Is The Use Of Medications Like Methadone Simply Replacing One Drug Addiction With Another?

No. As used in maintenance treatment, methadone and LAAM are not heroin substitutes. They are safe and effective medications for opiate addiction that are administered by mouth in regular, fixed doses. Their pharmacological effects are markedly different from those of heroin.

As used in maintenance treatment, methadone and LAAM are not heroin substitutes.

Injected, snorted, or smoked heroin causes an almost immediate "rush" or brief period of euphoria that wears off very quickly, terminating in a "crash." The individual then experiences an intense craving to use more heroin to stop the crash and reinstate the euphoria. The cycle of euphoria, crash, and craving repeated several times a day leads to a cycle of addiction and behavioral disruption. These characteristics of heroin use result from the drug's rapid onset of action and its short duration of action in the brain. An individual who uses heroin multiple times per day subjects his or her brain and body to marked, rapid fluctuations as the opiate effects come and go. These fluctuations can disrupt a number of important bodily functions. Because heroin is illegal, addicted persons often become part of a volatile drug-using street culture characterized by hustling and crimes for profit.

Methadone and LAAM have far more gradual onsets of action than heroin, and as a result, patients stabilized on these medications do not experience any rush. In addition, both medications wear off much more slowly than heroin, so there is no sudden crash, and the brain and body are not exposed to the marked fluctuations seen with heroin use. Maintenance treatment with methadone or LAAM markedly reduces the desire for heroin. If an individual maintained on adequate, regular doses of methadone (once a day) or LAAM (several times per week) tries to take heroin, the euphoric effects of heroin will be significantly blocked. According to research, patients undergoing maintenance treatment do not suffer the medical abnormalities and behavioral destabilization that rapid fluctuations in drug levels cause in heroin addicts.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away.
Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

If An Alcoholic Is Unwilling To Get Help, What Can You Do About It?

It can be a challenge to get your loved one to get treatment for his/her addiction. An alcoholic can't be forced to get help except under certain circumstances, such as a violent incident that results in court-ordered treatment or medical emergency. But you don't have to wait for someone to "hit rock bottom" to act. Many alcoholism treatment specialists suggest the following steps to help an alcoholic get treatment:
Stop all "cover ups." Family members often make excuses to others or try to protect the alcoholic from the results of his or her drinking. It is important to stop covering for the alcoholic so that he or she experiences the full consequences of drinking.

Time your intervention.  The best time to talk to the drinker is shortly after an alcohol-related problem has occurred - like a serious family argument or an accident. Choose a time when he or she is sober, both of you are fairly calm, and you have a chance to talk in private.

Be specific.  Tell the family member that you are worried about his or her drinking. Use examples of the ways in which the drinking has caused problems, including the most recent incident.

State the results.  Explain to the drinker what you will do if he or she doesn't go for help - not to punish the drinker, but to protect yourself from his or her problems. What you say may range from refusing to go with the person to any social activity where alcohol will be served, to moving out of the house. Do not make any threats you are not prepared to carry out.

Get help.   Gather information in advance about treatment options in your community. If the person is willing to get help, call immediately for an appointment with a treatment counselor. Offer to go with the family member on the first visit to a treatment program and/or an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

Call on a friend.  If the family member still refuses to get help, ask a friend to talk with him or her using the steps just described. A friend who is a recovering alcoholic may be particularly persuasive, but any person who is caring and nonjudgmental may help. The intervention of more than one person, more than one time, is often necessary to coax an alcoholic to seek help.
Find strength in numbers.  With the help of a health care professional, some families join with other relatives and friends to confront an alcoholic as a group. This approach should only be tried under the guidance of a health care professional who is experienced in this kind of group intervention.

Get support.  It is important to remember that you are not alone. Support groups offered in most communities include Al-Anon, which holds regular meetings for spouses and other significant adults in an alcoholic's life, and Alateen, which is geared to children of alcoholics. These groups help family members understand that they are not responsible for an alcoholic's drinking and that they need to take steps to take care of themselves, regardless of whether the alcoholic family member chooses to get help.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. Interventions are necessary for individuals who are unable or unwilling to recognize the need for help. Interventionists assist families in confronting and guiding their loved one to recognize the signs and symptoms of addiction and the need for change. Credentialed and experienced Interventionists are available to assist individuals and family members.

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Alcoholism Treatment

There are many types of alcohol addiction treatment. Treatment types are determined by the individual's level of use and other mental health and medical issues.

Detoxification, short-term and long-term rehabilitation, intensive outpatient programs, 12-step programs and individual, family and group therapy are all forms of alcohol addiction treatment. Some types of treatment such as detoxification may last one week whereas other such as long-term, residential alcoholism treatment can last 30 days or longer.

Each type of alcohol addiction treatment has its own advantages. Including family and friends in the individual’s alcoholism treatment is critical to success, so a good alcohol rehab includes family  and friends in their addiction therapy programs . Detoxification might be needed if the individual  is heavily dependent on alcohol.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

What is the Difference Between Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse?

Alcohol abuse is a pattern of drinking that results in harm to one’s health, interpersonal relationships, or ability to work
According to National Surveys Manifestations of alcohol abuse include the following:- Failure to fulfill major responsibilities at work, school, or home
- Legal problems related to alcohol, such as being arrested for drinking while driving or for physically hurting someone while drunk
- Drinking in dangerous situations, such as drinking while driving or operating machinery
- Long-term alcohol abuse can turn into alcohol dependence
- Continued drinking despite ongoing relationship problems that are caused or worsened by drinking

Dependency on alcohol, also known as alcohol addiction and alcoholism, is a chronic disease. The signs and symptoms of alcohol dependence include:
- A strong craving for alcohol
- Continued use despite repeated physical, psychological, or interpersonal problems
- The inability to limit drinking

At Cove Center for Recovery, we approach alcoholism or alcohol dependency as a medical condition and our addiction treatment programs focuses on remission through abstinence. The extended care addiction treatment program at Cove Center for Recovery is intended as an extension of a primary treatment program or detoxification process.

We will assist the client in identifying and addressing the underlying neurological, psychological and spiritual factors that cause and maintain alcoholism. Our overarching objective at Cove Center for Recovery, Addiction Treatment Center, is to enable our clients to embark on a journey of self-sustainable recovery in order to minimize or prevent the occurrence of relapse.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237 http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

College Binge Drinking

Since 2002 when a study by task force on drinking showed that "abusive drinking by college students is widespread, dangerous and disruptive", binge drinking has been on the rise in the US. By definition binge drinking is described as 5 or more drinks in a row for men and 4 or more drinks in a row for women. Binge drinking is best described as drinking enough to bring the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to .08 or more. This blood alcohol concentration generally occurs in excessive drinking within a two-hour time.

There are over 5000 underage young adults who die from excessive drinking each year, and more than 1,700 college students, between the ages of 18 to 24, get injured due to direct result of alcohol abuse every year. Additionally, every two hours a teenager dies from an alcohol related accident.

All these statistics point to one fact. Teenagers and young adults are dying from alcohol abuse in an alarming rate, and something needs to be done.

The first recommendation has always been education, and specifically educating our teens at an early age. Parents must talk to their children about the dangers of alcohol abuse which can cause immediate medical concerns like vomiting, cold and clammy skin or medical emergencies like shallow breathing and unresponsiveness that could result in coma and death.

Young Adults should know about the consequential effects of alcohol abuse that centers around sex and violence in colleges, and not mentioning a major cause of poor academic performance by college students.

Young adults should know that alcohol is a legal psychoactive drug that can and will cause overdose and death. MRI studies of teens and young adults between the ages of 14 to 21 has shown permanent changes to both pre-frontal cortex (the decision making part of the brain) and the limbic system of the brain. Now, scientists are trying to find out if the changes are reversible.

At the end, the only hope that we have as a society, is to transfer the knowledge we have gained through the many deaths and injuries of our kids to the next generation of youth and hope they use that knowledge to save their life.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction and is in need of help, Cove Center for Recovery offers a flexible and affordable young adult and adult addiction treatment program. Our aim is to treat the whole person, and not just an isolated symptom. During the addiction treatment process we work with the patient to identify the factors that may have contributed to the alcohol abuse and addiction – home, friends and medical history. We also believe that families have a vital role to play in the recovery process, and each addiction treatment program has a place for family participation, to educate them in the treatment process and to equip them for their role as supporters.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Addiction Treatment for Young Adults and Adults :  1-888-387-6237http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Teen Addiction Help:1-888-757-6237 http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com