Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog

Effective Detox Missing from Most Drug Rehabs

Ask just about anyone in the country, whether they work in the drug and alcohol rehab treatment field or not, what they consider to be detox and the explanation you will get will be nothing more than withdrawal.  Sure, it might be in a social or medical setting or have various ingredients, but it is still only withdrawal, because science has proven that toxic residues store in the tissue of a person’s body and are still present long after they stop using drugs.

The only known method to remove these residues safely and effectively in a relatively short period of time is through a biophysical detox program, which can still last many weeks as part of a longer-term inpatient rehabilitation facility.  Sure, your body will do this on its own naturally, but it can take up to 5-7 years for cellular regeneration (like re-growing a new head of hair). 

This means that none of the other 13,000+ rehab programs out there can effectively help someone become thoroughly detoxified, and that at the end of their course of treatment there, addicted individuals are still under the residual effects of drugs - including cravings to go use again.

So why risk it?  Why not give yourself or your loved one the best possible opportunity to recover by getting their bodies completely detoxified?

The Anti-Rehab Demigoddess Caves In?

Despite a catchy tune of young rebellion, it appears the singer Amy Winehouse may be getting what she has been so proudly resisting for a while - a drug and alcohol rehab program.  Reports continue to surface of her stint in a hospital for “exhaustion”, or whatever the PR term was. 

Frankly, it’s a bit disgusting to me for someone to openly flaunt their self-destructive drug use, resist getting help, and tout that message to mistakenly impressionable young drug users all over the world as being something to be proud of.  Hopefully her tune will change if and when she finally does go to rehab.

Drug-Free Rehabilitation

Thousands of people contact us each year for help finding drug and alcohol rehab programs for themselves or loved ones.  A recurring theme is that many people who have been in treatment recently have been given some type of drug as a prescription during their stay there as well as to take after discharge.  The problem is these people keep relapsing.  Unfortunately, people take their doctor’s word for it when they’re prescribed a drug, but common sense tells us that taking a new drug won’t solve the problem.  After speaking people about this and suggesting a healthier alternative, most people generally agree that drug-free rehabilitation is the way to go to get long-lasting results.

From Oxycontin to Methadone

The recent conviction of the company and several executives who make and promoted the prescription painkiller Oxycontin led to a $634 million fine.  Sure, that’s good, but the drug is still being prescribed and people are still getting addicted to it.  The AP article last week announcing this read: “From 1996 to 2001, the number of oxycodone-related deaths nationwide increased fivefold while the annual number of OxyContin prescriptions increased nearly 20-fold, according to a report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. In 2002, the DEA said the drug caused 146 deaths and contributed to another 318.” 

My question is this, if people are outraged over Oxycontin and it’s addictive and deadly qualities, what about methadone.  It is actually given to addicts, telling them it will help them get off of heroin as a form of drug addiction treatment, yet the drug is implicated in ten times the number of deaths as Oxycontin.  What is going to happen to people who make and sell methadone (or even those who condone its use)?  It should be something very heavy, and a fine just won’t cut it.