Folsom State Prison in California has begun a 90 day rehabilitation program for drug addicted offenders.  The program has been quite successful and consideration to use the program statewide is in effect.  A very large number of inmates are in jails and prisons due to drug related offenses resulting from their drug addiction.  This is very good news & I hope it spreads nationwide!

Roughly two-thirds of the state’s inmates return to prison within three years of release. While the three-year-old Folsom program is still relatively new, early indicators show that more than 60 percent of those who complete the program continue to seek treatment, which helps keep parolees from returning to prison.

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The following article discusses the support that addicts need while in drug treatment centers.  Also, that relapse is part of recovery and that drug rehabs should not kick an individual out because of a relapse.  Sometimes relapse is a vital part of one’s journey into recovery.  Rather than kick the person out the relapse can be used as a learning experience & might just be what the person needed to begin to take sobriety seriously.

Treatment programs shouldn’t refuse to continue treating someone who relapses, Williamson told those attending.

That wouldn’t happen if someone had a third heart attack, he said, calling addiction “just another illness, another disease.”

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A new 12 step support group has been launched in Lebanon, PA specifically for teens.  The reason why this has been started is because it is difficult for addicted teens to relate with addicted adults.  This is one of the reasons why Gatehouse uses peer mentoring.  The residents seem to be more open to hearing feedback and/or criticism from someone their own age that has a similar story.

“It is very hard for young folks to come into a 12-step meeting or a support group meeting and identify with people who are older and who have been in an active addiction for a longer period of time, said Donna Dmitrovic, assistant director of the Recovery, Advocacy, Service, Empowerment program — also known as RASE.

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This month marks the 18th year of National Drug Addiction & Recovery Month.  To honor recovery from addiction, events will take place across the nation.  This is a good opportunity to celebrate recovery and to educate the public.  In Phoenix, the annual Art of Recovery Expo will be held September 29th. For more information log on to www.artofrecoveryexpo.com

This year's theme, "Join the Voices for Recovery: Saving Lives, Saving Dollars," asks people to take notice of the financial and human costs of substance use disorders, and to understand the benefits that investing in treatment can have on those who enter recovery, their families and the larger community.

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Parents that allow their adolescent children to binge drink and/or supply them with alcohol could be causing more harm then they think.  The following article discusses some of the harmful and damaging effects.

Such actions threaten not only the parental boundaries and relationship a parent has with their child, but also the child’s mind set toward alcohol that they will take to college.

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The following article discusses the difficulties for individuals to afford long term drug rehab especially since insurance companies do not always cover the costs.  The types of programs that generally are not covered are non medical programs.  While medical treatment is important for recovery, it is also most successful when coupled with learning life skills & a new way of living in a residential setting. Send us any 2008 cost of drug rehab information you have.

Medicaid will pay for some services but not others. Medicaid pays for what’s “medically necessary,” said Jeff Bennett, director of the Gulf Coast Mental Health Center, which serves Hancock, Harrison, Pearl River and Stone counties. If it’s a facility not run by medical professionals, he said, such as charity or faith-based treatment programs, Medicaid may not pay. Many residential programs, he said, are also not covered.

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I thought this article was really interesting. If you had your mind made up about this topic, it really makes you think twice.  What do you think?

Many people think they know what addiction is, but despite non-experts’ willingness to opine on its treatment and whether Britney or Lindsay’s rehab was tough enough, the term is still a battleground. Is addiction a disease? A moral weakness? A disorder caused by drug or alcohol use, or a compulsive behavior that can also occur in relation to sex, food and maybe even video games?

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The long time feud between Lindsay Lohan and her father seems to be over.  Her father reportedly visited her in rehab yesterday.  This is very positive for Lindsay as addiction is a "family disease" and working things out with loved ones is vital to a successful recovery.

Michael Lohan’s much anticipated reunion with his estranged daughter finally happened in the confinement of the rehabilitation clinic where Lindsay Lohan has been recovering over the last several weeks.

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New studies show that putting drug offenders into jail rather than rehab may create a "revolving door scenerio".  I feel that drug rehab offers a solution to the problem where jail can just escalate the problem.

"The report conclusively shows that millions of taxpayers' money is being wasted by putting people in jail when some should be in treatment programs," Dr Herron said on ABC radio.

Generally speaking, treatment works and all the evidence suggests that putting people into treatment is not a softer option but a better option.

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Canada will be funding a new long term drug rehab in Vancouver, B.C.  More and more centers and individuals are beginning to recognize the benefits of long term drug treatment. Many youths find that using drugs is a way to fit in and before they know it, they are addicted. Most say of the main youth characteristics for drug and alcohol abuse is depression or another undiagnosed condition.

She says the key to getting off drugs for good is to spend a long time in rehab — six months to a year.

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