Why One Benefits From Receiving Non-12 Step Drug Rehab Treatment

August 1st, 2011 by admin No comments »

If you are trying to recover from a drug addiction and reclaim your life, the most common treatment methods available are usually based on a version of the traditional 12 step model which takes less than 30 days to complete. Although this methodology can be effective for some, long term drug rehabs that are considerably lengthier provides much more effective treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.

Unfortunately, the popularity of the 30 day program is mostly money-driven. This started when originally most insurance companies would only cover up to 30 days of drug rehabilitation. While molding treatment to the demands from insurance coverage, this resulted in a publicly popular treatment model which actually produces higher percentage of patients relapsing opposed to other methods of addiction therapy. Those who have been serious about facing their addiction and honestly wanting to end the cycle of relapse have not settled for mediocre rehab; and fortunately looked further into alternative non 12 step drug rehab options.

A primary advantage from non twelve step drug rehabs are they allow patients to approach their own individual problems in-depth, complemented by complete physical detoxification processes which is not what one would normally find at a typical twelve step program.

While no program is perfect, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both the 12 steps and non 12 step methodology of treatment, there are many reasons why most researchers consider non 12 step programs more effective. One key factor is rather than being limited to a set 30 days of treatment, non 12 step drug rehabs are generally long term treatment programs which can last upwards to 90 days or longer.

12 step programs also rely heavily on group therapy sessions where patients are encouraged to share their past experiences in a group setting as they try to overcome their addiction. With limited time and generic non-individualized treatment, this unfortunately leaves little that can actually be accomplished with traditional 12 step therapy. » Read more: Why One Benefits From Receiving Non-12 Step Drug Rehab Treatment

Why Older Adults Should Limit Their Drinking Habits

August 1st, 2011 by admin No comments »

Alcohol abuse is a severe problem not only among teens, but also among older adults. With many health problems arising at this age, the effects of alcohol abuse further add up to the problems in the older adults. Alcohol abuse at this age can develop health problems and chronic diseases. Older adults’ body cannot withstand the severe effects of alcohol abuse. Hence older adults should limit their drinking habits.

Older adults should limit their drinking

Many studies today suggest that older adults should limit their drinking habits. The Royal College of Psychiatrists recently recommended that limits of drinking alcohol for older people should be drastically cut down. They suggested that the upper ‘safe drinking limits’ for the people aged 65 and above should be reduced from 3 units to 1.5 units of alcohol per day.

According to American Medical Association (AMA), 3 million Americans aged above 60 years are alcoholics and the alcohol related hospitalizations among the elderly are as common as heart attacks.

Physical effects

Alcohol has many harmful effects on the physiology of the body. The major physical effects of alcohol abuse are:

• Increases the risk of various types of cancers like liver, pancreas, breast and mouth
• Raises the risk of heart strokes by increasing the blood pressure and blood lipids
• Causes fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis
• Increases the risk of kidney failure by enlarging the kidneys and altering the hormone functions
• Heavy drinking can result in weak bones (osteoporosis), diabetes, high blood pressure and ulcers
• It may also lead to immune system disorders and brain damage » Read more: Why Older Adults Should Limit Their Drinking Habits