Addiction Rehab Help

Archive for the ‘Families’ Category

 Finding the right “Drug or Alcohol Rehabilitation Center” for your loved one is not an easy process, you search the Internet and call center after center and all you hear is "we are the best Rehabilitation Center for your loved one." Every place you call is "The Best" if you listen to the sales people from the centers. Make no mistake these people for the most part are "Sales People" and they are paid to get you into that specific program.

 Many parents are facing a difficult situation when they know their son or daughter is abusing drugs or alcohol but is denying it. As parents we want to do the right thing but at the same time we do not want to over react, or maybe just do not know what steps to take. When a person is in denial and not admitting they have a problem with drugs or alcohol, it does not mean there is nothing you can do, there are solutions.

 Many families that have loved ones addicted to Drugs or Alcohol are standing by and waiting for their loved one to hit bottom. They are waiting for their loved one to ask for help, or to say they are willing to get help. The truth is that a drug addict or alcoholic has put himself or herself in a position where they have lost the ability to realize that there is actual help. It has come to the point that the only way of life they know is staying high; they no longer have the cognitive ability to realize they can live a sober productive life. When they do have some clean time, everyday is a struggle and an agonizing battle to stay that way.

My youngest brother died on March 24th, 2003 due to years of alcoholism. The months following his death were marked by incredible pain, sadness and often anger directed at him. " How could you do this to yourself, how could you do this to your family"? So many unanswered questions for him which he can no longer answer. I started asking myself what we, his family, could have done different to prevent his death at the age of 39. I realized that we had no understanding about alcoholism and its deadly consequences. We did not understand that he had absolutely no control over his life and was not able to stop  drinking without proper help. We got mad when we smelled alcohol on him, we laughed when he was too drunk to find the bathroom and used the hallway closet, we made fun at him when he cut himself shaving or spilling his coffee because his body was deprived of alcohol and his hands were shaking so bad. We also made excuses for him when he was too sick to go to work and we always made sure that he had enough alcohol at home so he would not drive intoxicated. We enabled him, but we did not help him!!!! Six years have passed since his death, years filled with deep regret and sorrow for not intervening when his life was spinning out of control and we watched him destroying his health, his marriage, his life. Years of regret for not getting informed about this deadly disease while he was still alive, deep regret for not bringing him to a good long-term alcohol rehab center and getting him the help he so desperately needed and which would have saved his life.

     If you were walking on a long pier and saw someone in the water splashing and screaming "I’m drowning" what would you do? If you really think about this for a minute you would realize that they have done this to themselves, after all they had stood on the pier and thought it was okay for them to jump in the water. Maybe they thought "I have done this before and it was fun, why not do it again".

    So you decide it is not your responsibility to help them. They have done this to themselves,  so instead you slowly walk up to the waters edge and start shouting at them "you are going to die" or "if you do not swim better then that your are not going to make it". Is this going to help the person in the water? No, what you are doing is no help, it is stating the obvious, something they already know. Your verbal criticism is not going to save their life.

    Well, this is just what you are doing if you have a loved one that is addicted to Drugs and Alcohol , if all you do is stand by and tell them "You have to start making better decisions or you are going to kill yourself " or "Stop doing drugs or you are going to die". This is not help, the addict is not stupid (even though they may act like it) but they know what they are doing is killing themselves, they just do not know how to stop it.

     Just like the person drowning the addict needs someone to throw them a life line. They need someone that will jump in and save them. Even though from the outside it is obvious that they have made bad choices, they still cannot save themselves. Someone addicted to drugs or alcohol is just like the person drowning, they cannot suddenly learn to swim and save themselves.

      If you have a loved one drowning in addiction and need help finding the life line of Drug and Alcohol Treatment call Addiction Rehab Help today. Our Drug and Alcohol Addiction Counselors will help you find the best Treatment Facility for your loved ones needs.

Call Today: 1-877-744-3536

 Addiction is progressive and clearly predictable, by this I mean no one starts out shooting heroin or drinking a fifth of alcohol, or smoking an 8 ball of crack. At the same time the addicts behavior does not go from good to bad all at once. It will start out slowly and continue through a predictable course of events, from "he is such a nice young man" to "I can't believe he stole money from us" or "what do you mean he took our TV and traded it for drugs."

    Being a counselor for an addiction treatment center I have spoken to many parents that are thinking about getting their son or daughter addiction treatment, but because this is the first time they have looked for treatment they (as all parents do) try to think the best of their son or daughter and look for something easy. They are thinking that the situation is not that bad, they do not need 2 or 3 months of treatment. However, six months later they are looking for a longer term program, because when their son or daughter failed after the "easy" program their behavior became much worse.

    Many addicts go through multiple programs before they get into a long term program with a proven success rate that can give them the help they need. If the parents had sought professional advice on where to send their loved one and took that advice they could have saved themselves a lot of heartache and money.

    It may seem like a big step to admit that your son or daughter has a drug or alcohol addiction but you have to seek advice from someone that can tell you what is coming next. Someone that knows the predictable patterns of an addict and can find the right treatment for their situation.

 For help call Addiction Rehab Help; Call today 1-877-744-3536

 " Do not seek advice from unqualified people" I think that was the best advice I had ever heard. Many people think they know what is best but even mom has to admit she does not know what is best all the time. When you are looking for addiction treatment seek advice from a professional in the field of addiction. Your family Doctor, your clergy, and your hair dressers brothers’ sister in law may want to help and their heart is in the right place but are they qualified to help you? Usually not.

       Advice from these people is why most addicts go through many different treatment programs before they receive the help they need. If my family had sought the advice from a professional early in my addiction it may have saved them thousands of dollars and years of heartache.

        Many people think that you start on a gradient with addiction, first a little outpatient treatment, if that does not work then a short term program and a few meetings, if that does not work then a little longer program and a few more meetings every week.

        I realize that an addicts family is happy just to have the addict trying some sort of treatment,  but in reality more often than not you are just enabling the addict to continue using and living the same life style as they were before starting this type of treatment. Remember the addict is a master manipulator and is looking for the easy way out. He or she will do just enough to make you happy and get you off his back.

        Get serious right from the start. The first attempt at rehab needs to be the best program for the addict’s specific needs. Even if the addict says he needs help but his addiction is not that bad, remember when an addict tells you about their drug or alcohol abuse you can safely multiply whatever they have told you by three and you will be closer to the truth. For example if I told my parents that I was drinking a pint of alcohol a day what I was really saying was I am drinking a fifth a day.

        Not all programs are the same and not all programs are designed to give the addict what they need to stay clean. "Cookie Cutter" programs that treat every addict the same are not known for their high success rates.

 If you need professional advice on where to send your loved one to get Addiction Treatment call Addiction Rehab Help and let us help you get it right the first time.

Call today: 1-877-744-3536

      We are parents of a recovered alcoholic. We would like to tell other parents of alcoholics  to remember there is hope and do not give up. Our adult son was a closet drinker, which we knew nothing, about for years. When it came to light we were shocked beyond words. We have a lot of alcoholism in both of our families but we had been spared from it.  That is until we learned our son had a problem. He didn’t admit to it at first but that’s very typical, he was a master at lying and manipulating everyone when he wanted something, money for vodka, cigarettes or anything he felt he needed.  After many times in local rehab centers which didn’t work, maybe because he wasn’t serious about quitting or what ever the reason we don’t know, but he would quickly start drinking again. 

       Many things happened during those days, a lot of which we’ve blocked out of our memory.  But after trying everything else we could think of we finally got the money together to help him admit himself into a long term program which had a high rate of success.  We thank God for this program and the prayers of our friends and church family, all of which turned a troubled life into a life of peace, with a desire to encourage others to get out of the grip of alcoholism and other addictions.

   Our son has been alcohol free for over four years now and he is such a blessing to us, as we see him working to help others get into a recovery program. It was worth all the money we spent, and more, to see him today.  No one wants to see their loved one trapped in a life of addiction.  We are thankful to God and the recovery program for the outcome in our son’s life and we know it’s possible for other parents also.       

For help with drug or alcohol addiction call 1-877-744-3536

As a parent, spouse, or child of an addict you have been manipulated for far too long. Everytime the addict in your life wants or needs something he or she will manipulate you, at first you say no but soon he or she makes you feel sorry for them or you just get tired of fighting with them and give them what ever it is they wanted. If you want them to realize they need help, you need to change  your basic behavior. Trust me on this one, the addict will seek help sooner and your life will be better in the long run if you follow  these steps.

• Do not run from the addiction – Learn the facts about the drug that is being used, gather information.
• Do not throw blame at the addict – concentrate on your own actions, they are going to make or break you.
• Do not seek advice from the uninformed – friends, pastors, family doctors they may all want to help you with advice but unless the are trained in how to handle addiction the chance’s are  that following their advice will lead to more trouble then help. Seek  professional advice from a drug and alcohol Specialist.
• Do not try to control the addicts usage – Begin concentrating on the need for treatment and start offering it to them.
• It is not your job to rescue the addict – let him suffer he has to realize and take responsibility for the consequences of his addiction.
• You cannot be concerned with why the addict is using drugs or alcohol – You need to resume a normal life, leave the addict behind to wallow in his own self pitty.
• Do not threaten the addict – SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND DO WHAT YOU SAY! – the more you do this the more the addict will realize you are not being pushed around and bullied or manipulated any more.
• Do not except or try to get promises from the addict – Reject any promise offered by the addict, you know from past promises they will not be kept anyway.
• Do not hide the fact that you are seeking help – not so much for the addict as for you, start a commitment to treatment and better health for you.
• Do not be a puppet – Start detaching yourself, protect yourself and any children involved in the relationship.

When you start to follow these steps you are on the right track to end the cycle of addiction.

For more advise on drug or alcohol addiction and addiction treatment please call 1-877-744-3536