Drug Addiction Treatment Blog

I went into a drug rehab program two years ago for treatment of a crystal meth addiction. While in rehab, I went to all of the groups and did my assisgnments. As hard as it was to detox from the meth, it was even harder to keep my secret. As the days after detox passed and my mind started to clear all I can remember everyone saying was honesty…You have to be honest. My whole life I never trusted anyone and now they tell mye my recovery from meth addiction was contingent upon me being honest. They would never find out my secret.

Then one day I was sitting with another guy in drug rehab and he shared with me that he was having problems with honesty too but he finially came clean with his therapist and felt a million times better. He said he felt less shame and felt more a part of. He then asked me do you want to know what I told him? I said it didn’t really matter, but if he wanted to tell me it was fine……He looked me square in the eye and said…..I told him I thought I was gay………I almost fell over….I wanted to use more crystal meth…..I wanted to run. The shame and fear must have been written all over my face…..but instead of me getting honest, I said that is great. He said yep, if life great…..I am gay, in a drug rehab, an addict and an alcoholic……and then he laughed and I could see he felt free. One day maybe I willhave the courage, but until then………….

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In 1999, approximately 4 million people, about 2 percent of the population age 12 and older were abusing prescription medication. Of these 2.6 million misused pain releivers, 1.3 million sedatives and .9 million stimulants. The most commonly abused drugs were opiods (oxycotin, percoset, vidodin), depressants used to treat anxiety and stimulants.

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BY LORI WHITTEN, NIDA Notes Staff Writer 

Heroin-addicted patients who undergo so-called ultrarapid, anesthesia-assisted detoxification suffer withdrawal symptoms as severe as those endured by patients in detoxification by traditional methods, according to a NIDA-funded clinical trial. Researchers Dr. Eric Collins and colleagues at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University concluded that there is no compelling reason to use general anesthesia in the treatment of opiate dependence, especially as it presents particular safety concerns. The new findings corroborate those of three international studies. 

The ultrarapid detox technique, developed about 15 years ago by clinicians who hoped to mitigate the discomfort of withdrawal and speed the initiation of relapse prevention therapy, relies on a general anesthetic to sedate the patient for several hours while an opiate blocker precipitates withdrawal.The method is not covered by insurance, which makes it difficult to determine how many patients have received anesthesia-assisted detox.

If you are looking for a medical detox program you can call 1-800-99-DETOX. 

NO ADVANTAGE” 

“Although providers advertise anesthesia-assisted detox as a fast and painless method to kick opiate addiction, the evidence does not support those statements,” says Dr. Collins. “Patients should consider the many risks associated with this approach, including fluid accumulation in the lungs, metabolic complications of diabetes, and a worsening of underlying bipolar illness, as well as other potentially serious adverse events,” he says. Those with preexisting medical conditions—including some psychiatric disorders, elevated blood sugar, insulin-dependent diabetes, prior pneumonias, hepatitis, heart disease, and AIDS—are particularly at risk for anesthesia-related adverse events. “Careful screening is essential with the anesthesia-assisted method, because the thought of sleeping through withdrawal is so compelling that some patients may conceal their medical histories,” says Dr. Collins. 

“We now have several rigorous studies indicating that anesthesia-assisted detox— a costly and risky approach—offers no advantage over other methods,” says Dr. Ivan Montoya of NIDA’s Division of Pharmacotherapies and Medical Consequences of Drug Abuse. Dr. Montoya notes, “The low retention of patients in subsequent outpatient treatment in the present study, which is not unusual for the opiate-addicted population, highlights the need to engage people in long-term recovery after detoxification.” Naltrexone can help motivated patients stay off opiates, but many do not stick to the regimen of daily tablets because of the medication’s side effects of anxiety and restlessness. Long-acting monthly injections of naltrexone, which are now available for alcoholism treatment, may work better for patients and show promise in NIDA-supported clinical trials. 

Dr. Montoya also points out that with the current epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse, clinicians need more research on costeffective detox methods for these opiates (see “2003 Survey Reveals Increase in Prescription Drug Abuse, Sharp Drop in Abuse of Hallucinogens“). Some clinics are using buprenorphine for this purpose, and NIDA-funded investigators are studying various methods to improve prescription opiate detox and help patients engage in longer term treatment. 

SOURCE 

Collins, E.D., et al. Anesthesia-assisted vs buprenorphine- or clonidine-assisted heroin detoxification and naltrexone induction: A randomized trial. Journal of the American Medical Association 294(8):903-913, 2005. [Abstract] 

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Bennett: Substance Abuse Is Many Homosexuals’ Response to ‘a Life of Pain’ 

By Bill Fancher and Jenni Parker
February 16, 2005 

(AgapePress) - Christian ministry leader and former homosexual Stephen Bennett says he isn’t surprised that Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the Anglican Communion’s first openly homosexual priest to be consecrated as a bishop, has checked himself into an alcohol rehabilitation facility. 

The 58-year-old Robinson was confirmed as the ninth Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003, a move that generated heated debate and ongoing schism both in the Episcopal Church USA and in the worldwide Anglican Communion. According to a Wikipedia article, the Kentucky-born bishop married a woman in 1972, but publicly acknowledged his homosexuality after having two daughters with his wife, whom he divorced in 1986. 

In a recent e-mail message to his community, Robinson acknowledged that he has been struggling with an increasing dependence on alcohol for some time. The Episcopal leader, who once likened his personal struggles to those faced by Jesus Christ, reportedly entered an in-patient treatment center for alcoholism on February 1 at the urging of his daughters, colleagues, and his current homosexual partner, Mark Andrews. 

Stephen Bennett, who left the homosexual lifestyle when he was 28 years old, is now at age 42 happily married to his wife of 12 years, Irene, and has a son and a daughter with her. Today, as founder and director of Stephen Bennett Ministries (SBM) and national host of Straight Talk Radio – a half-hour weekday pro-family radio broadcast — he provides outspoken, passionate insights and commentary on homosexuality in an effort to reveal the truth about the dangers of that lifestyle and combat the “gay” misinformation campaign. 

In response to reports of Robinson’s entry into the alcohol treatment facility, Bennett comments, “A man who divorced his wife, broke up his family, is an avowed open homosexual who’s living with a partner, and now he is getting treatment for alcohol abuse — it’s heartbreaking. My heart goes out to this man. My prayers go out to this man.” 

However, the former homosexual says he was not surprised at the news of the Episcopal bishop’s problems with alcoholism, as homosexual men often turn to alcohol and drugs to fight off a life of pain. 

“Alcohol and drug abuse is part of a lot of individuals who are involved in the homosexual lifestyle,” Bennett asserts, “and it’s also part of individuals who are involved in heterosexual promiscuity and other things. Alcohol is a way to alleviate the pain that a person is going through. It’s a way to cover up things.” 

A Prayer for Bishop Robinson
The pro-family ministry leader says his prayer for Gene Robinson is “that God will just pierce this man’s heart.” As a Christian evangelist to the ‘gay’ and lesbian community, Bennett says he feels a deep compassion and burden for homosexual men and women, and he understands better than many other people the trials and concerns that they face. 

Through his advocacy, the SBM founder and spokesman tries to communicate both to homosexuals and to the general public that no one is born homosexual and that, through the power of Christ, freedom from that lifestyle is attainable. Having left that lifestyle himself 12 years ago, he attests that he is “completely free of homosexual thoughts, actions and desires and completely happy” as the heterosexual man God created him to be. 

“Change is possible,” Bennett says to those struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction, “and life on the ‘other side’ is more beautiful than you could have ever imagined.” His sincere hope for Robinson and others like him is that they would come to know and experience that truth.

If you are looking for a gay friendly drug rehab, alcohol rehab or detox program go to www.gay-rehab.com or www.lakeviewhealth.com. If these are not of help you can call the national alcohol abuse or drug abuse helpline at 1-800-511-9225 to locate a treatment facility near you. 

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