Addiction hijacks the brain. Families dealing with addicted loved ones know this. Research shows that 95 percent of people suffering from substance use disorders do not think that they have a problem or need treatment. Few addicts enter treatment without meaningful coercion, most often from families or the criminal justice system.
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The sad realities of prescription drug abuse
Prescription medications are part of millions of Americans’ daily existence — at least 60 percent of Americans take at least one prescription drug according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. While medications can be helpful and even life-saving, some are addictive and have a high abuse potential.
The spiritual link between yoga and addiction recovery is elucidated in the eleventh step of the famed Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, which states, “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out.” Regardless of religious background or belief, recovery requires devotion to something higher. There is a veritable link between eight limbs of yoga and the principles of the Twelve Steps, such as the shared emphasis on discipline, brotherly love, and integrity, to name a few.
A Word To Our Referring Facilities…
Reawakening’s Wellness Center realizes that a lot of facilities providing substance abuse treatment are no longer accepting CIGNA policies in the State of Florida. We are glad to inform you that we are still accepting CIGNA Policies. Please consider referring us any CIGNA patients in need of treatment. Reawakening’s Wellness Center is an out-of-network PPO provider. RWC specializes in treating pregnant women in their first and second trimester. Our staff is bilingual and we offer exceptional services such as Smart Recovery, massage therapy, art and music therapy, yoga and guided meditation.
With addictions and drug overdose deaths — from both prescription and illegal drugs — on a serious climb in Michigan, a state task force has offered more than two dozen recommendations to begin combating the deadly problem.
Prescription Drug Abuse:
How It Begins and Why Medical Intervention Can Be
A Matter of Life or Death
Prescription drugs. When used properly, they can help alleviate pain and cure illness faster than over-the-counter medication. When abused, however, they can lead to an addiction that kills its victims and leaves families torn apart. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an estimated 48 million people — a whopping 20 percent of the population — will take prescription drugs for non-medical use in their lifetime.
People who fall victim to prescription drug abuse come in all ages and backgrounds. Perhaps it’s a curious teen who discovers a bottle in his or her parent’s medicine cabinet or gets handed a pill to try at a party. Or maybe it’s a hard-working adult recovering from surgery or an injury, who becomes dependent on the medication prescribed for his or her recovery.
Once dependence kicks in, the situation can come become treacherous, quickly. Desperate for more pills, an abuser will do just about anything to score – including buying them from dealers or breaking the law by obtaining prescriptions from multiple physicians, also known as “doctor shopping.” And if they can’t attain prescription meds, most will turn to street drugs like heroin to feed their habit.
The escalation from prescription drug abuse to heroin addiction has become so urgent, in fact, that President Obama recently addressed it, declaring September 26 “National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day” and summing up the problem thus: “Four in five heroin users started out by misusing prescription drugs. And over the course of just one year — between 2013 and 2014 — we saw a 33% increase in the number of heroin users.”
He continued: “All of this takes a terrible toll on too many families, in too many communities, all across the country — big and small, urban and rural. It strains law enforcement and treatment programs. It costs all of us — in so many different ways.”
What many addicts or abusers don’t realize, however, is even if they want to stop, it’s extremely dangerous to try and do so on their own. Quitting cold turkey can be extremely dangerous, sending the body into shock that could potentially be deadly. It’s crucial to seek professional help.
At Reawakenings Wellness Center, we offer a safe, medical detox that offers every amenity to make the process as comfortable as possible, including the option of private rooms, chef-prepared meals and daily maid service. While your body is weaned off the drugs, we’ll start you on an immediate treatment plan made up of both individual and group therapy with other patients struggling with the same problem. And you’ll recover in a setting that’s both idyllic and serene, right near the warm beaches of Miramar, Florida.
If you or someone you love is abusing prescription drugs, there’s no need to feel ashamed. But it’s critical you seek professional help to stop using safely and get your life back on track. Call Reawakenings today.
Birmingham, AL (WIAT)-Keith McCants built his dream of playing professional football at the University of Alabama. The All-American linebacker was drafted fourth overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1990. He also played for the Arizona Cardinals and the Detroit Lions all while battling a severe leg injury that later led to his prescription pain pill addiction.
When we last spoke to Keith McCants––former Alabama All-American linebacker and No. 4 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1990 NFL Draft––this past March, he was doing interviews (including an April feature with the New York Times) in order to spread awareness of his pain killer addiction and post-football struggles, hoping current and future NFL stars can avoid going down a similar path as the linebacker.
Since our interview with him, the currently sober 47-year old McCants began working closely with Reawakenings Wellness Center (rehab facility) in Miramar, Florida, speaking with the residents and young athletes to help them not go down a similar path that he went down.
Mendell founded the national organization Shatterproof, which aims to bring awareness to the 22 million Americans it says are suffering from an addiction to alcohol or drugs.
As many as 45,000 people could die from drug overdoses in the US this year, if the past few years’ trend continues. That’s more Americans than died at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1990s. It’s a serious public health crisis. But if you listen to the many, many people running for president, it barely gets any mention.