A serious crisis plagues the USA that merits immediate attention-drug abuse. Some people may believe drug problems were a thing of the past, the psychedelic ‘60’s or perhaps the club culture of the 80’s. It is very real and it is happening right now. According to the US Government, an alarming 19.1 million Americans have used an illegal drug in the past month alone. At this rate, it is not a problem that we can continue to ignore. The viciousness with which entire families can be dissected by this deadly disorder is both frightening and tragic. And it is noteworthy to point out that addiction shows no favoritism. No socio-economic group goes unscathed.

Yet, numerous people under this deadly bondage of dependency want help and healing desperately. They want to resume normal lives but don’t know where to go or shamefully, were turned away! It is estimated that nearly 100,000 people seeking help and treatment were unable to receive it over the past year.

In his State of the Union address, President Bush introduced Access to Recovery an initiative to aid afflicted American in their battle with this disorder. Patients would be tested to verify that they are qualified for the program then, vouchers for appropriate treatment would be administered. Patients could then present these vouchers for services rendered to participating rehab centers around the country. The philosophy is that no one should be denied the opportunity to get well. Another part of the government’s strategy deals with ways to reduce the supply and demand for illegal drugs crossing our borders. Additionally, it highlights new programs, which have been successful in fighting substance abuse. The website, Accesstorecovery.com, can give you more information on treatment centers around the country. CARE, California Access to Recovery Effort is another wealth of information on treatment-especially for youth. If you are 18 or older and are looking for a way out, know that a very effective residential and extended care center for treatment exists called Sunset Malibu.

Located in gorgeous Malibu, California, Sunset Malibu is known for its comprehensive treatment program. The Center is comprised of a dynamic team of expert doctors, therapists and very capable staff. They believe that every patient is an individual and unique being. Treatment is not just a blanket formula for all, nor it is administered in a sterile institution type setting. The specialized intensive program is comprised of group therapy, individual therapy, cognitive behavioral groups, a family program, conventional medicine, alternative medicine and 12-step programs. Many other philosophies are also incorporated to improve the outcome of an individual’s treatment. Sunset Malibu recognizes that drug or alcohol rehabilitation can be very painful and extremely uncomfortable emotionally as well as physically.

The center holds the belief that comfort is paramount to a patient’s success. That is why residents may participate in yoga classes; outdoor activities or perhaps receive a massage, facial and a manicure/pedicure all in the caring and luxurious environment provided. Daily needs are very amply granted such as gourmet meals, laundry service, transportation, appointment scheduling, Internet access and even special requests (when appropriate.)

All care is provided for in a state of the art facility fully equipped with large screen plasma TVs and many modern amenities. The exquisite views of the Pacific Ocean compliment the stunning decorations and beautiful architecture. There is no stress producing noise from the streets-only the calming sound of the waves. And, a patient’s privacy is never compromised. Providing a soothing, caring environment is what the Center strives to achieve and maintain.

There are counselors available 24/7 to speak with you @ 800-332-9202. They will discuss some of the issues you and your family face while in detox or rehabilitation.

No matter where you go to get treatment, go now. Make a decision to end your days of suffering physically, mentally and spiritually. You deserve wholesome healthy relationships with your family, friends and loved ones. At Sunset Malibu no one will ever punish you or tear you down for your addiction. They are there to help you build and excel in your life once again. The days of your healing and restoration stand waiting for your embrace.

For most addicts, the road to recovery begins with the acknowledgment that they have a problem
and are powerless to overcome it alone. With this realization, there often comes the need for a
suitable drug treatment center where they can detox, and begin the process of recovery. In rare
cases some may find success conquering this illness on their own, but for most, enrollment in a
drug treatment center is the most logical choice, and for others, like it or not, it may be
the only choice.

With the support and aid of licensed experts and the disciplined, structured environment found
at most drug treatment centers, many will find the path to recovery an easier one. Proper
diagnosis and treatment are necessary in curing any illness. Without the aid of experienced
professionals and a suitable environment, the process of drug treatment and recovery can be
dangerous. With these factors in mind, choosing the right drug treatment center becomes very important.

For those ready for to kick the habit and begin a new life, Sunset Malibu offers access to the highest
quality drug treatment center available. Our beautiful facility is located in peaceful, sunny
Malibu, California, and our friendly, professional staff is available 24 hours a day to assist you
during the drug treatment and recovery process. With all the modern amenities and services
of a typical luxury resort you will find Sunset Malibu the perfect environment to begin
the process of healing.

There are many paths to sober living nowadays. In southern California sober living is possible through a myriad of avenues. Most people recovering from addiction find themselves looking for more than just one way to achieve sobriety. Too many times recovering addicts in other cities find subpar assistance. In southern California, there things seem to be getting better.

As times change, the ways of the past make way for the future. The antiquated methods of attaining sobriety have now relinquished the reigns to more effective means of gaining clarity. Someone seeking a southern California sober living lifestyle would find that treatment has not only become more tenacious in its scientific manner, but it has gained a spiritual side too.

Drug and alcohol rehabilitation could possibly be better in California than in any other place in the world. A patients journey could involve the application of treatment staples like the 12 step programs, group therapy sessions, and/or dual diagnosis meetings. Aside from the old school ways, one could find the bevy of holistic methods that California has to offer much more amiable. Southern California sober living seems more attainable with the help of acupuncturists, spiritual healers, and highly trained massage therapists. It doesn’t hurt to live in a place like southern California, a place that seems to attract more yoga instructors, chefs, and all around spiritually aware folk more than anywhere else on earth. Southern California sober living seems to be the best sober living there is.

The very word conjures a flood of stereotyped images: narrow hallways, dingy bed sheets, gaunt-eyed patients sipping coffee from styrofoam cups under harsh fluorescent lights. Much of what people know about rehab they learn from television and movies—and, as a result, much of what people know about rehab is incomplete. Or distorted. Or more often than not really just plain wrong. The facts about rehab—the actual facts, the true facts—are far less stark than the illusions you find on the big screen; real-life rehab lacks the drama of the Hollywood version, which is often welcome news for potential patients and their loved ones. Indeed, understanding what exactly rehab is—and, no less importantly, what exactly rehab isn’t—is important for anyone hoping to begin a successful recovery program.

Broadly, “rehab” encompasses all those processes by which an individual confronts and conquers his or her drug addiction. “Rehab,” as the term is conventionally used, is everything: the beginning and the end, the first step and the final hurdle, the agony of the start and the triumph of the finish and the long hard work of everything in between. The goal, of course—the goal of the start and the finish and everything in between—is to help a patient stop using drugs. To help a patient get sober and stay sober, so that he or she can get back to living a healthy and meaningful life. To that end, rehab generally aims to combat the bifurcated roots of drug addiction: physical dependence on the one hand; psychological dependence on the other.

Physically, addiction works by changing the internal chemistry of the body. Prolonged periods of drug abuse literally remake the structure and function of the human brain; in time, the addict’s system comes to rely on the drug as part of its “normal” metabolic operations. This reliance, of course, is exceedingly injurious to the addict’s health—and means that any sort of recovery must begin by addressing the physical needs of the patient. In concrete terms, this means mitigating the symptoms of drug withdrawal during the detox phase of treatment and then managing the incidence of drug cravings thereafter. By providing patients with surrogates for their substance habits—like methadone for recovering heroin users, for example—rehab aims to facilitate the process of physical healing.

The psychological basis of addiction is no less firm than the physical one—and, as a result, no less central to the treatment methodology of any competent rehab program. Psychological dependence is intimately related to physical need; as the patient’s body comes to literally rely on a drug, the patient’s mind comes to register that need as a compulsive and overwhelming sense of want. In cases of prolonged abuse, the drug typically becomes a source of emotional stability for the addict—a relationship which makes the proposition of sobriety all the more daunting. In response, rehab addresses the psychological underpinnings of addiction, mostly through individual and group counseling sessions designed to help patients develop the social and emotional skills required for clean living. The key, of course, lies in freeing addicts from their psychological bondage: before patients can get healed, they need to distance themselves, emotionally, from the drugs to which they’ve become enslaved.

Although all rehab philosophies target the physical and psychological causes of addiction, different types of programs emphasize different elements of the recovery process. Medical rehab programs tend to be more strongly oriented towards the physical aspects of addiction; spiritual programs concern themselves primarily with the psychological core of abuse; social rehab aims to help patients recover in a communal environment; holistic programs explicitly address the mind-body-spirit nexus of chemical dependency.

It should also be mentioned that rehab programs are distinguished by the living arrangements of their patients. Inpatient programs run like hospitals, and are staffed by accredited nurses and physicians. Residential programs occur in a more relaxed and less overtly “treatment”-type environment, like a ranch or nature camp. Outpatient programs, finally, are designed to help individuals beat addiction without significant interruption to their daily lives, usually with the assistance of extensive support group networks. Outpatient programs are often strongly grounded in the twelve-step methodology of Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous.

In any of these guises—medical or spiritual, social or holistic, residential or outpatient—”rehab,” as noted above, refers to the entire extent of the recovery process. It begins with an individual’s first week in a detox facility, runs through the months spent in primary and extended treatment centers, and doesn’t end until the patient has mastered the art of clean and independent living in halfway houses, 3/4-way houses, and sober living cooperatives. It is, again, the start and the finish, the first step and the final hurdle. Studies have shown that those patients who spend at least three months in some form of rehab program are most likely to achieve a lasting victory over their addictions. Recovery, of course, is and can only be an ongoing process; recovery isn’t recovery at all if it doesn’t last. With that in mind, rehab aims to meet the needs of the patient at every step along on the road to sobriety—and to ensure, above all else, that sobriety itself becomes an enduring state of being.

Methadone is a rigorously well-tested medication that is safe and
efficacious for the treatment of narcotic withdrawal and dependence. A
synthetic narcotic, Methadone has been used to treat opioid addiction
for over a quarter of a century. Use of heroin releases excessive
amounts of dopamine in the body and causes a need for the user to have
opiates continuously occupying the opioid receptor in the brain.
Methadone occupies and stabilizes this receptor, allowing addicts to
change their behavior and discontinue heroin use.

The use of methadone for the treatment of heroin addiction, known as MMT
or methadone maintenance treatment, furnishes the recovering addict with
comprehensive healthcare and prescription methadone for relief from the
symptoms of heroin withdrawal, reduction of opiate cravings, and for
restoring a biochemical balance to the body. Additionally, treatment for
heroin addiction requires specialized social and rehabilitation
services. Admission to a licensed detoxification/rehabilitation center
is recommended.

Taken in pill form once a day, methadone works by suppressing the
physical symptoms of narcotic withdrawal for 24 to 36 hours. Because
methadone has proven to be effective in eliminating withdrawal symptoms,
it is used on opiate addicts during the detoxification process.
Methadone treatment, however is only useful and effective for addictions
to heroin, morphine, and other opioid drugs, it is not effective in the
treatment of other drugs. Methadone reduces the cravings, and negates
the high from heroin, but does not provide a euphoric rush or “high”. As
a result, methadone patients do not undergo the intense highs and lows
resulting from the fluctuation of heroin in blood levels.
Ultimately, the methadone patient becomes physically dependent to the
drug, but in exchange, is freed from the compulsive, and disruptive
behaviors of heroin addiction. Since the time of withdrawal for
methadone is longer than that of heroin, patients can be treated over a
longer period of time without the risk of harmful side effects.
Methadone treatment can be a lengthy, arduous procedure, in some cases
even lasting for years.

Methadone treatment gives patients freedom from the horrors of heroin
addiction. A study conducted by a leading authority on drug abuse and
addiction, the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that, outpatients
participating in methadone treatment, decreased their weekly heroin use
by 69%. The benefits of this decrease in use are essential for the
patients health and productivity to improve. In addition, the use of
methadone for the treatment of heroin addiction has been proven to be
beneficial not only to the patient, but society as well. Methadone
patients were no longer required to commit criminal acts to support
their habits, resulting in 52% drop in criminal activity among patients
involved in the study. Full-time employment was also increased by 24%.
In another study conducted in California in 1994, regarding the overall
benefits of methadone treatment, researchers found that the incidence of
illegal drug use, criminal activity, and hospitalization for overdoses,
were lower for methadone patients than for heroin addicts being treated
in other types of drug treatment programs.

Drug rehab California style offers a unique approach to addiction recovery. Many approaches to drug and alcohol treatment consist of three components, encompassing the mind, body and spirit of the individual. Many rehabs are client centered facilities based on respect and compassion for the addict and their addiction.

Holistic drug rehab centers have become the drug rehab California craze. In these centers each problem area is individually addressed, offering a wide range of therapeutic interventions to help each client achieve their specific goals. By combining the best of all traditional forms of therapy and treatment with the most effective holistic therapies available today, holistic rehabilitation has become the sure thing for drug rehab California style.

Treatment teams must have an understanding of not only the patient, but of the under-lying issues that are the contributing factors to addiction. Many treatment centers utilize the 12 step program in most of the drug rehab California has to offer. By treating the individual as a whole; mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually and by treating their families as well, drug rehab can truly be successful.

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant that directly affects the brain. The pure chemical, cocaine hydrochloride, has been an abused substance for more than 100 years, and coca leaves, the source of cocaine, have been ingested for thousands of years.

Cocaine is generally sold on the street as a fine, white, crystalline powder, known as coke, C, snow, or blow. Street dealers generally dilute it with such inert substances as cornstarch, talcum powder, and/or sugar, or with such active drugs as procaine (a chemically-related local anesthetic) or with such other stimulants such as amphetamines.

Cocaine can be snorted through the nose, smoked, or injected. Injecting cocaine — or injecting any drug — carries the added risk of infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, if the user shares a needle with a person already infected with the virus. The drug can also be rubbed onto mucous tissues. Some users combine cocaine powder or crack with heroin making what is called a speedball.

Once having tried cocaine, an individual may have difficulty predicting or controlling the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug. Use of cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at increasingly high doses, leads to a state of increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia. This may result in a full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the individual loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations.

Users often report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety, and cocaine can trigger paranoia. Users also report being depressed when they are not using the drug and often resume use to alleviate further depression. In addition, cocaine users frequently find that they need more and more cocaine more often to generate the same level of stimulation. Therefore, any use can lead to addiction.