Drug Abuse

Drug abuse can and does take many forms. The corporate CEO addicted to cocaine, The college alcohol and drug binge party, A small child mis-diagnosed and addicted to Ritalin, the housewife unable to get through the day without her anti-depressants, to the hardworking husband now trapped in the use of painkillers. There is hardly an American household who doesn’t know someone adversely affected by drug abuse. At Narconon Arrowhead drug rehab facility we deal with the individual affected by drug abuse. Each has their own story and each has individual issues and problems needing confronted and solved in order to achieve a lasting and permanent drug free and productive lifestyle. Not labels and categorizing of people, but life skills learned and applied to the individual to resolve their situations.

Drug treatment centers are not all equal. There is long term, short term, 28 day, in-patient, out-patient, to say nothing of different approaches used by various drug treatment centers. At Narconon Arrowhead Drug Treatment Center we find a long-term, in-patient, non-traditional approach is the most workable for insuring a drug free and productive lifestyle for a lifetime. Narconon Arrowhead uses an empowering approach to rehabilitation. Addressing not only drug use cessation and a detoxification program second to none, but a fully handling of the three factors of cravings, quilt and depression found to be the core elements in achieving lasting recovery. At Narconon Arrowhead Drug Treatment Center each addicts individual situations and issues are fully explored and the individual is trained to resolve these for him or herself, as well as gaining all the tools necessary to maintain a drug free and productive life!

A condition characterized by repeated compulsive seeking and using of drugs, alcohol or other similar substances despite adverse social, mental, and physical consequences is a definition that can apply to substance abuse as well as substance addiction. When addiction sets in however it is usually accompanied by psychological and physical dependence where the substance is craved just to feel somewhat normal. Withdrawal symptoms, physical and mental usually appear to a greater or lesser degree when the substance is rapidly decreased or terminated. Substance abuse has moved into addiction when the substance use controls the individual rather than the individual controlling the usage.

As an opiate, regular use of methadone causes physical dependency - if you've been using it regularly (prescribed or not) once you stop you will experience a withdrawal. The physical changes due to the drug are similar to other opiates (like heroin). If you are a woman using methadone you may not have regular periods - but you are still able to conceive. Methadone is a long-acting opioid; it has an effect for up to 36 hours (if you are using methadone you will not withdraw for this period) A Personal story of methadone withdrawal: “I've been on both ends of withdrawals, heroin and methadone, every patient of methadone will always tell you the same, as I do; I can kick heroin anytime, but methadone that is something else. In 15 yrs of heroin addiction, I've kicked 3 times, 'cold-turkey'. In 10 years on methadone I've never kicked methadone.”

Effective drug or alcohol rehab starts with really understanding exactly what rehabilitation is. Rehabilitate in its broad sense means to restore to a previous condition. Any rehab to be effective needs to address the three factors which lead up to and cause addiction to continue. These are mental and physical cravings, quilt, and depression. Drug and alcohol abuse stems from mental or physical pain an individual does not wish to confront or deal with. The drugs or alcohol only appear to alleviate these conditions and after a time contribute to them as well as creating new sources in and endless cycle and trap known as addiction. Confronting and effectively handling the conditions brought about by cravings, quilt, and depression allows the addicted individual to truly ‘rehab’ him or herself and so be restored to a previous condition or at least as close as possible. Narconon Arrowhead is much more than a detox center where the individual simply quits using for a period. Narconon Arrowhead drug rehab methodologies fully handle the above factors allowing one to truly rehabilitate a previous condition and so remove the need for further drug or alcohol use as a false solution to living the life they want.