Methamphetamine Addiction
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The number of persons who used methamphetamine for the first time in the prior 12 months did not differ significantly between 2002 (299,000 persons) and 2004 (318,000 persons) but did decrease significantly between 2004 and 2005. In 2004, an estimated 318,000 persons aged 12 or older first tried methamphetamine in the year prior to the survey compared with 192,000 persons in 2005.

Combined data from the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2002 to 2005 were used to examine demographic differences in methamphetamine use. Persons in large metropolitan areas (0.5%) were less likely to have used methamphetamine in the past year than those in small metropolitan areas (0.7%) and in non-metropolitan areas (0.8%).

Higher rates of past year methamphetamine use were found in the West (1.2%) than in the Midwest (0.5%), South (0.5%) and Northeast (0.1%) for the total population aged 12 or older.

With more states passing laws restricting the sale of over-the-counter drugs containing pseudophedrine and other ephedrine-based products (used to make methamphetamine), there has been an increase in the availability of crystal meth, also known as "ice."

 

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Prescription Painkiller Addiction
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National Surveys on Drug Use and Health indicate that the nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers (analgesics) among persons aged 12 or older did not differ significantly among the years between 2002 and 2005. The number of persons who used prescription pain relievers nonmedically for the first time in the past year of the survey also did not differ significantly - - with 2.3 million persons initiating use in 2002, 2.4 million in 2003, 2.4 million in 2004 and 2.2 million in 2005.

Combined data from 2002 to 2005 were used to examine the patterns of nonmedical prescription pain reliever use in general and the nonmedical use specifically of oxycodone and hydrocodone products. Oxycodone products include Percocet®, Percodan®, Tylox®, OxyContin®, and other pain relievers containing oxycodone that respondents specified that they used nonmedically. Hydrocodone products include Vicodin®, Lortab®, Lorcet®/LorcetPlus®, generic hydrocodone, and other pain relievers containing hydrocodone that respondents specified.

An annual average of 4.8% of persons aged 12 or older (11.4 million persons) used a prescription pain reliever nonmedically in the 12 months prior to the survey.

Of the persons aged 12 or older who first used pain relievers nonmedically in the past year, 57.7% used hydrocodone products and 21.7% used oxycodone products.

Additionally, there has been an increase in recent years in the number of people being prescribed methadone for chronic pain relief. Methadone is one of the most addictive and deadly prescription drugs available. It is also one of the most difficult painkillers to withdraw from, as the lingering effects of methadone can remain for months causing joint aches and soreness as well as delayed sleeplessness.

 

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Marijuana Addiction
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Contrary to some popular belief, marijuana can be addictive and does have a very definite set of dependency and withdrawal characteristics. It is the most widely used illicit drug in the nation, and its use is somtimes promoted in certain pop sub-cultures.

Based on SAMHSA's 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.8% (1.7 million) youth aged 12 to 17 used marijuana in the past month and 3.5% (891,000) smoked "blunts" (cigars with marijuana in them) in the past month.

In 2005, about half (52%) of past month marijuana users aged 12 to 17 also used blunts in the past month with males more likely than females to have smoked blunts (55.6% vs. 47.5%).

Among past month marijuana using youths, rates of smoking blunts in the past month were highest in the Northeast (62.5%) and the South (54.4%) than in the Midwest (48.3%) and West (43.1%).

The criminal justice system was the principal source of referral in the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) for substance abuse treatment admissions reporting marijuana as their primary substance of abuse. The proportion of criminal justice referred treatment admissions increased from 48% of all marijuana admissions in 1992 to 58% of all marijuana admissions in 2002.

 

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Heroin Addiction
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Based on theTreatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), annual admissions to substance abuse treatment for primary heroin abuse increased from 228,000 in 1995 to 254,000 in 2005. However, the proportion of primary heroin admissions remained steady at about 14% to 15% of all substance abuse treatment admissions.

The proportion of primary heroin admissions who injected heroin declined from 69% in 1995 to 63% in 2005. The proportion who inhaled heroin increased from 27% among the primary heroin admissions in 1995 to 33% in 2005.

In 2003, there were 237,000 substance abuse treatment admissions for injection drug use (13% of all admissions reported to the Treatment Episode Data Set [TEDS]). Opiates (primarily heroin)accounted for 77% of admissions for injection drug use.

Often times many heroin addicts and their family members fall into the additional trap of drug replacement therapy, such as methadone. What the doctors and clinics don't tell them is that approximately 3,000 people each year die from methadone overdoses now days. New drugs such as brand name buprenorphine is now being pushed as a form of replacement therapy as well, but the same result occurs - the person is still addicted to another drug.

While medication may help in the initial withdrawal stage, any long-term drug replacement is still dangerous and addictive. The best overall results come from drug-free rehabilitation methods.

 

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Cocaine and Crack Addiction
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Based on the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), admission rates for primary cocaine treatment decreased nationally by 24% between 1992 and 2002 from133 admissions to 101 admissions per 100,000 persons aged 12 or older.

The number of States with cocaine treatment admission rates of 139 or more per 100,000 persons aged 12 or older decreased from 15 States in 1992 to nine States in 2002.

Between 1992 and 2002, cocaine treatment admissions decreased by 60% or more in five States (Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Idaho) and increased 100% or more in four States (Arkansas, Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin).

Inhaling cocaine was the predominant route of cocaine administration for much of the 20th century. In the early 1980s, a potent smokeable form of cocaine known as "crack" was developed.

In 1995, 63% of primary smoked cocaine (crack) were younger than age 35. By 2005, only 32% of primary crack admissions were in this age group.

The proportion of both inhaled and smoked cocaine (crack) admissions who were employed full time decreased between 1995 and 2005.

 

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Benzodiazepine Drug Addiction

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Benzodiazepines (Benzos) are one of the most commonly abused and addictive prescription drugs. Benzodiazepines are a class of central nervous system depressant drugs commonly prescribed for short-term treatment of anxiety or insomnia. Proprietary names for drugs in this group include Valium, Xanax, Librium, and Halcion.According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), nearly 1.3 million emergency department (ED) visits in 2004 were associated with drug misuse/abuse. Nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals was involved in nearly 500,000 of these ED visits.

Benzodiazepines were present in more than 100,000 emergency department visits associated with nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals. Benzodiazepines include alprazolam and clonazepam.

From 1995 to 2002, drug abuse related emergency department visits involving benzodiazepines increased 41%.

Nearly half of the drug abuse related emergency department visits involving benzodiazepines were the result of suicide attempts.

Suicide related visits involving benzodiazepines have been stable since 1995, but visits attributed to drug dependence and drug taking for psychic effects have been increasing.

Of the 23,000 admissions in SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) that involved benzodiazepines, only 19 percent were for primary benzodiazepine use; 81 percent were reported as secondary to the use of alcohol or another drug.

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Drug Treatment Methods
Not sure where to go for drug addiction rehab advice?
There are millions of pages on the Internet about drug addiction and rehabilitation centers. A quick search feels like this picture with all the different directions. How do you know which drug rehab works? How do you know what type of addiction treatment is the most successful? Where do you find these programs?

Did you know there are more than 13,000 drug rehabs in the country? Most of the 2 million people who go through drug treatment every year only attend outpatient programs, and most of them don't stay clean and sober. A general rule of thumb can be that inpatient drug rehab is more successful for most people thatn outpatient, and 90 days inpatient should be more successful than 30 days. This is not an absolute rule though, because someone who is really determined to stop using with good support and the right program can have success in a shorter-term facility or on an outpatient basis. It should, however, be applied in most cases.

Many times state governments and insurance companies will try to get someone to try outpatient or short term inpatient first. This isn't because they think it will work, it's because they don't want to pay for longer term residential treatment. The 28 or 30 day program wasn't developed because people are magically cured in a month, but even if some can be, what about the rest?

Okay, so we know that, generally speaking, a residential program that is long term (90 days or more) is a good starting point, but what is it they do for 3 months or longer?

There is only so much that can be done with talking. Something has to be done about it. An addict can sit in a circle or talk to a counselor until they're blue in the face, but talking isn't going to fix everything. There has to be some application to fix the individual and the remaining components of life. Somebody can't just say "I'm sorry" to his wife for losing their house because of smoking crack - he would have to do something to make up for that. You also can't expect that your mind and body are going to be sharp and healthy again without some tuning up - and by tuning up we're not talking about finding some medications to alter your performance. Drug replacement therapy of any kind is damaging and counteracts rehabilitation.

A program that addresses the biophysical aspects of addiction as well as the mental and emotional components in a drug-free manner will ultimately provide the best long term results.

Contact us to find a successful long term inpatient drug addiction rehab program. Fill out the form above right or call 1-877-212-2070.

 

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The Cause of Relapse

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Why Addicts Cannot Stop Using Drugs or Alcohol
This section contains vital information that you need to know in order to fully understand drug and alcohol addiction. Once you understand addiction, you will see how simply it can be overcome. It would be best if you could read this section several times to get a full understanding of the cause of relapse. There are two basic causes for continued addiction;

The first of these is the long term effects of drug residuals in the body. The Mental and Physical cravings caused by drug residues which remain in the body, even long after a person quits using the drug, simply drives the addict to use more of the drug. This cause of continued addiction is thoroughly addressed and treated with great succes on our program.
The second of these causes is the "Biochemical Personality". This is the "way of thinking" that is caused by drug addiction and the lifestyle an addict adopts to get drugs and live with a drug habit. This cause of continued addiction is also specifically addressed with great success on our program.
These two situations are linked with one feeding the other, and both must be recognized and dealt with before a person can fully be free from the addictive effects of drugs.

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Drug Residues: What they are and how they work
The addict can "just say no" a thousand times, but it only takes saying "yes" one time to start the cycle of addiction again.

Several decades ago, the biochemical aspect of drug addiction were discovered. This biochemical breakthrough has led to the most successful approach to rehabilitation in existence.

In essence, when a person uses drugs over a period of time, the body becomes unable to completely eliminate all traces of them. The traces that remain are stored in the fatty tissues. Called "drug metabolites", these traces re-enter the system and trigger cravings for the drug along with the "Biochemical Personality" traits that are a non-optimum way of life.

Left unhandled, these manifestations will haunt a person for years even if they have sobered up. Left untreated, they can trigger a serious relapse.

These unresolved symptoms and manifestations, whether physical or mental in origin, create an underlying low-level type of stress which cannot be completely ignored by the addict. The addict can "just say no" a thousand times, but it only takes him saying "yes" one time to start the cycle of addiction again.

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Drug Residues Remain in Fatty Tissues
Drugs are broken down in the liver into substances called metabolites. Although removed rapidly from the blood stream, metabolites can become trapped in the fatty tissues. The one thing in common-and the problem that needs to be addressed-is that these drug residues remain trapped for years.

Tissues in our bodies that are high in fats are turned over very slowly. When they are turned over, the stored drug metabolites are released into the blood stream and reactivate the same brain centers as if the person actually took the drug. The former addict now experiences restimulation of a drug episode (or "flashback") and subsequent drug craving. This is common in the months after an addict quits and can continue to occur for years, even decades.

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The Cycle of Quitting, Withdrawal, Craving And Relapse
When the addict initially tries to quit, cells in the brain that have become used to large amounts of these metabolites are now forced to deal with much decreased amounts. Even as the withdrawal symptoms subside, the brain "demands" that the addict give it more of the drug. This is called drug craving.

Craving is an extremely powerful urge and can cause a person to create all kinds of "reasons" they should begin using drugs again. He is now trapped in an endless cycle of trying to quit, craving, relapse and fear of withdrawal.

Eventually, the brain cells will again become used to having lowered drug metabolites. But, because deposits of drug metabolites release back into the bloodstream from fatty tissues for years, craving and relapse remain a cause for concern.

Left unhandled, the presence of metabolites even in microscopic amounts cause the brain to react as if the addict had again actually taken the drug and can set up craving and relapse even after years of sobriety.

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Handling the Drug Metabolites
Narconon utilizes a combination of exercise, induced sweating in a sauna, and nutritional supplements to eliminate the traces of drugs, or metabolites, stored in the fatty tissue.

No drugs of any kind are used at Narconon, such as "addiction substitute drugs" like methadone.

The results of this phase of the program are:

Reduction or elimination of drug and alcohol cravings.
Reduction or elimination of many symptoms associated with drug addiction and alcoholism. These can include depression, irritability, and fatigue.
Ability to think more clearly.
Improved memory and attention span.
Increased energy.
Increased sense of well being.
Enthusiasm toward Life.

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Handling the "Biochemical Personality"
After successfully eliminating drug traces from the body, we move through a series of specialized study courses that complement and expand on each other to help the addict recognize the old addiction life-style and thought processes.

These unique cognitive and objective therapies are followed by life skills training, delivered in easily understood phases designed to complement and expand on each other.

The California drug rehabilitation program is complete when the former addict recognizes and accepts responsibility for old habit patterns and "reasons why". The person's relationships with and understanding of himself, his family, friends and environment are fully examined and rehabilitated.

On the person's own self-determinism, and with no physical or mental "hooks" into past cravings and behavior, he or she is no longer an addict and has regained his or her own true nature.

As so many California drug rehabilitation program graduates say, "The future is once again accessible, and anything is possible."

Call 1-877-212-2070 today to speak with a Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor today.

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How to Get Started

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1.  Stop searching endlessly for a treatment program and take the time to read through this web site and learn the facts about drug addiction and our treatment program.

Regardless of what program you choose, by reading this web-site you will gain valuable information about addiction and gain an education on drug rehabilitation. With this knowledge, you can make the right choice to end the cycle of addiction. Our staff would be happy assist you in finding the right drug rehab center to suit you.

2.  Contact Our Rehabilitation Counselor.

Simply pick up the phone and call 1-877-212-2070 to speak with one of our many rehabilitation counselor's about an assessment for yourself or a loved one. This is the fastest and easiest way to get started.

3.  Use Our Online Assessment Form.

If you feel uncomfortable speaking with a counselor at this time, then please use the online assessment form below so a counselor can contact you by e-mail. Please provide as much information as you can. Make sure you include a phone number where you can be reached and the best time you indicated to contact you. Also include an e-mail address where a counselor can reply to your request in a timely manner. We always attempt to call those who reach to us for drug rehab program information as quickly as we can. We often call within minutes of your sending the form, so please be aware that you may receive a phone call from a number you may not recognize if you have caller ID.

You need to realize that this will likely be one of the most important decisions you will ever have to make regarding addiction treatment. You want to make sure you make your decision after gathering as much information as possible. In this way, your final decision will give the addict the best chance at regaining the drug free life they really want.

 

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This process produces spectacular results by removing the root causes of future physical drug restimulation. Research has established that many types of drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, Valium, PCP, amphetamines (crank, crystal, meth, ecstasy, etc.) alcohol and medicinal drugs such as narcotic painkillers, tranquilizers and sleeping pills, can remain in the body for years. Over time, these residues can become stored in the fatty tissues of the body. When this happens, these stored residues can be released making it difficult, if not impossible, for the addict or alcoholic to remain drug-free.

The program utilizes an exact regimen of medically supervised exercise, intensive sweating in a dry sauna, in combination with plenty of fluids and nutritional supplements in order to reduce the drug residuals in the body. These residues, if not removed, can trigger future drug cravings and depression. A vital step in the successful rehabilitation of substance abuse is flushing out these accumulated residues so that the addict no longer experiences any adverse effects from the drugs he has taken. The results of this process can be spectacular. In many cases, completion of this portion of the program results in greatly reduced cravings for drugs, or the complete elimination of these cravings entirely. Mental alertness and clarity of thinking improve while drug-induced depression often vanishes.

"For the past decade, I have studied the results obtained with the New Life Detoxification method. While this detoxification method is strenuous, it is easily and safely accomplished under the supervision of trained personnel. Students, with histories of moderate to extremely heavy substance abuse, show a marked improvement in alertness, clarity of thought and general health by undergoing this treatment. Most report a substantial reduction in their craving for drugs or alcohol. Published scientific studies of the technique have shown it successful in reducing the variety of toxins and contaminants in the body tissues. I highly recommend its continuing use as an effective tool in the treatment of addictions."  Call 1-877-212-2040 to speak to a counselor today.  There is a solution....

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