Substance abuse continues to be a huge problem in New York State with accidental overdose the leading cause of accidental death in the state. Overdose is also the number one injury related killer in adults ages 35-54.

Although overdoses most often occur in the presence of others and can take several hours to actually cause death over 50% of the time no one calls for help to prevent prosecution. Calls to the authorities are often delayed by ineffective efforts to revive them such as putting them in a cold shower or trying to “slap them out of it”.

Most overdoses are caused by a combination of substances such as heroin or painkillers (opiates). When substances are mixed the most fatal overdoses occur. This would be in case where someone mixes, for example, a painkiller, anti anxiety drug and alcohol.

When substances are mixed the person’s breathing can be slowed and eventually stopped which leaves ample time for intervention either from Narcan (Naloxone) or from intervention from medical professionals. When innocent bystanders let someone “sleep it off” because they look tired or are unresponsive from abusing various substances this can often result in fatal and irreversible events.

To help aid in overdoses from substance abuse New York State has over 65 facilities that offer Naloxone, which stops the opiates. Although it can induce withdrawal symptoms in those that abuse the various opiate substances it is one of the few options available to aid in overdoses that take place in the home or other such place.

New Mexico, Connecticut and the state of Washington all have similar laws in place while Illinois, Nebraska and California are considering implementing the law.

Nationwide, substance abuse overdoses are the number one cause of accidental deaths in 17 states which is more than care accidents and kills close to 30,000 people each year.

In an effort to combat substance abuse many states have implemented a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Florida, which has a history of substance and prescription abuse just recently agreed to such a monitoring system. Several states have blamed Florida for the substance abuse problem, as it has been a source of misused prescription painkillers. 98 of the top 100 prescribers of Oxycontin are located in the state of Florida.

Despite the attention on monitoring Florida’s prescription and substance abuse a study done by the CDC showed that the prescription monitoring program did not effect the number of overdose deaths or the amount of prescriptions written for substances that are typical for abuse. Although it is understood that it is not a matter of the substance abuse monitoring programs not working, it is more the manner of which they are implemented.

A second study compared New York to Pennsylvania indicating that New York furthered it’s efforts to control certain substances with tamper-proof prescription forms and better funding for it’s program. New York also tracked all substances that were opiates were Pennsylvania only tracked schedule 2 prescription substances.

The White house has put together a plan to increase the DEA attention to persons that prescribe opiate substances and other initiatives to better regulate and control these substances that are commonly abused.

Locating the right substance abuse treatment facility is vital for a person to successfully recover from his or her addiction. Our counselors can help you today to find the right program.

After three months and several failed attempts at saying clean, Robert’s family opted to send him to an alternative non 12 step program. The facility was a bit longer at 90 days and used a physical drug-free drug detox to help with drug cravings and then followed up with life skills training to handle the emotional problems associated with the addiction. Now 26, Robert has been off drugs for several years because of his non 12 step treatment. However his father, Bill has stayed free from alcohol for nearly 20 years with the traditional 12 step drug rehab approach he took toward recovery.

There has been an argument for some time in the treatment world on which type of treatment is better: alternative non 12 step or traditional 12 step treatment?

The traditional 12 step approach is one of the oldest types of treatment available and has been used since the 1930’s. However according to 12 Step.com the statistics of how successful they are is nebulous because of the anonymous and non-organizational type of treatment they deliver. The site reports that averages of 5-8% have been reported from some facilities for those able to stay clean and sober after completion of treatment.

On the other hand many alternative non 12 step programs report success rates upwards of 60-90% for permanent recovery from drugs or alcohol. They offer a treatment stay that is more long term with minimal aftercare but the treatment requires a commitment of at least 90 days and can last over one year.

The best advice is to find what you think will help you or a loved one most by asking the right questions about what actually treatment a facility provides to those addicted. Finding out about this as well as the success rate, credentials of the program and length will be the deciding factor of whether or not the treatment is right.

An effective dual diagnosis treatment center, will address the underlying issues and then provide solutions to these problems. One of the better forms of dual diagnosis treatment implement an educational model when dealing with addiction. The educational treatment model, teaches a person life skills and how to cope with problems and situations that arise where normal behavior would usually be abusing drugs and alcohol. Many of these dual diagnosis rehab centers are considered a non 12 step drug rehab.

Remember if you need a non 12 step drug rehab or a dual diagnosis treatment center we can help you locate one. Our addiction counselors are well educated in the rehabilitation field and can help you or your family find the right type of program. Call today to start the road to a successful recovery.

One thing to look for in a substance abuse rehab is to make sure it fits the individual needs and wants of the patient. Every rehab for substance abuse is different so finding one that makes sense is important. For example, if your loved one who is struggling with addiction, has been to several rehabs before and none of them have worked, than seeking a long term non traditional treatment facility is something we would recommend.

The reason we would recommend a long term drug rehab is that sometimes a person needs to be in rehab for 4-6 months. The other reason we would recommend a non traditional program is there is a good chance the previous rehabs were all 12 step programs. This would be the reason why we would recommend a non 12 step rehab program which provides alternative treatment. If you need any help finding a program that specializes in substance abuse than give us a call.

When a person takes a drug like heroin, cocaine, marijuana, or a prescription drug like Oxycontin, it enters the liver and the kidneys where it is metabolized and broken down into tiny particles called drug metabolites. These metabolites contain little tiny particles of the drug which are lypophillic or also known as fat bonding. Once the drug enters the blood stream they begin to lodge and store into the fatty tissues. After time, the drugs accumulate and begin to build up and become toxic in the body.

Though this toxic buildup of drugs in the body is bad, there is one other issue to be more concerned about. It’s the reason why a person relapses the majority of the time. Once the drugs are stored in the tissues, the metabolites can release back into the blood stream and shoot back up to the brain causing a craving for the drug. This is called a physical restimulation and is one of the number reasons for relapse. The best for of treatment to handle this is called a biophysical drug rehab.

The truth of it is, YOU are the only person that can decide not to do drugs or drink. No one else can make that decision. So when non 12 step rehabs rehabilitate a person, the treatment is set up to retrain an addict of alcoholic so that they are able to make good choices and decisions. Also, many of the non 12 step treatment centers use a health based program as well. So not only do they focus on the underlying issues of addiction but also focus on getting a person healthy again.

Remember, in our opinion, a non 12 step treatment program is the most effective. As a matter of fact, we have the statistics to back this up. We provide the most up-to-date medical based treatment programs in the country. If you want to find out more about programs that are not 12 step based, then give us a call or send us an email. Our counselors are ready to help you out to overcome your addiction.

It is essential that during the rehab process that a person receives life skills to teach them responsibility and good decision making. Most addicted individuals lose their jobs, families, money, success and love. They only way to get those things back is by getting clean and sober, and then taking initiative and proving that they are cured and back! This is done by action, not talking.

What a non 12 step alcohol and drug rehabilitation program does is get to the underlying issues and then teach a person how to cope and deal with life. Stress, problems, depression, and work are all issues we must learn to deal with. A person cant’ turn to drugs and alcohol as a tool to cope. When entering a non 12 step rehab center, a person will learn new ways to cope and deal with life. Healthy life style changes and confronting ones problems is the key to success.

Relapse is part of recovery.

Addiction is an incurable disease.

The individual is powerless to his addiction.

These concepts do hardly anything to empower the individual against overcoming his addiction. Instead, they seemingly give him an excuse to continue to use drugs and alcohol. There exists alternative treatment (Non-12 Step drug and alcohol rehab) facilities which do not employ these philosophies and instead use proven, innovative strategies to tackle the addiction and encourage the individual to be responsible for his own life. Some of these Non-12 Step strategies are:

Biophysical Rehabilitation – A closely supervised medical procedure wherein the client detoxifies his body of all the drugs, alcohol and impurities of his lifetime. Doing so gives the body and mind a fresh start from which to begin rehabilitation.

Life Skills Therapy – A responsibility-driven method, wherein the individual is given the tools to be causative in his own life. Habitual use of drugs and alcohol undoubtedly takes work to undo, and Life Skills Therapy would be extra support of the lifestyle changes made—improved communication skills, situation skills, “people picking,” planning and organizing, time management, etc. These are skills which are taken for granted, but which are highly necessary in fully rehabilitating someone.

Non-12 Step Rehabilitation is most successful when executed in a long-term, residential (in-patient) setting and generally takes 3-5 months to complete.

Try not to get too overwhelmed with all of the different rehab options online. Many facilities will claim that they are the best program or that they offer the only effective treatment modality in the country. Remember, there is not one program that will work for all. Figure out what you feel you need help in, and areas in life you could improve. Whether they are life skills, depression, overall physical health, stress, relationship issues, low self-esteem, lack of confidence, failures in life, or maybe all of the above, ask questions to see how the drug rehab might deal with these issues.

The most important aspect when dealing with addiction is never giving up. Sometimes relapse happens. It doesn’t mean you are doomed forever. Addiction can be overcome, even when you think there is no hope. It does take hard work and commitment and it doesn’t fix itself on its on. Finding the right program and working hard are the two important elements for a successful recovery.

You may want to consider an inpatient alcohol treatment center that is close to your home so family members can visit when permitted. Cost is also an important factor to most people, although alcohol treatment is not something that you should try to save money on. You want the most effective treatment and if the center of your choice does not accept your insurance, you will need to pay out-of-pocket. Inpatient alcohol treatment is expensive but the cost of not getting treatment is far more expensive in the long run.

You may also chose an inpatient alcohol treatment center that caters to people of your own age or sex. All centers are different, some accept only patients needing alcohol rehab, others accept people with both alcohol and drug additions. Whatever center you chose to help you recover, make the choice. It’s the first step in the road to recovery and it’s a very important decision as it shows you are ready to stop drinking and start on the road to recovery.