Valiant Recovery Now Offers Holistic Treatment for Alcoholism
Valiant Recovery, a leading alcohol abuse treatment center in British Columbia, now offers patients a holistic approach to treating their addiction. Substance abuse treatment programs are all different and offer different methods to treat addiction …
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Alcohol a large growing problem in the region
"Croatia has a well-developed network of hospitals that provide treatment for people addicted to alcohol and those who because of that have health consequences. A network of activities for outpatient mental health and addiction treatment has developed …
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Updated Treatment Techniques from Alcohol Treatment Cape Coral are Helping …
Researchers, addiction specialists and mental health therapists across America are doing whatever they can to improve how we diagnose and treat substance abuse and addiction. Drug and alcohol abuse is a real issue in our country today as countless …
Read more on San Francisco Chronicle (press release)

Question by denveryay: How is it possible to absolutely categorize Alcoholim as a disease and not an illness?
“Disease” is a very loosely defined term in many respects. There are multiple disorders, infenctions, and symptoms that can be typical of a definable disease. Also, a disease must have specific and constant cause(s), which in the case of Alcoholism is the CHOICE to drink ethyl-alcohol. The cause of the “disease” is the recurring and disregarding CHOICE to drink. A choice, however pathological or illogical, doesn’t seem to be appropriate as a cause or a condition of any disease. Despite the negative psychological, physiological, and other results of long-term alcohol abuse, it seems that it shouldn’t be classified as anything more than a treatable mental disorder.

“Illness, although often used to mean disease, can also refer to a person’s perception of their health, regardless of whether they in fact have a disease. A person without any disease may feel unhealthy and believe he has an illness. Another person may feel healthy and believe he does not have an illness even though he may have a disease” – Wikipedia on ‘Disease’

It is true that if some Alcoholics didn’t have a disease to blame for their disorder, they would not be able to stop drinking. It is also true that because of Alcholism-as-a-disease, many people who ABUSE alcohol are led into misperceptions about their drinking habits. In fact, it is only alcohol DEPENDENCE that could possibly even begin to be categorized as a disease.

An individual who is alcohol-dependent exhibits behavior indicitive of addiction. Drink-seeking, withdrawal and tolerance, and psychological malfunction among others are the results and symptoms of addiction. My father and friends have struggled with alchohol and drug addictions and I have seen the both successful and unsuccessful treatments implemented in their lives.

It seems that Alcoholism and drug addictions are psychological disorders that in a vast majority of instances could be cured by a conscious choice (however difficult) to STOP using the cause of the addiction. It has been proven in many instances that an addict can stop using the object of their addiction without any complications, as long as they are commited to quitting.

It seems that diseases should only be those such as Cancer, Diabetes, Hepatitis and the like. People who have these diseases cannot make a choice to simply stop a behavior to ease their pains. Whereas, although undoubtedly difficult, an addict can ease his or her addiction by making a powerful choice to stop using.

By allowing alcoholism to be categorized as a disease, it seems that negative stigma is removed from addicts’ behaviors and people who drink are given an excuse to justify their behavior. Instead of feeling like they’ve let themselves and their families down, they are able to blam their behavior on a cause outside of their control, which is simply not true.

“Neither the U.S. Veterans Administration nor the Social Security Administration makes payments to individuals, whose disabilities stem from substance abuse, including alcoholism.” – From Shoutwire

I am NOT pro- or anti- any of this I am looking for factual objective evidence and ideas that could lead to helping me understand why Alchoholism is given reprieve by its disease classification.

Best answer:

Answer by kentuckyredhead5353
Well about half way through I had a problem and I developed this question. What is the difference with what you were saying in comparison to a cigarette smoker for some it’s the habit and the motion and some get physically sick for the lack of nicotine is it not similar. emotional vs physical and different for different personality types? 🙂 Guess I could read on have a good one:-)
OK I’m finally done now i get it, it’s all in there head so all they have to do is get it out of their head and it will all go away. They just will it away. Take 2 aspirins have a sucker and call me in the morning:-)
oh excuse me revision: update-read the last part. it was taken out as a disease because social security was being drained by leagal alcoholics that the government makes good taxes off of. The only help and recourse for a recovering alcoholic, drug user, vet, is a mental health clinic because why did they drink in the first place. Now uncle sam pays for their drugs and kills them off with a lousy health plan. looks who is on all the class action suits that will never collect anything. Trust me I have done my homework on this subject. I know many vets and low income disabled people. Nothing has changed but the name of the disease.

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Question by Jessica MMM: my son VOLUNTARILY admitted himself into rehab 3 years ago, does this exclude him from posessing a foid card?
he was 16 at the time, it was not court ordered and the firearms owner act is poorly worded they do not define “mental health facility” as a rehabilitation center and on the application says it’s a felony to falsely admit info. so what im wondering is since he was self mandated, received no physiciatric care while staying, and also was never banned by a professional that he is not able to obtain a FOID card. so does this mean he’s still eligible because he loves hunting and is looking toward getting a rifle.

Best answer:

Answer by screamyourheartout
i don’t think it makes any difference whether it was voluntary or not. he still went to rehab

if i were you, i would check with someone. there should be a contact number or something like that on the foid application form, or online if you google it. ring them and ask if that counts as a mental health facility

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Question by Sean S: How Can a Woman with a Low Income Get Mental Health Care??
My wife suffers from life-long clinical depression. She was sexually abused as a child, then paraded around in Miss Teen USA pageants against her will. She has had teachers, parents and even a mental health counselor come on to her. She needs professional help to get over the depression and low self-esteem.

Is there somewhere she can go for a few weeks for an intensive sort of “rehab” as she calls it for depression for women? She wants a place that is safe from guys coming on to her. She just can’t take that again while she is trying to get better.

We are currently in NJ and we are residents of NH. I hate to admit it but we are poor. I was recently laid off and she has part time work. I am not back to work yet. We have no savings and no health insurance. I don’t know where to turn, but I need to help my wife. She is the most AMAZING person, and I’d do anything for her. I need to help her find a way to get help with this. Can anyone suggest anything? Thank you!
Wife does not drink, take drugs, etc… she is highly intelligent as was using the word “rehab” as an analogy to illustrate the type of facility. Sorry for any confusion with that terminology.

Also, write to Oprah?? Maybe I should just become a major league baseball player later this afternoon as well. Just about as good of a shot. Please… I need intelligent responses. We have suffered a financial setback at the worst time possible, but we’re not morons. Come on.

Best answer:

Answer by Joseph C
Send her to this site: http://www.fhu.com

It will help her more than the mental health people (some of whom are mentally ill themselves) and there’s a lot of low cost material available and some for free.

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by ohskylab

Question by Danyel: What type of education would I need to become an RN at a substance abuse detox facility?
I am currently going to school for pre-health with a nursing concentration, until I have the requirements to apply for nursing. I would like to be able to work as an RN in a substance abuse facility. I was wondering if anyone could give me any advise as to how to go about doing this? I do not know if I will need to specialize in a certain area in order to do so or not? If anyone could help me out in regards to what to do education wise I would really appreciate it! Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by MeMeMe
Hi,

First off, good for you for wanting to work in addiction treatment! I’m an addictions counselor and have been working in mental health (mostly suicide prevention) for 7 years and we certainly need more qualified RNs in the field. So I think you will have an easy time finding work once you’re finished with school.

As for your question… To become an RN, you need to go to nursing school. Although I’m sure you already know this. As for specializing in addiction treatment, I don’t believe there are any additional requirements, but it would be good if you have experience working with addicts or at least a greater knowledge of treating clients with addiction. So I would suggest trying to get an internship of some sort with a treatment center in your area. They may not let you do much while you’re in school, but you will be able to put it on your resume. You can learn a lot from observing how things work in treatment. The other suggestion I have would be to take some extra classes that focus on substance abuse. Drug addicts and alcoholics face a variety of special issues separate from the “normal” population you would be working with in a hospital. Most community colleges and some universities now offer programs where you can learn more about these issues. I don’t know where you live, but you may want to start looking for college programs titled “Addictions Counseling” or “Addictions Studies.” Classes you may want to take would be any type of pharmacology, a bloodborne pathogens/infectious disease class, and even alternative treatments to addiction classes. It could also help to take a few classes for addictions counselors like group therapy, individual therapy, or something similar. These will definitely help you in the future in terms of communicating with your clients.

The most important thing I would think an RN working in addiction should have to be educated about is prescription drugs of abuse. Normally when I do an intake on a client coming into treatment, they have been medically prescribed multiple addictive drugs that only contribute to and exacerbate their disease (addiction). Usually these include opiate painkillers, benzodiazepines, and other sedatives and tranquilizers. I had a client once who was on NINE different benzos which she had been on for years, all prescribed by doctors for things like insomnia, anxiety, and even hypothyroidism. This is so egregious and disgusting to me! They were killing her. She obviously had to be medically detoxed for risk of seizures and death from her meds. And needless to say, after being evaluated by our MD, she didn’t NEED any of the pills.

Anyway, I’m rambling. Just excited to see someone wanting to help in the field of addiction treatment. It is rare these days, it seems. But what a satisfying and rewarding job. Good luck to you!!!

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Heroin, opiate addiction called ongoing problem in Vermont
Bob Bick, director of mental health and substance abuse service at HowardCenter, speaks with an audience member after a United Way-sponsored meeting on the opiate addiction crisis in Vermont. U.S. Attorney Tristram Coffin is behind him.
Read more on BurlingtonFreePress.com

000 grant will help fight inmate drug addiction
The plan unites local elected officials, law enforcement, health care providers, and alcohol and other drug abuse prevention community members to develop strategies to reduce addiction. Recent efforts have included controlling access to and use of …
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OSAT Now Offering Online Substance Abuse Treatment for Those Recovering …
Online Substance Abuse Treatment (OSAT) is now offering comprehensive and effective online substance abuse treatment plans for those suffering with alcohol and drug addiction at http://www.onlinesubstanceabusetreatment.com/. Sacramento, California …
Read more on San Francisco Chronicle (press release)

Head of National Institute on Drug Abuse is nominated for civil service award
For 10 years, Nora Volkow has been the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, overseeing a budget of nearly $ 1 billion and much of the world's research on one of medicine's most controversial subjects. It isn't surprising that she has her …
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