Saturday, February 28, 2009

Addiction Rehabilitation Services for Atheists and Agnostics

Almost all drug treatment programs are non-denominational
Most drug treatment programs use the 12 Steps as a treatment approach. The 12 Steps start with the premise that you are suffering from a disease of the mind. This method focuses on the therapeutic effects of surrendering one’s will to an external source. This is an age-old practice found in various Eastern and Western religions, though it ascribes to no religion in particular.

Many people are turned off by drug treatment programs because they say the programs are religious. However, this is untrue for the vast majority of addiction rehabilitation centers which are non-denominational and focus on no particular theology or ethos. Once you take a good look at the wording of the 12 Steps, it's hard to think that this is some sort of Judeo-Christian cult, as many mistakenly claim.

Then why is the word “God” in many addiction rehabilitation centers?
People in a drug treatment program at an addiction rehabilitation center may feel threatened by the use of the word “God” in a few of the 12 Steps. Rest assured, this is not meant to signify a Christian god, or any for that matter. It is simply a shorthand term for a belief in a power or force greater than oneself.

Atheists and agnostics use the 12 Steps, too!
Even atheists and agnostics can appreciate 12-Step addiction rehabilitation services when you realize that various accepted natural forces satisfy a “power greater than ourselves.” Take electricity, gravity, inertia, the big bang, and evolution for some common examples. The point is not what you believe in, but that you believe in something greater than the power of your own mind.

A good addiction rehabilitation center gives you the tools to beat addiction
Drug treatment programs provide addiction rehabilitation services in hopes of freeing the addict from the destructive power of his mind. Belief in a higher power is a common teaching in addiction rehabilitation centers because it helps addicts get free of their diseased thought processes that will lead them back to drinking and drugging if left unchecked.

Labels: , ,

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Drug Treatment Programs Conquer Suicidal Thoughts

I think most people in the world think about suicide at one time or another. Whether it’s from a bad break-up, a family death, or something else, suicidal thoughts can creep into the mind and jump right back out again. I, however, have dealt with suicidal thoughts all my life. For much of my life I felt broken, like something was wrong with my brain that would never allow me to be happy. I self-medicated this pain with drugs and alcohol for many years. I thought that booze and drugs were the only things keeping me happy enough to stay alive. Boy was I wrong!

A few years ago, in a moment of clarity, it dawned on me that maybe an addiction rehabilitation center could help with my depression and suicidal thoughts. I had a friend just like me who had recently gone to a holistic drug rehab that was a drug treatment program and therapeutic retreat all in one. After he attended the addiction rehabilitation center, he emerged a new man, without the constant thoughts of suicide plaguing him. That’s when I decided it couldn’t hurt to give a drug treatment program a shot.

I went to the same holistic drug rehab he had gone to, and immediately started in on my drug treatment program with their professional staff. This addiction rehabilitation center certainly didn’t look or feel like I thought it would. Where were the austere and drab conditions? The crazy people shouting at the top of their lungs and shaking? I found that these Hollywood misconceptions of drug treatment programs were way off.

With the help of the one-on-one counseling at this holistic drug rehab, I learned that my drug and alcohol abuse were actually causing my depression and suicidal thoughts, rather than curing them. The peer counseling and group therapies at this addiction rehabilitation center taught me that these were normal thoughts for substance abusers to have, and that they could be treated on a daily basis with proper thinking and action. Through this addiction rehabilitation center, I gained a deep understanding of myself and also a supportive social network to help me out.

If you’re having trouble with suicidal thoughts, and alcohol or drugs are a part of your daily life, I recommend giving a holistic drug rehab a shot. After all, it can’t hurt.

Labels: , ,

Monday, November 17, 2008

Methadone Medical Detox Program

Methadone medical detox program is often advised by doctors to patients who have been addicted to substances particularly heroin. However, unknown to some, methadone medical detox itself can lead to addictions. That is why some health professionals continue to classify individuals undergoing methadone detox as practically addicted.

Methadone addictions happens either via consumption of meth substance in relatively higher dosage or taking it in combination with other substances such as alcohol. Like heroin addiction, withdrawal from methadone is never easy and is actually more difficult compared with withdrawal from heroin. Withdrawal from heroin is said to last from seven to ten days whereas withdrawal from meth lasts for a month or even longer.

Health professionals from various addiction treatment centers say that methadone is generally and occasionally used as an analgesic or a pain reliever especially after surgery. In addiction rehabilitation centers, meth is used to treat narcotic addiction. Its effects last up to 24 hours; hence it is administered only once a day in most medical detox programs.

Information being disseminated by most health workers says that methadone can be taken either as a liquid, tablet or an injectable ampoule. Any of these manners of consumption can lead to physical and psychological dependence. Its symptoms include constipation, nausea, sedation, vertigo and edema. It affects the respiratory system causing difficulty in breathing. In serious cases, coma occurs among meth addicts.

Drug treatment programs should be tailored to promote overall treatment and rehabilitation of patients. It should not cater yet another possible cause of addiction.

Labels: , , ,