Budget cuts in government are happening all over the country and the financial crisis is hurting drug courts and drug addiction treatment put in place to help those struggling with drug addiction. These changes not only affect the future of drug addiction treatment, the personal futures of those who need treatment for drug addiction but their families and the community as well.

Hawaii is one state where the budget crisis is having a big effect on drug courts. Right now, the treatment courts (drug courts and mental health courts) cost about $5 million of the $139 million budget for the state’s judicial system. That’s 4 percent of the budget and lawmakers are looking to cut it, according to the Honolulu Advertiser.

Public Defender Jack Tonaki is against the idea. He says: “I would hate to see this discontinued. Everyone is having to make tough choices.”

The short sighted nature of government and state budgets is leading some in Hawaii to forget what many other states have learned the hard way: cutting the budget for drug courts and drug addiction treatment programs may mean a little bit of savings now but quite a bit of lost funds later.

Incarcerating people for drug possession and addiction is an expensive proposition, a cost that calculates in the millions every year. When you add in the costs of domestic violence, health problems, the effect on children and increased juvenile delinquency, unemployment and other issues associated with continued drug abuse and addiction, the $4 million invested into the specialized courts is minimal in comparison.

Meda Chesney-Lind is a professor at the University of Hawaii and a criminologist and says:

“Obviously, in terrible times, everyone is constrained, and I would argue that money should come from other parts of the criminal justice system that are overused, like corrections. I wouldn’t support across-the-board cuts that tend to cripple small initiatives. We know that huge swaths of the current system are not functioning optimally, so they really need to have new ideas infused into the work they are currently doing.”

In some instances, the court system becomes a service of support for those trying to break free from drug addiction and their families. This is far more beneficial than the combative and confrontational role that the courts usually play in the  lives of drug offenders. By recognizing that drug addiction is a disease that is chronic in nature and requires continued treatment and support, the court can set itself up to help those in the grips of addiction rather than setting the offender up to fail by neglecting to give them the treatment they need while simultaneously incarcerating them with criminals who will only perpetuate their addiction when they get out.

Get Drug Addiction Treatment Before the Courts Get Involved

If you or someone you love would like drug addiction treatment before the courts get involved, Michael’s House can help. Whether you need inpatient cocaine addiction treatment, residential alcohol rehab, opiate detox, heroin addiction treatment, sober living or other drug addiction treatment programs, Michael’s House has what you need. Call 1-877-345-8494 for more information.

An interview that Lindsay Lohan did with a British tabloid newspaper recently has everyone twittering. Her drug addiction confession and her comments on father’s contribution to the problem are somewhat more revealing than we have previously seen. Despite three stints in drug rehab and a brief jail stay for cocaine possession, Lohan has always blown off the public’s inquiry into her addiction. Not this time.

Lindsay Talks About Her Stay in Drug Rehab

Lohan says: “I went to rehab three times. The first time I checked myself in because I had taken Ambien. It’s a sleeping aid but it makes you hallucinate. I’d run a bath and fallen asleep on the floor and the bath had overflowed. When I woke up I was so scared, I called my therapist and said, ‘Can I just go somewhere for a month? I’m around bad people and I need to take care of myself’. I was terrified, so I put myself in.”

Lindsay Talks About Cocaine Abuse and Addiction

After a car accident in May 2007, Lindsay was caught with cocaine for the first time. She says: “It was in a purse and I was with friends. I wasn’t trying to lie to police.”

She goes onto say: “I was only aware of cocaine because of my dad. I was terrified of it. But I tried it because I was stubborn, stupid, and wanted to see what it was like.

“It’s not something I ever want to do again. It made me feel like s***. It became uninteresting to me. I’m hyper anyway and I have that kind of personality so I don’t need something like that.”

More Drug Addiction Confessions

According to Lohan, she was close to death due to her mixing of alcohol, cocaine and other drugs. A collapse after taking sleeping pills filled her with “terror.”

Though she blames herself in part, she puts much of the blame on her father and his indictment of her addictive behavior publicly. She says:  “When my father was going public, that’s when I hit rock bottom. I abused substances too much and it wasn’t the answer to my problems. People need to know that.

All Better Now?

Lohan says, that despite all her previous issues with drugs and alcohol, she can now drink in moderation and no longer struggles with addiction:

“I tried to mask my problems with alcohol, cocaine and mind-altering substances. Now I’m in a place where I don’t need to use anything and I can feel emotions because I choose to. I learnt from my mistakes and I’m now healthy and happier. I never want to be close to losing everything I worked for and aspired to have my whole life.”

Drug Addiction Treatment Options

If you or someone you love is living with cocaine addiction, alcohol addiction, or addiction to sleeping medications like Ambien, Michael’s House can help. Located in southern California, Michael’s House offers an holistic drug and alcohol detox and addiction treatment program that will help you no matter what your drug of choice. Call us today at 1-877-345-8494 for more information.

Addiction to prescription drugs like OxyContin, hydrocodone, Percocet, Lortab, Fentanyl and others is on the rise in the United States. One of the reasons why prescription drug addiction is such a large problem is because of the crimes that are often associated with the disease. In order to maintain prescription drug addiction, addicts cost the insurance industry about $72.5 billion every year, according to the 2009 Drug Threat Assessment report. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that deaths that involved painkillers increased by 66 percent between 2001 and 2005.

Every year, prescription drug addiction increases unlike any other illegal drug.

Common Crimes Associated with Prescription Drug Addiction

The most common crimes associated with prescription drug addiction are doctor shopping to procure duplicate prescriptions, outright fraud where prescription pads are stolen and fake prescriptions are written and filled, and pharmacy robberies. “Pharm parties” are common among high school and college aged students as well: each person brings whatever prescription painkillers they have left over from their own (or their parents’) prescriptions and shares with everyone else. Still others try to get the prescription painkillers they are craving by going to the emergency room and faking injuries.

No matter how they are obtained, taking these pills without medical supervision can be deadly. Those same emergency rooms where many prescription pill addicts feign pain in order to get drugs fraudulently report that the number of true admissions related to prescription drug overdose or abuse rise every year.

Private Versus Public - The New Crimes Associated with Prescription Drug Addiction

There have been a number of cases in the media over the past couple of years where the courts have brought charges against those who gave their prescription meds to friends or family members when the person receiving the medication ultimately died using those drugs. In each case, no matter the age of the person on trial (in many cases, they were teenagers), it was ultimately decided that jail time was appropriate. With charges that include involuntary manslaughter, the court is making their position clear: only you should be taking your prescription medications.

Prescription Drug Addiction Crime

Using prescription drugs non-medically is a crime in and of itself. The problem with the other crimes associated with the maintenance of prescription drug addiction is that they will only serve to increase the consequences when you finally get caught. When those crimes turn violent-someone dies accidentally or gets hurt while you are performing the crime-drug court and court ordered drug addiction treatment is no longer an option.

Treatment for Prescription Drug Addiction

If you or someone you love is addicted to prescription drugs of any kind including sleep medications, anti-anxiety medication or opiate painkillers, don’t wait until your cravings have reached such a crescendo that you are forced into criminal acts to get the pills you need. Call Michael’s House at 1-877-345-8494 instead. We can help you stop using prescription pills before they stop you. Call now.

Blending two families after a new marriage comes with a myriad of challenges. Disparate personalities must learn to live and work together in a new home, which is made even more difficult when all or some of the kids are not totally on board with the new situation. When one of your new stepchildren has a drug problem, this can make the blending process all the more difficult and cause problems between you and your new spouse. Addressing your stepchild’s drug problem can be even touchier, then, than if it were your biological child. Here are a few points to consider.

A Stepchild’s Drug Addiction: Assessing the Situation

First of all, you will want to make sure that the issue your stepchild is dealing with is truly drug addiction and not, for example, drug abuse or bad behavior meant to get your spouse’s attention. Acting out against a new marriage or a divorce they didn’t want or ask for may be the starting point for addictive behavior, but it’s also a cry for help and one that, if heeded early, can help your stepchild bypass drug addiction.

Full blown drug addiction can be identified by a general and long lasting pattern of behavior that includes lying, stealing, hiding drugs and paraphernalia, mood swings and depression, a decline in hygiene and self-care as well as lost interest in former friends who are more “straight,” hobbies and school work.

A Stepchild’s Drug Addiction: Talking to Your Partner

When you have ascertained that your stepchild is either abusing drugs in an attempt to get your spouse’s attention or dealing with a serious drug addiction that requires drug addiction treatment, your next step should be to talk to your partner. He or she may not want to hear what you have to say and may argue with you over the existence of the problem or whether or not it is serious enough to do anything about, but you have to voice your concerns.

If your partner doesn’t seem receptive to the conversation the first time you try, give them some space and try again later. They may already recognize the problem but just not be ready to deal with it yet. While that’s a fair response, it is a serious issue and after a bit of time has passed, it’s important that you bring it up again. If you or your partner wishes, it may be an issue to discuss with a family therapist so that you can keep the conversation productive and focus on a plan.

Getting Drug Addiction Treatment for Your Stepchild

If you and your partner agree that your stepchild needs drug addiction treatment, the next step is an intervention. Here, you and your partner will be able to confront your stepchild on his or her drug addiction with two goals in mind: to help him or her to understand the serious nature of the disease and to invite them to enter drug rehab immediately. Before you begin, you should speak with a drug rehab center and secure a spot for your stepchild.

If your loved one is over the age of 18, Michael’s House can provide your stepchild with the drug and alcohol addiction treatment he or she needs. Call 1-877-345-8494 for more information.

With all the widely publicized marital problems and issues with sponsors that Tiger Woods has been having, people have been looking for a reason behind his actions. How could someone with so much skill, fame and money, a beautiful home and family, destroy it so quickly and so completely?

A couple of theories floating around include sex addiction and drug addiction.

Is Tiger Woods Living with Prescription Drug Addiction?

According to Golf.co.uk, reports are circulating that claim that Tiger Woods may be dealing primarily with prescription drug addiction.

More detailed reports claim that Elin Nordegren, Tiger Woods’ wife, gave two empty prescription painkiller bottles to police when he was taken to the hospital after running into a fire hydrant outside his home last month. The two prescriptions: Ambien and Vicodin.

Because Nordegren gave police these bottles, Woods was apparently listed as a possible overdose when he was admitted to the hospital.

Due to knee injuries in 2008, Woods could easily have developed a Vicodin addiction as a result. Very often, people who otherwise do not indulge in drugs and alcohol will develop a painkiller addiction after an injury or surgery.

Additionally, there have been a number of reports of people on Ambien doing things in their sleep that they don’t and even more who can’t fall asleep without the drug after a few weeks of regular use.

If left untreated, addiction to prescription drugs like Vicodin and Ambien can ruin your life, and many are saying that this is the root cause of Tiger Woods’ current problems.

Is Sex Addiction a Problem for Tiger Woods?

Even more people speculate that Tiger Woods is dealing with a sex addiction due to the continued nature of his affairs and the sheer number of mistresses that have come out of the woodwork. According to CBS, there seems to be more evidence that Tiger Woods may be dealing with sex addiction than with prescription painkiller addiction.

A number of celebrities, politicians and others in the spotlight are caught in affairs and scandals of infidelity. At what point does it become an addiction?

Quantity of people is one factor in sex addiction. More than 10 women have come forward to claim a sexual relationship with Tiger Woods.

Continuing a habit despite the negative consequences is another factor in determining whether an action or behavior is actually an addiction.

Dr. Drew Pinsky from the VH1 series “Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew” said: “You’ve got to wonder about addiction. That’s the process that has people doing things that don’t make sense.”

Pinsky went on to say that Woods’ sexual behaviors may be one small piece of a bigger issue:  “I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out there is a chemical addiction, as well. Sometimes, these sexual compulsions come out as part of an overall addictive process to a chemical.”

Treatment for Drug Addiction and Sex Addiction

It is not uncommon for addictions and other psychological issues to come in pairs. Many people who are struggling with drug addiction also struggle with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, gambling addiction and/ or sex addiction.

If you or someone you love is dually diagnosed, contact Michael’s House. We can help you get the treatment you need to recover.

For parents who have children who are struggling with drug addiction, it doesn’t matter what age they are: it’s difficult. Emotionally exhausting and hard on the whole family, a child’s drug addiction can affect everything from family dinner to family finances. So what can you do to help your child when he or she is struggling with drug addiction?

Don’t Enable Their Drug Addiction

First things first: you may not have the power to “fix” your child or save them from themselves but you do have the power to make an agreement with yourself not to make it worse. Enabling behavior manifests in a number of ways. It could be as obvious as handing the drug addict in your life money or  allowing them to stay with your rent free without getting a job or having any responsibility for themselves. It could occur when you cover for them with their employers, teachers, friends or other family members by lying about their behavior. Enabling also occurs when you continually do their work for them, handle their responsibilities or in any way protect them from the consequences of their own actions. When you stop doing these things and start allowing their drug addiction to affect them, you are helping them get one step closer to dealing with the fact that they need drug rehab.

Drug Addiction Intervention

A more proactive way to handle the situation when your child refuses to acknowledge his or her drug addiction is to stage a drug addiction intervention. At an intervention, you have the opportunity to gather together the people who mean the most to your child and allow each one to tell him or her about a specific incident in which your child’s drug addiction was hurtful or dangerous. The intervention culminates in an offer: go to drug rehab and get the necessary medical help or….

The “or” is a big part of the intervention, especially when it is your child struggling with drug addiction. Depending upon your situation and the age of your child, different ultimatums will be appropriate. It may be telling them to move out or taking away financial support if he or she is an adult or, for those who are underage, it may mean moving to a different city or changing schools.

Letting Go When Drug Addiction Treatment is Refused

If your child is struggling with drug addiction, you never have to stop loving him or her. However, it helps no one, least of all your child, if you continue to enable the behavior and make it possible for them to continue using drugs and/ or alcohol without real consequences. Letting go will look different for each family according the specifics of their situation and the addiction issues of their child. Only you know what’s best for you, but it can’t be repeated enough: letting go of your child when they refuse to get help for drug addiction doesn’t mean that you don’t love them.

Drug Addiction and the Family

If you would like to learn more about drug addiction treatment for your child, Michael’s House can help. We offer drug rehab services for those 18 and older. Call today to learn more.

Even those who rail the United States for being too soft on drug addiction and those convicted of distribution and sales of illegal drugs are pausing to think after the recent death by firing squad in China of Akmal Shaikh, a drug dealer caught with 4kg of heroin. Was the death penalty too extreme of a punishment for a nonviolent crime? Should he have been given drug rehab instead or a prison term?

The wide spectrum of views on drug addiction, drug abuse and drug dealing range from the very liberal view that everything should be made legal to the very conservative view that, if not the death penalty, then the first conviction should at least come with a harsh and swift penalty.

China’s Argument for the Death Penalty for Drug Distribution

China feels strongly about protecting its people from the harms and dangers of drug addiction. They point out that the amount of heroin that Shaikh was trafficking into China could have killed 27,000 people. Choosing the death penalty, however, says that there is no hope of rehabilitation and since the death penalty in the United States is usually reserved for a similarly violent crime, most Americans are somewhat taken aback by this hard line approach. China views the potential loss of 27,000 countrymen as more valuable than the life of one man and they make no apologies for their decision.

The Softer Approach to Drug Addiction

In the United States, many states have a program that offers drug rehabilitation for first time possession offenders, and often drug dealers get away with inclusion into this program if they are carrying small enough amounts that can be claimed is for nothing more than personal use. Many Americans view this as soft, saying that it sends the message that drug addiction and distribution isn’t that serious and that even if you get caught, you’ll have a few more chances before you get into any “real” trouble, a message that ultimately costs taxpayers millions in court costs, law enforcement, medical care, damage to property, loss of lives and more.

In Britain, drug addiction can get you a disability check for the equivalent of about $200 a week. Here and abroad, there are needle exchange programs and other harm reduction-oriented nonprofit organizations dedicated to assisting those who are living with drug addiction though not necessarily trying to help them break free from addiction. There is also quite a bit of anecdotal evidence in the form of rehabilitated addicts who say that these programs were invaluable in terms of helping them to recover and start a new life.

What Do You Think?

Whatever your view on the death of Shaikh, what is your opinion of the harder line against drug addiction and drug sales versus a more rehabilitative approach? Do you think that drug rehab works? Can it save lives and ultimately save money? Or is it better to send the message to anyone who considers abusing drugs and alcohol that there is a no tolerance policy?

Ever wished there was something more you could do for your loved one caught in the angry drama of drug addiction? Anonymous tips to the DEA are a good place to start.

Since 2004, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has been operating an international, toll-free hotline for reporting illegal sale, distribution, and abuse of prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin. Whether it is neighborhood drug sales or an online site that is distributing drugs illegally, you can help break the cycle of addiction by making tips to the DEA.

The Importance of a Hotline for Reporting Prescription Drug Activity

“With one simple call… people in the United States and Mexico have an anonymous, safe, and free way to bring information about suspected illegal pharmaceutical distribution to DEA,” explains Administrator Karen P. Tandy. “This information will greatly assist us in bringing drug dealers to justice and preventing the tragedies that come from prescription drug abuse.”

Whether it happens unknowingly as a result of a doctor’s prescribed narcotic, or from intentional use as a way to “self-medicate” without doctor’s orders, effects of addiction are the same and can lead to the same end no matter where or how it first started out.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health determined 6.3 million Americans in 2003 were obtaining and using addictive medications specifically for the purpose of getting high. Today, pharmaceutical medications comprise the bulk of addictions for youth and adults alike - more than marijuana, cocaine, or crystal meth combined.

“DEA is particularly interested in hearing from families whose loved one has overdosed or died as a result of obtaining pharmaceuticals over the Internet. Tips including the Web addresses will help us put these pill pushers out of business,” Tandy says.

The Risks of Continued Prescription Drug Addiction

The health effects of prescription drug addiction are severe and extensive. Depending upon the drug of addiction, you may experience respiratory problems, liver and kidney damage, seizures, hallucinations, insomnia, acting without awareness, heart problems and more. Drug overdose is always a risk, no matter how long you have been taking your drug of choice, and dangerous or negligent actions under the influence that hurt you or those around you are always an issue as well when you use drugs that alter your perception and slow your response time.

How to Help Get Prescription Drug Abuse under Control by Sharing What You Know

To make an anonymous report, you can visit the DEA’s website www.dea.gov or call 1-877-RxAbuse. It’s a free call from anywhere in Mexico or the United States and it helps those in the know get the necessary information to those who can effectively do something about it.

Would You Use a Drug Addiction Hotline?

Would you feel safe using an anonymous hotline like this one to tip off law enforcement to the illegal activities you’ve discovered your loved one is involved with? Do you think it would help your situation?

Drug rehab is the only medically efficient way to treat drug and alcohol addiction, whether you are dealing with heroin addiction, cocaine addiction, alcoholism, or addiction to multiple drugs and alcohol. However, you can play a big part in determining just how effective your stay at drug rehab will be. With the right direction and a few good tips, you can use the days before you enter drug rehab to set yourself up for a successful treatment program. Take a look at the drug rehab success tips below:

Drug Rehab Success Tip #1: Don’t Overdose

It seems intuitive, right? Unfortunately, though, many people binge on their drug of choice when they realize that they are headed into treatment. Their thought is: “If I’m never going to do this again, I’m going to go out with a bang.”

Too often, “going out” is exactly what happens as a result of that overindulgence. Drug overdose is pretty common right before people head into treatment and the only way to avoid that is to avoid binging on any drug or alcohol.

Drug Rehab Success Tip #2: Don’t Stop Using Your Drug of Choice Suddenly

For much the same reasons, it isn’t recommended that you suddenly stop using your drug of choice before entering drug rehab. If you are entering a program that requires you to be free from withdrawal symptoms, you will need to go through a detox program before entering treatment. If you are entering a program that provides drug detox as a part of their drug rehab services, then wait until you arrive. The medical complications that may arise could be deadly and there’s no need to start early and take that risk without medical supervision.

Drug Rehab Success Tip #3: Pack According to the Rules

When you are accepted into a drug rehab program, you should be given some guidelines about what to pack and what not to pack. Follow this to the letter. It will save you a great deal of heartache and/ or anger when you arrive and the attendant goes through your belongings to make sure that you aren’t trying to sneak anything illegal into the program.

Drug Rehab Success Tip #4: Bring Something Personal

No matter how strict the drug rehab program, you are allowed to bring certain personal items. Don’t leave those behind! It will be these pictures, letters, books, et cetera that sustain you when the program gets a little bit more difficult.

Drug Rehab Success Tip #5: Rest and Relax

Though your focus during drug rehab will be on healing yourself and recovering, this can be exhausting work both emotionally and physically. It will serve you well to take good care of yourself before you head into treatment-get lots of sleep, eat right and drink lots of water-so that you are as physically prepared as possible to get the most out of your drug rehab program.

More Drug Rehab Tips

Would you like to learn more about how to make drug rehab work for you? Call us at Michael’s House today and get the answers to your questions.

Do you have a few tips of your own that you’d like to add? Leave us a comment.

Artie Lange is famous for being the comedic sidekick to the notorious Howard Stern on “The Howard Stern Show” on Sirius XM radio. Unfortunately, Lange was hospitalized this weekend. The reason for his hospitalization was undisclosed to the public, but rumors abound: most believe that Lange’s long struggle with drugs and alcohol either resulted in overdose or that he suffered an accident or illness that is drug or alcohol related.

Howard Stern Comments on Artie Lange, Addiction, and the Future of the Show

Despite rumors that Lange’s hospitalization and the issues that led up to it are serious enough to warrant his replacement on “The Howard Stern Show,” Stern himself disagrees, according to Gather.com. When asked about the rumors that Lange may be replaced by Jim Breur, Stern said that there was no truth to the story.

Stern made a public comment recently stating: “We all have our demons. Artie has given this show tremendous moments of great comedy. He’s a tremendous contributor. He is a good man. Don’t forget how great he is.”

Robin Quivers, a co-host on “The Howard Stern Show,” had nothing but good things to say about Lange as well: “[He] is the most loving guy, always giving.”

The Secret of Drug Addiction

None of Lange’s friends or family is commenting on the reason for his hospitalization, not even the usual “exhaustion” malady that so often seems to plague celebrities dealing with drug abuse issues. While Stern alluded to the well-known issues he has had, he is supporting Lange and Lange’s family by allowing them to keep their personal battle private.

While that is admirable, the issue of secretive drug addiction can often tear families apart. Too often, when a friend or family member is suffering from the disease, those who are close to them will cover up the issue, hiding their mistakes or “cleaning it up” for others. Some do it because they are embarrassed for themselves or for the addict in their lives. Others do it because they believe that, if given enough time do so privately, the addict in their life will be more likely to stop drinking and using drugs on their own. Still others are just in denial and don’t want to believe that the problem is as serious as it is. Whatever the reason, keeping secrets and hiding a family member’s struggle with something as deadly as drug and alcohol addiction isn’t doing anyone any favors.

Help Your Loved One Heal: Drug Rehab Intervention

A drug rehab intervention is a great way for you to take a proactive stand and help your loved one get the help they need to recover from drug and alcohol addiction. By confronting the addict in your life with concrete examples of how their addiction and actions under the influence have hurt them and those who love them, you can reveal to them an incontrovertible way just how serious their addiction problems are. By offering them the opportunity to immediately leave for drug rehab, you are also offering them a solution.

If you would like a professional interventionist to assist you in setting up an intervention for your loved one, contact us at Michael’s House today for more information.