Choosing a Drug Rehab Program

As many of you know, I have been in the alcohol and drug rehab field all of my professional life, over 30 years.  I have held positions at all levels, including therapist, clinical director, executive director of residential rehab, State Director of all treatment and prevention programs, and accreditation reviewer of well over 100 alcohol and drug rehab centers.  So, I should know everything necessary to comparatively analyze the different modalities of treatment as well as which individual treatment center are getting the best outcomes.  (Certainly, I think I do.)

So..what would I do if I had a loved on that was so seriously addicted that he needed residential treatment?  It so happens that was the case about 22 years ago, and even though I was a licensed therapist in the field and I was the director of 27 state-funded programs, I obviously didn’t know which programs were the best since my loved one went to three 30-day, 12-step based programs and the outcome was worse than before treatment.

It is very interesting how the 12-step model has answers all of the natural question one would ask when a person doesn’t improve after their treatment:

1.  Addiction is a chronic and progressive disease, meaning that it last your entire life and gets worse with time, even if you stop using… what a terrible disease, if it were true, but it certainly works well to explain treatment failures.

2.  The addict was ready to stop, as yet.  ”So when does that happen?”  I had a loved one that was killing herself on alcohol and drugs and hated her life because of her inability to control her actions and destiny.  She cried for hours at a time with the pain of her addiction, but now I am being told that she “isn’t through using”. How insulting and audacious.  To remove your own responsibility for delivering care by making the patient wrong.  This is a typical response in the mental health field, but I would expect more from my field.

3.  Then there is the classic response:  ”The Big Book says that there are some that are constitutionally unable to ever get well,” and there is nothing we can do about it.  The Big Book isn’t the Bible, it is the book written by the two men that developed the 12-step approach to ending alcoholism.

These were the universal excuses for the failures at the three 12-step treatment programs she attended.  When the counselors could see that I was irate about the total waste of time, money and the suffering that was still continuing in my family, I would usually get something along the line of “This must really be hard on you, do you need a hug?”

I have compassion for some of the people that are trying to implement an unsuccessful approach to helping addicts because they are truly loving people that believe those obvious distortions and they really want to see a success.  They don’t get much pay and they see these failures and losses continually, so I understand how their jobs are extremely stressful.  However, not as stressful as the person that continues to use alcohol and drugs and goes from hospital to ER to jail, to breaking all of their treasured keepsakes, etc.  Not to mention those that love the addict and can see their demise daily.

My personality and training has always led e to believe that when there is something that is so obviously not working, it isn’t anything other than not applying the right “fix it” to the problem.  I would never take those answers as being okay if it had to do with repairing my car.  ”Sir, I am sorry, but most of these cars will never be able to be fixed.. is just the way things are.”.

I can tell you that it is this attitude and the huge amounts of cash being made by these 12-step programs, that has kept this rehab field from being successful.  It has perpetuated the idea that “treatment doesn’t work”.  (to counteract the idea that “treatment doesn’t work”, the treatment industry used a PR campaign nationwide under the name of “Treatment Works”, however, a 5-10% success isn’t working, and the public is smart enough to know this was PR.)

Every person that suffers another day without a program that works takes me back to the “No Man is an Island” blog where John Donne poem which tells us that we are all diminished when someone else suffers.

To end my tirade, I will tell you that 20 years ago, I was asked to consult at a program that approaches addiction as a condition that is physical, mental and physical and has specific treatments to handle all of these components and our loved one has been fine ever since her fourth and last treatment, 19 year ago.

So, the PR campaign should have read “Some Treatment Works”!  However, what was shocking and depressing to me, was that when I found this clinical regime that was effective, the other treatment providers didn’t adopt these methods, or even part of them, but took a stronger stance in justifying their practices and ran “black PR” campaigns against the very answer to their poor outcomes.

I appreciate anyone who has read this to add their comments.  I hope that my passion on this subject touched some part of yours.  In the near future I will describe some of the attempts that have been launched against these effective programs in order to keep the status quo.  With the “town hall” meetings, we are all seeing that change threatens thinking and that people will emphatically support something that is less effective and more costly if it means that they won’t have to challenge their secure ideas about reality.

Do We Have To Communicate?

Today I received a call on my helpline toll-free number from a 37 year old mother of two who wanted advice on how to get her body to quit shaking in the mornings, which is being caused by drinking a couple of liters of wine/day.  I was intrigued that she was seeking a solution for the shaking and not the drinking.  As I investigated further, I discovered that her husband was unaware of her drinking problem and it would be “impossible” for her to go to any form of treatment since he would then know that she had a problem.  

I never ceased to be amazed at how little some couples know about what their spouses are doing in violation of their mutual agreements.    As I got more information, I realized that the caller’s parents did know about her drinking problem and had told her that she had to get it under control so as not to embarrass them at an upcoming family reunion.  Now, I think it is of further interest that this woman’s parents know she has a problem, but the man that she is living with and is with her every night is unaware of any out-points in their relationship.

I say that it is astonishing, but from my many years in helping couples cope and individuals find effective alcohol and drug treatment, I am no longer truly amazed at how well people can create an alternative reality rather than confront a problem.  To keep this facade in working order, it requires that they reduce their communication to items other than themselves and the obvious.  

It can be a very lonely world as a young mother of two toddlers and extra wine can temporarily make it feel warm again, but it never last and even though we try to use alcohol as the universal solvent in ways other than chemistry, it never last and only leaves us shaking in the mornings.  

I told her how alcohol leaches out the B vitamins and the calcium and magnesium from her body and how to replace those, but I emphasized that it is only by communicating with her husband can she hope to have a real fix on this problem.  I told her that her shaking is the message of our lives impinging on us to change and it isn’t bad or good, but is life threatening at the physical and spiritual levels of existence.  I hope she will reduce her drinking and increase her honesty.  I never hear back from these calls, so I just add them to my list of humans that I hope will get it right, this time around.

What Do a Rabbit, Colored Eggs and Candy Have to Do With Jesus? The History of Easter Revealed

Fascinating article by someone that obviously knows her religious history. All religions serve a purpose for man and they all claim to be the source to Truth. Yet, “truth” is certainly a subjective subject. Perhaps religion should have its credibility based on tenants that promote survival for all and whatever myths comfort and guide people towards a higher level of survival for everyone and their environment should be considered a viable discipline to follow. Entertaining children certainly enhances their survival and welcoming the presence of more light isn’t, in any way, destructive, so Easter works for me.

With all of these beliefs that we find in religion unsupported by scientific scrutiny, it is a wonder to me why so many ridicule other’s religious choices. Man has the need to find that feeling of knowing the “truth” and if their religious beliefs help them get to that point, than there any faith is better than no faith and we should all accept other people’s decisions to subscribe to any or no religion.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

What Seems Right, May Be Wrong

There is an ongoing push to have postpartum depression screening mandated by law. Some states have already adopted such measures and, at face value, it not only looks harmless, it appears to be compassionate and a sign of a caring society.

Indeed, addressing a prevalent problem in health care is what is expected of a caring government, but only if we can assume that we have a solution for the problem. I contend that we don’t!
It would be fine to collect data on the numbers of women that experience postpartum depression and to bring attention to the problem, but these screenings go farther than that. They introduce these women, who are at a point where they are really seeking relief, to antidepressants and other psychopharmacology to fix the problem.

Research has not documented that this type of intervention is successful, in fact, the jury is still out on the devastating side effects that many have from these medications. Even if we could assume that only one in ten have the negative side effects, the impact of worsening anyone’s already painful situation should be cause to not administer an unproven solution to these women.

Identify their problem and provide for some triage that connects them to supportive counseling, but it is dangerous to have laws that lead citizens to psychiatric medications!

There are many organizations that help individuals with depression without the use of psychiatric medications and only suggest these types of treatments to those that are at extreme risk of hurting themselves or others and are not responsive to less invasive forms of care.

Any mandate for treatment shouldn’t have solutions that might bring about a situation that makes things worse. It is becoming accepted knowledge that psychiatric medications are not what they are advertised to be and that many citizens are becoming aware of their limitations. It must be remembered that in all cases medicine is to cause no harm and that is not what is seen from a review of the outcomes of medicating depression.

Having the screening is fine, but forcing an unproven solution is suppressive.

Any time you are introducing mind altering substances to handle problem, you are teaching someone that drugs are the solutions to undesirable feeling.  We in the addiction field treat many that are introduced to this type of thinking through psychiatric medications and opiate pain meds.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Hard to do the Right Thing

I just got off the phone with a typical call looking for an answer to her addiction to Vicodin (hydrocondone), an opiate analgesic. About half of my calls for help are from middle-class people that have been given hydrocodone for pain and since it is in the same family of drugs as morphine and heroin, patients become physically and emotionally addicted to these opiates very rapidly. In this case, the woman has three children, a husband and a good job.

I told her what it would take to get totally off of these drugs without having to adopt the idea that you have a chronic disease and that you have to go to support group meetings for the foreseeable future. Biophysical programs handle addiction completely and even guarantee their results, which is unheard of in the drug rehab field, but they can afford to make that offer since they take full responsibility for ending ones addiction.

As I described the program, I could tell that she was understanding that this could be the end of two years of hell in dealing with her life while addicted to opiates. When I told her that it would cost about $30K and take three months, she said there was no way that she could take that time and didn’t have the money. She had health insurance, but it only pays 50% after $1,000 deductible and she stated that was impossible.

It is very hard to keep an addiction going. Buying the drugs, taking the risks, trying to handle the rest of your responsibilities while impaired from your drug use, and having so little

These are the hurdles that one must overcome to get quality treatment, which translates into a very small percentage of people actually getting help. If this caller doesn’t find support to get into a biophysical program, she will, more than likely, continue to struggle with her life and never be able to actualize what she could become if give quality treatment.

In our attempts to reduce the demand for drugs, quality treatment must be accessible to anyone who wants to get well. This young woman has already tried to commit suicide because of the feeling of futility related to her addiction. Access to quality treatment can end that despair.

Go to www.drug-rehab-colorado.com or www.rehab-drug.net for more data on biophysical programs.

Mexico is Cashing In

For those that have been following my blog or my earlier blogs at http://alcoholdrugsandpolitics.blogspot.com/, you will see that I am of the persuasion that the War on Drugs is something that has been part of the manipulation of the public. There are many who know better than I about the extent of how the war on drugs has never been designed to help help addicts and to end addiction, but has created a whole segment of our economy that drains public funds and limits human productivity. I would be very interested in your insights into how the War on Drugs has been implemented in a manner that perpetuates drugs sales and use, rather than helping the masses that are using drugs. The only programs that I have seen to be effective are run by groups of people that are dedicated to helping others and will sacrifice whatever it takes to deliver good rehab programs. The majority of programs that are offered are developed to do some good, but are mostly using public money without the goal of ending this problem.
Watch closely what is happening in Mexico and how Secretary Clinton gave lip-service to the fact that it is the American demand for drugs that is the cause of the problem, but will the Administration fund programs that could end this demand, or will the status quo of the last 30 years be, once again, its chosen attack on drug use/abuse.

Financial Crisis vs.Rehab Crisis

We definitely in a financial crisis, but part of cleaning up our financial picture is to quit investing in the Rehab Crisis.

I have talked to hundreds of parents of addicts and addicts who have the firm idea that addiction is a chronic and progressive disease…meaning that it last forever and it gets worse, no matter what you do.  Where on earth did the “drug rehab professionals” come up with a scenario that basically says that we can help you understand your disability, but there isn’t really anything that you can do to walk away from this problem.. it will be with you for the rest of your life.  

If you got that opinion on any other malady of the human condition, you would certainly seek out a second opinion and you might have the confidence to rebel against such a non-responsible position.  I have run into many people who have said that they didn’t believe that is was an incurable disease until they were told that by everyone and they continued to see that they relapsed, proving that indeed their condition hadn’t changed.  

I submit that there could be another way of looking at this propaganda and that is by viewing as nothing other than propaganda.  Someone’s failure to fix a problem shouldn’t categorize it as unfixable.  Admitted, addiction isn’t a simple problem with a simple fix, but why wouldn’t the public and the professional is this rehab field continue to look at addiction as a condition of life that hasn’t as yet found a solution, or that you haven’t been exposed to all of the alternative approaches to treating addiction and the ones that you are familiar with are not working, and therefore it appears as thought addiction is similar to diabetes or other chronic diseases.  

In future blogs, I will go over my journey that took me from a leader in the field of addiction to someone that found a solution, but lost his audience.   

I would go on from here, but it has been shown that blog readers don’t like lengthy dissertations, plus I am not sure that I even have any readers.

It’s All About Personal Responsibility

What Happened to Personal Responsibility

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main….” John Donne  

I read this the other day and I hadn’t thought about it for some time. I remember how important John Donne was to me in English Lit class in college, when I had time to muse about life, a time when I knew so little. In those days I didn’t have the same appreciation that I have for this poem’s meaning today… today it speaks to me about: who is responsible for your life or for all of human existence?” One does not send to find for whom the bell tolls without realizing a profound level of responsibility for it all.

I had the honor today to attend a training in a rural community of Oklahoma that was designed to build awareness about the methamphetamine (meth or crystal meth) problem in our communities. The group was attended by law enforcement, school teachers and coaches, a church youth director, students from the local high school and professionals from community based organizations and the local Health Department. I attended because I am part of this rural community and I have experience in the development of prevention coalitions as well as representing the drug treatment aspects of this problem. 

As the group teased out what were the problems surrounding meth in their community and all of the “why’s” for that problem, it became abundantly clear that the problem of meth use as well as most of the other identified problems could be traced from a lack of personal responsibility on the part of the parents, in particular, but a lack of personal responsibility on the part of most people in the community that allowed this problem to continue.

I couldn’t help but think of what is going on with the financial crisis and all of the Wall Street executives and others that are singing this same tune, which led me to ponder genesis of this lack of taking responsibility in our communities, government and, perhaps, our country.

I lived in Denmark for about five years and living in a country where the government “seems” to take care of everything from birth to grave, I experienced a public that wasn’t big on accepting responsibility for their role in any of their problems. I wondered if we haven’t become the same, but for other reasons. 

When I work with an addict to help him overcome his need for alcohol and other drugs, my task is to get the person to realize that he is responsible for every condition in his life. As a patient begins to take on more and more personal responsibility and begins to recognize that he “could” be responsible for some of the misfortunate and unfulfilled dreams in his life, he becomes more functional. His IQ increases and likewise, his memory expands and the more and more that he truly feels responsible for his life, his care and compassion increases for his fellow man and it will continue to expand until he cares about his group, community and his country. 

I have seen this phenomenon repeat itself in every case to the point that it has become, what I fell, is a law of human existence… If you want to be happy, then take responsibility for everything, or as much as you can do authentically. 

(I am hoping to get others to begin to chime in on my post, but at this point, no one is reading my blogs, and so I haven’t been able to have the challenge of others on my thoughts, but I will take full responsibility for what I have said and to this point, it is pretty easy.)

I decided that I would take responsibility for the fact that meth is the second most used drugs in our community, after alcohol, so I volunteered to start a parent training course, which I will design to be a examination of what we as parents should expect from our schools, community based organizations, churches and others and what we should do in terms of being the ultimate reason on why anything is going wrong in our world. Perhaps if I can start at that level things will get better at many other levels. It will be a challenge. Probably as hard or harder than getting the addict to see where he is responsible for his addiction and the actions that come from there. 

Some of you that may read my past blogs will know that I dislike the disease model of addiction and this responsibility factor is the reason why. You can’t get totally well with the idea that you have a chronic an progressive disease… unless you take the responsibility that you chose the disease and you created it…I have yet to hear anyone describe their role as a victim of addiction in those terms.