Drug Addiction Treatment Blog

DRUG REHABS IN FLORIDA
Finding a drug rehab in Florida can be quite challenging. Florida has a great many drug rehab centers offering a wide variety of drug treatment methods. Some Florida drug rehabilitation centers are best for dual diagnosis treatment, while another Florida drug rehab may be offer quality alcohol rehabilitation.  Other drug rehabs provide drug detoxification or incorporate a mental, spiritual or religious emphasis.

The goal of most Florida drug rehabs should be to assist each patient and regain their physical, emotional and spiritual health. Therefore, it is important to find the drug treatment center that can provide the best drug rehabilitation program for the patient. We know there are many drug rehabs, so take your time.
 

DRUG REHAB FLORIDA
There are several drug rehabilitation help lines that have the knowledge and resources necessary to find the Florida drug rehab program that matches the individual needs of the addict and the family with the actual drug rehab services provided. Recovery Connection and 99DETOX both are nationally acclaimed help lines that understand the immediate need for help and are familiar with drug rehabs in Florida, Maryland and throughout the country.  They also understand how confusing and difficult it is to know which drug rehab in Florida is best, which drug rehabs are effective and which populations each Florida drug rehab treats..
 

FLORIDA DRUG TREATMENT CENTERS
• Florida drug rehabs
• Florida drug treatment centers for the LGBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender)
• Drug rehab in Florida for the treatment of dual diagnosis
• Florida drug rehabilitation centers for Hispanics

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Families in Virginia, Maryland and New York who have mentally ill relatives whose problems are compounded by substance abuse problems have reported their lives have become extremely challenging. Mental health services are not well prepared to deal with patients having both disorders.

While the picture in Maryland, Virginia and New York regarding dual diagnosis has not been very positive at this point, there are now signs that the problem is being recognized and there are an increasing number of drug treatment programs trying to address the substance abuse treatment needs of people with both problems. Research studies are beginning to help us understand the scope of the problem. It is now generally agreed that as much as 50 percent of the mentally ill population also has a substance abuse problem. The drug most commonly used is alcohol, followed by marijuana and cocaine. Prescription drugs such as tranquilizers and sleeping medicines may also be abused.

Substance abuse complicates almost every aspect of care for the person with mental illness. First of all, of course, these individuals are very difficult to engage in dual diagnosis treatment. Diagnosis is difficult because it takes time to unravel the interacting effects of substance abuse problem and the mental illness. They may have difficulty being accommodated at home and may not be tolerated in community residences of drug rehabilitation programs. They lose their support systems and suffer frequent relapses readmits to the drug rehabilitation programs.

We realize that this overview of the problem in New York, Maryland and Virginia of drugs and mental illness is not a very positive one. However, we believe there are some encouraging signs that better understanding of the problem and potential treatments are on the way. Just as families have faced other very troublesome problems in the past and developed adequate responses to them, we believe that they can learn to deal with this one in a way that their lives become less troubled and their relatives begin receiving better dual diagnosis treatment in Maryland, New York and Virginia.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment Programs for the Dually DiagnosedAs many families have probably discovered, service systems have not been well designed with this population in mind. Typically a community has treatment services for people with mental illness in one agency and treatment for substance abuse in another. Clients are referred back and forth between them in what some have called “ping-pong” therapy. What is needed are “hybrid” programs that address both illnesses together. Development of these dual diagnosis treatment programs requires considerable advocacy efforts.
 

Limitations of Traditional Drug Treatment Programs
Drug treatment programs designed for people whose problems are primarily substance abuse are generally not recommended for people who also have a mental illness. These drug treatment programs tend to be confrontive and coercive and most people with severe mental illnesses are too fragile to benefit from them. Heavy confrontation, intense emotional jolting, and discouragement of the use of medications tend to be detrimental. These treatments may produce levels of stress that exacerbate symptoms or cause relapse.
Characteristics of Appropriate Dual Diagnosis ProgramsDesirable dual diagnosis treatment programs for this population should take a more gradual approach. Dual diagnosis staff should recognize that denial is an inherent part of the problem. Patients often do not have insight as to the seriousness and scope of the problem. Abstinence may be a goal of the dual diagnosis treatment program but should not be a precondition for entering dual diagnosis treatment. If dually diagnosed clients do not fit into local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) groups, special peer groups based on AA principles might be developed. Clients with dual diagnosis have to proceed at their own pace in dual diagnosis treatment. An illness model of the problem should be used rather than a moralistic one. Staff needs to convey understanding of how hard it is to end an drug addiction problem and give credit for any accomplishments. Attention should be given to social networks that can serve as important reinforcers. Clients should be given opportunities to socialize, have access to recreational activities, and develop peer relationships. Their families should be offered support and education

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Dual Diagnosis and Dual Diagnosis Treatment Today
Research and study of the brain is beginning to unlock the mystery of dual disorders. For years the psychiatric field has either ignored dual diagnosis (a dual diagnosis was impossible prior to DSM III due to exclusionary criteria and DSM I & II forbidding multiple diagnoses), or treated personality as the underlying cause of substance abuse.  The drug addiction treatment field believed abstinence from mood altering drugs would cause the psychiatric symptoms to disappear. Research has not found a single underlying personality variable to account for substance abuse disorders, nor has drug addiction research found the remission of psychiatric disorders with abstinence. Both theories have highlighted the need for research/dual diagnosis treatment specifically aimed at the complexities of dual diagnosis. Some research suggests deficits in neurological functioning as a precursor for dual diagnosis in some people ( Chappel etal. 35). Self-medication of  Axis I disorders, and symptomatic relief of Axis II diagnoses has also been cited as the cause of dual disorders (Kessler et al., 1996; Walker, 1992).  Others highlight psychosocial factors such as poverty and parental absence (Rahav et al., 1995), physical and sexual abuse and neglect (Henderson et al., 1994; Alexander et al., 1994), and cultural norms of the inner city (Rhav et al., 1995), as playing pivotal roles in the development of dual diagnoses. In fact some (Jones & Katz, 1992), suggest that the lack of concern for issues related to dual diagnosis is directly related to many being poor minorities. While the two diseases do exacerbate each other there are numerous causal interactions that must be addressed to lead to more specific diagnosis and effective dual diagnosis treatment strategies.

The term dual diagnosed began to surface in the 1980’s. The development of DSM-III with its multiaxial system and allowing of multiple diagnoses began the identification of dually occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders. The former Commissioner of Mental Health in Tennessee, Evelyn Robertson states, over the past 20 years the deinstitutionalization movement has indirectly created a generation of chronic patients with a high prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse (200). With the development of Jellinek’s “disease model” of alcoholism (Jellinek, 1960), and the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous (a self-help program that assists individuals who seek sobriety through mutual support of other recovering individuals) substance abuse treatment began to flourish. This posed a problem for many physicians, and especially psychiatrists, who viewed alcoholism as the result of an underlying personality disturbance (Ridgely, Goldman, and Willenbring 125), or a disease to be treated by the addiction field. The primary goal of a drug treatment program in the recovery model is abstinence from mood altering substances. This conflicts with the psychiatric model that stresses emotional stability and commonly involves the use of medication. The ambiguous concept of the recovery model emphasizing “powerlessness” while the psychiatric model emphasizes “empowerment” is just an example of the philosophical differences (Sheeham 109).  In the 1993 article Sheehan states,  “The recovery model stresses addiction as the primary driving force behind the addicts’ problems.  Simply stated, this model asserts that abstinence resolves the “psychiatric symptoms”.  In contrast, the psychiatric or psychodynamic model identifies psychiatric symptoms or some deeper psychiatric conflict as the motivating force behind chemical abuse and dependence.”(109)

This population is growing at an alarming rate and the latest epidemiological data (Kessler et al., 1996) suggests a 79% rate of dual diagnosis in those meeting criteria for any single psychiatric disorder. These researchers found that during the year previous to data collection only 1/3 of these people sought dual diagnosis treatment. In a 1997 Tennessean article “Double Trouble” Quigly reports 25,000 Tennessean’s suffer from dual disorders.  Dixon and Osher report the staggering number of people with this illness is growing at such a pace it is overloading our public health system (3).  Treatment for the dual diagnosed may depend on who the treatment professional(s)/provider(s) is/are and their theoretical orientation.  Howland states, “As a result, conflicts may arise about the responsibility for the direction of treatment, leaving the patient confused or having to chose one over the other” (1135).  Patients are often left feeling unsure if anyone can help since they often get conflicting stories from treatment providers. In short, the responsibility for integrating dual diagnosis treatment falls on the least capable individual, the consumer.

Recommendations for overcoming these problems include unification of these disparate approaches into an integrated system which could promote cross-training for the professionals/providers and the managed care system.  Howland states, ” Ideally, funding and programming for mental health and substance abuse should be brought together into one system, rather than categorically distributed between separate systems” (1135).  Drug treatment program providers have historically been unwilling to allow this to happen due to being over protective of their turf and being afraid of further reductions in funding.  Two united systems could promote education, training and planning in both areas, allowing the providers to gain expertise in both domains.  Comprehensive psychiatric and substance abuse evaluations should be performed no matter where the patient presents for treatment.  Preferably, a drug treatment program would provide specialized services for the dual diagnosed client with both drug treatment program professionals working together simultaneously with both problems, instead of with the predominant issue (Howland 1135).
Lakeview Health Systems is an example of an integrated treatment model for the dual diagnosed. The treatment team, in the dual diagnosis treatment program, includes a psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed clinical social worker and addiction counselors.  For more information on dual diagnosis research or dual diagnosis treatment go to either www.dual-diagnosis-treatment-center.com or www.recoveryconnection.org.  
 

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Drug rehabs, drug rehabilitation programs, drug and alcohol rehab centers, alcohol rehabilitation programs, drug treatment programs, drug rehab centers, alcohol rehab centers, alcohol rehab programs, chemical dependency treatment centers and substance abuse treatment programs are all terms used to describe the same thing - a safe and supportive environment for recovery from drug addiction and/or alcoholism, with an emphasis on drugs and alcohol rather than psychiatric illness.

Drug rehabs or alcohol rehabilitation programs are usually in the form of a residential addiction treatment facility, but can also be intensive outpatient rehabilitation or day treatment, or partial hospitalization (also called day/night) addiction treatment programs - this last form is basically a type of addiction treatment center that takes on the same form and can provide the same level of care as a residential drug rehab or alcohol treatment center, but utilizes more than one location for treatment - often a center for counseling and treatment by day, and a separate therapeutic residential setting at night.

Drug and alcohol treatment centers, whether they are residential drug treatment centers or day/night drug treatment centers both provide a nurturing, safe, and supportive setting to recover from drug addiction and alcoholism. Outpatient drug rehab programs and intensive outpatient programs are more aptly suited to individuals who have already completed a higher level of care or primary residential drug treatment of one sort or another, or individuals whose addictions to drugs - whatever the drug - alcohol, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines (meth, crystal meth, speed), other opiates (Vicodin, Oxycontin, morphine, methadone), barbiturates, or benzodiazepines (valium, Xanax, Ativan, Klonipin to name a few) are already out of the individual’s system through either a process of drug detoxification, whether it’s inpatient opiate detox for opiate addicts or heroin addiction, standard opiate detox in the form of substitution therapy and detoxification (using more cutting edge treatments such as Subutex, Suboxone, Buprenex or Buprenorphine), or standard drug detox and detoxification from alcohol using either benzodiazepines or barbiturates to treat the withdrawal symptoms, or other standard detox protocols.

Individuals who hope to find success in an outpatient addiction treatment setting must already have some level of distance from drug use and abuse or alcoholism, and must be stable and have the ability to function in an uncontrolled environment when not at the treatment center for rehabilitation services.
Drug rehabs have existed since the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, however at that time they were not called drug rehabs or alcohol treatment centers, they were called “asylums” and the disease of addiction and alcoholism (as defined by the American Medical Association) was not seen as being a disease or an illness at all. It was wrongly categorized as a disorder no different from schizophrenia or other psychoses, which is why many drug and alcohol treatment centers began as what would have been considered at the time mental health hospitals and mental health treatment centers. To this day, drug rehabilitation centers and alcoholism wards of hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers in general that are located within hospitals, are more often than not directly related with the mental health treatment and behavioral healthcare treatment center hospitalization programs.

The disease concept of alcoholism and drug addiction has only existed since the 1950’s, and even then took some time to become widely accepted, it’s growth coinciding fairly directly with the growth of twelve-step programs, the first and most well known of which being AA or Alcoholics Anonymous. Today the field of drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs and drug treatment centers has grown into a nation full of drug treatment centers which specialize in treating drug addiction and alcoholism, the majority based on 12-step methodologies, and calling themselves alcohol rehabs, drug rehabs, addiction recovery centers, retreat centers for drug and alcohol rehabilitation, drug detox programs, outpatient drug rehabs, inpatient rehabs, residential rehabs, and a slew of other terms that all describe the same thing, as mentioned above - safe, supportive environments in which trained professionals (hopefully), often drug addicts and alcoholics in recovery themselves who have gone through drug rehabilitation programs themselves and decided to go on and share their recovery with others by going to schools and becoming certified chemical dependency counselors (CCDC), certified alcohol and drug counselors (CADC), certified alcohol and drug addiction counselors (CADAC), getting master’s degrees in addiction studies, becoming licensed clinical social workers with a focus on drug and alcohol addictions and treatment of those additions (LCSW’s) or certified Marriage and Family Therapists, and even psychologists and developmental psychologists with a focus on addiction treatment and drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Before choosing an alcohol rehabilitation program, drug rehabilitation program or substance abuse treatment program, you should educate yourself about the different types of substance abuse treatment and substance abuse treatment programs available. You should also talk with a counselor to find out which chemical dependency treatment program would be best for you.
For assistance in locating an alcohol rehabilitation program or drug rehabilitation program you can go to www.recoveryconnection.org. 

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