Mom Beats Son’s Heroin Dealer with Bat: Judge Throws the Book at Her

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dreamstime_16098860When one woman went to the home of her son’s drug dealer with a baseball bat, she had every intention of using it. She steadfastly declared that this 22-year-old adult was providing her underage son with heroin and when her son was unable to kick his addiction due to the continued provision of heroin thanks to his dealer, she took matters into her own hands.

To police and to the judge, she never denied her actions. She took full responsibility for what she did, knowing that she would like be charged with assault (she was) and risked losing her freedom, up to a year in jail. To her, it was a matter of life and death and stopping this person from giving heroin to her son was more important than her freedom.

More Important than Anything

A mother’s resolve to save her son from heroin addiction is admirable, but of course, taking the law into her own hands was not the best way to approach the issue. If someone you love is living with an addiction, knocking out a drug dealer with a baseball bat will do little but get you arrested. Other dealers are waiting in the wings to take the place of each one that falls to violence, arrest, or overdose.

The fact is, addiction is a medical disorder and it requires medical and psychotherapeutic treatment. Comprehensive intervention that includes a wide range of evidence-based treatments and therapies will provide the brightest hope for a future without addiction. Your loved one must learn how to cope without drugs; simply removing one source of drugs will do little in terms of the big picture of her addiction and her life.

Help Your Loved One Make Real Progress

Are you ready to learn more about the treatment options available to your loved one? There are a number of different choices to make when it comes to picking a rehab that’s right for your loved one, including:

  • Inpatient or outpatient
  • 30-day program or longer
  • Detox-only or comprehensive care
  • Traditional or alternative/ holistic treatment
  • Sober living or aftercare services
  • Gender-specific or integrated treatment

Here at Orchid Recovery Center, we offer an inpatient woman-centered addiction treatment program that is tailor-made to address the unique issues facing women in recovery. You can learn more about the different types of therapeutic treatment and assistance we provide here at Orchid when you contact us at the phone number listed above. Call now.

The Power of Vulnerability: Christina Huffington Shares Her Story of Addiction and Recovery

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Cocaine Rehab TreatmentThe daughter of Arianna Huffington, Christina, recently wrote a piece to share that she is a cocaine addict in recovery. She said that personal issues including her parents’ divorce sent her searching for solace and she found it in cocaine use and abuse.

Said Christina: “One line erased my doubts, my fears and my insecurities. I was euphoric. Gone was the girl who wanted to crawl out of her skin and in her place was the confident, beautiful girl I always wanted to be. For six years, I chased that high on and off, but I never found it again. Instead I found self-hatred. I found pure selfishness.”

Christina is exceptionally self-aware given her young age. Now 22, she has been sober for more than a year, and recognizes that most people go through extreme trauma, abuse, or other hardship and ultimately choose the route she did – and she felt ashamed because she experienced nothing like that and came from a wealthy family as well.

She went onto share why she felt compelled to write about her experience with addiction and treatment, saying: “My life as it is today was unthinkable 13 months ago. Yes, I mean the particulars — I have a steady job and healthy, loving relationships — but more than that I’ve learned to be vulnerable. I’ve learned how to apologize and how to forgive. I’ve learned how much strength it takes to let go. If writing this can help one person feel a little less alone, if it encourages one person to ask for help, if it allows one person to know that no matter how hopeless it feels right now, it can get better, then that is enough.”

Helping Your Loved One Gain Clarity – and Freedom – Through Recovery

If someone you care about is struggling with her ability to remain sober and focused on the positive in life, you can be an agent of change for her. Offering your family member the opportunity to go to drug rehab may not be an easy discussion to have, but it will be well worth the discomfort if it helps her to move closer to a life where she feels more balanced and able to handle her life. Staging an intervention can be an effective measure as it provides you with the support of other concerned family members and it gives her the chance to choose to make the move to rehab immediately. Learn more about helping your loved one get started in recovery here at Orchid Recovery Center when you contact us at the phone number listed above.

Kevin Hart Says DUI Arrest is a “Wake Up Call”

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legal_01In April, the comedian Kevin Hart was arrested for driving while drunk. CNN reported that he was cruising at 90 miles per hour down the freeway, weaving from lane to lane, and narrowly missed running into a gas tanker when he was pulled over.

The California Highway Patrol statement on the incident said: “Mr. Hart had objective signs of intoxication and was unable to perform the field sobriety tests.”

Hart was arrested, booked, and released with $5000 bail.

Hart took to Twitter to comment on the incident, saying: “When the cop asked me to take the sobriety test I said ‘WHY WASTE OUR TIME … I’M DRUNK MAN.’”

He later tweeted: “This is a wake up call for me, I have to be smarter & last night I wasn’t … everything happens for a reason,” and “Drinking & driving is not a game or a laughing matter. People have lost lives because of stupid … this!.”

Arrest for DUI

Getting arrested for driving under the influence can be a wakeup call – not just for the driver but for their family member as well. It’s a serious issue that puts everything into perspective – no longer is the person’s drinking subjectively harmful. When anyone gets behind the wheel while intoxicated, it puts their life in jeopardy and the lives of everyone else on the road as well. While someone’s drinking may just be termed problematic and a concern prior to an arrest, there’s no denying that changes need to be made after a DUI. If the drinker is unable to moderate their alcohol intake or their behavior while drinking, it can be a sign that it’s time to seek treatment.

Moving Forward Through Recovery

An alcohol rehab program that offers a wide range of therapeutic resources is the best option for those who struggle with an alcohol use disorder. Whether the issue is binge drinking, alcohol abuse, or full blown alcoholism, treatment can help. One doesn’t have to be an alcoholic to benefit from alcohol rehab. The therapies provided in treatment can offer:

  • Processing assistance for underlying trauma or past abuse
  • Treatment for co-occurring mental health symptoms
  • Family therapy
  • Coping skills for dealing with stress, anger, and other emotional issues that often trigger heavy drinking

Contact us today at Orchid Recovery Center to learn more about how we can provide your loved one with the treatment they need to stop drinking today.

Woman Fakes Cancer to Get Money for Heroin Addiction

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heroin abuseBrittany Oxarowski is facing charges for soliciting donations online and from her community to pay for cancer treatments when in fact she was using the money to pay for her heroin addiction. She put up a website that detailed her “struggle” with cancer, the medications and medical treatments she had supposedly undergone and even started a Facebook page. Both featured a picture of her smiling bravely and detailed her ongoing need for funds to continue fighting the good fight against the deadly disease. Her song and dance was exceedingly convincing – as a heroin addict, she did look like she was dying – and she allegedly stole thousands upon thousands of dollars from well meaning people hoping to help her heal, according to the New York Daily News.

On her website, Oxarowski wrote: “In September of 2011 I was diagnosed with stage two ovarian cancer as well as stomach cancer. After multiple treatments of both radiation and chemotherapy I had beaten cancer as of December of 2011. I was cancer free until they had found a tumor on my left hip in February of 2012. That is when I found out I have bone cancer. The cancer has spread to my spine as well as my brain.”

Facing Prosecution

Suffolk County prosecutors are not going to let it slide. They say she never underwent any of the procedures that were supposedly the reason for asking for money. Said Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota: “There was no cancer, no chemotherapy, no radiation, and no medical bills. There was just heroin.”

It wasn’t just strangers who were fooled by Oxarowski’s scam. Neighbors who she had known her entire life were drawn in. One even gave her $10,000 and was hurt and shocked to find that the whole thing had been a lie to support her drug habit.

Said the neighbor: “All your life I’ve known you since you were this big, and you take advantage of me like that? She completely fooled me. She completely fooled everybody.”

Get Help Before Addiction Causes More Problems

Now, Oxarowski not only has to deal with her heroin addiction but 24 criminal charges that include forgery and petty larceny.

If your loved one is living with a heroin addiction, help her to heal before she ends up in front of a judge. Call now for more information about our woman-centered addiction treatment program here at Orchid Recovery Center.

New Treatment Options Explored for Prenatal Drug Abuse Treatment

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When a woman is pregnant and living with an active drug addiction, the first priority is to help her to get her addiction issues under control in a way that preserves the unborn child’s health as much as possible. In a situation where a pregnancy does not exist, the woman’s addiction takes priority. Usually, immediate detox is recommended and the withdrawal symptoms that result are treated as they occur. If a woman is pregnant and this method is attempted, in most cases, she will have a miscarriage, thus, pregnant women are often given maintenance medications or slowly weaned off of their drug of choice in a very controlled manner in order to mitigate further damage to their own health and that of their baby.

Some people believe, however, that this slow weaning method can be improved upon, increasing the quality of new life for the child as well as the pregnancy of the mother. Are there better options for treatment available?

JAMA Study

In a recent study published in Journal of Addiction Medicine, some different options for pregnant women that would allow them to address their addiction issues safely were explored – specifically, the use of diluted oral morphine solution instead of opiate-based medications used to treat opiate addiction. It was found that this solution, when administered in a clinical setting and firmly monitored, was not only an effective choice for the treatment of opiate addiction in pregnant women but potentially safer.

The Right Choice for You

As is always the case when there is no known cure for a disorder and multiple options for treatment, the method chosen should be based on the patient’s needs, goals, and experience. It can take quite a bit of conversation and weighing of options for a patient to choose what is best for her needs.

The ideal scenario for the treatment of an opiate addiction in a pregnant woman is a stay in a residential treatment program. Even if she cannot stay for the duration of her pregnancy, the time she spends with 24-hour care and treatment can not only help to prepare her for a life of abstinence when the baby is born but also offer:

  • Medical care as they stabilize in detox
  • Ongoing medical support in the event of an emergency with the pregnancy or detox medication
  • Psychological support as they go through the process of pregnancy, addiction treatment, and building a new life for two people in sobriety
  • Parenting classes to aid in arranging life’s priorities around a child
  • Education in how to help a child who is born drug-dependent

At Orchid Recovery Center, we offer an intensive drug treatment program to all women in need of addiction treatment, no matter their pregnancy-status. Contact us today for more information.

Lindsay Lohan Talks to Letterman About Court Ordered Drug Rehab

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Maybe it was a PR move to convince viewers and potential employers alike that she’s doing well and on the right track, but Lindsay Lohan recently appeared on Letterman to talk about how much she’s “looking forward” to heading off to court ordered drug rehab.

But Letterman wasn’t letting her off easy. He pushed to know more, asking: “How will this time be different? What are they rehabbing, first of all? What is on their list? What are they going to work on when you walk through the door?”

Lohan was a little caught off guard, commenting that they hadn’t gone over this in the pre-interview, but her response was still polished: “To be honest, I’m the happiest when I’m working and the healthiest, and I think this an opportunity for me to, you know, focus on what I love in life. And I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I think it’s a blessing . . .and not a curse.”

Time to Herself

Lohan also said in the interview that she was “looking forward to some time for herself” in drug rehab. It may sound like an offhand comment, one that one might also make in reference to an upcoming vacation, but in fact, the time dedicated to nothing but self and recovery is a huge part of why residential treatment is so effective – especially for women.

All day, every day, women are bombarded with expectations. Career, partner, children, extended family, friends – every woman’s experience is different but there is no shortage of people who are in need of time and attention. Many women use drugs and alcohol in an effort to meet the demands placed on them by self and others; other women use drugs and alcohol to escape the guilt or stress that piles up. In residential treatment, women have the opportunity to do nothing but focus on their own needs, their health, their emotional wellbeing, their fears and hopes and goals. It’s a rare time, and most patients come to cherish it even if they are initially concerned about their ability to spend so much time on themselves.

Looking Forward

Women who are heavily connected at home and at work and have a number of people counting on them will benefit most from drug rehab. Though they may often feel that they don’t have the “luxury” of enrolling in a full-time treatment program, the fact is that the relationships and job expectations that they are juggling will likely start to fall apart in short order if they don’t get the treatment they need to address their addiction issues.

If your loved one is living with a drug or alcohol dependence, help her to connect with the care that will help her heal when you contact us here at Orchid Recovery Center.

Binge Drinking, Rape, and Assault: It’s a Feminist Issue

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One girl is asking an obvious – and often overlooked – question: why isn’t getting ridiculously drunk an issue that is discussed with the kind of severity reserved for other feminist debates like equal pay for the same work and better healthcare for female-specific ailments?

Her name is Kate Torgovnick and she writes at The Frisky: “Extreme drinking, the kind we see on Jersey Shore, the kind we know goes down on college campuses all across the country, the kind we see around us in bars on weekend nights, the kind that fueled The Hangover, the kind that inspires all those “last night, I was so drunk” stories that people like to tell – regularly puts women in danger in the name of a good time.”

It’s not just an issue of bad behavior, because certainly that is not a gender specific issue when alcohol is involved. Torgovonick cites some pretty disturbing statistics to support her argument that women would be better friends to each other if they didn’t allow each other to get stupidly drunk as a form of entertainment:

  • 47 percent of reported rapes involve both a victim and a perpetrator who is drunk.
  • In 17 percent of reported rapes, the perpetrator only was drunk.
  • In 7 percent of cases, only the victim was drunk.

Based on these facts, Torgovonick says: “This has me wondering if changing our culture – from one where binge drinking is allowed, normalized, and in many situations even encouraged to one where people are urged to know their limits and always have their wits about them – could lead to a significant drop in the number of women who have to endure sexual assaults.”

Torgovonick isn’t a proponent of abstinence for those who aren’t alcoholics or addicts. Rather, she equates sexual assault with cancer and suggest preventative measures like knowing your limits and finding better ways to celebrate than overindulging in alcohol.

She says: “As women, we need to take care of ourselves and each other. And drinking too much too often doesn’t mesh with that goal.”

If one of your friends is struggling with an alcohol problem, you can help her if it seems like she’s unable to help herself. Offer her the option of drug rehab that is provided by women and for women. Contact us today at Orchid Recovery Center for more information on how to get started.

Teen Mom 2’s Jenelle Evans Admits to Heroin Addiction

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Twitter may be one of the downfalls of the young reality star, Jenelle Evans, of Teen Mom 2, but it’s certainly not the only one. For months, rumor and conjecture about whether or not the young mother was fighting a drug problem have been tossed around online, and she recently – if inadvertently – revealed the truth behind the stories in a tweet.

She tweeted: “I hate you kieffer!!!! why cant you leave my life alone and stay away from me..you got me strung out on heroin #BYE.”

Which Came First?

The Kieffer she is referring to is most likely her ex-boyfriend Kieffer Delp, often on the show and part of the many problems that Jenelle has had in keeping her life together. But is her addiction his fault?

It’s a chicken and egg question. Which came first: the boyfriend or the addiction? In Jenelle’s case, it appears that she had drug abuse issues with marijuana prior to meeting the boyfriend who either introduced her to heroin or used with her and helped her to develop an abuse problem that turned into an addiction. While her relationships may indeed have played a part in the exacerbation of her addiction issues, she spoke plainly to her lawyer on camera for the show about her concern for her ability to avoid smoking marijuana as ordered due to her anxiety issues. In the end, it doesn’t matter how it began as long as she and other women like her get the treatment they need to stop.

Overcoming Obstacles to Recovery

Too often relationships play a large part in the development of a woman’s use of illicit substances and can be one of the obstacles stopping them from entering treatment. Some fear losing their partner while they are away and prioritize the relationship over their own health. While it is possible to maintain a relationship while in rehab, it’s impossible to continue to date someone who is actively using when you are clean and sober without relapsing yourself. In order for the relationship to survive, both people will have to stop drinking and getting high and then put in the work to build a strong and functional relationship together. This is a difficult process but not impossible to achieve. However, both people must recognize from the start that their first priority is not the relationship but their own personal sobriety.

Learn more about how to overcome the obstacles that often cause women to miss out on the opportunities provided by intensive drug rehabilitation when you contact us at Orchid Recovery Center today.

UPS, FedEx are Under Investigation in Connection with Online Pharmacies

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In an effort to crack down on the copious amounts of prescription pills that are diverted on the black market and the resulting skyrocketing rates of addiction and overdose, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is investigating absolutely everyone who could possibly be involved, no matter how remotely – even shipping companies like FedEx and UPS, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Though the DEA isn’t talking about any aspect of the ongoing investigations, one the companies isn’t keeping quiet – but they aren’t necessarily complaining about it, either. They are making it clear that they take no active part in the issue either way. That is, they aren’t trying to stop drug trafficking and they aren’t trying to help it either. It’s simply not their job, according to the spokesman for FedEx, Patrick Fitzgerald.

Said Fitzgerald: “We are a transportation company — we are not law enforcement, we are not doctors and we are not pharmacists. We have no interest in violating the privacy of our customers by opening and inspecting their packages in an attempt to determine the legality of the contents. We stand ready and willing to support and assist law enforcement. We cannot, however, do their jobs for them.”

Fitzgerald went on to say that his company had attempted to cut the problem out at the root of the issue by asking the DEA for a list of pharmacies that were suspected of illegal activity so that they could stop doing business with them. The DEA did not provide such a list.

UPS did not formally respond to inquiries about the investigation but had stated in a corporate filing that they were cooperating fully.

Certainly, the packaging companies have some friends in government. One US Representative from Florida sent a letter to the DEA and the Attorney General asking that they understand “the difficulty and unfairness of requiring those carriers to assume responsibility for the legality and validity of the contents of the millions of sealed packages that they pick up and deliver every day.”

It is admirable that the DEA is going to such lengths to cut back on the problem of prescription drug abuse. When combined with other efforts, it may be a part of the preventative process. Other measures that are being suggested or implemented in different states include:

  • Increased physician education about prescription drug abuses and risks
  • Increased education of the patient about these same risks by the prescribing physician
  • Increased public education efforts
  • Changes to the prescription regulations for certain addictive drugs

What do you think of the investigation into UPS and FedEx? A good move in the right direction or a waste of resources? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

Pregnant? The Long-Term and Short-Term Effects of Prenatal Drug Abuse

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Drug use during pregnancy damages lives – the life of the mother, the life of the child, the life of the future caregiver or caregivers if the mother is unable to get her addiction under control and raise her child. The behavioral, physical, and mental health effects of prenatal drug abuse have been noted anecdotally through medical records and hospital reports, but more and more scientific studies are documenting the need for immediate drug intervention for young addicted mothers – including a study published in the journal Pediatrics. This study identified some of the effects of prenatal drug use on the newborn as well as the effects experienced by these children as they grew older.

Newborn Effects of Prenatal Drug Use

  • Fetal growth. Babies born to addicted mothers are generally smaller than their peers. Many never catch up or have poor physical health in their first year as a result.
  • Congenital problems. Facial clefts in the infant have been associated with use of certain drugs during pregnancy.
  • Withdrawal symptoms. Most babies born to addicted parents are addicted themselves. This means a forced detox upon birth complete with all the excruciating withdrawal symptoms experienced by adults.
  • Neural issues. Low muscle tone, low levels of arousal, increased startles and tremors, and higher levels of stress are all indicated in babies born to addicted mothers.
  • Breastfeeding. The number of mothers who use drugs during pregnancy and the number of mothers who use drugs during breastfeeding are similar. Depending on the drug of choice, the doctor may decide that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the potential drug exposure. In most cases, however, doctors advise against breastfeeding if an addiction in the mother persists after delivery because all the same risks and problems can develop.

Long-Term Effects of Prenatal Drug Use

  • Physical growth. Some drugs indicated stunted growth in the child born to an addicted mother.
  • Behavior problems. Children of all ages who were exposed to drugs in the womb have higher rates of criminal behavior, problems at school, and drug abuse issues of their own.
  • Cognitive and executive function issues. General IQ in the child is negatively impacted by the mothers use of certain drugs while other drugs decrease the child’s executive functioning, memory, and visual-motor ability.
  • Language development. Language delays and difficulties have been associated with the use of certain drugs during pregnancy.
  • School performance. In almost every case, prenatal drug exposure decreases the child’s ability to perform well academically.
  • Predisposition to drug use and dependence. Genetic predisposition to drug use and abuse is an issue for children born into families where an addiction disorder is a problem for a close relative. When they are exposed to drugs in utero, the predisposition issue becomes an even more formidable problem.

Help your addicted, pregnant loved one stop using drugs before she harms her child. Contact us at Orchid Recovery Center today.