
Written by Rachel Hayon, MPH
Dual diagnosis is defined by the presence of both mental health disorders and substance abuse disorders (alcohol and/or drug dependence or abuse) [1]. There are a variety of different mental health disorders that can be associated with substance use and labeled dual diagnosis. Some of these disorders include: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anti-social personality disorder, narcissistic personality, and depression. A big question among the experts is which comes first- the mental health problem or substance use? It’s a difficult question to answer because so many of the symptoms associated with mental health disorders resemble the by product of substance use and vice versa. This is also an important topic right now because of the overwhelming amount of substance use cases and mental health disorders that overlap.
In a recent study conducted by the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), it was estimated that 17.6 million American adults meet the criteria for an alcohol use disorder and approximately 4.2 million meet the criteria for a drug use disorder [2]. In addition to this, 19.2 million adults can be diagnosed for independent mood disorders (major depression, dysthmia, manic disorder, and hypomania) and 23 million meet the criteria for independent anxiety disorders (including panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and specific social phobias) [2]. The NESARC also reported that approximately 20% of those individuals reporting a mental health disorder also reported a substance abuse disorder. Conversely, 20% of those individuals with a substance abuse disorder also displayed mental health problems [2].
When alcohol use is observed along with mental health disorders, alcoholics usually report that they “self-medicate” in order to alleviate symptoms of their psychiatric condition, such as depression [3]. One of the problems with using drinking as an emotional balm are the negative effects of heavy drinking as well as withdrawal from drinking- both can worsen an already negative mood state [4]. Having said this, it is interesting to see how different mental health disorders manifest themselves when substance use enters into the equation. Depending on what the disorder is, substances use is reported to be used for different reasons and also to either alleviate or bring on certain symptoms. For instance, in the case of bipolar disorder, though drinking may occur in both the manic and depressive phases, drinking is more prevalent during the manic phase [4]. Similarly, drinking may also produce symptoms that are similar to the manic phase of bipolar disorder such as grandiosity, irritability or physical agitation. In regards to anxiety disorder for instance, alcoholics usually report intense symptoms such as palpitations, sweatiness, and fear of objects or social situations which usually disappear with the discontinuation of alcohol use. However, individuals with agoraphobia or social phobia might drink in order to reduce the amount of anxiety they feel [5].
Gay Addiction Treatment, HIV and Crystal Meth
December 25, 2007
Health experts and policymakers are searching for ways to release crystal meth’s stranglehold on Long Beach and urban and rural communities across the map.Some say the solution requires more collaboration among addiction treatment providers of substance abuse and HIV prevention. Some contend it lies in addiction treatment designed specifically to serve gay men.
One of the first legislative targets: expanding a California law that prohibits any retailer from selling a customer more than three packages of products, like many common cold medicines, containing pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient in crystal meth.
The bill, which cleared the Senate judiciary committee July 28, would put cold pills containing pseudoephedrine behind the pharmacy counter and restrict the amount a person can buy to 7.5 grams a month.
Various health agencies in Long Beach have programs to tackle crystal meth addiction and its link to HIV and other STDs. The Comprehensive AIDS Resource Education (CARE) program at St. Mary Medical Center and the Gay and Lesbian Center have gay addiction treatment counseling services for addicts.
Merrill L. Irving, director of addiction treatment programs at the Long Beach Gay and Lesbian Center, has teamed up with city activist John Kirby and HIV specialist Todd Stevens to design a task force that he hopes will do just that. The group would address the problem of gay crystal meth addiction in Long Beach’s gay community.
“I know the statistics and know how closely tied (crystal meth) is to HIV and the gay community” Irving said. “There’s a gap within our own programs.
Drug Addiction and Women
December 25, 2007
How many girls and women have a substance abuse problem in the U.S.?
Approximately 6 million girls and women abuse or are addicted to alcohol in the U.S. – and 15 million use illicit drugs and misuse prescription drugs. Nearly 32 million smoke cigarettes. More than 50% of American women between the ages of 18 and 25 have used illicit drugs at least once in their lives.
What percent of women who need treatment for alcohol abuse and drug addiction do not receive it?
An astounding 92 percent do not receive it because quite often stigma, shame, and ignorance hide the problem. Only one in three substance abusers in treatment is a woman. Approximately 1.5 million people in publicly funded substance abuse treatment - almost 1/3 are women. Once finally admitted - women spend less time in addiction treatment than men.
Perceived Need for Addiction Treatment vs. Actual Need
December 25, 2007
A SAMHSA study showed that of the estimated 21.1 million individuals who need addiction treatment for drugs or alcohol abuse in 2004 did not receive addiction treatment (Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). 94.2% of these individuals felt that they did not need addiction treatment. This is an interesting phenomenon. Is this demonstrative of the power of denial involved with addiction? It seems important to ask how much our society contributes to this denial. How much education have these individuals had on when addiction treatment is necessary? While we value treating medical problems from birth, we are not encouraged to get any sort of mental health “check up” unless major symptoms begin to surface. 3.7% felt they needed addiction treatment but did not make an effort. There could be many reasons for this, but the one that instantly comes to mind is the utter hopelessness and despair that result from addiction, especially in its late stages. Interventions would be most useful in such circumstances. 2.1% of these untreated substance abusers actually made an effort but were not able to receive addiction treatment for a variety of reasons. Almost half of this group named cost and insurance barriers as the block to addiction treatment. A quarter said they had decided they were not ready to stop using. Other major factors cited were the stigma of entering an addiction treatment program, lack of knowledge on where to go for drug addiction treatment, feeling that they could handle the problems in ways other than addiction treatment, lack of time and lack of faith in the addiction treatment process. These result show the reality of how difficult it is to access individuals who could benefit from help. The managed care system continues to discourage the use of mental health benefits through discrimination against those who have been in addiction treatment as well as through the continual decrease in coverage for mental health treatment. This contributes to the stigma around mental health.If you are looking for an addiction treatment program, go to www.lakeviewhealth.com or call the national addiction treatment helpline at 1-800-511-9225.
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