The Internet has been lighting up with stories about Academy Award winning actress Tatum O’Neal checking herself back into rehab after years of sobriety. Tatum, daughter of actor Ryan O’Neal, has struggled very publicly with drug addiction over the past two decades. She wrote her personal memoir, A Paper Life, which detailed her years of heroin addiction. Tatum got sober before marrying now ex-husband, tennis hot-head John McEnroe. The two split ways after she relapsed and was unable to stop using. Since she had children with McEnroe, the press somewhat vilified Tatum for her behavior at the time

However, after the 2011 documentary series Ryan and Tatum: The O’Neals, the public watched in technicolor as she and her father Ryan attempted to reunite after being estranged for 25 years. They explored the roots of Tatum’s loneliness, neglect and alleged abuse at the hands of her parents as well as her family history of addiction. The audience watched as Tatum looked for validation from her father to no avail. As a result, it is reported their relationship remains on shaky ground to this day.

Reps Say Tatum’s Treatment Is Preventative, Not Due to Relapse

With such a drug-fueled history, it is not hard to see why when Tatum is associated with a treatment center the assumption would be she had experienced a relapse. Nevertheless, it seems, according to Tatum’s spokesperson, drug relapse is not responsible for her seeking help. She has been having back problems for a period of time that recently led to back surgery. To deal with the pain post-surgery, she was prescribed medications that could possibly lead to addiction.

Evidently, Tatum made a very smart move. She obviously understands the current problems with prescription drug addiction and knows her own personal tendencies. Her rep told the press, “She will always seek supervision when taking prescription medication that has addictive potential.” While Tatum is recovering, she will make sure she is in the presence of skilled addiction professionals to avoid any future dependency that might develop without their direct guidance.

Anyone in Recovery Can Learn From Tatum’s Example

Since prescription drugs are the fastest growing addiction in the US and many painkillers, such as OxyContin, provide a rush similar to heroin, Tatum made a practical and potential life-saving decision to opt for supervision. This is an example anyone in recovery from drugs or alcohol should follow if they are prescribed painkillers.

If you find yourself in this position, contact us immediately. We can help you through the situation. Call us today and discuss the possibilities. Remember, it’s always easier to stop an addiction before it starts.

With five years of sobriety under her belt, the former Miss USA Tara Conner is now talking about the time she spent in drug rehab, according to PalmBeachPost.com. Six years ago, Conner was crowned Miss USA in 2006, but almost lost her title when her addiction became apparent. Donald Trump, the owner of the Miss USA pageant, told her she needed to get help – or she would lose her crown.

Says Conner about rehab: “I learned so much there. They gave me the tools to get out of rehab and live my life and live it with dignity and grace. It’s been an amazing journey.”

Getting High – and Getting Well – in Front of Cameras

Conner’s trip to rehab was far from the public eye. Because it happened so soon after her crowning, her addiction and rehab experience were all over the media but, according to Conner, that was a good thing: “It was a huge public controversy, and it was the best thing that ever could have happened to me because it held me accountable. We all have an opportunity where we get a moment of clarity and we have an option to make a decision. That was mine.”

Conner’s Alcohol History

Conner began drinking at 14 but she says few people knew about it. She stayed in school, continued on the pageant circuit and eventually won the Miss USA title –- all while living with an active dependence upon alcohol. No matter what else happened in her life or what she managed to accomplish, she couldn’t escape her alcohol issues. Even now, she says that fighting off alcoholism is a daily struggle.

Said Conner: “The disease never goes away. You’re always an alcoholic or an addict. It definitely depends on your spiritual maintenance, taking care of yourself and doing something for your sobriety every day.”

Alcoholism Is a Family Problem

Conner doesn’t just talk about the effects of drug and alcohol dependence on the addict. Her focus in the talks she gives now is a bit larger; she says that addiction is a family disease. When she talks about her experience with drugs and alcohol, she hopes that it will encourage those living with the problem to get help but also, she hopes that family members of addicts will take heart and move toward a more healthy future for the entire family.

Conner says: “Everyone needs help when they’re dealing with an alcoholic. We’re just like tornadoes that come in and destroy everything.”

If you or someone you care about is living with alcoholism, getting the help necessary to heal can be the start of a brand new life. Contact us today for more information about our woman-centered alcohol and drug rehab program here at The Orchid.

Etta James, the legendary singer, passed away this month, leaving behind a library of incredible music and a success story to inspire any woman in recovery. The 73-year-old singer infamously struggled with dependence upon multiple drugs during her career but ultimately overcame addiction. Unlike most who live through what she experienced with drugs, James did not die of an overdose or a health problem related to drugs but of complications of leukemia. Her story is a shining example of what can be accomplished with a life saved from drug addiction.

Drug Abuse and Women in the Workplace

Etta James’ fight is one that many women can relate to. The music business was one that did not value the contribution of women when James was first starting out. Perhaps in an effort to deal with some of the injustices she came up against in her career, James may have turned to drugs, particularly heroin, to escape.

In 1998, another female artist who came up during the same time, the late Ruth Brown, said: “No one who wasn’t there could understand how hard someone like Etta had to fight.”

Though her R&B hit, “At Last” hit #2 in 1961, it only hit #47 on the pop charts. The wider public didn’t notice James until her song was used in a Jaguar car commercial in the early 90s. When Beyonce played a character that was loosely based on her and sang her hit song, “At Last,” in the 2008 movie Cadillac Records, she again was in the spotlight.

Heroin Addiction: An Obstacle to Success

Though it can be theorized that James’ experience in the music business may have had something to do with her addiction to drugs like heroin, it may also be said that her struggle with the drug may have caused her to have more problems making progress in her career.

It’s a combination of hard work and luck that brought Etta James back into the public eye after her initial success on the R&B charts. For women who are currently struggling with heroin addiction, what can be learned from James’ story? If nothing else, had James not beaten her issues with heroin, she would have been unable to enjoy the renewed success of her song in the ‘90s and again in 2008, performing again and again for huge crowds who appreciated her talent and music.

If you are struggling with heroin addiction, don’t let it stop you from showcasing your talent to the world. Contact us today at The Orchid and learn more about our woman-centered rehabilitation programs. Call now.

Mindy McCready lost custody of her five-year-old son to her mother due to issues with illicit substance abuse, according to CNN. However, she made headlines recently when she took her small son from her mother’s Florida home and fled, refusing to return him for days and asking that he be returned to her custody because she feared for his safety with her mother.

Though the judge in the case made no decision about who should have custody of the child (the hearing was continued), it will be up to the judge whether or not McCready’s son is returned to his grandmother, given to his mother, or put into foster care. An emergency pickup order was given for McCready’s son and mother and child were found hiding in a closet a few days later; McCready’s son was then taken into custody by the Arkansas Division of Children and Family Services.

McCready’s mother and stepfather have legal custody of her son, but she has visitation rights. Her very public struggle with addiction played a huge part in that development; the country singer took part in the 2009 season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew on VH1.

Fighting Addiction and for Custody

Though many women struggle with issues of child custody and volatile family relationships after drug addiction, it’s not an easy road to travel. The emotional stress of being without a child, the guilt involved with losing them in the first place, and the physical issues that come with drug addiction detox and treatment can make it seem like an overwhelming experience. The good news is that, though many women will fight the battle with addiction, many will win. The challenge then becomes proving to the courts that you are ready to regain custody of children who were placed elsewhere during your treatment – again, not a simple task, but one that can be managed with the right perseverance.

Staying Focused

Just like in the achievement of any goal, both drug addiction and navigating through the legal system and child protective services takes focus and commitment. There will be setbacks and surprise obstacles, as well as unexpected twists and turns – some positive, some negative – throughout both experiences. Staying focused on the goal of peace in recovery with your family around you is the only thing that will help you to get to the other side of the experience successfully.

If you would like to start your road to recovery with a comprehensive drug rehab program here at The Orchid, contact us today.

Hospice is intended to be the final phase of healthcare as someone’s life is drawing to close. The work of hospice is generally regarded as more of a mission than a job and its central goal is to keep patients and their families as comfortable as possible as they move through the end-of-life process. The use of prescription painkillers is almost always vital to hospice achieving its goal. Since hospices only accepts patients that doctors believe will pass within the next 180 days, the concept of addiction to the medications prescribed is the least of anyone’s worries as a patient’s comfort becomes paramount.

Nevertheless, medicine is by no means an exact science and predicting when someone will die is not a guarantee, but an educated guess. Currently, 200,000 patients a year survive hospice and are discharged back to live life. After surviving deadly ailments, many of these individuals are left to fight once again for their lives due to an addiction to painkillers.

It is a rare hospice patient that does not receive opioid painkillers-these prescriptions include the likes of morphine and oxycodone. Often patients are receiving much higher doses of these prescriptions than is normal. Dr. Jane Orient, a professor at the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, says she had to remove her father from a hospice who insisted on giving him morphine he did not need.

Hospice Survivors Often Find Themselves In Drug Rehabilitation

This tendency to overmedicate leaves the nearly quarter of a million people a year who survive hospice in grave danger of a prescription drug addiction. Dr. Walter Ling, director of the substance abuse program at UCLA states, “Everybody who works in the drug rehabilitation field finds these hospice cases.”

For-Profit Hospices Possibly Making Money Off Addiction and Illness

Although in general most hospice care follows its guiding principles to the letter and provides a valuable and necessary service for both patients and families, a Harvard Medical School study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) sheds some light on why we are starting to see hospice survivors turning up in drug rehabs. For-profit hospices have quadrupled Medicare hospice spending in the last ten years while not-for-profit have stayed steady. Twenty percent of for-profit hospice patients survive as compared to twelve percent of not-for-profit hospice patients with an average stay of 30 days longer. Nancy Kane, a professor of health policy at Harvard believes from her analysis of the information that “The long lengths of stay and high rates of live discharges suggest some hospices are signing up people who don’t belong in hospice.”

In other words, for-profit hospice may be manipulating medical uncertainties, such as when someone will die, for profit and possibly creating prescription painkiller addicts in the process. What do you think can be done to help curb painkiller addiction for hospice survivors? Do hospices have a responsibility to survivors who develop a dependence? Your opinions are welcome below.