Archive for February, 2008

Cocaine Addiction

Author: Suki
02 18th, 2008

One of the primary drug addictions luxury residential drug rehabilitation centers deal with is cocaine addiction. Cocaine abuse, drug abuse, and addiction continues to be a problem that plagues our nation, but that can be dealt with at a drug rehabilitation center. For instance, from 1965 to 1967, only 0.1 percent of youths had ever used cocaine, but rates rose throughout the 1970s and 1980s, reaching 2.2 percent in 1987. After a brief decline, lifetime prevalence rates peaked at 2.7 percent in 2002.

However, we now know more about where and how cocaine acts in the brain, including how the drug produces its pleasurable effects and why it is so addictive. Through the use of sophisticated technology, scientists can actually see the dynamic changes that occur in the brain as an individual takes the drug. They can observe the different brain changes that occur as a person experiences the “rush,” the “high,” and, finally, the craving of cocaine. They can also identify parts of the brain that become active when a cocaine addict sees or hears environmental stimuli that trigger the craving for cocaine. Because these types of studies pinpoint specific brain regions, they are critical to identifying targets for developing medications to treat cocaine addiction.

One of NIDA’s most important goals is to translate what scientists learn from research, in order to help the public better understand drug abuse and addiction, and to develop more effective strategies for their prevention, treatment, drug detox and drug rehabilitation. We hope that this compilation of scientific information on cocaine will help to inform readers about the harmful effects of cocaine abuse, and that it will assist in prevention and treatment efforts.



02 13th, 2008

Some drug rehabs would have you believe that drug rehabilitation is a spectator sport, as if getting sober were simply a matter of going through the motions of an exclusive drug treatment program. That’s not the way it works. The truth, whether or not anyone wants to hear it, is that drug rehab patients are ultimately responsible for the success or failure of their own rehab programs. Drug rehabs don’t work miracles, after all. If you’re going to get better, it’s going to be because you commit yourself to the healing process, and resolve to win the long-term fight against addiction. Short of that, no addiction treatment facility in the world can help you get where you need to go.

The bottom line is that the future is in your hands here. No one can heal you against your will. No one can save you if you won’t save yourself. Drug rehabs are vital conduits of drug recovery…but it’s up to addicts themselves to drive the recovery process. Is it easy? No, not by a long-shot. But nothing you do will ever be more important. With so much to lose, and so much more to win, it’s well past time you learned the truth for yourself.



Alcohol rehab programs have to promote both physical and psychological healing. Alcoholism is a two-headed disease, after all. On the one hand, alcohol rehab patients are subject to traumatic physiological dependencies. On the other, they’re plagued by real emotional pain. The best alcohol rehab programs are the ones that help them get better on both fronts.

Some alcohol treatment centers in Los Angeles emphasize one aspect of alcohol recovery at the expense of the other. That’s a mistake. Alcohol rehab programs don’t work by magic, after all. In fact, only by targeting your disease in its entirety can your alcohol rehab program help you get where you need to go. With so much to lose, and so much more to win, you simply can’t afford to settle for anything less than the best care you can get.