AHS Views

I read a great article today regarding the viewpoint of addictions expert, Dr. Mark F. Kern on ‘addiction medicine.” According to the article, the AA retention rate is 5%, according to their own statistics. “Would you put your life in the hands of someone who only has a 15 percent success rate?”, said Kern. Although there are successful alcohol and drug rehab centers available, it is true they are in the minority.

Kern blames the failure of alcohol and drug rehab, and the fact that more people don’t try to get help, on the shame, blame, intensity and religious overtones of standard treatment.
 
“The disease model of addiction embraced by most of the medical community scares people. It sets up a false dichotomy: The ‘disease’ of alcoholism will progress and you will die — or you must attend meetings for a lifetime. As if those are the only two options. But the ‘disease’ does not always progress, and what scientific approach recommends prayer to cure a disease? Or ignores a myriad of replicable effective alternatives? …  People are not like tube socks - there is no ‘one size fits all’ in treating drug and alcohol problems,” said Kern in a recent press release.

Hallelujah!  Finally, a voice of reason.

Successful alcohol and drug rehab is intensely personal. It gets to the root of the problems for that individual, and helps them turn their lives around. And that’s exactly what you need to look for if you’re trying to help yourself or someone you care about.

I heard a very sad story today about a young man whose father shot himself after years of alcoholism. His alcohol abuse had resulted in divorce, and had alienated his son. The son never tried to get his dad into alcohol rehab and, although he’s not responsible for his father’s alcoholism or his death, that fact will probably weigh on him for a very long time.

Since I’ve been involved in drug and alcohol rehab, I’ve realized that it really is almost impossible for some people to quit on their own. They’re fighting a private battle, and the only way they feel they can win is through drugs or alcohol.

It’s sometimes hard to feel sympathy for a person who’s destroying their lives, and possibly yours. But, really, you don’t have to be sympathetic, just get them into a successful drug or alcohol rehab program. Although you may resent the fact that they drink, and the effects that has created on your life, that’s nothing compared to how you’d feel if they died and you hadn’t even tried to help.

Unfortunately, some people believe drug addicts and alcoholics when they say they’re going to quit. I’ve seen this go on for years. One broken promise after another. But the truth is, it’s very, very hard to quit drinking, and very hard to stop taking drugs. Don’t count on someone getting themselves into an alcohol or drug rehab on their own steam.

There are two factors at play. The first is withdrawal. For many drugs, and for alcohol, withdrawal can be excruciatingly painful. And anyone who’s been drinking or taking drugs heavily for a while has probably already gotten a taste of that when they’ve gone too long between doses or drinks. If they haven’t had it happen to them, they’ve heard about it. Someone on alcohol, for example, can start shaking and vomiting, get severe headaches and sweat profusely. That can move onto the DTs, panic attacks and seizures. Opiates have similar withdrawal symptoms, as well extreme muscle and bone pain. No one wants to go through that.

The second factor is addiction. Withdrawal symptoms are a result of physical dependency, but what about the rest of it? That person is using drugs or alcohol to cope with something – they need to find out what it is and address it before you can depend on them staying clean.

If you’re counting on someone you love quitting on their own, and they refuse drug rehab, get an interventionist to help. And get someone who really understands drugs and addiction and knows what your loved one is going through.

It’s no secret that drugs and alcohol ruin lives – for both the addicts and the people who love them. It’s not going to get better unless you do something about it. So, take matters into your own hands and get some help. Getting addicts and alcoholics into a successful drug rehab program is the best thing you can do for them.

Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers has checked into a rehab facility to keep up with his recovery from alcohol abuse. Meyers, star of the current Showtime series The Tudors, recently finished shooting his upcoming flick ‘August Rush’ opposite Terrence Howard and Robin Williams in New York.

Rhys has scheduled his next project to start after he completes the alcohol rehab treatment program.

Seems drug and alcohol rehab is becoming quite the celebrity trend - others who recently checked into rehab include Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Kate Moss and Desperate Housewives heartthrob Jesse Metcalfe.

Some drug rehab centers are concerned about a guidance document that is currently on the Food and Drug Administration’s Docket (FDA No. 2006D-0480) that reveals plans to reclassify all vegetable juices, herbs and vitamins as FDA regulated drugs. Even things like massage oils and massage rocks will be classified as “medical devices”.

According to the document, once these vitamins, minerals and other natural methods are regulated, the FDA can then ban anything that they feel is a drug and these supplements can be taken off the market. Currently, there are millions of people using natural supplements as they are much safer and cause no side effects in comparison to many of the drugs that are being approved and promoted by the FDA everyday.

This could be a blow to the drug rehab field. It’s been shown that drug free methods to handle addiction with the use of natural supplements statistically achieve the best success rates.

Many of the clients that undergo this type of drug rehab treatment end up being successfully rehabilitated from addiction and do not have periods
of relapse. Trying to regulate these natural methods would be disastrous in the substance abuse treatment arena as many non-traditional treatment methods are now being used.

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