Recovering from chemical dependency requires making positive changes in reactions and behaviors across the board. A drug treatment center is an important means to doing so. These facilities provide comprehensive drug rehabilitation services to individuals whose lives have become unmanageable due to drug addiction and introduce them to a lifestyle that is free of drugs. Such centers offer places where individuals who have a drug problem and have difficulty kicking the habit at home can receive the help they need.

Drug treatment centers are staffed with people who understand and cater to recovering drug addicts’ unique needs. Depending on the treatment center, there are many programs supervised by doctors, nurses, and highly trained professionals. Many centers also have professional dieticians to help patients satisfy their nutritional requirements.

Residential drug treatment centers are popular because they provide a safe environment in which addicts are provided with quality assistance, counseling, and companionship. Such centers help addicts escape from the streets, detrimental consequences, and bad environments which accelerates the recovery from drug abuse. Education, training, and guidance are the central missions of residential drug treatment centers. As such, these facilities teach the skills critical to recover from drug addiction and live a healthy life. Many also provide private rooms, home cooked meals, smoking and non-smoking sections, and meditation and exercise courses.

Personalized treatment and assistance is considered essential to most residential drug treatment centers. Patients are encouraged to attend 12 Step programs such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Cocaine Anonymous (CA), which are often incorporated into the treatment center programs. Aftercare is another advantage of most drug treatment centers. Treatment groups and individual treatment have an important place in the recovery process. Anonymous group sessions allow recovering addicts to talk candidly about their feelings with others who have similar problems. Such programs are particularly useful because drug addictions can often be overcome more quickly with the help of others struggling with the same issues. During these programs, residential treatment center doctors or counselors specializing in addiction disorders and recovery can provide invaluable help and advice.

Virtually all successful drug treatment centers have the following goals in common: providing individuals with substance abuse treatment services through their continuous quality improvement program; offering safe, supportive, and chemical free environments; achieving significant reductions in substance abuse and corresponding improvements in quality of life; and continuously educating and training their staff.

Beyond this, however, every drug rehab center has a unique set of specific methods of treatment and programs designed to achieve these objectives. With so many types of drug treatment centers and the variety of options available, choosing one may seem like daunting task. But finding an appropriate center does not have to be so difficult. The ever-increasing amount of treatment facilities actually makes it possible to select the best option for the individual needs of the addict in question. Most important is picking a program that provides both comprehensive and individual care and service. It is therefore critical to focus on a specific person’s needs and desires in locating an ideal drug treatment center. Concentrating on the following features of drug treatment facilities in light of an individual’s circumstances greatly improves this process.

Drug Detox

Drug detox is the first step in the drug rehab process upon entering a treatment center. Before one can begin to heal psychologically and emotionally, his or her physical dependency on the substance must be destroyed. Drug addiction causes the body to rely on harmful chemical substances. As time goes on, the body requires larger and larger amounts of the drug to feel normal. Detox interrupts this normalcy, and the body often reacts, sometimes in harmful ways associated with symptoms of withdrawal. Drug treatment centers provide professionals ready to handle complications that may result from these symptoms. They therefore ensure that drug detox is a quick and safe process.

Individualized Addiction Treatment

Following detox, actual addiction rehabilitation can commence. Careful and extensive counseling is required to ensure that patients remain drug free. As such, many drug treatment centers prioritize counseling arrangements. While groups greatly assist healing, they should be limited in relation to individualized attention, which ensures that no one gets lost in the crowd and everyone is given personalized care. Addiction treatment concentrates on the underlying causes of substance abuse. Thus, one-on-one confidential discussions about past and present experiences with specialists substantially increase the potential for full recovery. Combined with small group sessions and team counseling, individualized therapy provides the intensive treatment necessary for achieving a drug free life.

Holistic Treatment

Holistic healing is another critical component of drug treatment center programs. Drug addiction worsens the body’s normal stress levels exponentially. Cells are destroyed and nutrients are drained. The substance’s increasing importance severs the body/mind/spirit connection, leading one to lose his or her individuality. Longstanding interests and other parts of one’s identity begin to deteriorate. A drug treatment center that fosters holistic treatment includes the programs necessary to help not only individuals as addicts but each individual as a person. Holistic therapy starts with counseling and sometimes includes psychotherapy and hypnotherapy. Other forms of counseling such as family/marriage, spiritual, and life purpose counseling can offer even more treatment for each individual. Counseling that is tailored specifically for each person can usefully address each individual situation. Beyond the therapeutic benefits of counseling, other treatments, such as physical therapy, massage and bodywork, and acupuncture help relieve tension and enable the body to regain strength. Physical surroundings complete the holistic treatment plan. Comfortable and luxurious environments help those in recovery stay focused on healing.

Additional Individual Accommodations

Many treatment centers do not focus exclusively on the addict’s specific treatment needs but also consider his or her personal desires and interests. Accordingly, some centers offer features such as swimming pools, gyms, and entertainment centers or allow personal belongings such as laptops and cell phones. Indeed, becoming drug free is often a smoother process when addicts’ regular personal and professional lives are able to continue to the extent possible.

Thousands of sufferers successfully recover from drug addictions every year. Drug treatment centers are a popular means for assisting individuals in overcoming addiction and living the rest of their lives drug free. Finding a center with the optimal recovery program is therefore an important part of the process.

You’ve seen it on television and in magazines; you’ve read about it in memoirs and biographies: people losing themselves and everything dear to them to an addiction to illicit and prescription drugs. While the leading cause of drug use is as simple to locate as the company one keeps, no person is born a drug addict. Instead, the gateway to drug addiction is seldom a personality disorder but rather stems from the fact that the consequences of drug use are not immediately apparent which can lead to the misconception that the drug has no affect on one’s ability to lead a normal and productive life. Of course, the idea that one can sustain a growing drug habit while maintaining a healthy lifestyle is believable until it isn’t. At some point, the unchecked drug user must seek drug treatment.

However, individuals and families affected by drug addiction have never had so many places to turn for help in coping with addiction. From counseling and screening at community health centers and county hospitals, individuals can begin to receive information and help almost immediately. In fact, the federal government has continued to recognize the moral and economical benefit to helping individuals overcome their addiction, especially before they turn to crime or otherwise cease to be productive members of their community. From unique Drug Courts that involve the family and community of addicted drug users who have recently turned to crime to help them achieve a return to a drug-free life, to state issued drug treatment and recovery support vouchers allowing the implementation of more innovative strategies to combat drug-addiction.

Treatment facilities are also more and more varied. Suitable treatment can be found for any level of addiction and can be tailored for each individual depending on his or her needs. From long-term care at private drug treatment centers to short-term, open-facility care in homes democratically run by tenants transitioning into their new autonomous drug-free lives, treatment isn’t the regimented practice it once was, with blanket solutions applied to unique problems. Treatment can help with more than coping with the psychological and physical barriers to overcoming drug-addiction, treatment offers the people the opportunity to remove themselves from the culture of drug use and replace it with the culture of productive, healthy living. People who were introduced to drugs by members of their social circles or communities have the opportunity with treatment to learn how to make better decisions that can affect positive change in all areas of their lives.

Treatment today is more nuanced than many may realize. Often, a more holistic approach is used in drug treatment and the individual is taken into more complete account. Approaches to drug treatment today recognize that recovery from drug addiction is something that does not necessarily end with one treatment and cannot be determined only by the words “success” and “failure”. Understanding that relapse and co-opting one drug for another, while not expected, can be part of recovery process helps to make drug treatment adaptable to an individual’s needs and help reshape behavior during all stages of drug treatment and addiction recovery.

Source: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/ndcs06/chap2.pdf

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.

Recovery houses can often be an addict’s only road to sobriety. It often seems that returning to a sober lifestyle can be next to impossible in the world in which we live. Recovery houses make that job more attainable than many of the methods out there.

Due to the amenities offered to recovering addicts in a recovery house setting, attaining a sober way of life can become an easier task. Recovery houses usually offer a myriad of paths to sobriety. One can find private on-campus living, the frequent use of the 12 step program, and regiments of personal responsibilities when dwelling in a sober living home. The purpose of most recovery houses is to offer such things to maintain the focus and stability of recovering patients. The 12 step program, being one of the most popular ways of achieving a sober lifestyle, is often a staple in the recovery house setting, and with good reason. Its proven track record speaks for itself.

There are more holistic approaches being used in more of today’s recovery houses. These days recovering addicts can find yoga instructors, Chinese medicine experts, massage therapists, and vegan chefs to name a few of the amenities found in today’s recovery houses. Depending on where one seeks treatment, benefits like Reiki healers, hypnotherapists, Shiatsu masseuses, and acupuncturists can also be at their disposal as well.

Here at Sunset Malibu, we provide a wide variety of resources and links in an effort to give back to the recovery community. You can find everything from links to sober living houses to articles on prescription medicine. Take a moment and look around our extensive collection of addiction resources.

Once known as “poor man’s cocaine,” the crystalline white powder known
as speed or meth, quickly seduces those who snort, smoke or inject it
with a euphoric rush of confidence, hyperalertness and sexual arousal
that can last for hours, even days on end, and then the destruction
begins.

Meth initially became popular in rural areas in the midwest, and on the
West Coast. With alarming rapidity the epidemic of meth has found it’s
way into the mainstream on its steady march across the country. Cheaper
than most other hard drugs, the highly addictive stimulant is spreading
to people across the socioeconomic spectrum, from soccer moms in
Illinois, and computer geeks in Silicon Valley to factory workers in
Detroit and gay professionals in New York and Los Angeles.

Recently, the White House drug policy office, realizing the potential
disaster on the horizon, has set a goal to cut meth use by 15 percent
over the next three years and increase seizures of meth labs by 25
percent. The abuse of meth, mistakenly thought to only be a minor
problem, has now become an issue on a national level.

With more than 12 million Americans having tried methamphetamine, and
1.5 million admitting to being regular users (according to federal
estimates) meth abuse is quickly spreading. The production of meth is at
an all time high as well. Meth labs have been uncovered in all 50
states, with Missouri topping the list, with more than 8,000 labs seized
between 2002 and 2004. Law enforcement officials across the United
States rank methamphetamine as the No. 1 drug problem they face today.
In a survey of 500 law-enforcement agencies in 45 states by the National
Association of Counties, 58 percent said meth is by far the biggest drug
problem they face, compared with only 19 percent for cocaine, 17 percent
for pot and 3 percent for heroin.

Meth addicts are pouring into prisons and meth rehabilitation centers at an
ever-increasing rate, and a new generation of “meth babies” is choking
the foster-care system in many states. About half the counties reported
that one in five inmates are jailed because of meth-related crimes like
robberies and burglaries. Another 17 percent of counties reported that
one in two inmates are incarcerated for meth-related activity. About
1,000 of the 2,800 inmates in the Oklahoma County jail are incarcerated
for meth-related crimes, he said. Even Mormon Utah has a meth problem,
with nearly half the women in Salt Lake City’s jail testing positive for
the drug in one study.

One thing is for sure, meth abuse is America’s biggest problem, making
it Public Enemy No. 1.

Methamphetamine, a thrill-drug, known on the street as “speed”, “meth”, “chalk” or, in crystal form, “ice”, “glass”, and “tina”, has become the low-cost drug of choice in many communities, supplanting even crack cocaine and heroin for cheap thrills. It is relatively easy to make, broiled in saucepots and cookers, from readily available items. All one needs is the reckless will to do it, and presto.

Why would a person take the risk? Well, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the user, “experiences an intense sensation, called a ‘rush’ or ‘flash,’ that lasts only a few minutes and is described as extremely pleasurable.” The downsides to this precipitous spike in mood are: long bouts of wakefulness, frenetic behavior and restlessness, a decrease in appetite, hypothermia, and insomnia. There are other effects: users may experience confusion, anxiety, paranoia, tremors, and even seizures. Methamphetamine also leads to an increased heart rate and can cause high blood pressure. Use of the drug can also damage brain cells, potentially causing strokes. Often damage to the brain is not immediately detectable, only becoming manifest months later. In fact, Meth causes damage to the brain similar to that caused by Altzheimers or epilepsy The long and the short of it is – one way or another, Meth hastens death.

With such information out there, one would imagine people staying away from the drug in droves, but, in fact, recent studies showed upwards of 6 percent of all high school seniors had tried Meth at least once, with upwards of 5 percent of juniors trying the drug. The drug seems to be particularly popular in the American Southwest. In Phonenix, over 40 percent of arrestees tested positive for Meth. In Los Angeles, over 28 percent tested positive. It has also caught on in the urban gay scene, doing the work that used to be done by amyl nitrate “poppers”; except people are doing it in injectable form, putting themselves at increased risk for HIV and a host of other blood-borne pathogens.

The production of Meth is itself a dangerous habit. People are often burned, even blinded, when the household materials they are using to cook Meth, such as ammonium chloride, explode. Because it is cheap to make, and is made with available household items, user desperate for the drug will often try to concoct it themselves. This is only one of many tertiary horrors associated with the drug.

Once, outlaw motorcycle gangs controlled the production and trafficking of methamphetamine in America. Nowadays, Mexico-based operators dominate the current market. They are aided by the accessibility of the chemicals needed to cook Meth, as well as their access to elaborate smuggling routes and clandestine border town drug rings. They also run a number of “super labs”, which can produce Meth in enormous quantities over a short period of time. It has become virtually impossible to keep up with the rapid production of Meth by these groups south of the border. DEA agents are getting more and more vigilant, however, and initiatives are now in place to stop the smuggling rings which had gone unrecognized for years as more attention was directed to traditional sources of the drug such as biker gangs.

Authorities have woken up in recent years to the precipitous climb in Meth production, as well as use. The institution of Meth as a “party drug” is particularly alarming to drug enforcement agents across the county. First-time users have no realistic idea of how the drug will affect them, making the casual use and ease of availability even more frightening.

In a ten year span, from 1994 to 2004, the number of people admitting themselves to treatment programs for methamphetamine addiction increased from 33,443 in 1994, to the astronomical figure of 129,079 in 2004. This is both alarming and encouraging, for people – including the users themselves –are waking up to the need for treatment.

September, 2006, was National Recovery Month. Although that attention is welcome, Sunset Malibu would like every month to be National Recovery Month, and we encourage individuals experiencing the torment of Methamphetamine addiction to seek treatment in our luxurious and beautiful facility overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Contrary to popular opinion, there are long-term effects to short term use of any drug. Meth is particularly potent, even more so in liquid form; and it is now more important than ever to address your use of the drug. We are a private facility, and you need not be ashamed to walk through our doors. We respect confidentiality. Meth use, as crack did in the ‘80s’s, has a particular stigma nowadays, and we fully understand the embarrassment people often feel at the thought of their addiction to the drug. At Sunset Malibu we know Meth use cuts across all race and class lines. We encourage you to take the step of entering our facility, and make a positive change in your life.

Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is both the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates. Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed or pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. It is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as the black sticky substance known on the streets as “black tar heroin.” Although purer heroin is becoming more common, most street heroin is “cut” with other drugs or with substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, or quinine. Street heroin can also be cut with strychnine or other poisons. Because heroin abusers do not know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk of overdose or death. Heroin also poses special problems because of the transmission of HIV and other diseases that can occur from sharing needles or other injection equipment.

Heroin is usually injected, sniffed/snorted, or smoked. Typically, a heroin abuser may inject up to four times a day. Intravenous injection provides the greatest intensity and most rapid onset of euphoria, while intra-muscular injection produces a relatively slow onset of euphoria. When heroin is sniffed or smoked, peak effects are usually felt within 10 to 15 minutes. Although smoking and sniffing heroin do not produce a “rush” as quickly or as intensely as intravenous injection, researchers have confirmed that all three forms of heroin administration are addictive.

Injection continues to be the predominant method of heroin use among addicted users seeking treatment; however, researchers have observed a shift in heroin use patterns, from injection to sniffing and smoking. In fact, sniffing/snorting heroin is now a widely reported means of taking heroin among users admitted for drug treatment. Heroin addicts often name kicking this habit as the hardest thing to do in life. Many experience extreme symptoms of withdrawal that take an extreme physical toll on them making it seemingly impossible to break the cycle of abuse.

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.