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.

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.

Jolie told 60 Minutes:  “I went through heavy, darker times and I survived them. I didn’t die young, so I’m very lucky. There are other artists and people who didn’t survive certain things.”

Cocaine Abuse, Heroin Abuse

While Jolie refused to indulge in the details of her abuse of different drugs and alcohol and which incidents were most threatening to her life, she did say about her experience that it was “nothing I want to go into a lot of detail about, but I think people can imagine that I did the most dangerous and I did the worst. For many reasons I shouldn’t be here. You think of those too many times where you came close to too many dangerous things, too many chances taken too far.”

Others have shared a bit more detail, however. Her self-proclaimed former dealer, Franklin Meyer, told Life & Style that: “We’d see each other two to three times a week when she was in town. [Angelina Jolie] would buy cocaine and also heroin.”

Meyer went on to say that Jolie would buy cocaine and heroin from him twice a week, using the drugs in public. She was 21 years old when they met and was a regular customer for years.

Says Meyer: “She would generally spend about $100 each time – that would buy maybe half a gram of coke and a 10th of a gram of heroin. She would snort the cocaine and the heroin in front of me. It didn’t seem to matter to her who else was there.”

Teen Drug Abuse and Depression

Jolie has also discussed the self-destructive feelings she experienced as a teen and young adult, fighting depression and using drugs as a way out.

Said Jolie: “I knew little about the world and I was completely self-absorbed. I used to think I was unstable, because I had this thirst for something. I could never figure out what it was. I couldn’t sleep at night, and I always wanted to be somewhere else, and I have a window tattooed, this little box, and it’s because wherever I was, I wanted to be somewhere else. And I always saw myself — wherever I was in life — staring out the window.”

Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders

If you or someone you care about is living with depression and drug and alcohol addiction, Michael’s House can help. We offer a number of different addiction and treatment programs for those who are ready to start the fight back to recovery. Call now for more information.

In recent years, there has been an explosion of “pill mills” across Florida, organizations that are essentially open for no other purpose than to connect patients who want painkillers with doctors and pharmacists who can provide those pills. Why is this illegal? Because these clinics often process hundreds of patients each month, and doctors rarely ask for or verify claims of pain or medical issues that might warrant a legitimate prescription. Additionally, there is little monitoring of patients after they receive their prescriptions. Education and awareness of the dangers of prescription drug abuse and dependence is practically non-existent and almost none are provided with a safe exit plan designed to help them stop taking the drugs safely.

Among the arrestees were also people involved in prescription forgery rings and those who run illegal online pharmacies that provide prescription drugs to Americans without a prescription.

The sting operations that culminated in the Florida arrests were called Pill Nation I and Pill Nation II. They led to far more than just the recent 22 arrests. In fact, 40 pain clinics in Florida are now closed, a total of 118 arrests related to illegal pain medication disbursement have been enacted, and more than $19 million in assets from illegal drug sales have been seized, according to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

Says Holder: “Our targeted, aggressive enforcement actions are sending a clear message that — here in Florida, which has long been the nation’s epicenter for the illegal distribution of prescription drugs — the days of easily acquiring these drugs from corrupt doctors and pharmacists are coming to an end.”

Holder also put forth a number of statistics to support his assertions that prescription drug addiction is an epidemic that must be stemmed immediately:

• About 7 million Americans regularly abuse prescription drugs
• About 40,000 deaths happen every year as a result of prescription drug abuse and addiction
• Health issues related to prescription drug abuse costs about $200 billion each year
• In 2010, one teen in seven got high using prescription drugs

If you or someone you care about is living with a dependence upon prescription painkillers or other prescription medication, contact us today at Michael’s House. We can help you determine which type of drug rehab will best serve your needs.

The professionals we rely on for our physical and financial wellbeing are not the people we picture having a problem with substance abuse, but research shows the numbers for these individuals are equal to – and in some cases, far surpass – the general population. Part of the problem for these professionals is that even if they recognize that they have a problem they are slow to seek out help. Licensed professionals are generally do not seek support for themselves because:

• They are worried their secret may jeopardize their career
• They usually are so used to helping others they are not able to accept assistance for themselves
• The perceived shame and guilt that surround addiction stops high achieving personalities from asking for help

The Rates of Addiction Among Licensed Professionals Is Higher Than Expected

A survey of human resource professionals around the US found that 67 percent thought that addiction ranked as one of the most significant problems the employees at their company face. However, only 22 percent of these same human resource professionals say their company takes a proactive stance on the topic. While the American Bar Association has approximated U.S. lawyers suffer from depression at twice the rate as the general population and substance abuse among the profession stands at three times the national average.

Britain Reports Rising Rates of Addiction Among Licensed Professionals

The problem of addiction going untreated by licensed professionals is not an issue isolated to the US. A call to action has been issued to the British government to provide aid to a large number of voiceless professionals living as functioning alcoholics. The British Medical Association has approximated nearly 7 percent of those in the healthcare field will become addicted to a substance. While even more disturbing, they estimate that doctors are three times more likely than the rest of the population to be diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, implying an extremely high rate of alcohol abuse.

Why do you think the incidence of addiction is often higher in licensed professionals than other occupations? Is there anything you can think of that may change this for the better? We welcome all your thoughts and opinions below.

Instead of treating addiction as a criminal act, the new policies aim to focus attention on the current research that substance abuse is a disease and it is both preventable and treatable. The hope is to break the pointless cycle of drugs, crime, imprisonment and subsequent arrests. Jail is not a place of rehabilitation for most. Incarceration teaches nothing to an addict about how and why they use drugs and in many cases probably causes further psychological damage that may lead to more crime and addiction once they are released.

Prevention Is the Key to Successfully Responding to the Drug Crisis

Kerlikowske has worked closely with both the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) Division of Epidemiology to develop policies that are evidence-based and can guard more citizens against the dangers created by both the drug trade and the addictions that result. Policy-makers feel that targeting efforts towards prevention strategies that have research to back them up and then using treatment methods that also has scientific evidence to support them for those that do fall into the cycle of addiction is the best way to deal with the drug problem. There is one thing Kerlikowske says he knows for sure from his career in law enforcement, “…we cannot arrest our way out of the drug problem.”

Kerlikowske Wants More Attention on the Escalating Prescription Drug Problem

In addition to policy changes in the management and prevention of substance abuse, Kerlikowske wants to create more awareness surrounding the hazards of prescription medication misuse, abuse and drugged driving or operating a motor vehicle under the influence of any drug, including prescriptions, that alter brain function. He points out that prescriptions are the most widely abused drug in America today and they are coming right out of our own medicine cabinets, not across borders or made by illegal means. The challenges prescription drugs present are different than the primary drugs of abuse in the past and our legislation needs to address these new issues.

What do you think of Kerlikowske’s new drug policy ideas? Do agree that addiction is a disease and not a criminal act? Let us know what you think below.