I found this in “Dispelling The Myths About Addiction, Strategies To Increase Understanding And Strengthen Research,” Institute Of Medicine, National Academy Press, Washington, 1997, pages 73-74.

“One of the most enduring myths about addiction is that treatment for these disorders is ineffective.'

"O’Brien and McLellan (1996) reviewed and compared treatment literature for addictive disorders and three common health problems – hypertension, diabetes, and asthma. Treatment effectiveness for addiction was defined as a 50% decrease in drug taking after 6 months. The literature reviewed showed treatment for alcoholism to be successful for 40% to 70% of patients; success rates for cocaine addiction were 50% to 60%, opioids 50% to 80%, and nicotine 20% to 40%.  Interestingly, review of studies relevant to diabetes, hypertension and asthma revealed that high proportions of these patients did not follow their physician’s advice and did not adhere to diet and other behavioral components of their treatment. For example, among patients with insulin-dependent diabetes, less than 50% adhered to their medication regimen and less than 30% conformed to their diet and other self-care requirements.  Less than 30% of patents with asthma and hypertension were found to take their medication as instructed.  Noncompliance and other factors, according to the studies reviewed, resulted in 50% to 60% of hypertension and 60 to 80% of asthmas patients needing to be retreated within a year.

The comparability of these data argue that addiction is similar to these three common medical illnesses in that they all can be treated successfully in many patients, but none can be cured and all 4 often require retreatment.

Yet, there are important differences between addiction and these other illnesses in the perception of the public, insurance companies and physicians. Few would argue that retreatment for diabetes, hypertension, or asthma indicates treatment failure, or that treatment should be withheld from or denied to these patients when they relapse and their symptoms reoccur. Yet such an argument is commonly made about addiction.”

I find this is interesting considering the number of people who when they hear about my work for a drub rehab center, and ask me questions that start out with in a doubting tone, “And what is your success rate?”  How many people ask the same question to the physician or othe rhealth care provider, in the first line of a conversation…….hmmmm.   What do you think?

My frustrating search for free and low cost drug rehab programs continues.  It is easy to see why those who absolutely need free drug rehab services continue to call from one place to another.  If you type free drug rehab as a search into google, the first page has no listings at all that are free.  There are four free drug rehab consultations.  There are toll free numbers.  There are rehabs that will make you drug free.  Apparently google is unable to sort out the actual drug rehab programs that might be free.  The second page of listings is not much better.  Two of the listings actually deal with free drug rehab, the other eight so not.  The rest are back to the free drug rehab consultations again.

The point I am trying to make here is that if google cannot find these resources with all their computing power, how is the average person with a severe drug addiction and few or no resources supposed to find them?  The only way I can see, is if we all start posting these places in our websites so they can be found.  If everyone with a website with material on drug rehab, gave a link or two showing where some free drug rehab programs could be found, then google and the other search engines could find them and a lot of pain and frustration from families in this situation could be prevented.  So if you know of some that I have not mentioned, come on, what are you waiting for?  Tell me, or somebody else.

Is there danger in letting your mind wander and imagine drug use?  If after attending a drug rehab program should you train your mind to quickly move on to other topics when you mind starts to imagine drug use?  A simpler question to ask might be what good things could happen by slipping into a fantasy of drug use?  That seems like an easier question to answer.  I guess someone could make a sort of remote arguement that in the fantasy you could make drug use painful or damaging and therefore promote sobriety, but I think really there is not a lot of good that can come out of these fantasies.

The real danger lies in that in fantasy, we always have control.  We never get caught.  We never get diseases.  We never get arrested.  Drug rehab is about remembering all these other possibilities.  Fantasy can be a preamble to a real relapse, so is it really worth the risk?  Any behavior that carries a real risk of relapse is just not worth it.  There are simple methods to stop a fantasy in it's tracks and stay focused on the path you chose in drug rehab.  Simply ask yourself a quality question.  "What one thing could I be doing now to make my life better, instead of dreaming about drugs?"  Or how about," What are three negative things that will happen if I experiment with drugs again?  This will stop any fantasy cold in it's tracks.  Play it smart, dream about things that really will make your life better.

If a nice facility was really a critical point in the success in drug rehab, how come the Hilton or the Marriott are not advertising for drug rehab clients?  Drug rehab is about changing yourself and your life.  If getting spoiled and pampered in a beautiful stting had anything to do with sobriety, why is there any drug addiction at all in Hollywood?  The rich and famous have no problems at all with addiction.  They have such beautiful homes they get "cured" while they sleep ….. right?

If the building is clean and has the facilities to teach, work out, eat and sleep, that is pretty much all you need.  If you are paying for your drug rehab treatment you hve the "right" to be as picky as you want I guess, but if your family is paying for you, you might want to consider being a little more reasonable.  Or is it a case of you really do not care how much money your family pays out for you? Be picky about the program.  Be picky about how they treat you.  But ease up on looking for the all-inclusive resort feel at a moderate price.  Yes rehab is not cheap.  But spending a lot of money to stay in a fancy building will do nothing to teach you the skills you need to cope with stress and addiction in your life.  It just proves you are willing to waste other people's money. 

When I am writing this rehab blog, I can not help but get nosey and see what other people writing in the rehab blog field are also doing.  While doing this I had one of those "aha" moments when you figure out your onw view of the world sometimes keep you from seeing the big picture.  You see, because I am seeing the world through the eyes of someone in the drug rehab field, rehab has one meaning in my head.  Rehab is a place where you go to get off drug abuse and alcohol abuse.  Guess what the number one blog on google with the term rehab is?  It is about rehab for physical injuries.  Car accicdents, sports injuries, and post surgury to get back all the mobility life requires. 

I really started to laugh.  The neat thing about getting older is all the things you learn, and the experience you have.  However it is those very things that may form a set of glasses that you view the world through.  It is not that this is wrong, it is just that you need to be reminded of it once in a while.  So I read the number one rehab blog on google and quite enjoyed it.  I also learned a little bit about myself along the way.

You know, we all need to look at the funny side of life, even with serious topics like addiction.  I found this blog with the great idea of listing things that we all could do, instead of resorting to using a drug or having a drink.  If you need a chuckle check this out by clicking here.

When you go to a boomtown like Fort McMurray in Northern Alberta, you can make a lot of money fast.  You can go from almost nothing to owning your own company and living life large in 2 or 3 years.  The problems of sudden wealth and long hours are not without dangers though.  Since I wrote a spot about the need for drug rehab programs for the rapidly growing drug addiction problem in Fort McMurray, I have recieved calls detailing some of the extent on how drugs can undermine hardworking, focused, young people and destroy their lives.  Things like working 28 days in a row for months to build a small successful company.  Having growth and new employees join them.  Then all destoyed by crack cocaine and meth.  From profits to big debts in 6 months. 

My interest in the drug addiction problem is two fold.  One is purely from the point of veiw of finding drug rehab for everyone, where ever they are.  The second is that Fort McMurray shows just how vulnerable we all are to addiction.  Many of the people getting in trouble in Fort McMurray are NOT people stuck in a slum with no job and no hope.  They are very hard working, very independant people.  Drug addiction strikes people at vulneralbe moments in their life.  It is not just about vulnerable people.

Buprenorhine is one way to detox and stop talking opiates, such as heroin and oxycontin.  It may have several advantages of methadone and rapid opiate detox.  It boils down to getting quality information and help, followed by making the decision that is right for you and your circumstances.  You need a successful detox if you are to have a good drug rehab.  The following is a webiste by a non-profit organization dealing with the issues involved in the detox from opiates.

Click here for more information about Buprenorhine treatment and Physicians that can help you.

There are always excuses involved in addiction and drug rehab.  Things like, "you don't understand the pressure I'm under".  I can't go to drug rehab right now, because I'm too busy at work and with my family.  Given enough time, we can always find a "good reason" not to the things we need to move on in our life.  The I'm too busy hanging on to my crappy life to work on improving it.

Even clients at a drug rehab center can find excuses.  My favorite aunt is sick and I have to leave early.  I think my wife is leaving me, and I have to go back and try to save my relationship.  I think I have learned enough and I can save my family some money by leaving early.  ( Funny how when buying drugs or alcohol there isn't a lot of concern about the family's finances. ) 

You know the great thing about excuses? They have no conscience.  They can work both ways.  You can use excuses to "justify" doing the right thing.  How about, "I can always do those other things later, but now I'll just finish my drug rehab."  I know there are things in my life I could be taking care of right now, but I'll be better equipped to do them after I go to drug rehab.  I know I could spend the money on other things, but I think drug rehab is the best investment for me right now.

You see, if you realy want, you can use excuses to support you for doing the right thing.  Why not take an old unhealthy habit and turn it into something that will support you.  You already know how to make great excuses, so make up some the keep you in a drug and alcohol rehab program until you are done what you came to do, get sober.

When you deal with a addicted person or client and you are one of a group of people dealing with this person, at some point you may come across splitting. This happens is a drug rehab quite often, especially at the beginning of the rehab program.  Splitting is a manipulation technique.  It inolves making you feel special, and tries to pull you away from the group concencus.  Here is a typical splitting scenario. 

Someone may come up to you and say, " Do you know what Bill did to me?"  Then they explain the injustice or how they were "treated unfairly".  Then comes the splitting comment ….  I know YOU would never do that!  In one sentence they give you a "compliment", and pull you away from the other person.  This type of manipulation involves creating a subgroup of 2 people, you and them, who reall know what is going on.

When you are dealing with people with an addiction or in drug rehab, be aware of splitting.  This is especially true if you are just dealing with a loved one over the phone while they are at a drug rehab.  Statement like, "You are the ONLY family member that understand what I am going through" is a splitting statement.  Invariably requests for "special" treatment will follow.  The key to deal with splitting is to simply bring in the other poeple.  A good response to the above statement would be to answer with, "Wow, I didn't know that, let's get the rest of the family on a conference call and see if we can get them to understand.  It's inportant everyone know you feel this way!"  Splitters will immediately back off.  They do not what an open conversation with everyone, as they are probably telling the other family members the say line they just told you. 

Splitters are not only in addiction and drug rehab.  You will find them everywhere in your life.  Truth and openess are the best answer to them.