Drug Addiction: Questions & Answers

Iv'e been recieving quite a few e-mails lately... About, Drug Addiction. And instead of answering them all personally, please bare with me... I have decided to post all your questions here on my blog. This way all my readers can benefit from all the questions you have submitted.

So, I guess I'm in for the long hall here... If there are any future questions feel free to contact me. And I will try an answer them as soon as humanly possible. Thanks!

My friend went to Mexico for Drugs!

Question: My friend went to Mexico to get a hold of some pain-killers for his leg. He suffers from "chronic leg pain" brought on by diabetes. He's been doing morphine for the past 11 years, and I believe it's killing him. Anyway, back to my queation... Is there anywhere that he can go to get help to withdraw? I know he prefers the mid-west to western states. And he's not exactly rich, only has about 10 thousand to spend.

Answer: Ok first off, I have to say I am no professional in this matter what ever advice I give please use with caution. " Or as is usually the case...Get a second opinion" All, im trying to do is help out the best way I know how.

Ok with that being said... I am so sorry to hear about your friends addiction, I know it has to be rough...And I feel for you. It's not easy seeing the one's you care about take this distructive course. Anyway, back to your question... I have personally, went through some of what your going through with some buddies of mine back in the early 80's what a time... Well, what i have found out... That there are many "especially nowadays" drug rehab centers in the Mid-western states.

Sadly, though most of them from what I can gather require you to call and get a qoute. And a lot of the qoutes you do get depends really on the specifics of your exact case. " I know not much comfort" And I'm sorry.

But, you have to remember... Your friend is quite lucky "Believe it or not" He has a friend like you who really cares... You would be surprised to find out how many friends abandon the ones they thought they cared for " Just not to deal with it" So, don't beat yourself up. OK, now you probably know more about your friends situation better than anyone of us could ever know. So, what I would do if I were you...

Is do some research on rehab centers in the area of where he would like to go. "But be realistic" If he really needs to get going on this. " Do what you can to make this happen!" You can narrow this list down some by just searching for centers that deal in morphine.

Now, there is another alternative that can work... Atleast, I've heard good things aboout it. And thats a program called " Rapid Detox" which from my understanding takes only a matter of days, rather than months, Taking this course can probably help him start dealing with the pain that he has with the diabetes thats causing his leg pain. And at the same time, utilizing a less addicting method of pain control... Could be worth giving a shot!

Anyway, I wish you the very best in this journey. And hope I was able to be a little bit of help in your time of need. Have a Good Life!! :-)

In Treatment- Doe's it Take Big Chances?

OK guys, here's the scoop... Two guys or should I say "people" in a room hashing it out. It takes place in yet another Rehab Clinic "but this show tends to be more of a drama show" whether any of it's based on reality "I don't know" What I can say they have some great writers working on this one. "go figure" Anyway, this one will only air on HBO as far as I know for now...

The shows title is called "In Treatment" of course this is just another great experiment from your cable network... We all know how they love pushing the envelope ;-) The show will air on Monday and on through Friday starting at I believe 10:30 PM on HBO "actually yesterday was the first night" but you will be able to pretty much keep up if you watch tonights. " what can I say I went skiing!!" But you know how shows run " I'm sure you will see enough scenes from yesterdays broadcast, to know whats going on!"

Nice cast, Gabriel Byrne you may all remember him from ("the Usual Suspects") is playing the good Doctor... Dr. Paul Weston, a psychotherapist who pays visits to several of the patients a week, including a very attractive women... I'll leave it at that... we'll see where this go's. Anyway, just wanted to give you guys the heads up! Go ahead and tune in if you can tonight and check it out. Iv'e been told it's suppose to be good... Well, I guess we'll just see....

You guys have a great night! Talk to ya tommorrow "Later!"

Celebrity Rehab on VH1 Draws some Critcism from Recovering Community

An organization dedicated to changing the public’s perception of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction is asking people to speak out against the way addiction treatment and recovery is being portrayed on VH-1’s new reality show, “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”

Faces and Voices of Recovery has written a letter to VH-1 president, Tom Calderone, that asks the network to inform viewers about the reality of long-term recovery from addiction and where they or their loved ones can get the help they need if they are struggling with addiction.
The letter, signed by the organization’s executive director, states “It is our belief that the show takes advantage of and uses people in deep distress because of their addiction as a way to draw in viewers.” It continues to say, “We believe that when people see this show, they’ll wonder why they should help people with addiction and why people struggling with addiction should get insurance coverage for their care.”

Faces and Voices of Recovery is asking VH-1 to take 3 steps to “put a little reality” into its “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” series:
1. Open and close the show with Dr. Pinsky making an affirmative statement about the many effective treatments available to people still struggling with addiction and the reality of long-term recovery from addiction.2. Provide information on the VH1 web site about the many ways that people can get help to recover from addiction, including mutual support groups, medication-assisted treatment, professional clinical treatment, and faith, including links to the Federal government’s Treatment Locator.3. Add a crawl during the show promoting the link to your Web site for more information on where people can seek help.

In an interview dated 1/7/08 and posted on VH-1’s “Celebreality” blog, Dr. Drew states “These people wanted and needed help and they very courageously were willing to do it in front of other people, if it would help other people. Our task was to finally end the nonsense that’s tossed about about chemical-dependency treatment or rehab, that it’s some kind of vacation.”
What do you think?