Congratulations! You’ve signed up to go to alcohol rehab but you’ve got a couple of days or a week before you can actually leave. Whether it’s by your choice or due to availability at the alcohol addiction treatment center you’ve chosen, you’re faced with how you should be spending the next few days. Most alcoholics will think the same thing: drink as much as you can while you can before heading off to treatment. But is that the safest choice? Should you try and quit drinking altogether? How else can you fill your time before going off to treatment?

The Dangers of Binge Drinking Before Alcohol Rehab

There are so many possible risks that you take on when you choose to binge drink before heading to alcohol addiction treatment: drunk driving accident, accident due to negligence under the influence, alcohol poisoning, overdose when mixing alcohol with other drugs, violence and assault, et cetera. Additionally, if you spend days before going to alcohol rehab drinking to excess, you’re going to feel horrible when you first arrive. The first couple of days will be difficult enough physically – you’ll only make it worse by drinking with the intent to overdo it.

The Dangers of Quitting Drinking Before Alcohol Rehab

For those who experience withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop drinking, it isn’t recommended to try to quit cold turkey unless you have medical professionals there to supervise and advise. The withdrawal symptoms can be managed and you will be much more comfortable until you are in the alcohol detox portion of your rehab program and have access to medications designed to treat your symptoms, reduce cravings, and help you more quickly –and safely – get the alcohol out of your system.

Even if you don’t have withdrawal symptoms beyond a serious hangover when you stop drinking, it’s likely that you will still feel ill when you quit by yourself and crave alcohol even more. Trying to do this without the help of doctors and counselors can weaken your resolve to go to treatment and take away your chance at getting better and starting a new life for yourself in recovery.

So What Do You Do Before Leaving for Alcohol Rehab?

Take it easy. Drink minimally to avoid making yourself feel worse at rehab but not so little that you begin to go through withdrawal symptoms. Get lots of rest. Drink lots of water. Spend time with supportive family and friends and take the first baby steps toward your dreams for future versions of yourself.

It’s not just Whitney Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina, who is making headlines due to alleged drug abuse
and potential addiction behavior. Now it’s Whitney herself who is reportedly beginning a drug rehab program. Like many celebrities, there is no admission from her camp that she is actually living with an active drug addiction that requires treatment, but that she is simply checking in so that she can maintain her long-term recovery and be proactive against relapse.

Whitney Houston’s rep says: “Whitney Houston is currently in an outpatient rehab program for drug and alcohol treatment. Whitney voluntarily entered the program to support her long-standing recovery process.”

When Outpatient Drug Addiction Treatment is a Good Idea

Whether or not Whitney has relapsed or if she is genuinely attempting to fight for a continued sobriety, an outpatient addiction treatment program is the perfect choice for her. Because she has already attended multiple inpatient treatment programs and learned how to remain clean and sober for the most part, an outpatient rehab can give her the refresher course she needs to stay in touch with the principles of sobriety, get a little guidance on specific issues that are causing her trouble, and have a supportive group of people who will hold her accountable for her actions for the duration of the program. For some patients, the constant possibility of a drug test is enough to help them avoid relapse and filling that sober time with personal therapy, group therapy, volunteer work, experiential therapy, alternative treatments and more can do nothing but bolster sobriety.

When Outpatient Drug Addiction Treatment is not a Good Idea

In general, it is not recommended that you attend outpatient drug addiction treatment if:

• It’s your first time in treatment after a long-term addiction.
• If you experience withdrawal symptoms when attempting to stop taking your drug of choice in addition to cravings and will require inpatient drug detox.
• If you have been living with an addiction without treatment for a long period of time, whether or not you have attended drug rehab in the past.
• If you are diagnosed with a co-occurring psychological, social, or behavioral disorder that makes the drug addiction more difficult to handle.
• If you have concerns that you will be unable to avoid relapse when you leave the program each day.

Though there are a number of situations in which outpatient addiction treatment is the only option – and it can be very effective – in most cases, a more intensive inpatient drug rehab program is recommended.

Contact us today to learn more about the addiction treatment programs available here at The Orchid.

It was all over the headlines when Christina Aguilera was arrested and jailed briefly for public intoxication while her boyfriend, Matthew Rutler, was charged with a DUI for driving the car under the influence of alcohol.

Aguilera didn’t seem to take the incident or the media rush to tell the world very seriously. She said: “We’re only able to be seen through the microscope of the media and what people gossip about. You take the good with the bad. It’s by telling our stories, sharing our experiences and really giving a firsthand look at us as human beings [that shows] who we really are apart from what we seem to be.”

Though she had to address the issue of the recent media attention for her drunken night out, her focus remains on her upcoming show, The Voice, where she will be a judge picking out talent based only on the voice of the contestant rather than their appearance. She’s hoping to pass along the lessons she’s learned through her fame to aspiring stars.

Aguilera says: “I am ready to share it all so I’m really excited. I hope we can find the next biggest thing. But I’m not looking for vocal acrobatics. I really sincerely want to be moved by raw talent. The Voice isn’t about tearing people down. I want to bring people up. I want to empower them and give them all the tools I had. I love that I get to be a part of that.”

Finding Balance Between the Good and the Bad in Drug Addiction Recovery

Though it’s important not to get too bogged down when you relapse in alcohol addiction recovery,  it’s also important to take it seriously enough to analyze the situation, figure out what triggered it, and make a plan that ensures it doesn’t happen again. It’s a balance. Those who are flippant about the situation will learn nothing from it and those who feel so guilty that they can’t move forward will both experience the same result: another relapse. Life in recovery is a series of events and emotions that may or may not trigger the temptation to relapse and the individual learning through experience how to stop themselves from making poor decisions that only worsen the situation.

Getting Started in Treatment: How Balance is Achieved

Attending an inpatient drug and alcohol rehab program is one of the best ways to begin gathering the tools you need to fight off relapse in recovery. Here you will meet medical professionals who can treat your physical addiction, psychological professionals who can give you guidance as you navigate through the emotional battlefield that may have brought you to addiction, and peers who are going through the same issues. The longer you stay, the more tools you will gather and the more time you will have to develop a firmer foundation for your long-term recovery.

Call now to find out how The Orchid can get you started.

In the scheme of things, the legal issues themselves are not that big of a deal: Christina Aguilera was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication and was released on a $250 bail. It’s not the legality of the thing that has her friends, family and fans concerned, however. It’s the fact that this is the latest incident that many describe as a downward spiral. Those close to the pop star are concerned that she may need alcohol rehab or an intervention in the very near future.

Drinking and the Concerns of Family Members and Friends

Why are people concerned? For one thing, the same night that Aguilera was arrested, her boyfriend, Matthew Rutler, was also arrested but his charge was far more serious: driving under the influence. His bail was no low-ball $250 but $30,000. The fact that Aguilera would get in the car with someone who was in no condition to drive is far more concerning than a public intoxication charge.

Sources say that Aguilera’s friends are irritated by her behavior. After splitting up with her husband of five years last September, Aguilera has been involved in a string of incidents, almost all of which are attributed to drinking. One source says: “She’s really spiraling. I would be shocked if she’s not in rehab in the next month or two.”

Traumatic Events and Alcohol Addiction

It’s not uncommon for a traumatic event like a divorce to trigger a pattern of behavior characterized by alcohol abuse. Depression over losing a long-term relationship is completely understandable, especially in the first few months of dealing with the issue. Not everyone is equipped to simply take it in stride and move forward. Turning to alcohol in a time of stress and depression is not uncommon. But when it becomes a daily pattern or bingeing becomes an issue, the fear of disastrous results due to accident, negligence or overdose is valid.

Helping a Family Member Fight Alcohol Abuse and Addiction

If someone you care about is ruining their life with continued alcohol abuse, you can help them to recognize that theirs is a problem that requires treatment by staging an intervention for them. When you gather together with others who care about your loved one and confront them with the truth behind their behavior, you give them the opportunity to seek immediate treatment and avoid the potential dangers of continued alcohol abuse.

If your loved one is addicted to alcohol and requires alcohol detox as well as addiction treatment, an inpatient rehab may be appropriate. You can hire an interventionist who will not only assist you with the intervention but escort your loved one to treatment should she accept addiction help. Contact us at The Orchid today to learn more about our alcohol rehab program for women and get the information you need to help the woman you care about fight her battle against alcohol today.

Chaz Bono is well-known in both the mainstream media and GLBTQ circles as Sonny and Cher’s transgendered child. Much has been splashed across tabloids about Chaz’s transition and Cher’s reaction, and now, Chaz is speaking up through a documentary designed to dispel myths and help those who may be considering a transition of their own.

The documentary is called Becoming Chaz, and Chaz premiered the film at Sundance this year. The movie chronicles not only Chaz’s transition from female to male but discusses his recovery from drug addiction.

Drug addiction is not uncommon among transgendered individuals, both female-to-male and male-to-female. Especially among transgendered youth, the fears of how their families, kids at school and others in their community will react to the transition can drive many to seek escape in drugs and alcohol.

When Chaz discussed his documentary and plans for a sequel, he said: “I wanted to do this because I wanted to help people. And I knew that…I could put a face on this issue that people just don’t understand because it’s a hard one to understand. I wanted to be able to change people’s hearts and minds on this.”

Gender Identification, Transition and Drug Addiction

Feeling as if you are living your life in the wrong body and unable to reconcile what you see in the mirror with how you identify yourself is almost inexplicable to anyone who doesn’t experience it. Trying to help friends and family understand what is happening leads to feelings of isolation, confusion, guilt, depression and fear – all of which can ultimately lead to drug abuse and addiction for teens and adults, no matter what the cause.

Fighting Drug Addiction in the Transgender Community

Just like any other situation that leads to drug addiction, early identification is key. Discerning the difference between recreational abuse and an addiction that requires drug and alcohol addiction treatment can be difficult when it’s your life or the life of someone you are close to, but it’s essential to getting the necessary help. Enrolling in treatment sooner rather than later can have a big impact on the outcome of that treatment. The earlier you get the help you need, the more effective the treatment and the longer most will be able to sustain abstinence in recovery. 

Find Help for Drug Addiction

If you or someone you love is living with drug and/ or alcohol addiction, help is only a phone call away. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you come back from addiction and create a life for yourself in recovery.