People do desperate things when they are living with an active drug addiction, and one mother in Florida did the unthinkable in order to get $2000, potentially to feed her prescription drug addiction: sell the parental rights to her 5-year-old son.

According to reports, Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies arrested Jessica Marie Beers for allegedly attempting to sell her 5 year old child for $2000 to a couple who had been helping her with childcare and giving her money. It was the couple who tipped off police, telling them that the woman had offered them the money in return for parental rights of her child. The couple said that they had been helping Beers with childcare and money for months and had noticed that she had a prescription drug addiction. Over time, they said they watched her child more and more often. When Beers made them the offer, they were concerned that she would spend the money on drugs and contacted police.

The arrest happened when Beers met with the couple in order to make the exchange: the boy for the money. Beers was arrested and charged with sale of parental rights and violation of probation for grand theft, and her son was taken into custody by child protection services.

Desperation and Drug Addiction

It’s a story that flew across the country when it first broke and while many were shocked by the nature of the crime, others see it as more proof of how desperate an addiction to drugs can make anyone. Children are often the first victims when a parent is living with drug abuse. Though the incidence is more often neglect, it’s not uncommon for kids to be hurt when their parents are addicted to drugs. The only benefit of this story is the fact that it brought to light the addiction that the boy’s mother was living with and provided him with an exit to safer home while also putting her in a position to recognize the need for and to accept treatment. Many mothers live for years covering up their drug addiction to the detriment of their child. In this case, at least there is hope for the future.

Drug Addiction Treatment for Mothers

Many mothers avoid enrolling in drug rehab because their children need their care. The fact is that childcare provided from someone under the influence of drugs is not acceptable. The child will always be much better off staying with a relative until the mother is well again, then coming home to a place that is truly home where the child can feel safe and learn to respect their parents because their parents are behaving in a manner worthy of that respect.

If you would like to learn more about our drug addiction treatment program here at The Orchid, contact us today. We can help you determine the best place for your child while you get the help you need to be the mother you want to be.

Blackouts occur when someone intoxicated engages in conversations, dancing, cooking and frighteningly driving a car, but later on has no memory of the events. These periods of blackout may encompass a couple of minutes or many hours of time. Scientists have never understood the biological process behind alcohol-induced blackouts. However, in one of the latest volumes of The Journal of Neuroscience, the physiology that triggers amnesia from alcohol is uncovered.

Findings Challenge The Concept of Brain Cell Death From Binge Drinking

Neuroscientists at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered evidence that challenges previous held beliefs about alcohol’s affects on the brain. These researchers exposed brain cells of rats to both moderate and excessive amounts of alcohol. In the group with moderate exposure to alcohol there was no memory loss. However, in the group of cells with excessive alcohol, the process of memory formation was disrupted.

The research demonstrated that, in direct opposition to previously held scientific thought, excessive drinking does not automatically kill brain cells. Instead an extreme amount of alcohol competes with receptors in the brain that then produce steroids which stop the formation of new memories.

These neural receptors when exposed to alcohol have seemingly erratic behavior, with some becoming blocked while others are activated. Instead of cell death, alcohol causes a scrambling of neural activity that temporarily disables the complicated system of memory formation. This idea that alcohol is not damaging brain cells, just temporarily changing how they function, is cutting edge information.

What About Blackout From Other Substances?

Any stress on cells in the hippocampus of the brain can stop the ability to create memories. This is why drugs also have the possibility of causing blackouts. The combination of drugs and alcohol put an individual at a much higher risk to have a blackout than either substance taken on its own.

In addition, the researcher found that if steroids were blocked from being produced then the ability to form memory was protected. They found that 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, which are used for enlarged prostate glands, were able to keep memory production functioning in the presence of excess alcohol. Now the scientists are looking towards studying these prescription medications to safeguard the formation of memory in the brain.

If you or someone you know has blackouts frequently or is having other consistent problems from either alcohol or drugs, help is a phone call away. We can answer any questions you may have related to treatment at The Orchid. Don’t spend one more day wondering what to do. Pick up the phone and let someone with experience show you the way.

You have kids at home who need you to make sure they are safe, be there after school, maybe get them to school and back, help with homework, drive them to different activities, make meals, get them to doctor appointments, and put them to bed. All the responsibilities and heavy scheduling related to motherhood may even have played a part in the development of your crystal meth addiction in the first place. Now that you’ve gone to crystal meth rehab and began the process of healing from addiction, the real work begins: learning how to live everyday with all the stresses and commitments you had before but without abusing crystal meth.

Prioritizing Presence in Motherhood

When you abuse crystal meth, your mind is no longer your own. You don’t remember things as clearly later and may find it difficult to do the multi-tasking that is so often required during motherhood. While your initial energy may be higher, your mood often plummets when the drug begins to wear off or after a long period of continuous use. This is hard on you and on your kids and creates an unstable environment.

Instead of trying to force a full schedule, prioritize being present for your child. Take the time to do an art project or cook something together, work in the garden or draw on the sidewalk with chalk. Your child will value this time together just as much – if not more – than driving from one activity to the next.
Your mental presence and emotional availability means the world to your child, so if you have to cut out a few activities to make sure that homework is attended to and you get more time to just be with your children, then do it.

Make Time for Your Own Mental Health

Being present with your kids is important and it’s true that there’s quite a laundry list of things that you need to keep up with in order to make sure that they are cared for. You don’t need crystal meth to make those things happen; what you need is the time to regenerate your energy is a way that is healthful and positive so that you will be in high spirits and more focused naturally.

This means eating right, working out or going for walks on a regular basis, taking time to meet with friends for coffee, getting to the doctor regularly – basic care for yourself that keeps your mind and body in tip-top shape. When you feel better physically and have time to yourself, you can be more relaxed and giving with the time you spend with your kids – and not feel as if you need crystal meth to get you through the day.

Crystal Meth Rehab for Women

If you are living with an active addiction to crystal meth, contact us at The Orchid today. We provide woman-centered treatment that will help you create a life for yourself and your family that will sustain you all for years to come.

Women are more likely to develop an addiction to drugs and alcohol than are men when they begin to experiment or abuse drugs casually, and they tend to develop that addiction more quickly and on lesser amount of their drug of choice. That’s the bad news. The worse news is that women are less likely to seek treatment than are men who are living with similar drug and alcohol addictions. Why? Perhaps it’s the stigma of drug addiction that they wish to avoid. Maybe it’s because they feel that they can’t leave children who are dependent upon them. No matter what the reason, the hardest part for women is recognizing that they have an addiction issue that is significant and requires drug rehab and then getting them the drug addiction treatment they need to heal.

But what about after drug rehab? What chances does a woman have at full recovery after addiction? What kind of life can she create for herself after addiction?

Statistics Show that Women Succeed in Drug Addiction Recovery

The good news for women battling a drug or alcohol addiction is they are more likely to recover if they seriously seek treatment. Research has proven that the relapse rates for women are less than for the male population. Experts speculate this is due to the fact that women are more likely to use the group therapy offered in rehab to their advantage. Women are better able to form bonds and create a support network with their peers in counseling than men. These statistics demonstrate that relapse prevention needs to be approached differently between the genders in rehab.

The Benefits of a Network of Support in Drug Addiction Recovery

It’s true that women fare better after drug rehab when they have a group of gals to lean on. In general, women are social creatures by nature and get more from the benefits of sharing their feelings or venting and thus avoiding a relapse and/ or being there for others in a supportive capacity. Creating a community in recovery can help patients to remain accountable for their actions and their commitment to staying clean and sober. It can be extremely positive, and though the mechanism of group therapy and support groups are helpful for men as well, they are an especially positive choice for women in recovery.

Drug Rehab for Women

Many drug rehabs offer extended care for female graduates, woman-centered therapies, and women-only treatment. Orchid offers drug addiction treatment solely for women. Contact us today to find out more about our program.

There’s been a lot of stuff flying around the tabloids about Aaron Carter and whether or not he was given drugs by Michael Jackson. Though initial reports were adamant that Carter was reporting not only the gift of drugs by Jackson but actually sharing drugs and getting high together when he was well under the legal drinking age, Carter has made a point of coming forward to say that all those early stories were blatantly untrue – he never said anything like that and no such relationship or incident ever occurred between him and Michael Jackson.

According to Perez Hilton, Carter had this to say about his experience with MJ: “It was fun. I personally didn’t see any drug addiction issues [with Michael]. The time that I spent with him, yes, he was fine.”

Though the younger brother of a Backstreet Boy said he had some alcohol while at a party at Neverland, Jackson never gave it to him and definitely never gave him anything else.

Drug Abuse and Addiction Rumors

Because Michael Jackson famously died of a drug overdose, many instantly assume that any rumors that imply that he did anything related to drugs and alcohol must be true. It’s part of the stigma of addiction. Most will find that after they go to drug rehab, people will instantly assume that any found drugs are theirs or that any bad behavior – with bad results – was caused by them and that they’ve relapsed as a result. It’s not uncommon to be accused of things you didn’t do once people find out that drug addiction was a part of your past. How you handle it, however, can make all the difference in the world.

Dealing with the Stigma of Drug Addiction in Recovery

It’s something that can be extremely frustrating in recovery. People will often assume that you are using drugs and alcohol and hiding it even when you aren’t. If anything goes missing – especially money or valuables – many will assume that the recovering addict is responsible. Act a little out of character and some will assume that you’re high or drunk.

The best way to handle these accusations is to take them calmly. Don’t get defensive and don’t get angry. Especially if they have dealt with you during your addiction, they are likely scared that it could happen again. Give it time. Showing them with your actions that you’re doing well and avoiding relapse will be much more effective than throwing a fit.