Battling Addiction

By David Richards

In alcohol addiction treatment programs there are three major steps that are included whatever treatment philosophy they have. These are; stop drinking or alcohol intervention, alcohol detoxification and alcoholism rehabilitation.

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By David Richards

Most of us like to drink and have a good time. ‘Partying’ is just a harmless recreational use of drinking. But, when is it too much? How can you tell if you are addicted? And when should you consider alcohol addiction treatment?

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By Anita Edge

Where do you go? How do you know what is right for your situation? Many different resources exist; and good advice can make a big difference.

Here is a brief outline of available resources on the Internet:

1. The SAMHSA facility locator - A searchable government database of over 10,000 treatment facilities. You can use this yourself to locate treatment centers that meet your criteria, but there are no reviews or success statistics to help you with your decision.

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By Jan Edward Williams

The answer to the question in the title of this article is: “Yes, but with the need to understand the limits of online help.”

Definitions

The words “alcohol dependence” or “addiction” are often used without definition. So, let’s first define some terms. As used in this article, alcohol or drug addiction means that a person’s alcohol or other drug use has reached the point that the person cannot use without loss of control over use of the substance and/or cannot use without producing adverse consequences in significant life areas. The addicted person has developed a psychological and/or physical dependence upon the substance. An addicted person will continue to use the substance in the face of adverse consequences.

The term alcohol or drug dependence is often used interchangeably with addiction, but here I use the term dependence to mean physical dependence on a substance, meaning that stopping use of the substance will result in withdrawal symptoms. A person can develop dependence on a substance without developing addiction; the best example of this physical dependence would be the person who takes a narcotic analgesic (pain killer such as oxycodone or morphine) as prescribed by a doctor long enough to be physically dependent on the drug, a natural, inevitable consequence of chronic use of such a drug. Under these circumstances, abruptly stopping use of the substance will result in the withdrawal syndrome typical for the class of substance involved. Most persons with addiction (for ex., alcoholism) are NOT physically dependent on their drug and will not experience the full blown physical withdrawal for the substance. They will, however, experience cravings, sleeplessness, and other symptoms caused by their psychological dependence on the drug.

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By Larry Smith

One of the most difficult times of the year for those recovering from alcoholism is the Christmas holidays. If you find yourself struggling during the Christmas season, please remember that you are not alone. Help is only a phone call or a meeting away! Here are some helpful and practical tips to keep you from taking that first drink.

1. Plan Each and Every Day of Your Holiday

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Increase funds for treatment

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-New Jersey fully supports Parent to Parent’s “Just A Nickel a Gallon” campaign to dedicate $10 million from Gov. Corzine’s expected $15 million increase in alcohol tax revenue to the Alcohol Education Rehabilitation and Enforcement Fund. This fund disburses $11 million annually to counties for addiction prevention and treatment and drunken driving enforcement efforts. This amount has not changed since 1992.

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“One night I hear this scratch, scratch, scratch at the door and I open it up. It is my cat, come back after one month.

“I hugged that cat and cried and then I knew. I knew what it was like for my husband when I’d run off and do crack.”

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… Things have changed for Hetfield, who has been sober for nearly five years. On May 12, he will receive an honor he says he is more proud of than any career achievement. The MusiCares MAP Fund, a non-profit organization aimed at helping music industry professionals with addiction recovery treatment, will present Hetfield with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his “devotion to helping other addicts with the recovery process” during its second annual benefit concert at the Music Box/Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood.

“I don’t believe that you have to walk straight into the fire to know how hot it is,” Hetfield says. “That was my path. The biggest awareness is that you’re not alone and that there is some help. When people get so far into it, where they feel their life isn’t worth anything, that’s too far. But, you can survive it. That’s important to know.”

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