Accountability
Those who are victimized, including addicts who are victimized by drugs and alcohol, have a tendency to blame everyone and everything else for their problems. Extended care programs teach recovering addicts how to think like winners and leaders by taking accountability for their actions. Unless we take accountability for the actions that have led us to our current situation, we can never change our future.
A life of sobriety is attainable for each and every person who chooses to take the necessary action to achieve it. Those who have relapsed after short term treatment programs don't need to give up, nor must they feel like they have failed. Most everyone needs more than just a few weeks in a treatment program. Recovery is a lifestyle change and extended care programs provide a foundation to create that change.
To read this complete article please visit: Enhanced Healing
Showing posts with label treatment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label treatment. Show all posts
Friday, January 23, 2009
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
A new National Directory of addiction and alcoholism treatment centers, therapists and specialists.
Most addicted people need help to find a way to live clean, sober lives. Treatment Centers, therapists and specialists are often the last stop in the vicious cycle that is substance addiction.
Maryland 6/03/2008 07:29 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)
TreatmentCenters.com is a national directory for treatment centers, therapists and specialists. We offer a free, simple and comprehensive index that provides assistance and guidance for those seeking help regarding alcohol addiction, drug addiction, eating disorders, cancer and many other conditions that affect the mind, body and soul. We also offer a wide variety of addiction and illness treatment centers, as well as individual counselors that can address your specific needs. We include peer support and detoxification programs. In addition, we can provide you with many resources for outpatient and residential programs.
Making the choice to seek treatment for an illness or addiction can be challenging. Our goal at TreatmentCenters.com is to make that job easier for you. We provide a bridge between people seeking treatment and the centers, physicians and counselors who provide that treatment. Keeping in mind that any disorder can affect the entire family, we provide resources and information for friends and family members as well. If you are a person seeking treatment, you will find a vast number of resources on our site.
If you are a professional offering services, we provide a first class showcase for what you have to offer. Our site consists of an easy to use search center that will match your needs to the services provided by professionals in your area. We also offer discussion forums where you can dialogue with others about various relevant topics. We provide cutting edge news on a variety of treatment related topics and offer a blog section in which you can journal about your personal experience.
Many individuals will not seek treatment for various reasons. It has been our experience that 'active' addicts and alcoholics, as well as people afflicted with different addictions or physical conditions can sometimes lose the ability to reason. A therapist or specialist for a specific illness or addiction issue, or a full-fledged residential treatment center can and will help. You, and/or your loved one, can find it at TreatmentCenters.com.
We appreciate input to further refine and maintain the efficiency of this website.
Please contact us with your thoughts. Thank You.
"Turn over a new leaf with TreatmentCenters.com"
Our motto "Hope, Help, Heal, and Happiness" shows the path.
You provide the hope. We provide the help
TreatmentCenters.com is a national directory for treatment centers, therapists and specialists. We offer a free, simple and comprehensive index that provides assistance and guidance for those seeking help regarding alcohol addiction, drug addiction, eating disorders, cancer and many other conditions that affect the mind, body and soul.
For further information, please contact us at 713.992.2828.
Sales: palmer@treatmentcenters.com
Webmaster: dan@treatmentcenters.com
http://treatmentcenters.com
_______
source: TransWorld News
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Lack of permit forcing recovery center to close
A recovery center for drug and alcohol addicts is looking for a new home after a zoning snafu forced them to leave a west Athens compound.
About two dozen residents at Serenity River Residence Center packed up Monday after discovering that the nonprofit group lacked a necessary permit to operate a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility.
Residents said they planned to move in with members of Serenity River's board of directors or to rented houses elsewhere in Athens, pledging to stick together to beat addiction using the group's tough-love approach.
"We're not kin, but I consider this my family," said Roger Strickland Jr., who has lived at the center for about a month.
After applying to Athens-Clarke County for a permit to build a new dining hall, founder Phil Redden said he learned Friday that Serenity River would have to leave the property because the center was operating illegally.
Rehab centers, halfway houses and other such treatment facilities need a special-use permit from the Athens-Clarke Commission to open, and Serenity River never applied for one, county planner Lara Mathes said.
The nonprofit officially is suspending its operations, but the former residents will continue to meet and participate in the recovery program as they look for funding to find a permanent new home, Redden said.
Although the tight-knit group is separating, the move could be a "blessing in disguise" by allowing them to buy a new and permanent home and acquire the necessary permit, Redden said.
"To help thousands of people over the years, we need a place with a little more privacy, and we need to make it a little nicer," he said.
Redden will raise money to buy property for a larger treatment center that could house 40 people, and is seeking donations, he said. His goal is to open and begin accepting new residents in six months, he said.
"I'm sending up flares to see if anyone in Athens can do anything to help this thing that works survive," he said.
Redden rented two houses and a loft, formerly home to drug users, on five acres off Tallassee Road in July to open the treatment center. During time off from his full-time job as a crane operator, the former alcoholic collected used needles and beer cans and repaired the run-down property.
The six- to 12-month program uses Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous principles, frequent meetings, manual labor and plenty of straight talk to convince addicts to stop drinking and using drugs. Several residents said it's the only recovery program that's ever worked for them, and they were not discouraged by the recent setback.
"I want to stick around and help them build the new facility and help others get sober," Clemoth Church Jr. said.
Serenity River can be contacted at (706) 549-2667.
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 031108
About two dozen residents at Serenity River Residence Center packed up Monday after discovering that the nonprofit group lacked a necessary permit to operate a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility.
Residents said they planned to move in with members of Serenity River's board of directors or to rented houses elsewhere in Athens, pledging to stick together to beat addiction using the group's tough-love approach.
"We're not kin, but I consider this my family," said Roger Strickland Jr., who has lived at the center for about a month.
After applying to Athens-Clarke County for a permit to build a new dining hall, founder Phil Redden said he learned Friday that Serenity River would have to leave the property because the center was operating illegally.
Rehab centers, halfway houses and other such treatment facilities need a special-use permit from the Athens-Clarke Commission to open, and Serenity River never applied for one, county planner Lara Mathes said.
The nonprofit officially is suspending its operations, but the former residents will continue to meet and participate in the recovery program as they look for funding to find a permanent new home, Redden said.
Although the tight-knit group is separating, the move could be a "blessing in disguise" by allowing them to buy a new and permanent home and acquire the necessary permit, Redden said.
"To help thousands of people over the years, we need a place with a little more privacy, and we need to make it a little nicer," he said.
Redden will raise money to buy property for a larger treatment center that could house 40 people, and is seeking donations, he said. His goal is to open and begin accepting new residents in six months, he said.
"I'm sending up flares to see if anyone in Athens can do anything to help this thing that works survive," he said.
Redden rented two houses and a loft, formerly home to drug users, on five acres off Tallassee Road in July to open the treatment center. During time off from his full-time job as a crane operator, the former alcoholic collected used needles and beer cans and repaired the run-down property.
The six- to 12-month program uses Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous principles, frequent meetings, manual labor and plenty of straight talk to convince addicts to stop drinking and using drugs. Several residents said it's the only recovery program that's ever worked for them, and they were not discouraged by the recent setback.
"I want to stick around and help them build the new facility and help others get sober," Clemoth Church Jr. said.
Serenity River can be contacted at (706) 549-2667.
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 031108
Monday, February 4, 2008
Handle alcoholics firmly, but constructively
Charlie, a top salesman for an Alberta software company had been drinking a little too much at company functions and with clients. His boss was starting to notice that Charlie was ringing up larger-than- average bar tabs when entertaining clients. At first, the boss turned a blind eye due to Charlie's exceptional sales performance. At the same time that the boss was noticing Charlie's increased use of alcohol, key clients were taking note too. Charlie was a bit too loud, wanted to stay at the bar longer than most and seemed to be in a hurry to get a drink. They started to wonder if the drink was more important than the business they were trying to conduct. They also started to quietly question Charlie's ability to maintain their account if he continued his heavy drinking.
Alcoholism or heavy drinking is a serious problem for businesses. An estimated 15 per cent of the workforce can be considered problem drinkers. These drinkers are functional in that they remain at work and perform at a satisfactory or even above-average level. Yet their drinking can damage their health, their home life and if left unchecked, their career. Worse still, many people who have trouble with alcoholism also suffer from depression or anxiety. A pattern emerges over time in which alcohol is used to self-medicate, to reduce worry and nervousness or provide a temporary escape from the blues.
Taken together the symptoms are a warning for employers to take substance abuse seriously. The law dictates it too. Substance abuse is considered a disability, making dismissal, demotion, suspension or discipline due to problem drinking or substance abuse discriminatory.
So, getting help for employees showing signs of substance abuse is the best way to handle the issue. But many have difficulty identifying when there is an issue and raising it constructively.
Indicators that alcohol is a problem in high functioning staff are subtle since top performers, like Charlie, usually do not allow their drinking behaviour to affect their work too much in the early stages. It's more likely to show up at home. In the later stages, however, the problem is easier to spot. The problem drinker will be frequently absent or late, especially around weekends and after holidays. They may get a lot of colds, flus or headaches and they may leave early or disappear from the job and be difficult to locate. Their quality of work suffers with periods of high and low productivity, poor judgment, carelessness and difficulty concentrating.
People may start to notice a problem when the rate and amount of alcohol the problem drinker consumes in their presence starts to increase. As with Charlie, the first signs of damage are found in the client/work or social relationships. People notice increased interest and consumption of alcohol on the part of the problem drinker, who may seem irritable, anxious or depressed. He may seem more sarcastic, argumentative or display an inflated sense of self-importance. When queried about big alcohol-related expense tabs or about a tendency to pursue alcohol-related meetings and activities to entertain clients, high-functioning problem drinkers may get defensive about receiving feedback. They may have domestic problems such as separation, divorce or trouble with their children.
Denial, defensiveness and self-aggrandizement contribute to the tendency for supervisors to steer clear of conversations about alcohol consumption with high performers. And the old saw, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," can deter the most well-intentioned supervisor. Rather than upset the status quo and cause a decline in productivity, many would rather turn a blind eye until forced to concede there may be a problem.
But these difficult topics must be broached for the health of the high performer and the sake of the company. The key to beginning a conversation with an employee about drug or alcohol abuse is to frame it as a health, safety and productivity issue. Present your concerns matter-of-factly while backing them up with supporting evidence. For instance, Charlie's supervisor held a private meeting with him and described factually what he saw occurring about the alcohol consumption. The supervisor backed himself up by showing Charlie the comparatively higher expenses overtime related to Charlie's "client entertainment" budget.
Being a top performer, Charlie argued that the tab was bigger because he entertained more and brought in more business as a result. The supervisor countered that Charlie's health and his reputation as a competent account manager were important to the company. He talked about the company image and what he hoped clients experienced when they were with the organization's top staff. The supervisor also reduced Charlie's defensiveness by acknowledging his contribution and thanking him for it. However, the conversation was focused on the supervisor's discomfort with the situation and, rightly, did not become a "Charlie appreciation" session.
Employers should be aware that often, troubled staff are adept at manipulating such conversations into discussions of not being appreciated at work or being picked on. By keeping the focus on issues with company image, company spending and the supervisor's own personal concern for his or her subordinate, the employer highlights the need for the employee to take action.
The supervisor told Charlie that he was sufficiently concerned that he recommended Charlie use the company's Employee Assistance Program. He told Charlie he'd be looking for a change in people's opinion of him and a shift in consumption rates.
Charlie entered therapy and recognized that his chosen profession (sales) helped him obtain alcohol with ease and legitimize its overuse. Staff working in construction, utilities, wholesale, retail, finance, insurance and real estate are most prone to alcohol abuse according to the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission. He knew he had to change how he did business if he was to be a personal and work success. He decided to abstain from drinking alcohol and, with his supervisor's support, Charlie changed his sales, client appreciation and relationship building strategy to emphasize healthier pursuits that de-emphasized alcohol consumption. He stayed in the business, salvaged his reputation and continued to take pride in his sales achievements.
_____
Dr. Jennifer Newman and Dr. Darryl Grigg are registered psychologists and directors of Newman & Grigg Psychological and Consulting Services Ltd., a Vancouver-based corporate training and development partnership. Identifying information in cases cited has been changed to protect confidentiality.
They can be contacted at: sunmail@newmangrigg.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Breaking the cycle of drug addiction
If a community were a pond, then drug addiction would be a pebble big enough to cause ripples throughout, said Jim Gouveia, Benton County Drug Treatment Court program coordinator.
According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, Oregon ranks No. 2 in the country for illegal drug use, and mid-valley communities are no exception.
“I can’t say the drug problem in Benton County has increased necessarily,” Gouveia said. “But we’re up there.”
Drug use isn’t an individual problem or even a family problem. It’s a community problem, said Jennifer Hogansen, a behavioral health specialist with the Corvallis Clinic.
“The effects on children and families, in particular, can be devastating,” Hogansen said.
The drug problem is a top priority for the criminal justice and social services systems, as well as educators, mental health experts and taxpayers.
Locally, a consistent approach of modifying drug users’ behavior to achieve lasting, life-changing results is being applied to public and private treatment programs. One of those programs is Benton County’s Drug Treatment Court.
There have been 70 or so graduates in its six years of existence, and officials say the program, which costs less than one-tenth as much as incarceration, is responsible for seeing some of the area’s most chronic criminal drug offenders become clean and sober, finish school, find jobs and become productive members of the community.
Cause for change
Figures from the Oregon Department of Human Services show that about 90 percent of children in foster care are there because of their parents’ drug use.
Hogansen previously worked as a clinical psychologist at Oregon Health & Science University and as a research assistant professor at Portland State University, where she studied the incidence of disabilities of children in Oregon’s foster care system. It’s believed than many of these children have a disability or experienced abuse, Hogansen said.
“When meth is involved, these rates skyrocket,” she said.
Drug addiction is a strategy that some people use for managing life, and parents who are using this strategy typically have limited parenting skills. For example, parents who are meth users often do not parent at all, meaning they neglect their children.
“This often results in an absence of basic needs like food, shelter and love,” Hogansen said.
Many of these children go on to have emotional or behavioral problems and developmental issues such as defiant behavior, communication problems, poor attention and impulse control, sensory difficulties and impaired emotional regulation, Hogansen said.
A flawed strategy
According to figures from the Benton County District Attorney’s office, 80 percent of the criminal cases are alcohol- or drug-related. Many of those crimes are thefts and burglaries committed by people who are trying to steal so they can pay for drugs. Most of these people make their way to the parole and probation system and get caught again for the same crimes.
The cycle is doomed to repeat, Gouveia explained.
“People can be compliant with treatment so long as there’s a hammer held over their head,” he said.
But compliance usually only lasts as long as drug users are supervised.
Turning things around
Benton County’s multidisciplinary drug treatment court incorporates the district attorney’s office, public defenders, psychologists and treatment providers, and law enforcement to work with drug users to internalize a behavior change.
“We work on getting them to see the benefit to them. If we motivate them to change, that will be lasting because it’s a choice they made, not a choice someone’s made for them,” Gouveia said.
Using a method known as motivational interviewing, treatment providers work with drug users to change their behavior. Through cognitive behavior therapy, people learn how to recognize and evaluate when they’re having thinking errors and to see how using drugs is not an effective way to deal with life.
Treatment involves intensive case management, as clients receive mental health care and housing assistance, and take GED, college or job-training courses. A majority of people in the program are parents, Gouveia said, and those with children are required to take parenting classes.
At a cost to the county of $9 a day, the drug treatment court program is a significant savings compared to the $150 a day the county pays to keep a person in jail. Benton County Drug Treatment Court Judge Janet Holcomb said the program is the best strategy she’s ever seen for dealing with criminal defendants.
“It’s cost effective,” Holcomb said. “It ties a lot of community partners together. I’m sold.”
Unlike in the regular criminal justice system, the consequences are immediate, as offenders can be whisked off to jail for failing a random drug test or lying to the judge at a mandatory weekly court appearance.
“The quickest way to get sent to jail in drug treatment court is to lie. We teach them to be honest in their recovery and provide close supervision and accountability,” Holcomb said.
Although drug treatment court is an accountability model, it’s also based on improving lives and strengthening and empowering people, Holcomb said. The change can be gradual to take hold.
“But people really do want to change their lives,” she said.
source: Albany Democrat Herald
According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, Oregon ranks No. 2 in the country for illegal drug use, and mid-valley communities are no exception.
“I can’t say the drug problem in Benton County has increased necessarily,” Gouveia said. “But we’re up there.”
Drug use isn’t an individual problem or even a family problem. It’s a community problem, said Jennifer Hogansen, a behavioral health specialist with the Corvallis Clinic.
“The effects on children and families, in particular, can be devastating,” Hogansen said.
The drug problem is a top priority for the criminal justice and social services systems, as well as educators, mental health experts and taxpayers.
Locally, a consistent approach of modifying drug users’ behavior to achieve lasting, life-changing results is being applied to public and private treatment programs. One of those programs is Benton County’s Drug Treatment Court.
There have been 70 or so graduates in its six years of existence, and officials say the program, which costs less than one-tenth as much as incarceration, is responsible for seeing some of the area’s most chronic criminal drug offenders become clean and sober, finish school, find jobs and become productive members of the community.
Cause for change
Figures from the Oregon Department of Human Services show that about 90 percent of children in foster care are there because of their parents’ drug use.
Hogansen previously worked as a clinical psychologist at Oregon Health & Science University and as a research assistant professor at Portland State University, where she studied the incidence of disabilities of children in Oregon’s foster care system. It’s believed than many of these children have a disability or experienced abuse, Hogansen said.
“When meth is involved, these rates skyrocket,” she said.
Drug addiction is a strategy that some people use for managing life, and parents who are using this strategy typically have limited parenting skills. For example, parents who are meth users often do not parent at all, meaning they neglect their children.
“This often results in an absence of basic needs like food, shelter and love,” Hogansen said.
Many of these children go on to have emotional or behavioral problems and developmental issues such as defiant behavior, communication problems, poor attention and impulse control, sensory difficulties and impaired emotional regulation, Hogansen said.
A flawed strategy
According to figures from the Benton County District Attorney’s office, 80 percent of the criminal cases are alcohol- or drug-related. Many of those crimes are thefts and burglaries committed by people who are trying to steal so they can pay for drugs. Most of these people make their way to the parole and probation system and get caught again for the same crimes.
The cycle is doomed to repeat, Gouveia explained.
“People can be compliant with treatment so long as there’s a hammer held over their head,” he said.
But compliance usually only lasts as long as drug users are supervised.
Turning things around
Benton County’s multidisciplinary drug treatment court incorporates the district attorney’s office, public defenders, psychologists and treatment providers, and law enforcement to work with drug users to internalize a behavior change.
“We work on getting them to see the benefit to them. If we motivate them to change, that will be lasting because it’s a choice they made, not a choice someone’s made for them,” Gouveia said.
Using a method known as motivational interviewing, treatment providers work with drug users to change their behavior. Through cognitive behavior therapy, people learn how to recognize and evaluate when they’re having thinking errors and to see how using drugs is not an effective way to deal with life.
Treatment involves intensive case management, as clients receive mental health care and housing assistance, and take GED, college or job-training courses. A majority of people in the program are parents, Gouveia said, and those with children are required to take parenting classes.
At a cost to the county of $9 a day, the drug treatment court program is a significant savings compared to the $150 a day the county pays to keep a person in jail. Benton County Drug Treatment Court Judge Janet Holcomb said the program is the best strategy she’s ever seen for dealing with criminal defendants.
“It’s cost effective,” Holcomb said. “It ties a lot of community partners together. I’m sold.”
Unlike in the regular criminal justice system, the consequences are immediate, as offenders can be whisked off to jail for failing a random drug test or lying to the judge at a mandatory weekly court appearance.
“The quickest way to get sent to jail in drug treatment court is to lie. We teach them to be honest in their recovery and provide close supervision and accountability,” Holcomb said.
Although drug treatment court is an accountability model, it’s also based on improving lives and strengthening and empowering people, Holcomb said. The change can be gradual to take hold.
“But people really do want to change their lives,” she said.
source: Albany Democrat Herald
Friday, January 4, 2008
Drug Treatment Courts-Canada
Drug Treatment Courts
Drug Treatment Courts (DTCs) aim to reduce crime committed as a result of drug dependency through court-monitored treatment and community service support for offenders with drug addictions. They also aim to reduce the burden of substance abuse on the Canadian economy, which has been estimated at $9 billion annually for areas including law enforcement, prosecution and incarceration.
As part of their structured outpatient program, DTC participants attend both individual and group counselling sessions, receive appropriate medical attention (such as methadone treatment) and are subject to random drug tests.
Participants must also appear regularly in court, where a judge reviews their progress and can then either impose sanctions (ranging from verbal reprimands to expulsion from the program) or provide rewards (ranging from verbal commendations to a reduction in court appearances).
DTC staff work with community partners to address participants’ other needs, such as safe housing, stable employment and job training. Once a participant gains this social stability and can demonstrate control over the addiction, criminal charges are either stayed (meaning a judgement is suspended or postponed) or the offender receives a non-custodial sentence (meaning restrictions other than jail, including house arrest). If unsuccessful, an offender will be sentenced as part of the regular court process.
There are now 6 DTCs operating in Canada: Toronto (December 1998), Vancouver (December 2001), Edmonton (December 2005), Winnipeg (January 2006), Ottawa (March 2006), and Regina (October 2006).
Drug Treatment Court Funding Program
Funding is provided through the Drug Treatment Court Funding Program, managed by the Programs Branch of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Drug Strategy and Controlled Substances Programme at the Department of Health.
The objectives of the DTC Funding Program are as follows:
* To promote and strengthen the use of alternatives to incarceration with a particular focus on youth, Aboriginal men and women and street prostitutes;
* To build knowledge and awareness among criminal justice, health and social service practitioners, and the general public about drug treatment courts; and
* To collect information and data on the effectiveness of DTCs in order to promote best practices and the continuing refinement of approaches.
For more information:
* Health Canada - Drug Strategy and Controlled Substances Programme
* Department of Justice – Programs Branch
* Toronto Drug Treatment Court
* Regina Drug Treatment Court
* Winnipeg Drug Treatment Court
Source: http://www.nationalantidrugstrategy.gc.ca/comm-coll/dtc-ttt.html
Drug Treatment Courts (DTCs) aim to reduce crime committed as a result of drug dependency through court-monitored treatment and community service support for offenders with drug addictions. They also aim to reduce the burden of substance abuse on the Canadian economy, which has been estimated at $9 billion annually for areas including law enforcement, prosecution and incarceration.
As part of their structured outpatient program, DTC participants attend both individual and group counselling sessions, receive appropriate medical attention (such as methadone treatment) and are subject to random drug tests.
Participants must also appear regularly in court, where a judge reviews their progress and can then either impose sanctions (ranging from verbal reprimands to expulsion from the program) or provide rewards (ranging from verbal commendations to a reduction in court appearances).
DTC staff work with community partners to address participants’ other needs, such as safe housing, stable employment and job training. Once a participant gains this social stability and can demonstrate control over the addiction, criminal charges are either stayed (meaning a judgement is suspended or postponed) or the offender receives a non-custodial sentence (meaning restrictions other than jail, including house arrest). If unsuccessful, an offender will be sentenced as part of the regular court process.
There are now 6 DTCs operating in Canada: Toronto (December 1998), Vancouver (December 2001), Edmonton (December 2005), Winnipeg (January 2006), Ottawa (March 2006), and Regina (October 2006).
Drug Treatment Court Funding Program
Funding is provided through the Drug Treatment Court Funding Program, managed by the Programs Branch of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Drug Strategy and Controlled Substances Programme at the Department of Health.
The objectives of the DTC Funding Program are as follows:
* To promote and strengthen the use of alternatives to incarceration with a particular focus on youth, Aboriginal men and women and street prostitutes;
* To build knowledge and awareness among criminal justice, health and social service practitioners, and the general public about drug treatment courts; and
* To collect information and data on the effectiveness of DTCs in order to promote best practices and the continuing refinement of approaches.
For more information:
* Health Canada - Drug Strategy and Controlled Substances Programme
* Department of Justice – Programs Branch
* Toronto Drug Treatment Court
* Regina Drug Treatment Court
* Winnipeg Drug Treatment Court
Source: http://www.nationalantidrugstrategy.gc.ca/comm-coll/dtc-ttt.html
Monday, December 31, 2007
Tips for identifying the symptoms of alcoholism
As we approach the New Year, it is important to step back and assess our holiday celebrations. New Year's Eve celebrations include parties with great food and alcohol. The New Year should not be escorted in with tragedies, so it is essential to monitor alcohol intake -- especially if someone is driving. Let's revisit some issues with ongoing abuse of alcohol.
What is alcoholism?
Alcoholism is the inability to control alcohol intake. A person might suffer constant preoccupation with drinking, which can lead to personal, medical, professional and financial problems. Impairment can range from intermittent loss of control to substantial physical and mental impairment or death.
About 18 million people suffer from alcoholism, and about 100,000 people die from alcohol-related medical problems each year in the United States. Half of all traffic deaths are related to alcohol.
Not a shift passes in the emergency department without me treating a patient for alcohol-related complaints. The most difficult situations for me to deal with are alcohol-related traffic fatalities.
What are the symptoms?
Routinely drinking alone, consuming alcohol at all times of the day, becoming angry when drinking habits are questioned and persistent drinking leading to loss of memory or blackouts can be signs of a problem. As alcoholism progresses, a person can lose interest in family, friends and hobbies; eventual problems with employment might occur. Altered personality, shaking, irritability, sweating and seizures are all signs of withdrawal.
What are the causes?
Research shows alcohol addiction is a physical problem. Genetics play a strong role. Drinking at an early age also places one at risk for becoming an alcoholic, as does gender: Men have a greater risk of alcoholism than women.
What is the treatment?
Identifying the problem can be difficult because patients with alcohol problems tend to deny their intake. In some cases, withdrawal only becomes evident when alcohol is unavailable, such as hospitalization.
Outpatient counseling and abstinence might work for people without underlying medical problems. Support groups are quite effective in maintaining sobriety.
Patients with other medical problems might need to be hospitalized. Doctors can treat potentially life-threatening withdrawal with medications; once medically stabilized, a patient may choose to pursue an inpatient detoxification program; the length might vary depending on the problem's severity.
A recent study indicated the anti-seizure medication gabapentin might help with alcohol abstinence. Other medications also work to help severe alcoholics who relapse.
As you celebrate the new year, please drink sensibly. And, as always, never drink and drive because the consequences may be with you for a lifetime.
source: Dr. Randal F. Wojciehoski (also known as Dr. Wojo) is a Stevens Point native and an emergency medicine department physician at Saint Michael's Hospital.
What is alcoholism?
Alcoholism is the inability to control alcohol intake. A person might suffer constant preoccupation with drinking, which can lead to personal, medical, professional and financial problems. Impairment can range from intermittent loss of control to substantial physical and mental impairment or death.
About 18 million people suffer from alcoholism, and about 100,000 people die from alcohol-related medical problems each year in the United States. Half of all traffic deaths are related to alcohol.
Not a shift passes in the emergency department without me treating a patient for alcohol-related complaints. The most difficult situations for me to deal with are alcohol-related traffic fatalities.
What are the symptoms?
Routinely drinking alone, consuming alcohol at all times of the day, becoming angry when drinking habits are questioned and persistent drinking leading to loss of memory or blackouts can be signs of a problem. As alcoholism progresses, a person can lose interest in family, friends and hobbies; eventual problems with employment might occur. Altered personality, shaking, irritability, sweating and seizures are all signs of withdrawal.
What are the causes?
Research shows alcohol addiction is a physical problem. Genetics play a strong role. Drinking at an early age also places one at risk for becoming an alcoholic, as does gender: Men have a greater risk of alcoholism than women.
What is the treatment?
Identifying the problem can be difficult because patients with alcohol problems tend to deny their intake. In some cases, withdrawal only becomes evident when alcohol is unavailable, such as hospitalization.
Outpatient counseling and abstinence might work for people without underlying medical problems. Support groups are quite effective in maintaining sobriety.
Patients with other medical problems might need to be hospitalized. Doctors can treat potentially life-threatening withdrawal with medications; once medically stabilized, a patient may choose to pursue an inpatient detoxification program; the length might vary depending on the problem's severity.
A recent study indicated the anti-seizure medication gabapentin might help with alcohol abstinence. Other medications also work to help severe alcoholics who relapse.
As you celebrate the new year, please drink sensibly. And, as always, never drink and drive because the consequences may be with you for a lifetime.
source: Dr. Randal F. Wojciehoski (also known as Dr. Wojo) is a Stevens Point native and an emergency medicine department physician at Saint Michael's Hospital.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Alcohol program review
A change in leadership at the Alcohol Abuse Deterrent Program presents an opportune time to review the entire program – not only its management, but its effectiveness, safety and value in light of new developments in alcohol-abuse treatment.
The non-profit program’s board of directors recently sent a letter to Terry Yeiter, executive director of AADP since 2000, asking him to step down. Win Rood, the board’s chairman, said the board had lost confidence in Yeiter’s management abilities, including the lack of a sound accounting system for medication distributed by the program.
The rumor mill suggested there was medication unaccounted for and reports of overcharging. Rood said an investigation found AADP actually had more pills than records showed, but they were at a different treatment location.
AADP was established to provide an aversion-therapy alternative to incarceration for repeat drunken-driving offenders. Court-ordered participants take Antabuse, the brand name for disulfiram, which blocks the body’s ability to process alcohol and causes discomfort or illness when taken in combination with alcohol. Last year, AADP administered Antabuse or breath tests to about 1,500 people a week. Offenders are required to pay for treatment.
Questions about the program’s cost have long circulated. According to figures from the 990 form filed with the Internal Revenue Service, Yeiter earned $73,170 in 2006. That amount was down from 2005, when he earned $85,239 in salary and benefits and 2004, when he earned $91,897. Five other AADP employees earned more than $57,000 in 2006, and contracts for medical and legal services totaled more than $319,000.
To its credit, Rood said the board will re-evaluate the organization’s structure. A full audit will be performed.
In its inquiry, the non-profit board should engage in serious self-examination beyond any search for wrongdoing or mismanagement. Certainly, AADP is a less-costly alternative to locking up repeat DWI offenders, but is it the most cost-effective alternative? Do the medical and constitutional questions about Antabuse treatment warrant its continued use? The program has been the subject of legal challenges, and there are questions about the drug’s effect on the liver.
Allen Circuit Judge Thomas J. Felts, who orders some offenders to the program, said that he is re-evaluating the best course for felony drunken-driving cases in light of the developments at AADP but said the program has been doing a good job in spite of the director’s departure.
“We are in good communication about what steps they are taking,” Felts said. “What direction we take will be based in large part on what their audit and investigation finds. It will help me in my determination of where the board should go.”
The judge said the prosecutor’s office and adult probation will also help to determine the outcome. “We’re all partners in this,” he said. “It’s a countywide approach.”
The judge said that none of the options for handling felony cases is perfect, but the goal would be to find the best.
Some state and local corrections systems are turning to the use of technology, including a new ankle-monitoring system that detects alcohol consumption by the wearer. The device is in use in 44 states, including Indiana. Felts said he was at a conference where Indiana University medical school representatives reported high error rates with the system, but he acknowledged that some judges and probation officials in Marion County were pleased with results there.
AADP has served the probation and court system in Allen County for almost two decades, undoubtedly saving lives in the process. But every organization demands review over time. The problems that arose in the deterrence program and resulted in its director’s departure prove the review at AADP is overdue.
source: Journal Gazette Forth Wayne, Indiana
Sunday, December 2, 2007
I know from experience: Drug treatment does work
As a person in recovery from addiction, I can speak to the devastation addiction brings. By the time I was in junior high, I was using drugs daily. This continued until I was in my mid-30s. By then I had given up custody of one of my two children. I had given up a promising career and given up hope of being in a healthy relationship. I had nearly given up on life several times.
By 1994 I was addicted to heroin. I remember feeling that my addiction was not out of control because I had a roof over my head and I had retained custody of my other child. I was not willing to see that I was in an abusive relationship and nearly destitute. I made good money working construction but ate from the food bank for almost half the year. I reached out for help in late 1994. When I called to get into treatment, I was given an assessment and told that the waiting list was about six weeks long. I began treatment just before Christmas that year. I was fortunate.
Today in Alaska, there are fewer treatment programs, fewer available beds or treatment slots. It is not uncommon for addicts to reach out for help only to be told that the waiting list can be three to six months. Detoxification programs are nearly nonexistent. They are only a part of a continuum of care that needs to provide appropriate levels of care for treatment to be successful. After 15 years of flat funding or decreases, our programs are barely able to meet the increased need for services. Nearly 54,000 Alaskans, or 11.2 percent of the population of the state, was addicted to alcohol or other drugs according to a recent study (McDowell Group, 2005).
The fallout from these addictions can be seen in our courts, jails, hospitals and foster care system. Families are torn by violence, death and disease associated with addiction to alcohol and other drugs. There are effective solutions to these problems and our state needs to take an honest look at where we are and where we are going if we don't support the programs that can provide those solutions.
Due to the stigma attached to the recovery and treatment community, society at large does not hear the success stories. I am here to testify that treatment saved my life. It provided me with the ability to stop using long enough to take an honest look at my life and learn the skills needed to live and enjoy my life without drugs, including alcohol. Treatment programs have helped thousands in our state go on to live as productive members of their communities. In order for this to be available, our state and local communities need to support treatment programs and recognize them as assets rather than liabilities.
Money to fund treatment programs is a wise investment. Even though some people relapse, it should not be used as a measure of success or failure of a program. People can return to communities as productive persons. Families can be reunited. Court systems and prisons can be relieved of some of the burden as people cease criminal behavior. For me, after treatment I was able to return to work, learn a new trade, rebuild my family and become active in the recovery community. I went from being nearly unemployable to holding down two positions as well as being a full-time college student. Because of the help I received in treatment, I found support in my community to continue my recovery. I no longer need to self-medicate to navigate my life. Now, I am physically and emotionally available and an asset to my family and community. A treatment program saved my life, just as treatment has for many Alaskans. We need to ensure that programs are available when people reach out for help.
Published: December 2, 2007
Anna Sappah serves on the Governor's Advisory Board on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. She is executive director of the Substance Abuse Directors Association of Alaska Inc. and a tobacco policy specialist for Akeela Inc.
source: Anchorage Daily News
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