Choosing the Right Holistic Rehab Center

If you try to search for a holistic rehab center online or through your local yellow pages book you may find out literally thousands of them. So comprehensive and practical criteria is a must-have when the time has come to choose the right facility for you or your loved one. Here are some points that will assist you in this task.

You will have hard time searching for a holistic treatment center if you have limited budget. The price can vary from $10 000 to $20 000 per month depending on the patient's condition and duration of stay, but you might be eligible for complete or partial insurance coverage.

A Rehab Center

The location of a rehab center is also essential for many reasons. First, as a rehabilitation process can be stressful, you should feel absolutely comfortable and at ease. You should find a place that could help you totally relax and release your tension. It's always preferable to undergo treatment at a quiet place in a natural setting, as it will certainly do its job at balancing your energy and restoring the capacity to feel good without any stimulants.

It's also useful to take into account the accessibility of the center for your family. Some centers pay a lot of attention to an addict's family involvement during the process of healing, and it's better to find out this before making a final decision.

Each center has its specific timetable, so if you still doubt which one to choose it's important to find this out in advance. The facility that you would like to check in should also correspond to your tastes and preferences; you should feel like home there. It's strongly recommended to do a tour of the clinic and to get acquainted with the staff and atmosphere. As a result, you will feel more confident and add extra fuel to your faith in an ultimate recovery.

Addiction rehabilitation centers can be divided into two main groups according to the general approach that they use: traditional and holistic centers. The main difference lies in applying dual-diagnosis of substance abuse and mental disorder connected to it, thus working with the essential reasons of an addiction at all levels. Such alternative centers employ some non-traditional healing therapies, as well as yoga and meditation sessions

Each center has a "menu" of therapies, which can also help you make the decision. But the crucial part is application of the techniques and exercises that are offered, because, for an addict, it's essential to regulate the cycle of agitation and relaxation during a day. So a good center applies all the techniques to reach that specific goal and thus regulate the mood of a patient.

Holistic rehab centers use 12 Step Methodology which implicates belief in high power or energy that is essential for curing process. This is a spiritual base of the treatment, but it doesn't matter what your religion is, the main point is self-accountability and intention to cure yourself. These kind of centers have proved to be highly efficient which spurred their popularity.

At the moment of choosing the right facility you should also find out if it provides the necessary medical and nutritional support that you need. All centers start the rehabilitation with gradual detox of a patient, but many times by giving a patient other drugs. That's why it's very important to make sure that a center uses a healthy way of detox using specific nutritional supplements. A center may use chemicals to remove drugs from your system, but it should also provide some replacement of substances by adequate nutrition components.

You should also do your homework and research the team of specialists that manage a holistic rehab center, get some information about their credentials and methods they employ. It's also important that such center has an individual approach to each patient: check if private addiction counselling sessions are available or you can only attend group meetings.

The last but not the least in choosing the right rehab facility is after-care therapies that can play decisive role in rehabilitation process. A qualified center will boost your rehabilitation after you check out. This may include group meetings for sharing experience with other patients, psychological support for you and your family and so on.

It's also useful to know what guarantees you get after graduation. Understand that a complete recovery is a complicated and often unpredictable process, so it's almost impossible to find the center that will give you a 100% guarantee. But a few will allow you to re-check if a problem re-appear to undergo a treatment again.

How Smoking Can Ruin Your Life

No - it isn't a misprint. Studies have shown that smoking can not only damage your lungs, but also your hearing

Respiratory disease is one thing - but damage to the ear is also a possibility

I lost two dear friends at the end of last year through lung cancer. I am therefore probably the last person to make light of a serious subject. My sister also died of the disease - granted this was late on in her life of being a "career smoker".

As far as I am aware, none of them had noticeable hearing problems - but that is missing the point. When I learnt that the Tobacco Control journal recently published findings that secondary smoke inhalation - as well as smoking itself - can increase the risk of hearing loss, I felt I had to share this with you.

Smoking starves your body of oxygen in so many ways

Without getting too technical or scientific, it would appear that a degree hearing loss is caused by the starvation of oxygen in blood vessels around the ear - ultimately affecting your hearing. It all makes sense when you think about it.

The relationship of smoking and oxygen starvation within certain body cells seems to be a well-recognised fact. For instance, my wife is a beauty therapist and can instantly detect a smoker by the poor skin quality of the facial tissue. It's that obvious.

However, evidence that your hearing is being adversely affected by smoking is not so obvious because it is so gradual.

Secondary smoking can also contribute

Too much second-hand cigarette smoke can have the same effect. The landlord of our local pub - a non-smoker - contracted lung cancer during the days when you could smoke in public places. How many of us have had our hearing affected through secondary smoke inhalation? Too many, I expect. Apparently it can increase the risk by up to 30%!

At the time of writing there is a TV campaign here in the UK advising you to consult your GP if you have a persistent cough lasting 3 weeks or more. The benefits are simple: if it turns out to be bad news, it can be tackled earlier rather than later; but if it is good news you enjoy instant peace of mind.

So the campaign is sound.

Also see your local GP or a private professional about changes to your hearing

Suffering from a hearing disability is nowhere near as serious in terms of being life-threatening - unless you are crossing the road without looking and get run over by a bus!

And again, either way there is a positive outcome from being seen by a professional. If you have your hearing checked and it turns out to be a build up of wax, your doctor or private hearing aid audiologist can recommend an ear hygiene regime to reduce it. Odds are that your hearing will improve.

Alternatively, if you do have a measurable and treatable hearing impairment - whether through excess smoking, a childhood illness, or simply by the ageing process - this could be addressed and improved by hearing aids in many cases.

Hearing assessments are freely available with the NHS, and equally free privately at your local hearing centre. In either case there is no price to pay for peace of mind.

Your GP can check your hearing as well as advise you on how stop smoking. However, if you feel that your hearing loss is your main concern, you may wish to address that immediately and free of charge, privately, by calling 0800 612 7992.

9 Ways of Giving Up Smoking

1. Remind yourself of all the benefits of giving up smoking. And remember, you have to want to do it for yourself in order to be successful.

2. Set a date a week or so in advance to mentally prepare yourself for giving up. Let family and friends know and throw out any smoking paraphernalia.

3. Febreze the house, get your teeth whitened, wash the sofa upholstery, change the net curtains...Whatever it takes to really get smoking out of your life and start a fresh.

4. Stop thinking that giving up smoking is hard. It's easy. The tobacco companies want you to think it's hard so that you'll be less tempted to give up. Try telling yourself that you are going to find it easy to give up smoking, instead of telling yourself it will be hard. Repeatedly telling yourself this will send a message to your subconscious which will then go about making that a reality.

5. Don't bother with nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches or gums. They only perpetuate the addiction and evidence suggests it o nly has a 10% success rate.

6. Hypnotherapy has been shown to be the most effective way of giving up smoking; better than willpower, seeing your GP, nicotine patches, gums, electronic cigarettes, the lot!

7. Work out all the money you will have saved over a 6 month period, and dream up ways to spend it. Visualise yourself on that holiday, with that handbag or wearing that suit. The average smoker spends around £2000 a year. Imagine what you could do with that money!

8. Try to break old habits and patterns. If you liked to smoke after a meal, go for a walk instead or chat to someone on the phone. If you like to smoke when you drink alcohol, go out with some non-smoking friends or somewhere where it's hard to pop out for a cigarette. Get rid of ash trays and other triggers in your house so that you are not reminded about smoking all the time.

9. Think of everything you'll be gaining once you have given up smoking. More money, better health, freedom, a longer life, time, etc! When you think about it, you are gaining so much more than you are giving up. Focus on the positive results you can expect to see rather than dwelling on the idea that you have to give something up.

Study argues women better to quit smoking than men

Men are no better than women when it comes to quitting smoking, a new study reveals.

The finding challenges the belief that women have more difficulty kicking the habit than men, an idea largely based on the results of clinical trials of smoking cessation aids that show men have higher quit rates than women.

Such a gender-based difference would be important in strategies meant to help reduce smoking, noted study author Martin Jarvis, professor in the department of epidemiology and public health at University College London in England, and colleagues.

For this study, the researchers examined data from more than 102,000 smokers who took part in surveys conducted in 2006 and 2007 in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The analysis revealed similar and consistent patterns in all three countries.

Before age 50, women were more likely than men to successfully quit smoking. This was particularly true among smokers in their 20s and 30s. Among people over 60, men were more likely than women to stop smoking. However, this may be due to higher death rates from smoking in older men, the researchers noted.

When smoking quit rates excluded people who continued to use smokeless tobacco and included those who had stopped smoking for more than a year, the quit rates in the United States were about 50 percent for women and nearly 47 percent for men, while quit rates in Canada were about 46 percent for women and about 43 percent for men. No comparable figures were available for the United Kingdom.

The study was published online May 30 in the journal Tobacco Control.

"Our study has found convincing evidence that men in general are not more likely to quit smoking successfully than women. The myth of female disadvantage at quitting smoking is bad, first and foremost, for women," who may believe it, Jarvis and colleagues noted in a journal news release.

It's also bad for men, because they may think they're at an advantage, the researchers added, and for health care professionals and policy makers who are trying to help people quit.

"It is time to put aside the idea that women are less successful than men at giving up smoking," the authors concluded in the news release.

How to Quit Smoking

In virtually every area of life we have a difference of opinion between our conscious and unconscious minds. If you want to know how to quit smoking then you have to discover how to get you unconscious mind to agree with your conscious desires.

How many times have you thought, I'm going to quit smoking, I'm going on a diet, I'm going to start exercising, I'm going to start saving etc etc

And how many times have you succeeded. Think about something in your life that you wanted to achieve and you just went out and did it. No fuss, no stress and if you came to an obstacle you just overcame it.

This happened because you didn't have any subconscious resistance. But getting back to quitting smoking, you want to quit but your subconscious fires a volley of reasons at you as to why you need to keep smoking.

Such as you need to smoke to relax, to think, to drive, to enjoy coffee or alcohol etc.

Plus you have all the beliefs about smoking also locked away in your subconscious. Such as quitting is very hard, I will need to quit many times before I am successful, or quitting cigarettes is harder than quitting heroin, which is an old urban myth.

Many people use force of will to overcome their resistance. Your mind is like a iceberg, you try and fight with the power of the conscious mind, but the power has to come from the small part of your mind-iceberg which is visible above water.

But the huge chunk below the surface wins the fight.

Another way people try to change is through affirmations. Again you are trying to use the power of your conscious to over-ride the massive force of the unconscious. It has been said that affirmations without actions are just self delusions.

The only successful way to get your sub conscious mind on side is to use hypnosis. Because it is the only method which focuses directly on the unconscious mind. Hypnosis can dive right in and dig out all your negative beliefs and non usual connections.

Hypnosis is a safe, gentle and successful way to move forward in your life without the constraints of your old negative thinking. Hypnosis will rid you of your connections to cigarettes.

No more smoking when bored, or stressed, or driving or with tea or food. No more being a slave to nicotine. It's time to set yourself free.

Drug Rehab Information: What to Expect at a Drug Treatment Center

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to attend an inpatient free drug rehab program you might be frightened. You may have many feelings coming up for you and you may even feel sorry for yourself. You also probably have questions about the drug rehab facility itself. This article will prepare you for what to expect in an inpatient treatment setting.

Naturally there are thousands of drug rehab centers around the world, just as there are millions of drug addicts, however there are a few things that commonly define all of them. All drug treatment centers specialize in teaching their patients (or clients depending upon the rehab) how to get off drugs and then how to live their lives without having to go back to drugs or alcohol.

Therefore, you can be absolutely certain that there won't be any alcohol served or drugs available in rehab. You have probably been using or drinking for a long time in order to mask your feelings but you are going to need to prepare yourself to face them. You will be expected to remain sober and chemically abstinent during your stay in rehab.

Rehab typically lasts for more than 25 days and, depending upon the treatment center, could last for many months. So be mentally prepared to be away from home for a while. And, unless you are visiting an upscale executive rehab center, you can expect to have a room mate or many. Some people are surprised to learn that they will not be getting a private room, so this is something that you will need to prepare yourself for.

Rehabs typically use the 12 step approach to sobriety. This method is based on the rules of Alcoholics Anonymous whose Big Book forms the foundation for most rehabs. True there are other, alternative rehabs like Narconon that use a different approach, but generally rehabs are based on the 12 steps and 12 traditions.

57SWDACCQZVB This means that the program will be spiritual in nature. While AA, and the other 12 Step fellowships, does not claim to be a religious organization there are many spiritual precepts ingrained in their tenets. Therefore, in order to get the most out of your experience you will need to become open to the idea of a Higher Power. Most call their higher power God, however it is perfectly acceptable to find an alternate higher power if you so choose.

The Basic Facts About Marijuana - The World's Most Commonly Used Illicit Drug

Marijuana is notorious for being the world's most commonly used illicit drug. With nearly 200 names, marijuana is collectively known as pot, grass or weed. While the general population may believe weed is relatively harmless, it is far more dangerous than most users realize. Originating from the plant Cannibis sativa, the main mind altering (psychoactive) ingredient in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), but more than 400 other chemicals can be found in the plant.

The strength of the drug and its effects, all hinge around the amount of THC that is in the weed. The strength will vary based on the type of plant, the soil, the weather, the time of harvest and other factors as well. Today's marijuana is about ten times stronger than the marijuana that was available to users in the early 1970's. The sophisticated cannabis cultivation of today reaps a much higher level of THC content, averaging less than 1 percent in 1974 and rising to an average of 4 percent in 1994. An increase in physical and mental awareness, due to a higher potency of THC, poses the possibility of health problems for the user.

How Long Do Chemicals from Marijuana Stay in the Body?

THC is absorbed by most tissues and organs in the body and can be primarily found in the fat tissues in the liver, lungs and testes. The body recognizes THC as a foreign substance and attempts to rid itself of the chemical, forming metabolites. Urine tests can detect THC metabolites for up to a week after users have smoked weed. Traces may be picked up by sensitive blood tests anywhere from two to four weeks later.

How is Marijuana Used?

Marijuana and other products derived from cannabis are usually smoked, either in a pipe or a water pipe. However, the majority of users will loosely roll a cigarette known as a "joint." Some users will take the time to hallow out a cigar and replace the tobacco with marijuana, to make what are called "blunts." Unfortunately, both blunts and joints can be laced with other substances, including crack cocaine or PCP, a very potent hallucinogen. This causes the user to experience a substantially mind altering high.

While smoking may be the primary choice for users, it certainly isn't the only route. Marijuana can also be brewed as tea or mixed into baked products such as cookies or brownies.

The Facts About Methamphetamine

What is Methamphetamine?

Methamphetamine is a white, odorless crystalline powder that dissolves easily in water or alcohol. While it is bitter tasting, the drug can be taken orally. Drug abusers will often snort the powder, inject it by needle or smoke it using a glass pipe.

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant that increases alertness, energy and concentration. When taken in high doses, this illegal drug can induce euphoria, increase the sex drive and greatly enhance self-esteem. Methamphetamine triggers a release of dopamine in the brain, the chemical key to human pleasure, making this substance highly addictive. The majority of the methamphetamine abused in the United States is smuggled in from foreign or domestic superlabs. However, it can be made in small, illegal laboratories, putting both neighbors and the environment at risk.

The Affects on the Brain

Methamphetamine use leads to high levels of dopamine in the brain, resulting in an intense "rush" of pleasure after snorting, smoking or injecting the drug. Chronic use of the drug will result in significant changes in how the brain functions. Various studies have revealed alterations in the activity of the dopamine system through noninvasive imaging of the human brain. These alterations have been associated with reduced motor skills and impaired verbal learning. Additionally, new research has indicated severe structural and functional changes in the brain that are associated with both memory and human emotion. This leads researchers to believe there is a great connection for many of the emotional and cognitive problems that have been noted in chronic users of the drug.

Addiction is definitely a concern for those who repeatedly use methamphetamine. Because of the intense pleasure from the massive amount of dopamine released in the brain, meth users tend to become compulsive when it comes to finding their drug of choice. Their day may evolve around when they are going to be able to get their next "rush".

Other Adverse Health Effects?

Taking small amounts of methamphetamine can result in many of the same physical effects as those who use other stimulants, such as cocaine or speed. The following are all typical effects from using meth:

Increased Physical Activity
Increased Wakefulness / Insomnia
Decrease in Appetite
Rapid Heart Rate
Irregular Heart Beat
Hyperthermia
Increased Blood Pressure
Increased Respiration

For the long-term meth user, the list of negative consequences the drug has on their health is even more alarming.

Extreme Weight Loss
Meth Mouth - A Severe Dental Condition
High Anxiety
Violent Behavior
Insomnia for Several Days at a Time
Confusion
Serious Heart Disease

For those who become chronic users, the risks and side effects are even greater. Chronic meth abusers have been known to display a number of psychotic features which include extreme paranoia, both auditory and visual hallucinations and delusions. It's not uncommon for someone on meth to believe they have bugs crawling under their skin and they will go to great lengths to remove the bugs, resulting in lesions and scarring.

Withdrawals

Withdrawal symptoms typically consist of an increase in appetite, fatigue and depression. Other common symptoms may include anxiety, headaches, irritability, suicidal tendencies, excessive sleeping and vivid dreams. These symptoms may last anywhere from days to months, depending upon the extend of use. The severity of the symptoms will also depend upon the amount of time the person was using the drug and how much they were using.

Treatment Options for the Meth Abuser

Comprehensive cognitive-behavioral intervention has proven to be the most effective treatment for treating meth addiction at this time. The Matrix Model has been shown to be highly effective in reducing methamphetamine abuse and focuses on the following:

12-Step Support Network
Routine Drug Testing
Encouragement to Participate in Non-Drug Related Activities
Family Education
Individual Counseling
Behavioral Therapy

If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction to methamphetamine. contact a professional counselor or medical adviser as soon as possible.

Sabrina Coffin is proud to be part of a wonderful team of people who seek to help those who struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. Free by the Sea is located on a beautiful 5 acre campus, providing a serene healing environment that inspires patients to discover new possibilities for a life of recovery. The first 30 days of treatment includes individual treatment plans based on the needs of the client and addresses disease and recovery education, relapse prevention, anger management, emotion regulation, art therapy, meditation, 12 step meetings, life skills, transition and integration.

An extended care program is offered to patients who have stayed a minimum of 30 days. This allows for a continued focus on his/her relapse prevention needs and deeper issues to improve their quality of life, providing an even greater opportunity for success after completing our program.

Signs of Drug Addiction and 6 Proven Recovery Tips

By Skehel Karen

People experiment with drugs for many different reasons. Some do it out of curiosity or to have a good time, stress, anxiety, or depression. Drug abuse and addiction is less about the amount of substance consumed or the frequency, but more about the consequence of drug use. No matter how often or how little you're consuming, if your drug use is causing problems in your personal relationships, at home, work etc, you're likely to have to have a drug abuse or addiction problem.

Common signs and symptoms of drug abuse:

You're neglecting responsibilities at work at home, due to drug consumption.
Your taking high risks or using drugs under dangerous conditions, such as taking drugs whilst driving, or using a dirty needle.
Your drug use is getting you into illegal problems such as arrest for disorderly behaviour or driving under the influence.

Common signs and symptoms of drug addiction:

You need to use more drugs to experience the same affects you used to attain with smaller amounts.
If you go too long without drugs you start to experience symptoms such as nausea, insomnia, depression, sweating, shaking and anxiety.
You use drugs more than planned, even though you told yourself you wouldn't. You may want to stop using but feel powerless.
You continue to use drugs even though you know that it is bad for you.

Recognising that you have a drug problem is the first step on the road to recovery. You need to be willing to seek help and want to recover.

Here are some proven tips on how to recovery from drug addiction:

Firstly you need to be willing to get help for recovery. It must be something that you desire to do.

Educate yourself about the addiction of drugs and what it does to your body. It helps to know about the recovery process as well as the damage it causes to the body.

Cross addiction can take place so be very mindful of taking any other forms of drugs for example drugs to overcome flu, as you can become addicted to them too.

Surround yourself with supportive people who are willing to help you recover. You need all the support you can get during recovery

Formulate a relapse prevention plan. In order to recover more quickly, write down all the triggers that make you relapse during your treatment. By knowing the triggers it can help you avoid them in the future.

Don't beat yourself up about the mistakes you have made. You need a positive overview and atmosphere. So find ways of being optimistic and positive.
There you have some tips that can help you recover from drug abuse and addiction. The first thing must be for you to be willing to make the change yourself; otherwise others helping you won't make a difference as you will not want treatment or their help. Instead you will be isolating yourself into a darker hole

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