One man who received the secret Santa’s gift this year is Thomas Coates, a heroin addict. Barely holding on to his wife and small son, he says he hasn’t worked in a year and recently sold his son’s toys to buy drugs. He didn’t think he deserved the gift of $100 from the secret Santa – but secret Santa disagreed.

Said the secret Santa: “I can tell you’re a good man.”

This one act of kindness inspired Coates. Rather than simply take the money and buy drugs, Coates decided to change his life. He couldn’t remember the last time someone referred to him as a good man or called him anything but a deadbeat; he wanted more for himself and, with the support of his wife who told him to pray, he was ready to make the necessary changes to become the man he wanted to be. He checked into a treatment center after his experience with the secret Santa and started down the path to a new life.

Says the secret Santa about Coates big changes: “Maybe that gave him the hope that he needs to break his addiction. And maybe that will be the turning point that will change his life and maybe he won’t go back. Wouldn’t that be worth it?”

As the secret Santa says: “We can change the world one random act of kindness at a time.”

What will you do this year to change your life or the life of someone else? Is it time to enroll in drug rehab or to begin the process of seeking out the treatment you need to leave drugs and alcohol behind forever? Is it time to stage an intervention for your addicted loved one and help them get the medical care they need to heal? If so, contact us today at Michael’s House here in southern California and learn how we can help you and your family to make 2012 your best year yet.

Charlie Sheen himself certainly had more than a little bit to say about the incident and spoke to every possible media outlet about how and why he was fired, calling out Lorre personally, and demanding his job back. Lorre’s response? Pretty much nothing until a recent interview. In that interview, he revealed the motivation for letting Charlie Sheen go: the actor’s ongoing cocaine addiction.

Lorre said that he was concerned that if something drastic didn’t change in Sheen’s life, he would die as a result of an untreated cocaine addiction – or that someone else would as a result of his negligence.

Lorre says that he and others in programming at Warner Bros and CBS “chose to make a moral decision as opposed to a financial one. This was not a game. This was drug addiction writ large. This was big-time cocaine, and in his own words, an ‘epic drug run’ that could have ended with either his death or someone else’s.”

This came after weeks Sheen partied for weeks on end, a failed attempt at rehab, and more than a few public tirades against Lorre and other producers of the exceedingly popular sitcom. Lorre reported that he and others had tried to help Sheen by intervening but were unable to convince him to slow down.

Says Lorre: “I was so afraid my friend was going to die. When we would shoot a show on a Friday night, there was always that ‘I’ll see you Monday. I hope.’ The holidays were the worst, because those long stretches of time were the ones we feared the most.

“I didn’t want to be writing a sitcom while my friend died. Or worse, hurt someone else. We couldn’t be complacent. There was a tragedy unfolding right in front of us. There was violence and blackouts. On a certain level, if you’re looking the other way, you’re responsible.

“You couldn’t do that much cocaine and work. It was falling apart. It was heartbreaking to be around here then.”

Making tough decisions when a loved one or close friend is fighting an addiction can feel like you are kicking someone when they are down – taking away their job, their marriage, or their family when it is clear that they are not making good decisions for themselves. Bold moves, however, can save lives.

Is drug rehab that right bold move for you or someone you care about? Contact us today at Michael’s House to learn more about your options for addiction treatment.

By the end of the 90s, Sizemore was losing his ability to secure great roles as his addiction began to take over. Over the next decade, he would spend a great deal of time in recovery, in and out of rehab, to get to where he is today: standing securely with a solid footing in his new life of sobriety. He’s working on a memoir that will reveal the details of the development of his addiction and how he fought hard to get where he is today.

Says Sizemore: “I should have been dead many times over. The fact that I’m now sober over two years — and that I’m acting as much as I did before — proves that people can overcome obstacles even when they’re sure they can’t. I hope that this book can inspire other people to never give up.”

In his book, Sizemore talks about the many areas of his life affected by his addiction as well as parts of his life that he believes may have pointed him in the direction of addiction well before he even tried drugs for the first time. He grew up in a Detroit housing project, which may have put him in a position to have early access to drugs alcohol. He also enjoyed high profile relationships with famous actresses like Elizabeth Hurley and Sharon Stone, and famously went to prison when he was convicted of domestic violence against his then-girlfriend, the famed “Hollywood Madam,” Heidi Fleiss.

Though Sizemore was good at getting himself together in order to shoot his part in major films, he would always relapse as soon as filming was done. He landed a starring role on a TV series called “Robbery Homicide,” but quickly lost that due to his addiction. His next star role in a TV series would actually change his life: he was a part of the cast of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” Since then, he’s been clean and sober and steadily moving toward a life of balance in sobriety.

It’s starting to work already. Sizemore has appeared on “Hawaii: Five-O” and more than a few films that are currently in post-production.

Not true, says the 22-year-old Saturdays singer. Sandford says that her brief vacation had nothing to do with an addiction or an eating disorder and, though she didn’t get into specifics, she did say that her “dark days” are behind her: “I was hospitalized, it wasn’t rehab. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with rehab. It takes a lot of courage to enter facilities to try to beat any addiction or overcome issues, but mine is a medical condition. I will talk about it in detail one day soon, for the sake of my fans, as they want to know. But I will say it wasn’t alcohol, drugs or an eating disorder. And the dark days are now behind me. My family, friends and boyfriend Wayne Bridge have been wonderful.”

Talking About Issues of Addiction and Rehab

Fans likely won’t be surprised if Sandford changes her story later on and discloses that she did in fact spend some time seeking treatment for addiction – which is, technically, a medical disorder. It’s her prerogative and the prerogative of every patient to take as much time as they want to discuss their diagnosis and/ or their need for treatment. In fact, patients are never required to talk about a medical struggle with addiction or medical care they received for the disorder with anyone, except in the case of a court subpoena.

When to Talk About Drug Rehab

If you need friends and family to support you personally during your treatment experience or if you are hoping that your boss will hold your job for you pending your return from rehab, then you may want to give them the broad strokes about what’s going on. You may be surprised: few active addicts and alcoholics are able to hide their struggle with addiction as well as they think. Those close to you may  be well aware of your issues with addiction and be happy for you that you’re getting the help you need to heal.

If you would like to learn more about your options in drug rehabilitation here at Michael’s House, call now to find out more about our southern California addiction treatment options.

Marinovich has documented drug abuse issues at his alma mater, USC, as well as a cocaine possessions arrest and vocal arguments with his former coach – all this added up to an early exit from the NFL. Two seasons and three failed drug tests into his career, it abruptly came to an end.

The changes to the NFL draft, interestingly, have nothing to do with drug charges specifically, but with character. It is theorized that quarterbacks, especially, have the responsibility to their team to display positive moral choices since they are often in the spotlight and characterized as the leaders of the team. There is also the media issue – no team wants to deal with the negative publicity that comes with the drug bust of one of their players.

No official changes have taken place as of yet, but there is often a great deal of debate about a given player’s position in the draft if he has a history of drug abuse or possession charges or other issues. Some players have experienced this new caution in the draft in recent years and there is discussion the indicates it could continue.

Good Decision or Too Extreme?

Some believe that the decision is too judgmental, that choosing not to draft a player who is clearly athletically capable based on past mistakes isn’t fair – to the player, to the team, or to the game. Others believe that there are too many good players in the draft to choose someone who has the higher likelihood of being a problem later on. Still others believe that choosing someone with the chance of making headlines could help the team by bringing in publicity – good or bad, they believe the publicity can increase interest in the sport.

What do you think? Is judging a player on past drug abuse or drug charges a good move or is it better to keep character and athletic ability separate when choosing the draft? Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think!

Muhammad Parvaz is a post-doctoral fellow at Brookhaven National Laboratory and a lead investigator of the research. He says: “Reduced gray matter may culminate in the compromised ability to experience pleasure and control behavior, especially in high-risk situations.”

The question is this: are cocaine addicts born with this deficit of gray matter, making it a contributing factor to the development of the addiction or does it occur as a result of long-term cocaine abuse? It’s a question that will only be answered with continued research, but this new study is a landmark since future studies will likely include their findings.

No matter the cause, the patterns of behavior that result can be disastrous to patients, sabotaging their efforts to maintain a functional life. Unfortunately, even with treatment, these changes can remain over time and continue to cause problems for those in recovery.

The regions in which many cocaine addicts had less gray matter were areas of the brain related to decision making and thought processing. This may have something to do with the fact that many addicts have difficulty thinking through their decisions, often making choices that create negative consequences. When stress arises or they feel cravings, often their first choice is to abuse cocaine despite the negative health, emotional, and social effects.

Many addiction experts believe that the gray matter issue comes before cocaine abuse, which could open up a number of avenues of prevention and care to help patients stop abusing the drug before they start.

Jeffrey Reynolds is the executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence in Mineola. He says: “Increasingly there is a whole body of research focusing on addiction as a brain disease. and the implications are significant not only in terms of treatment but prevention.”

Studies like these support the construct of addiction as a medical disorder, which can help patients to avoid the stigma associated with the disease and be more willing to get the treatment they need to heal.

If you or someone you live with is fighting cocaine addiction, help is available. Contact us at Michael’s House today to find out more about the programs we offer than can aid you in building a new life without cocaine dependence.

No matter what they look like, these drugs can be extremely dangerous and those who abuse them regularly often develop long-term mental health issues. If you or someone you care about is struggling with a dependence upon hallucinogens, rehab can help. Contact Michael’s House today.

Hallucinogen Basics

Depending upon the particular drug, hallucinogens go by a number of different names, including acid, mushrooms, shrooms, X, Special K, blotter acid, cubes, mind candy, fry, and more. Each one comes in different forms, too, forms that include paper tabs or blotter paper, pills and tablets, and liquids. Many underground manufacturers like to imprint their supply with pictures, graphics, or logos and give them unique names to differentiate them from others on the market. Depending upon the form, it may be ingested differently. For example, blotter paper acid is usually taken orally, allowed to dissolve on the tongue, while liquids and pills are primarily swallowed. Mushrooms can be smoked or taken orally.

Hallucinogen Short-Term Effects

Hallucinogens affect the perception, distorting it so that the user has difficulty finding their place in time and space. Visual hallucinations occur; colors change and patterns move. Physically, pupils dilate and the heart rate is increased as is the blood pressure when users take hallucinogens.

Hallucinogen Long-Term Effects

The visual changes caused by hallucinogens can recur long after the drugs wear off in the form of flashbacks, and the alterations in perception of self in relation to others can become a permanent psychosis with chronic abuse. In some cases, this can be a permanent change and the resulting mental health disorder means that the patient needs treatment for both the addiction issue and the mental health problems. These associated mental health problems are, in fact, the biggest reason to seek treatment for hallucinogen abuse as one of the primary causes of death related to the drug are suicides and accidents under the influence.

Treatment for Hallucinogen Abuse

If you or someone you care about is struggling with abuse of hallucinogens, then a treatment program can help. At Michael’s House, we have a number of options to choose from. Contact us today for more information.

As the show has followed her interaction with fellow housewives including sister, Kyle, concerns have been expressed in numerous ways about Kim’s erratic behavior, and some of the women have conjectured that Richards has a problem with drugs and alcohol – one that is creating issues for her socially and personally.

Though she and sister Kyle vehemently denied that Richard’s issues were related to drug and alcohol abuse throughout the season – both on camera and to numerous media outlets as well as on personal blogs – it seems that Richards’ has had a change of heart. The latest reports state that she is headed into drug rehab to get the help she needs to find emotional and physical balance in her life.

It’s not the first time that Kim Richards has headed into treatment, but everyone is hoping that this time will be the last time, and that she’ll get what she needs to create real change for herself and her family.

Friends and family have responded to the news hopefully. Says one source to Us Weekly: “Kim’s alcohol addiction along with other substance abuse problems has been obvious for quite some time, but it’s really good that she’s finally getting help. It was really just a matter of when she would enter rehab. I think everyone is actually pretty happy she’s taking the proper steps forward to deal with her issues.”

Even on the show, the cameras have documented explosive fights and emotional outbursts, ostensibly related to Richards’ behavior while under the influence. Sister Kyle even called her an alcoholic during a huge fight on season one’s finale, but by the second season, the two sisters had reconciled and Kyle seemed to be covering for her sister – or at least looking the other way. Staunchly defending her sister when another housewife accused her of abusing drugs at a party, Kyle seems to struggle with her sister’s issues.

It’s not an uncommon problem for family members. Love and hope for the best can often skew the perspective, causing family members to blame everything but the actual cause for the problems caused by addiction.

Says another source: “The relationship with everyone is so strained and it was because they weren’t going to coddle Kim – she had to know when she was ready to do this…She’s making the right decision.”

If you or someone you care about would like to follow the example set by Richards’ and get addiction treatment help, contact us at Michael’s House today.

• The cost to society is estimated to add up to about $193 billion when the cost of lost productivity, crime, and healthcare.
• Drug-related crime costs society about $61 billion annually, including money spent on court costs, law enforcement, and incarceration.
• Healthcare costs caused by drug abuse and addiction add up to $11 billion annually – emergency services, inpatient drug treatment, and drug use and prevention research.
• More than $120 billion in lost productivity is caused by drug abuse and addiction each year.
• Lost labor participation adds up to $49 billion annually.
• Incarceration and related lost productivity costs about $48 billion each year.
• Drug-related homicides add another $4 billion to the lost productivity cost.
• The costs of running the criminal justice system to handle cases related to drug distribution and possession costs about $56 billion every year.
• According to the National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) 2010, crystal meth and crack cocaine are the drugs that primarily contribute to drug-related crime.
• Heroin was the drug that most contributed to property-related crime.
• According to the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program (ADAM II), 60 percent of those arrested tested positive for drug abuse.
• Health effects caused by drug abuse that impact society including parental neglect of children, drunk or drugged driving, exposure to toxic chemicals due to drug labs, hospitalization, emergency room visits.
• Non-homicide admissions to the ER cost about $161 million annually. Hospital admissions cost $5.5 billion.
• More than 28,000 people die each year in car accidents – almost 4000 of those were caused by driving under the influence.
• Law enforcement agents and children are the most common victims of medical problems caused by accident, explosion, and exposure to toxic chemicals created by crystal meth labs.

If drug abuse or addiction is an issue for you or someone you care about, don’t continue to put everyone else at risk. Call us today for more information about our program and how it can help you to heal.

Whatever the reasons, most likely there are a variety of factors contributing to the drastic rise in drunk driving accidents during this very specific time of year. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), during Christmas and New Years approximately 40 percent of deadly motor vehicle accidents are due to a driver behind the wheel who has had too much to drink. Fortunately these needless deaths are avoidable with a little bit of education and planning.

Misconceptions That May Lead People To Driving Under the Influence

There are some mistaken beliefs about alcohol and how it affects the human body that once rectified may go a long way in helping party-goers make life-saving choices this holiday season. Remember the following facts if you plan to drink alcohol during holiday celebrations this year:

• Alcohol works both fast and slow. Alcohol impedes judgment and coordination long before someone is obviously drunk. At the same time, the effects last long after you finish your last drink. Alcohol enters and circulates in the bloodstream for many hours and driving skills can still be hampered the morning after a night of heavy alcohol consumption.
• Late night driving is extra risky. Alcohol is a sedative that can increase the possibility of someone falling asleep behind the wheel when driving home late at night.
• Coffee can’t make you sober. Time is the only thing that can help someone sober up. Caffeine can not assist someone who has had too much to drink.

Proactive Solutions To Avoid Alcohol-Related Car Accidents

Here are some additional tips for safe celebrations:

• Make plans. Before you leave home decide how you are getting back. Have a taxicab company’s number on hand, a subway or bus schedule or a designated driver. If you can’t take advantage of one of these transportation options then do not drink.
• Pace yourself. Don’t ingest more than one alcoholic beverage in an hour. In between alcoholic drinks have a non-alcoholic one.
• Designated drivers should have zero alcohol. Don’t designate someone to drink less than everyone else. Designated driver means someone is willing to be alcohol free for the duration of the night.
• Spread the word. Remember to share these friendly reminders with those you care about.