The Addiction Help .com

I'm trying to find out some info about whether the Coast Guard will accept someone who has gone through alcohol/addictions treatment. If you are honest on your SF-86, it shouldn't be a problem as long as you finished the treatment and are discharged from the facility right? Thanks.

GREAT question!!

This is one that needs to be asked to a recruiter - but until then, I am sure there would be some sort of waiting period, like at least XX years between when the person was released from treatment until they could sign the paperwork to enlist.

2009-04-17 16:34:41 by Tikka G

Bernie Groshman, Founder and CEO of Treatment-Centers.net plea to Charlie Sheen to use his celebrity and media attention to educate the world ...

my girlfriend was convicted for possession of meth 7 years ago. she did some time in prison and finished a 2 year treatment program for substance abuse. she has been clean and sober now over 6 years and currently works as a residential technician at a treatment facility. she very much wants to go back to school and become a certified counselor specializing in addiction issues. she has turned her life completely around and wants to invest all of her time and knowledge into helping other addicts find recovery. what are the steps she should take to become a drug and alcohol counselor? is there a specific course outline to become one?
thanks in advance.

there is no need for negative comments concerning her past. i just want to be able to help her get into school to pursue what she calls her 'mission in life' to help other addicts.

My wife is a psychotherapist and she said she doesn’t know of any way to do what you have described, short of having her criminal record expunged by a court. However, it may depend on where you live. Each state has its own laws regarding…….well, nearly everything. In my state (Arkansas), a felonious past is a dead-end for someone wishing to become a therapist or many other professions like mine (teaching). Your best bet would probably be to ask a local attorney where to find the relevant statutes regarding this, or find the contact information of the state psychology licensing board and ask them. I’m sure this question has been asked before. Maybe there are alternatives that have less stringent acceptance rules. (Maybe social work professions? IDK)

I’m happy that your friend has changed her life and is now trying to help others. That is very admirable. However, this might be an example of where she will still have to “pay” for past mistakes. Some bad choices have a way of sticking around for a lifetime. Good luck.

2007-07-27 07:16:31 by ☼grundle goat☼

Price: $4.67

I was already taking Effoxer for depression for 7 mos. prior for attempted sucide & was in a 2yr. treatment facility (voluntarily) for alcohol & drug addiction. Thank God I had 5 mos. sobriety at the time of the rupture! My hometown Doc. has taken me off the Effox. & relplaced it with Lamictal. Is it normal for me to be experiancing extreme ups & downs emotionally with this med.? Its downright scary! Will appreciate serious answers...Thanks.

Hi there i suggest you see a nuerologist NOW, sounds serious

2006-08-03 16:47:37 by shooblus

Price: $4.67

I have finally made the long overdue decision to seek help for my addiction. Thus far, I've officially inquired about only 1 facility, after checking my insurance, they said it didn't cover much and pretty much said good luck. I know that my insurance covers up to 7,800 for IP chemical dependency, is that not a lot to work with? I don't need super fancy, but would like to find one w/ a good reputation that is also somewhat aesthetically pleasing. Are there any organizations that are able to point me in the right direction of prospective treatment centers that best suite my needs, financially and mentally. Due to the severity, AA meetings and/or OP treatment would not be enough initally. I need a complete change of environment and lifestyle. Also, I know that I've got other psychological issues to deal with and just quitting won't be enough, but am aware that it is forefront. Do they even have concurrent programs of that nature? Help, I need a treatment center match-maker!
Thanks everyone. I like the idea of going out of the country but that may be a bit unrealistic for myself. I can't afford that and I doubt that's part of the out of network provision. My insurance is through an airline so ya never, but I doubt it.
I will have to google Narconon b/c I have no idea what that is. I'm going to check out the intervention sight and ironically that's what made me think of a treatment matchmaker. I really thought that admitting this shameful, embarrassing defect would be the toughest part, but I was wrong. I just cannot bare the thought of asking my recently retired parents to spend such a significant amount of money for something that is not even guaranteed. Also, they say those closest usually know and I believe they do to a certain degree but I've gone to extraordinary length to hide this. My parents would be so embarrassed and ashamed of me, so I would rather not get them involved.

You need what is called a Dual Diagnostic treatment center. Preferably, you need to go to one FAR away from anywhere you have ever lived. That will help remove the temptation to run and most good treatment centers will help you build a life in the new area, away from the old drug friends and temptations.

Yes, it will be expensive, but you will get your life back and you will pay it off over time and feel good about the fact that not only are you better, but you have the ability to take things one day at a time and not run from your problems - even a medical bill.

I'd suggest you speak to a reputable, professional interventionist. They do matchmaking all the time and know of many good facilities. Most of them will speak to you about places without a fee. You can check out the A&E Intervention website for some places to start. We spoke with one of them about my son, and I have nothing but praise.

Much GOOD LUCK AND LOVE to you on this decision! God Bless!

2008-05-07 14:48:43 by duppypog

Addiction is an illness. Narcotics abuse is an illness. Logically, the purchasing, possession and abuse of a drug by an addict is as much of a health concern as it is a legal one.

Narcotics abuse is undoubtedly a more emotionally complicated crime than other nonviolent offenses such as theft and vandalism, but early attempts to curb abuse lacked the necessary breadth to get addicts clean. Incarceration is not an effective method of freeing drug users from the substances on which they depend.

You cannot always beat a beast into submission, and the national "war on drugs," as it is currently framed, attempts to do just that. It aims to prevent drug abuse and crimes through the enforcement of strict, blanketed penalties for citizens who violate.

Although national policies on drug prohibition state the goal is to promote public health, more funding, both on a national and local level, is allocated toward criminal investigations and prosecution of drug users than toward education and rehabilitation.

The fruitless brute-force methods established at a federal level are also standard at the local level. The Los Angeles Police Department made 26,131 arrests for violent and property-related crimes in 2003, according to a statistical report released by the chief of police.

The same year, the LAPD made 27,486 narcotics arrests. In short, police officers arrested 1,300 more citizens for narcotics violations than for murders, rapes, thefts, aggravated assaults and larcenies combined.

Despite the widespread arrests for narcotics-defined crimes in 2003, the effects the arrests had on usage was negligible. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the number of adult users and abusers remained at a flat line.

Crime statistics show that harsh sentencing for nonviolent drug possession convictions is ineffective in deterring repeat offenses, but further analysis reveals that incarceration for those first offenses could increase the probably of a second offense. Relapse rates are more than 70 percent from all forms of criminal justice interventions and corrections-oriented approaches alone, according to the U.N. Office on Drug and Crime.

California took a step in the right direction in November of 2000 when it passed Proposition 36 - the initiative that allows people with first- and second-time drug possession convictions to receive drug treatment instead of incarceration - but implementation and funding issues have prevented the proposition from being wholly successful.

Officials at the district attorney's office told the L.A. Weekly that they had expected the primary patients enrolling in the rehabilitation programs to be recreational users - not full-blown addicts. The money allocated to fund rehabilitation programs and medical treatment is insufficient for the more typical, heavily addicted individuals who frequently require longer, more expensive treatments in residential facilities instead of 12-step outpatient program.

Recent state and county cutbacks have been devastating to already strained programs made possible by Prop. 36. To further complicate matters, the sheer size of the county coupled with the lack of money makes proper regulation of the program near impossible to assess.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, effective drug treatment programs combine the necessary medical aid and social services required to get the addicted individual back on track. Prop. 36 has made headway in providing Californians in need with a chance at restored chemical freedom, but without additional well-funded social welfare programs such as job placement services, access to medical and mental health treatment facilities, and counseling services, the success of the legislation is extremely limited.

A more compassionate solution to the drug problem is not only more humane, it's more cost effective. Every dollar spent on drug and alcohol abuse treatment saves the public $7, according study findings released by the state in 1994.

To successfully combat drug abuse and drug-related crime in California, the state needs to ensure that allocating funding for rehabilitation programs is a priority.

In addition to the court-mandated programs created by Prop. 36, the city needs to make comprehensive voluntary rehabilitation programs accessible to drug addicts who want to change before they're picked up by the police. The earlier people are given a hand to make the change, the sooner they will.

It's easy to demonize drug addicts and dismiss jail sentences that still too frequently follow possession convictions, but blame doesn't create change.

An addict with hopeless prospects has a hard time finding motivation to get clean, but if the society around that addict is willing to offer guidance, support and the promise of brighter future for the willing, the incentive to get sober suddenly becomes tangible .

Compassion must become a fundamental element in the rehabilitation system, and compassion starts with understanding. Prop. 36 was a great start, but there's still a long road ahead.

This isn't a question, it's a diatribe. Rehab only works if the person wants to go.

2007-07-30 12:41:29 by Bush is not conservative