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How Is Dual Diagnosis Treated?

Historically, addiction treatment programs, drug rehab programs and psychiatric hospitals, have treated dual diagnosis separately. This has not proved to be an effective addiction treatment approach and today most addiction treatment programs, drug rehabs and psychiatric hospitals treat both disorders concurrently.

• Ideally, drug addiction, alcoholism and psychiatric disorders should be treated simultaneously.
• The first step in addiction treatment for drug addiction or alcohol addiction must be detoxification or detox – a period of time during which the body is allowed to cleanse itself of alcohol and/or drugs and all withdrawal symptoms managed.
• Detox should be medically monitored as medical challenges do occur. Time in detox varies, depending on what substances the person is addicted to, the frequency of use and amount of usage.
• Once stable in detox, a psychiatrist will assess the person to determine the mental illness and how to best address it. Addiction treatment programs or drug rehab programs for this population should take a gradual approach. Those with a dual diagnosis have to proceed at their own pace.
• The goal of any quality drug addiction treatment program or drug rehab program should be abstinence and medication compliance.
• After completing drug addiction treatment or drug / alcohol rehab, the person should be involved in psychiatric follow up and aftercare in the drug rehab or addiction treatment program they have completed in order to prevent relapse.

Denial is an inherent part of the problem with dual diagnosis. The person with dual diagnosis often does not have insight as to the seriousness and the scope of their problem. In many cases, an intervention is required to get the person into addiction treatment or drug rehab so the recovery process can begin

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Differences in Drug Addiction Treatment Centers

If you suffer from drug addiction, alcohol addiction, dual diagnosis or even an eating disorder, then you have probably thought of entering a drug rehab program at a drug addiction treatment center. Even if you have not given it some serious consideration, the odds are good that a loved one has. There are many such addiction treatment programs available, some are well publicized drug rehabs, while other addiction treatment programs seem like they are located in residential neighborhoods. The common thread for all of these drug addiction treatment programs is that each drug addiction treatment center provides the individual with an opportunity to achieve long term recovery from drugs, alcohol, their eating disorder or dual diagnosis.

What is this drug addiction treatment success based on?
While there may not be an actual secret to addiction treatment success, a successful drug addiction treatment center simply helps the person suffering from drug addiction or alcoholism to break through their denial, become honest and work towards wanting recovery as much as they desired drugs or alcohol. Drug addiction treatment, whether for alcoholism, dual diagnosis or an eating disorder is a process, not an event, and takes time.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, addiction treatment center, addiction treatment program, addiction treatment programs, alcohol addiction, alcoholism, counseling, drug addiction, drug addiction treatment, drug rehab, drug rehab program, drug rehabs, dual diagnosis, eating disorder, recovery, rehab, rehabs, treatment, treatment center

Gay Alcohol Abuse and Gay Alcohol Dependency

Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Gay alcohol abuse and gay drug addiction is a problem for far too many gay Americans. Whether it is inherited or society related, drug addiction and gay alcohol addiction cause tremendous damage to those people that come in contact with the drug addict or alcoholic. Fortunately, there are gay alcohol rehab programs and drug rehab centers across the country that assist addicts, alcoholics and their families with the process of alcoholism treatment and drug addiction treatment.

Different Gay Alcohol Rehab Approaches

Different gay alcohol rehabs and drug rehab programs take different approaches, but the philosophy is usually the same – if you are suffering from alcohol abuse and can not manage to control your drinking, you are probably alcoholic.
Most quality alcohol rehab programs use medications to help the alcoholic and addict manage their alcohol withdrawal or drug withdrawal. Alcohol detox generally takes between five and seven days, depending on how much alcohol you were drinking, how frequent and a variety of other factors. Alcohol detox should take place in a medically monitored alcohol detox unit, within the alcohol rehab program.

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Gay Drug Rehab Programs in Illinois

Drug Rehab programs and alcohol rehab programs have been available for the heterosexual community in Illinois for the last 25 years. The drug rehabs in Illinois have been of high quality and both inpatient and outpatient drug addiction treatment. There has been drug rehab programs for almost any kind of drug addiction or alcohol addiction. You can find drug rehab programs for the elderly, adolescent, men or women, but the GLBT population (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) seems to have been forgotten. Where do the GLBT go where they can receive drug rehab treatment without being judged?

Gay Addiction Treatment History Historically, the GLBT community suffering from drug addiction or alcoholism, were expected to fit into primarily heterosexual drug rehab or alcohol rehab programs. Can you imagine being heterosexual and being asked to fit into a gay drug rehab program or gay alcohol rehab program. What do you think your drug rehab experience would be like?

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How to Choose a Drug Rehab or Alcohol Rehab Program

According to Wikipedia.org, drug addiction is defined as “the compulsive use of psychoactive drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use.” Since drug addiction is a complex illness, it has so many dimensions and disturbs so many aspects of an individual’s life, dealing with this ailment is anything but simple. When a person is at a ‘no control’ stage, a drug rehab program must help the person discontinue use of drugs and maintain a drug-free lifestyle. There are many reasons why a person would need to attend a drug rehab program. Some of them are: the inability to control drinking or drug use, cutting themselves off from their friends and family, criminal offenses, and problematic behavior at work. At such drug rehab programs, through therapy and education, the individual is helped to gain their former self. They are then able to become part of the society.

Now, let’s think about drug rehab programs and what images do you conjure? Chances are, your perception does not cover the entire spectrum of drug addiction treatment centers. Since there are several different types of drug rehab programs available ranging from inpatient addiction treatment, outpatient addiction treatment, residential addiction treatment, short-term, and long-term addiction treatment, it helps to learn what’s out there and how to choose one. It is best to involve an addiction treatment professional at this point to help point the way. It is said that the best drug rehab programs are those that are structured to an individuals needs. This means taking into consideration the individual’s race, age, culture, gay, lesbian, bisexual, gender, employment, past drug history, criminal behavior and history of physical or sexual abuse. In most drug rehab programs, regardless of their differences, they have one major goal: try to get the individual back to a drug-free lifestyle. Often times this requires more than one drug rehab treatment and sometimes multiple attempts within a drug addiction treatment center. Do not be discouraged.

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Medical Detox

Medical Detoxification or detox is a process whereby individuals are systematically withdrawn from addicting drugs in an inpatient addiction treatment or outpatient addiction treatment setting, typically under the care of a physician. Detoxification or detox, is sometimes called a distinct addiction treatment modality but is more appropriately considered a precursor of addiction treatment, because it is designed to treat the acute physiological effects of stopping drug use. Medications are available for detox from opiates, nicotine, benzodiazepines, alcohol, barbiturates, and other sedatives. In some cases, particularly for the last three types of drugs, detox may be a medical necessity, and untreated withdrawal may be medically dangerous or even fatal. Detoxification or detox  is not designed to address the psychological, social, and behavioral problems associated withaddiction and therefore does not typically produce lasting behavioral changes necessary for recovery. Detox is most useful when it incorporates formal processes of assessment and referral to subsequent drug addiction treatment program.

If you are lookiing for a safe and comfortable detox, go to www.lakeviewhealth.com or call the national addiction treatment helpline.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, addiction treatment program, detox, drug addiction, drug addiction treatment, effects, medical detox, opiate, patient, recovery, treatment

Detox and Addiction Treatment

Is a patient considered “treated” once they complete detox?

Medical detox is the process of getting rid of addictive substances from the patient’s body (in an inpatient or outpatient setting) while managing the intense physical symptoms of withdrawal, usually under a physician’s care. However, it is only the first stage of addiction treatment. While detox is rarely effective enough on its own to help addicts quit long-term, for many individuals it is a recommended step before starting drug addiction treatment

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, detox, detox program, drug addiction, drug addiction treatment, medical detox, patient, symptoms, symptoms of withdrawal, treatment

Most Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Program Services are Ineffective for the GLBT Population

Why Most Drug Rehab and /Alcohol Treatment Program Services are Ineffective for the GLBT Population

Most drug rehab services, including alcohol treatment programs, are geared towards serving a white, heterosexual, male, clientel. Unless great effort has been put into awareness training, developing knowledge about the experiences and circumstances of minority groups, and the establishment of programmes to deal with the special needs of different groups of oppressed people, services will simply perpetuate institutional discrimination. U.S. researchers Lohrenz et al (1978) found that 37% of homosexuals experienced discrimination from alcohol treatment program staff while Fifield, De Crescenzo & Latham (1975) discovered that 75% of homosexuals who are recovering from alcoholism believe that mainstream drug rehab and alcohol rehab program are not geared to treating homosexuals and do not provide an accepting and supportive environment.

Because of discrimination homosexuals are less likely to attend alcohol treatment program and drug addiction treatment programs unless, that is, they are ‘passing.’ In this case, if the worker does not bring up the subject, one of the major causes of their problems will be ignored. Rofes (1989) says:

By ignoring the special problems that a lesbian alcoholic, for example, presents, an alcohol treatment program will be doing a service to no one. Their alcoholism treatment of the individual will be less than adequate and may tend to intensify the woman’s feelings of isolation and ‘difference.’ Only by bringing the issue into the open and addressing the woman’s lesbianism as an aspect of her life which she needs to feel positively about, will the program be truly effective.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, addiction treatment program, addiction treatment programs, alcohol abuse, alcohol rehab, alcohol rehab program, alcohol treatment, alcohol treatment program, alcohol treatment programs, alcoholic, alcoholism, alcoholism treatment, chemical dependency, detox, drug abuse, drug addiction, drug addiction treatment, drug rehab, drug rehabilitation, effects, gay drug rehab, patient, recovery, rehab, rehab programs, relapse, substance abuse, treatment

Drug Rehab and Methadone

I have never been a big fan of methadone. In drug rehab it may be useful to get clients off of opiates, however even with that said there are probably better drugs to do that with. The reason I don’t like methadone as a addiction treatment program modality is two fold. Number one is the length of a detox required. Detox off of methadone takes time. It is much more of a methadone taper.

The other problem is that with many of the rules in place about prescribing and dispensing methadone. Clients are sometimes virtual prisoners while on methadone maintenance. Leaving for a week long holiday may be impossible. Many programs will dispense only three day’s worth of methadone when leaving town. So people can only leave their area for a maximum of a long weekend.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, addiction treatment program, detox, detox program, drug addiction, drug addiction treatment, drug rehab, drug rehab program, methadone, methadone detox, opiate, rehab, treatment

Drug Rehab Lessons

What is drug addiction and alcohol addiction? In drug rehab and alcohol rehab programs what can you learn? Firstly, I believe you can learn that drug addicition, like all things in life is a learned repsonse. Most likely you learned it from other addicts or from other people using drugs and alcohol. Before you used any drug or alcohol someone told you what to expect. Someone told you where you could find alcohol and drugs. Other people showed you how to use it. How to mix it and with what. You learned your favorite places to consume. You learned ways to hide your drug addiction. You learned creative ways to finance the costs of drug and alcohol use. Nobody was inately born with the abillity to inject heroin.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, alcohol addiction, alcohol rehab, alcohol rehab center, alcohol rehab program, drug abuse, drug addiction, drug addiction treatment, drug rehab, drug rehab program, rehab, rehab center, rehab programs, treatment