Question by : help for an addict? and seraqel?
i’m 25. my 26 y/o brother is addicted to heroin.
just looking for somebody to point me in the right direction on how to get him help. los angeles or hawaii area if possible. i’m ready to take immediate action to get him help. i’m a marine, just recently got home, and he’s in another state. he cannot live on base with me, and i can’t keep an eye on him. we do not have other family members to look out for him.

also. he’s taking a drug called seraquel (sp?). he’ll appear to be using again, but claims it’s the seraquel. anybody with experience with this drug? it has put him in the hospital, and i can’t imagine he would be prescribed it. (though he has a habit of getting his hands on drugs that don’t belong to him). are the side effects this dramatic, or should i be looking into this?

thanks in advanced for any answers. appreciate it.
i’m sure i could probably get answers to these questions from more appropriate sites, but i’d love actual opinions and suggestions. i’m very concerned for him, and have never dealt with anything like this before. not at all my area of expertise.
thanks again. 🙂

Best answer:

Answer by Anama
Here is a link to Seroquel:
http://www.drugs.com/misspellings/seraquel.html

Has he been diagnosed as bipolar? You may want to make sure those are really his, if you can.

As for rehab in LA. I would suggest you search ‘rehab centers LA california” several should pop up. You can also check with the LA social services department to see what is publically available.
I am so sorry that you are going through this. Please understand that as much as you want to help your brother, not a lot is going to change until he wants it for himself. My best friend just went through this with her brother. He has been an addict for almost 20 years. Addiction is both mental and physical, so he has a long, hard road out of this.
Blessings to you both and good luck!

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by USAG Vicenza

There are reasons that are too many to mention here, but substance abuse relapse can be avoided if addressed properly.Substance abuse relapse is something that many families have to endure over and over again. This is not intentional that the addict wants to happen, but it happens for a number of reasons:

1. The addict did not get the right treatment

2. Treatment was not personalized

3. The addict did not get involved with a follow up program

4. The addict only underwent a thirty day rehabilitation process

5. The addict returned to old friends

6. The addict returned to old habits

7. The addict was not committed totally to treatment

8. The addict did not receive support from important family members, which could be a parent or a child

9. The addict did not take the treatment seriously

10. The addict did not learn and adapt to the tools and resources provided while in the treatment center.

There are other reasons that are too many to mention here, but substance abuse relapse is something that can be avoided if all of the above reasons are addressed properly. If the addict had to go through an outpatient treatment program, then it is likely that this could also cause relapse because the addict will have structure within the program, but outside of the program, there is no way that they can be supervised. This is difficult for all involved; the addict, the therapist and family members. Outpatient treatment allows the addict to go on with some type of normal life and keep their jobs and be with their families. However, it has its disadvantages because the addict who is recovering is able to still be around the same friends that influenced them. Of course, drug addiction treatment is a choice and the therapist can tell the addict not to hang around these people, but cannot force them to do so. In fact, the therapist is not aware of the addict’s external activities unless it is mentioned during therapy.

Family members who are afraid of substance abuse relapse should lend a hand in ensuring that their loved one does not cling to those that are a bad influence to them during their treatment process. Those addicts who have gone through numerous treatment programs and returned to their old destructive habits will find that it is like a revolving door and family members get tired of the same old story and want to move on and forget about everything. However, family members cannot do this or they will be contributors of a destroyed life. They should probably think about an aggressive intervention that will either allow the individual to accept rehabilitation or reject it.

In the rehab center, the addict needs to stick close to other residents who are doing well. They can both support each other and motivate each other to keep focused so that they can experience full recovery. All it takes is encouragement to stay on the course that has been set by the therapist for the addict. It calls for willpower and the strength of God in order to make it to complete recovery.

Question by caitlyn b: How does addiction intervention work?
I have a friend who is an alcohol addict. I have just recently gotten wind of the term “addiction intervention”. I was just wondering how this works. Maybe my friend could benefit from it.

Best answer:

Answer by alyse w
An addiction intervention is a process that aims to get the addict agree to undergoing treatment. This could be done by gathering his close friends and family members and talking to him, making him see the harsh effects of alcohol on him. In some cases, professionals, called intervention specialists, are made to facilitate the intervention as they are adept at handling cases like these. I think you should definitely do an intervention for your friend. Talk to him and make him see that alcohol has changed him and that it’s not doing him any good. Hopefully, he’ll see your point and get himself treated.

What do you think? Answer below!

There are times in life that makes a person succumb to the temptation of this world just to forget their problems even for a while. Individuals that have low tolerance for dealing with the common problems of life are the ones always falling to the traps of alcohol or drug abuse. Fortunately, there are drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility that could help them overcome their addiction.

Addiction whether in the form of alcohol or drugs can ruin the life of the user but also those surrounding them. The problem with addiction is that it does not only affect the person addicted to the substance of alcohol or drugs but also their family, which means the wife and children if they are happen to be married.

No matter what you do or where you look at things, the sad fact is that family members naturally affected by what is happening to you. So never assumed that you are not bothering anyone by your addiction, because you are no matter what you say or do. The only way to stop the problem is to get help right away.

Drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility are the quickies way to recover from your addiction. However, before you can even go there you will need to admit to yourself that you have a problem and that the only way to get your life back on track is to get help as soon as possible, before your resolve stay away from drugs or alcohol weakens further.

Drugs or alcohol rehabs can give you proper treatment that your home cannot provide. It can also help you become a better citizen again by letting you slowly accept the reality of your situation. Counseling, trauma care for your family, drug treatment or medicines needed to help you are provided, shelter and attention are given to you on a daily basis or until you no longer need them as you can finally stand on your own without the aid of drugs or alcohol.

Drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility are mainly for people like you that needs help overcoming their addictions. But, unless you do not admit that you have problem then this facility are useless to you. Therefore, before you commit yourself make sure that you know in yourself that you need help.

The rehab facilities are a great help to the community, as they can help a person suffering with drug and alcohol overcome their problems.

residential drug and alcohol treatment

alcohol detox treatment

drug and alcohol rehabilitation

trauma care

For the past several months, the daily economic news has been grim. We hear about more job losses, foreclosures, home sales down, food prices soar, the stock market goes up and down. These are extraordinarily difficult times for everyone, and in some way everyone is affected by the situation. The never-ending stress taps into your energy and saps your strength; it tests your faith and leaves you confused. Families without the added stressors of alcohol or drugs will pull together; they will make some sacrifices as they grumble and complain, but in the end these families will more than likely survive the current economy.   

What about the alcoholic? More importantly, what about the children living with an alcoholic? Research has confirmed that alcoholics lack coping skills. When faced with problems, the alcoholic will turn to the bottle. Most of us have seen the destructive dysfunction that results from alcohol or drug abuse. What happens when the alcoholic faces a job loss or pay cut, or loses the important health insurance? These situations exceed the “normal” stress of life and will most likely find the alcoholic turning to the bottle more often and in larger quantities.  

The National Runaway Switchboard has reported that there has been an alarming increase in calls over the past year. The callers have been increasingly younger. These victims have reported abuse and neglect with alcohol a common denominator in many cases. With the increased stress from the economy, there has been an increase in alcohol and drug abuse. With increased alcohol and drug abuse, we have seen more violent outbursts. The sad result has been child abuse and neglect. Unfortunately, the weak economy has also reduced the funding for shelters and self-help organizations.  

As we all know, eventually there will be more jobs and stocks will go up. We can all go eat lobster and see a movie. The economy will bounce back and up! In the interim, we need to ask ourselves a question: what about the children living in alcoholic homes during these tough times? Will their self-esteem ever be restored? What are the permanent lasting affects on these future leaders? We all need to be aware of the far reaching affects of a “bad” economy. Recent research indicated that children of alcoholics not only risk becoming an alcoholic but are more likely to abuse drugs.  

We must pay attention to friends and family members that may need some extra help, and possibly intervention, during this tough time. Teachers, church leaders and adults that come in contact with children, stay watchful and pay attention to children that may be living in an alcoholic home. The turmoil in an alcoholic home can create guilt, shame and confusion for the children. These children try desperately to keep this ugly family secret, yet more than anything they need a trusted adult that will listen to them. Encouragement and support will begin their journey on the road to recovery.  

We are all in this together, and we need to help each other. If we turn our backs on these children in need, the economy will recover but a huge segment of our society will not.