Affordable Solutions for Drug and Alcohol Treatment

Breaking A Drug Habit Is A Matter of Life or Death

I personally know the hopeless feeling of watching a loved one destroy their life with the use of drugs. When someone can't afford the help they need, where else are they to turn? There are many treatment programs out there, but it can be costly to get the right treatment. Drug addicts come from all walks of life. From the wealthy to the homeless, no matter what race, nationality or age you are, addiction doesn't discriminate. I use to think that my "friend" whom was an addict, would just grow out of it. That was just wishful thinking, being he was already 38 years old. I was always telling him to grow up. After he landed himself in jail, I tried desperately to find him a place for treatment, even though he had already been in several treatment programs before. This proved to be an extremely tough task. But along the way I learned about and discovered many useful resources. My dilemma was finding a place that would accept a homeless man into a drug intervention program.

So, where does one turn to in situations like these? In many cities, mainly the larger ones, there are more options to choose from. Usually if a person is in jail for a period of time, they undergo treatment sessions while incarcerated. There are counselors that can help place a person in some type of treatment program after they are released. These type of programs will usually also have service to assist a person for re-entering the world as they once knew it. They are given assistance in helping to find a job and a place to live. A lot of times, even with this type of help, a person will end up having a relapse and land back in jail. But for those who are serious about staying clean, I applaud all these programs that work so hard to help those who are in need of such services. If you or a loved one is in need and do not where to turn, here are some resources that I have come across.

Narconon - In the past, it has been said that this treatment is not affordable. Good news is, Narconon now offers a payment plan. "In an effort to help more deserving people get straightened out and back in the world living -In order to facilitate payment we are now able to offer financing of the Narconon program through an outside lending institution. This is through a reputable company and the rates are fair." (Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter, it really is worth it.)


Sober Recovery - Excellent source for finding a treatment center. They list hundreds of addiction and alcohol resources in the United States, Canada and overseas. "SoberRecovery.com is now in it's 6th year of helping addicts, alcoholics, dual diagnosed, their friends family and loved ones find hope...and help. Before we were addicts, before we were overeaters, bi-polar, alcoholic or codependent-we are your sons, daughters, husbands, wives friends and family members." Get the help you need today.

Drug-Addiction - Sign up for the newsletter on this site. It has great and very informative information. Also have listing for many treatment centers across the United States.
" The path to drug addiction begins with the act of taking drugs. Over time, a person's ability to choose not to take drugs can become compromised. Drug seeking becomes compulsive, in large part as a result of the effects of prolonged drug use on brain functioning and, thus, on behavior."

Drug and Alcohol Resource Center- Free resources to help you or a loved get on the right path to recovery. These are licensed professionals dedicated to helping people find the right treatment. They have a number listed on the main page for assistance and also have access to a huge database of treatment centers anywhere in the country.
"Help for the drug addict can be found here, at no charge. We are happy to help those who need more accurate, personalized information. If you or someone you know has a drug addiction or alcohol abuse problem, contact us by phone or form and you will receive the best possible help and information about any drug or alcohol related subject."

Informative Information - International expert Robert R. Perkinson, clinical director for Keystone Treatment Center, shares some statistics:

- 25% of Americans die as a result of substance abuse
-the average alcoholic dies 26 years earlier than a non-alcoholic
-40% of assaults are alcohol related
Visit the website to find out more stats like these.

Cocaine Anonymous - A group of men and women who share their experiences and want to help others. This program is 100% free to join, all that is required is the desire to stop using drugs. Groups are available in the US, Canada, and now forming in Europe.

Local resources are available in most communities to assist people with drug addiction, alcohol addiction, homelessness, and other addictions such as sex, porn,or gambling. Check your phone book or call the local chamber of commerce to ask for assistance in finding a program. Another good source is the Salvation Army, and local churches. Some churches offer programs to assist recently released convicts, the homeless or troubled individuals. There may also be a local mission that could be of assistance.

Drug and Alcohol Resource Center
1-800-784-6776

Drug and Alcohol Helpline
1-877-748-3971

New Drugs Hit The Streets

Fentanyl

The following information was taken from "Fentanyl, The Last Straw" by Linda Logdbergh, PHD, published in "Recovery Solutions 6th Edition"
For full article click here.

The headline from a Detroit, Michigan, newspaper reads, “A Deadly Heroin Mixture is Claiming Dozens of Lives.” [NY Times May 28, 2006] The lives were those of 64 people in Detroit, Michigan; 28 people in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and 30 people in Chicago, Illinois. [ASAM document; http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060610/METRO/606100344/1003] All of these individuals had injected themselves with fentanyl, a drug that is chemically related to morphine and heroin but 50-80 times more powerful than morphine.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate analgesic whose chemical structure is similar to that of morphine and heroin. The word “analgesic” means something that causes an “absence of pain”: opiates are prescribed to provide pain relief after surgery or for patients whose pain persists even if they take milder drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Because part of the experience of pain involves feelings of fear and anxiety, opiates also reduce these feelings. This is an important reason opiates that are abused: people want to experience the feelings of happiness, called “euphoria”, that these drugs produce. They seek a kind of “emotional analgesia”, or absence of psychological pain, that accompanies the physical analgesia.

Available in lozenge or powder form and obtainable illegally by extraction from therapeutic pain-relieving patches designed for suffering patients, fentanyl has several street names: Apache, China girl, China white, dance fever, friend, goodfella, jackpot, murder 8, TNT, and Tango and Cash. http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugpages/fentanyl.html. As with all opiates, after injection, fentanyl molecules attach to molecules on the cells of the brain and spinal cord called “neurons”. Opiates have a special affinity for neurons in brain regions that control emotion and pain sensations. This is the chemical basis for the pain relief and euphoria (feeling “high”) that opiates cause. Because these feelings are just chemical events, however, and are not based on anything that has actually happened to the person, the good feelings vanish when the drug wears off, leaving the user craving more drug to produce the “emotional analgesia” that felt so good And so addiction is born.

An overdose of fentanyl (or other opioids) can cause fatal “hypoventilation”, in the words of doctors. In the words of ordinary people, overdosing on these drugs can cause the user to stop breathing. A person who abuses fentanyl is truly just one breath away from the last great experience of his life. Please read the rest of this article by clicking here.

New Form Of Meth Being Disguised As Candy And Given To Children

Alert from KY3 News in Springfield, Missouri

Be on the lookout for a new form of crystallized methamphetamine that is being targeted toward children. They are calling this new form of meth "Strawberry Quick" and it looks like the "Pop Rocks" candy that sizzle in your mouth. In its current form, it is dark pink in color and has a strawberry scent to it.

Please advise your children and their friends and other students not to accept candy from strangers as this is obviously an attempt to seduce children into drug use. They also need to be cautious in accepting candy from even friends that may have received it from someone else, thinking it is just candy.



Facts About Methamphetamines
Methamphetamines have stimulant properties similar to adrenaline. They stimulate the central nervous system by creating toxic effects on nerve terminals and are extremely addictive.

After the effects of methamphetamine wear off, it can cause severe withdrawal lasting longer than both speed and cocaine. These withdrawal symptoms can include paranoia, aggression and an intense craving for the drug. The person may go into a catatonic like sleep for days, and are almost impossible to wake up when they are in this state.

Longer term methamphetamine can cause rotting teeth, sores all over the body and emaciation, and other adverse effects. Please warn your children about the side effects of drugs. Help clean up our streets so that our children may have a brighter future.

Message brought to you by: drugsno.com

10 Things You May Not Know About Drugs

1. ALL DRUGS ARE POISONS.
All drugs are basically poisons. The amount which you take is what decides how it affects you. A small amount is a stimulant. A larger amount is a sedative. An even larger amount acts as a poison and can kill you. This is true of ANY drug. Each has a different amount. Caffeine in coffee for example - two or three cups stimulate. Ten would probably put a person to sleep. 100 cups would probably kill him.

2. ALL DRUGS AFFECT THE MIND.
When a person thinks of something, he gets a picture of it in his mind. These "mental pictures" are very easy to see for yourself. If you close your eyes and think of a cat, you will get a picture of a cat. The mind takes 25 pictures every second, and files them away to solve problems in life. Normally, when a person remembers something, the mind is very fast and information comes to him very quickly from the pictures in his mind. But the drugs blur the pictures. They make the pictures dull and cloudy. This causes "blank spots" in the mind. When a person tries to get the information through all this blurry mess, he can't do it. Drugs make a person seem slow or stupid. This can cause him to have failures in life. And when he fails in life, what does the person want more of? DRUGS!

3. PEOPLE TAKE DRUGS TO GET RID OF UNWANTED FEELINGS.
Anyone who takes drugs does it to get rid of some pain or unwanted feelings, including freedom. To understand why someone takes drugs now, you need to know what was wrong before he or she took them. He may have had some pain. He may have wanted to feel happier. The drugs were a temporary solution to the unwanted feelings. To get a real solution, the person would have to fix what was causing the problem in the first place.

4. WHEN A DRUG WEARS OFF, THE PERSON WANTS MORE.
When any drug wears off, the pain or other feeling that went away comes back harder than before. If someone had a problem that made him want to take drugs...let's say he is "too nervous" to talk to anyone at a party.....He might take a drug to help him relax. When the drug wears off, the feeling of nervousness is worse than before...and he wants MORE of the drug to calm himself. This person's problem talking to people won't go away until he does something about his shyness and finds out he CAN talk to people, with or without drugs.

5. ALCOHOL IS THE MOST USED DRUG OF ALL.
Alcohol is a drug. Like any other drug it is poisonous to the body. Like other drugs, alcohol uses up vitamins in your body so you feel tired or sick after drinking it. This is what causes a "hangover". The body needs vitamins to stay alive. If you don't eat a healthy diet, you may not get the vitamins you need. This can cause you to feel tired, or even sick. Any time you take drugs, they burn up some of your body's vitamins. If you take enough drugs later you'll feel bad or get sick. So you take more to feel better but the problem gets WORSE.

6. MARIJUANA DAMAGES THE LUNGS, NERVES, AND BRAIN.
There are 400 chemicals in marijuana smoke, 60 of these have been proven to cause cancer. These chemicals stay in the body for years. Marijuana contains THC, a "neurotoxin" (a poison affecting the brain and nerves.) When someone smokes pot, it makes two things happen: 1)There's almost an immediate burn up of vitamins and minerals in the body. 2) The nerves in the body go numb. Each time someone gets "high", they don't feel quite as good, and each time they feel a little worse afterwards. Eventually, pot smokers don't want the drug...they NEED the drug to relieve the unwanted conditions the drugs created in their bodies. Their bodies can't take in enough vitamins to make up for what the drug destroys.

7. ECSTASY IS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS DRUGS.
Recent research has shown very serious, long term damage to the nervous system from Ecstasy. In some cases this has caused brain damage, and even holes in the brain caused by this drug. Ecstasy is a "hallucinogen". These are some of the most dangerous drugs. Hallucinogens cause pictures in the mind to become mixed up. A person can get thrown into a scary or sad experience from the past and get stuck there without even realizing it. This can result in permanent feelings of fear, sadness or other feelings that have nothing to do with what's happening in the person's present life.

8. DRUGS RUIN CREATIVITY.
There is a scale of emotions that people move up and down on as they go through life. Let's say someone is bored. She smokes pot which causes the nervous system to go numb and "lifts" her into a fake cheerfulness. It's fake because what happens when the drug wears off? She feels terrible and doesn't care about anything. When she comes back up the scale, she feels a little lower on the scale, feels less and less cheerful and less creative as time goes on.


9. DRUGS DULL ALL YOUR SENSES.
Because drugs numb the nervous system, they are a way for a person to temporarily get rid of unwanted feelings like sadness, boredom, or fear. Sometimes, in an emergency, drugs are needed so that an operation can be performed or when there has been an accident. However, drugs block off ALL sensations or feelings. Eventually any kind of feeling becomes harder to experience. That includes sexual feelings also. The person feels less alive, and he may act like he doesn't care about anything or anyone around him. After awhile, drugs will make a person less aware of what is going on around him, he will become slower, not as quick to think or move or react. So he can get into accidents and other dangerous situations more easily when he has used drugs. Often, the person isn't aware of this change in himself even though other people may notice it and try to point it out to him.

10. DRUGS STAY IN THE BODY FOR YEARS AFTER YOU TAKE THEM.
Most drugs get stored in fat within the body and can stay there for years. Here is how that happens. Drugs easily mix with fat in the body. In this picture, you can see that fat is close to the vein and when drugs come through the vein the fat draws the drug into it like a magnet. This is a problem because later, when the person is working, or exercising or even stressed..the fat burns up and a tiny amount of the drug seeps back into the vein. He gets a tiny "taste" of that drug again. What happens when you get a tiny taste of sugar? You want MORE. What happens to the guy getting a tiny taste of that drug? He wants MORE. So he may still want drugs even years after he's stopped taking drugs.

-Information/article provided by Narconon