I Spent Christmas In Rehab

I remember one Christmas where I was so loaded that the nutcrackers started walking around during dinner and I couldn't look up from my plate. Then there was that other year that I threw a tantrum and locked myself in the bathroom through dinner. Oh, and that other year where I nodded out for most of the day on prescription drugs and later threw up in the front yard. Ah, memories. It seems like the holidays tend to bring out the beast in active addicts, for one reason or another. My addiction really put a damper on the holidays for myself, and also for my family. It became a time that we all dreaded, rather than looked forward to.

Then one Christmas, I got sent to rehab. I wasn’t too excited to spend the holidays in rehab, as you can imagine, but at the time, it ended up being the best holiday my family or I had had in years. Instead of a car, or a pony, or a new ipod, I got the gift of recovery. Thumbs down, I thought. Totally lame. I didn’t want to do the crafts, I didn’t want to go to group, and I surely didn’t want to stop using drugs and alcohol, but as time went on, I began to change despite myself. The staff’s patience and love gave me the room and tools to find the best, truest version of myself. I’ve had some really good holidays in Jackson Hole, Wyoming since then, all thanks to that one year I got to go to rehab for Christmas.

drug rehab.

Prescription Drugs are Now The #1 Killer of Teens!

For the first time in many Years Alcohol related deaths involving a motor vehicle is not the #1 killer of teens. Accidental overdose of prescription drugs like Oxycontin and Xanax is!

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Adolescent Prescription Medication Abuse

A new study reports that 20% of teens report having shared their prescription medication like Oxycontin with their friends. The study showed that teens traded everything from opiate painkillers to allergy medication, to antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. Many teens reported that they received medications in the same way.
Trading meds seemed to be the polite thing to do when I was using. I could easily trade my antidepressants for Xanax or Vicodin. Pills are easily hidden and they are easier to take undetected than drugs you have to smoke or snort. They don’t seem as dangerous to teens, either. I never considered that taking someone else’s Adderall or Darvocet could be as dangerous as snorting a line of speed or shooting heroin.
Getting clean at Visions helped me to realize that addiction can wreck lives regardless of the substance or the age. My pill abuse qualified me for help in the same way someone with a heroin problem needed help. No one at Visions ever made me feel like I was too young or “not enough” of an addict. I felt like I was too young, and that it hadn’t gotten bad enough to need help, but once I got out of my using fog, I could clearly see just how bad my life had become. I may not have crashed cars or ended up in jail, but I had completely lost sight of myself. In teen drug treatment, I got a chance to get to know myself again. I remembered that I wanted to do well in life, that I wanted to finish high school in Houston, Texas and get a degree. I wanted to be a good child and a good sibling. I wanted to be me again. Contact us for Prescription medication treatment.

Cocaine Contributed To The Death Of Billy Mays!

It has been found that cocaine use was a factor in the death of Billy Mays, spokesman for products such as OxiClean and Orange Glo. The medical examiner concluded that cocaine use was a factor in the development of his heart disease, which made it a factor in his death. The pitchman also had therapeutic levels of Xanax, Valium, hydrocodone and oxycodone. I never realized that cocaine can contribute to heart disease, but CNN reports that cocaine, a stimulant, raises blood pressure which can thicken the wall of the left ventricle in the heart.
It is truly unfortunate when anyone meets their end at the hands of drugs and alcohol, but celebrity drug-related deaths can help draw attention to the fact that addiction doesn’t discriminate. Drugs are a harmful force that can ruin lives, young and old. Drugs like cocaine and prescription pills can be very difficult to stop on one’s own. Visions Adolescent Treatment Center recognizes the seriousness of teenage drug abuse, and offers an all-encompassing program to treat all aspects of addiction, from the roots of the problem to the aftermath, such as damaged family relationships and academic performance. It makes me sad any time anyone dies unnecessarily from drug abuse, because we don’t have to be alone anymore. Help exists. Getting clean young provides a whole lifetime of continued freedom.

Michael Jackson's Prescription Drug Abuse

Reports of Michael Jackson’s prescription drug abuse have been flooding the media. Recent articles depict a heavy addiction to painkillers and the anti-anxiety drug, Xanax. People surrounding Jackson have reported that he visited doctors in different states and had staff members fill prescriptions in their names in order to maintain his intense habit. It is a tragedy when anyone succumbs to the wrath of addiction, and the only positive thing that may come of Jackson’s death is that it has highlighted the dangers and seriousness of prescription drug abuse. What I would hope to see from the media is a more intense scrutiny of our prescription drug problem in the United States. Rather than focus on Jackson, we should focus on the problem of prescription drug abuse.
Prescription drug abuse has steadily been on the rise in the US, and it is rapidly becoming one of the most popular forms of drug abuse for teenagers as it has nearly eclipsed marijuana abuse in teens. Many studies indicate that parents are less likely to suspect that their teen is abusing pills, but more and more teens indicate that they are. Xanny-bars, bars, z bars, and white ladders are terms Visions Adolescent Drug Treatment Center commonly hears residents using to describe Xanax. Xanax is in the group of drugs called Benzodiazepines, or benzos, which are commonly prescribed to treat anxiety disorders. The scored tablets (bars) are white and the other tablets are yellow or blue. Xanax is habit forming and does cause withdrawal symptoms. Prescription drug abuse amongst teens is a very real problem. Teens often combine Xanax with other drugs to create dangerous cocktails. Teens rarely think of Xanax as a serious drug and often believe its abuse has no risks. Many people may overlook Xanax abuse but drug dependence is dangerous and harmful no matter what the substance. If you believe that your teen has a problem with Xanax or other drugs, don’t hesitate to seek help today.

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Michael Jackson's Death Caused by Prescription Drugs

Officials investigating the death of Michael Jackson will be looking into his prescription drug abuse as a possible cause of death as an accidental drug overdose . The pop icon admitted to prescription drug addiction in the 90’s and it is likely that his battles continued. Some rumors speculate that Jackson was injected with the heavy narcotic Demerol prior to suffering from cardiac arrest. Autopsy findings will be released in the near future.
Prescription drug abuse is growing rapidly in this country, with prescription drug use eclipsing marijuana use among teens. Teens are increasingly abusing stimulants like Adderall, sedatives like Xanax and Valium, and opiates like Oxycontin, that they acquire from parents’ drug cabinets, friends, and online purchasing. Most parents do not suspect that their teen is abusing prescription medication, however, over the past decade-and-a-half, teen prescription drug abuse has increased five-fold.
It makes sense. When I was using, pills seemed like a harmless thing. I ate Xanax (we called them “zanies”) and Oxycontin (“oxy”) like candy. Pills have less of a stigma attached. While my friends and I would have considered heroin or cocaine a horrible and dangerous drug to try, pills seemed easy and normal- something the girls from Sex and the City might to do relax. I had no idea I was gambling with my life the same way a junkie on the streets gambles with theirs.
Adolescent Drug Treatment helped me see teen addiction as the problem- not the particular substance I abused. I know that the prevailing attitude among teens is that pills are harmless and not nearly as dangerous as street drugs. I hope that with the insane amount of press coverage surrounding Michael Jackson’s death, more attention will be given to the seriousness of prescription drug abuse in our country. I’d rather have a better name for my generation than “Generation Rx”. We can be more than pill-popping zombies I hope. I know I can. If your teen is struggling with prescription drug abuse, help is right here.

If your teen is struggling with teen prescription drug abuse, help is right here.

Adolescent Drug Treatment

Teens with drug problems come from all walks of life; they aren't just the teenage runaways depicted in Lifetime movies as I'd originally thought. Teens develop drug problems for a number of reasons- my daughter's competitive nature seemed to be what initially led her down the path of drug and alcohol abuse. I was the last person to suspect that my daughter was a drug user. On the outside, she was a perfect student. She excelled in school, taking all honors classes, and was the star of the track and volleyball teams. I often wondered how she could get it all done. She never got into trouble and seemed pretty happy at school. I knew my daughter was extremely hard on herself. Her weight began to drop and she seemed increasingly edgy and irritated. I chalked it all up to the stresses of high school and teen angst and tried to talk to her more. Her withdrawing from the family seemed like something teens do- I didn't want to smother her. I tried to be more lenient with her. She was such a good student I never suspected she was up to anything dangerous.

One night I heard a crash in her room. I found her sitting on the floor sobbing. I asked her what was wrong and she just cried and cried. It was a heartbreaking thing, to not be able to fix what was hurting her. I don't know what possessed her to tell me, but finally she just blurted out that she had a problem with pills and couldn't stop. I was floored. It was hard not to get angry with her, because I felt so scared, but at the same time, I didn't want to discourage her from talking to me. I guess she'd put so much pressure on herself to be the best at everything she eventually became a candidate for teen drug treatment turned to stimulants like Adderral to help her preform and downers like Xanax to take the stress away. As she opened up to me that night, I was horrified to learn what she was putting herself through. I promised we would get help, but I had no idea what to do for her. Sitting there on the floor, holding my sobbing daughter, I felt as terrified as she did.

I had heard of Visions through a coworker, but had never thought much of it, since I didn't think I'd ever need that information. They were amazingly helpful and understanding. It was hard leaving her there, but the weekly family sessions helped me work on myself so that I could help my daughter. She just blossomed there. Instead of being the rigid girl I knew who was so incredibly tough on herself, I began to see a girl who took care of herself and could respect her own limitations. As my daughter worked on herself, I learned ways to help support my daughter's new sobriety. She isn't a bad kid because she did drugs. She's a fantastic kid. She always has been. Visions Adolescent Drug Treatment Center just helped her realize that.

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Adolescent Prescription drug abuse

Adolescent Prescription drug abuse

There are many different ways that adolescents are using to get high these days. Marijuana and alcohol are among the most common. However, more and more adolescents are turning to prescription medication abuse. 48 million or 20% of the United States population have used prescription medications for reasons other than medical in their lifetime. Since 1995 emergency room visits resulting from prescription medication abuse have gone up 163% and so are visits to adolescent drug rehabs Prescription medications are easier to obtain now more than ever. Some teens are simply stealing their parent’s prescriptions out of the medicine cabinet. More often teens are visiting online pharmacies, where they sell very addictive medications to anyone who will pay. Teens also will trade their prescriptions at school, either for other drugs or for money. Prescription medication can be classified in one of three categories that are the most commonly abused: stimulants, opioids and central nervous system depressants.

Opioids include Morphine, Vicodin and Oxycontin, to name a few. Opioids are used to treat pain. When abused these medications can be life threatening. If opioids are mixed with any substance that depressed the central nervous system, such as alcohol, Xanax, or Valium, they can cause respiratory malfunction and death. These drugs are occasionally snorted or injected, in order to amplify the high.

Central nervous system depressants, such as Xanax or Valium, are used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. Barbiturates are also considered central nervous system depressants. These medications work by slowing down brain activity, which when abused or used with alcohol they can slow the activity down so much that it results in heart or respiratory malfunction and death.

Stimulants speed up the body causing increased attentiveness, alertness and energy. Stimulants were primarily used to treat asthma and obesity. Currently they are used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder, Depression and narcolepsy. Abusing these medications or mixing them with decongestants may result in irregular heart activity and high body temperatures.