It’s not an uncommon thing for a family court judge to demand: parents with drug abuse and addiction histories may be required to take drug tests in order to maintain custody of their children. It’s something that both Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller were required to do, according to TMZ. And also according to TMZ, that requirement has been removed from their agreement, meaning neither one now has to undergo drug testing in order to maintain custody of their children – mildly troubling given the drug history of both celebs. In the face of Sheen’s increasingly erratic behavior and Mueller repeated trips to drug rehab, it seems like revoking that particular order was a little premature.

But what about when it happens to you? How do you handle it and how do you earn the trust of the judge?

Child Custody Decisions are Made for the Benefit of the Child

Remember that the judge did not order you to undergo drug testing to be vindictive or judgmental. Chances are, he or she made the decision based on the fact that you have a history of drug and/ or alcohol addiction or knowing that you were released from drug rehab within the past year. Both of these factors makes you a high risk for relapse – and therefore, a risk for your children.

Family court judges know that children fare best when being raised by their parents, unless those parents are living with an active addiction. Drug testing is done purely to ensure that the children are being cared for properly and to make sure that they have attentive caregivers. It’s impossible to be that person if you are high, and hopefully, the threat of drug testing and losing your children will be one more reason to stay clean and sober and avoid relapse.

Earning Your Way Out of Drug Testing Requirements

In most cases, if you can demonstrate that you are clean and sober for six months to a year, that you can continually provide your children with a safe and secure place to live, and that your children are doing well and thriving in your care, then most judges will relax their drug testing requirements. You may still have occasional visits from a state employee or be required to check in every six months or so with the family court judge and provide proof that you are still employed and that the children are doing well in school, but over time, the court will recognize your good faith efforts and allow you to continue in the new life that you’ve created for yourself and your family.

What has your experience been with family court after drug addiction treatment? Do you believe that the system is fairly set up to support the best interest of the kids? Leave us a comment!

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.

Not only can you be addicted to love – like you can be addicted to almost anything – but new studies are comparing love addiction and the effects of a break-up to the effects of drug addiction and trying to ‘kick the habit’ with your drug of choice. Brain scans reveal that physiologically, the changes that occur when we heal from a broken heart are very similar to those who are healing after a physical and psychological dependence upon an addictive substance.

Brain Scans? How is a Breakup Similar to Drug Addiction Recovery?

A biological anthropologist at Rutgers University, Helen Fisher, took a look at the brain scans of college-age students when they were shown pictures of their ex. Apparently, the same parts of the brain lit up on the scan that were associated with cocaine and nicotine addiction, physical pain and distress.

In a way, it makes sense. Consider the actions deemed acceptable by those going through a serious break-up – would an objective person obsess over their ex, imagine that he or she wants them back and take measures to make that happen, or crave their attention by calling obsessively or showing up anywhere where the ex might appear? It’s the same kind of behavior displayed by someone fighting drug addiction: they, too, obsess over their drug of choice, rationalize why continued use won’t hurt them or is even good for them, and go out of their way – even making dangerous choices – to get more of the drug they crave.

The end result is a deep depression or anxiety and, in some cases, suicidal thoughts and ideations. The solution? Treatment.

Is There Treatment for Love Addiction?

No. But there is treatment for drug addiction and very often the two issues collide. Many who go through a breakup report heavy usage of alcohol, painkillers, heroin and other drugs designed to ‘numb’ the pain. They are so depressed that they see no reason to pull themselves out of their growing addiction despite all the problems they are causing themselves as a result. Drug addiction treatment can help those in this situation to get back on track, while also receiving counseling and grief treatment for the issues related to the breakup. This two-pronged approach to recovery can help the individual struggling to get back to a place of balance emotionally and further their progress in drug addiction treatment.

Drug Addiction Treatment Help for Women

If you are a woman who is struggling with a breakup as well as drug and alcohol addiction, an intensive treatment program can help you to process what happened and move forward in your life. Contact us at The Orchid today to learn how we can help you.

Whitney Houston has famously struggled with her own drug addiction issues – on stage, on TV and in the tabloids. Maybe it’s her experience with addiction that has made her hypersensitive to the issues her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, is experiencing. According to AOL, Whitney Houston is not taking the pictures that surfaced of Bobbi Kristina lightly – these pictures show her daughter snorting cocaine.

Perhaps there have been a few other incidents at home as well – we may never know. But the word is that Bobbi Kristina is headed to rehab because Whitney is taking no risks.

Other tabloids add a few more details. Some say that Whitney has taken away the Lexus she gave her daughter and cancelled her 18^th birthday celebration as well. Tabloid reporters say that sources are reporting that Whitney is extremely worried about her daughter – while her daughter reports nothing but disdain for these articles, saying she’s a perfectly normal and healthy young woman with no need for rehab.

Parents Protecting Children: When It’s Time to Step in and Send Your Child to Drug Rehab

If you are a mother in recovery, you likely credit someone close to you with having recognized your need for help and given you the push you needed to get the treatment you needed. If you didn’t, you probably wished someone had done it for you earlier than you had to do it for yourself. Whitney says that her own mother, Cissy Houston, helped her get treatment for her struggle with crack cocaine addiction. In fact, Whitney told Oprah that Cissy made her go to rehab after getting a court injunction that gave her permission to stage an intervention with the assistance of armed police at the front door back.

Where’s Dad? The Father’s Role in Helping a Child Get Treatment

Bobby Brown is Bobbi Kristina’s father and Whitney’s ex-husband. He, too, spent a great deal of time living with an active addiction and received treatment as well. Whether or not he is currently living in recovery or in relapse is unknown, but some reports say that he is just as concerned about his daughter as Whitney is and that the parents are working together to make sure that Bobbi Kristina gets what she needs.

The support of both parents – no matter what their personal relationship or feeling for each other – is imperative when it comes time to help a child enroll in drug rehab. In fact, the more family members the better from both sides of the family. The teen may not feel excited about entering treatment no matter how is there to help her make the transition, but later he or she will appreciate that there is a strong foundation of support waiting and available no matter what.

If you would like to learn more about enrolling your teen daughter over the age of 18 in our woman-centered drug rehab program here at The Orchid, contact us today.

Mackenzie Phillips has been in and out of the headlines for decades – first, as the daughter of “Papa” John Phillips, founder of the band the Mamas and the Papas, then as an actress, later for her drug addiction and lastly, for her adult affair with her biological father. Her memoir, High on Arrival, came out last year and the public was shocked that she described her sexual relationship with her father as consensual. She has since released the book in paperback and updated her characterization of the relationship, now saying that she was a victim of incest and that her father was a predator.

The confessions, the drug addiction, a serious relapse– all this has been a part of Phillips’ long road to where she is today, and today, Phillips is full of hope and looking forward to a brighter future without drugs.

Mackenzie Phillips and Drug Addiction

The actress’s drug addiction got her fired from the popular TV sitcom One Day at a Time not once but twice. In her book, Phillips writes about staying sober for 10 years – only to lose it when she was given prescription painkillers. She soon developed a painkiller addiction and then built up to a heroin addiction that had her shooting the drug every 20 minutes. This drug abuse stint ended when she was arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport on her way to film a One Day at a Time reunion on the Rachael Ray Show. At that time, Mackenzie says that she got clean and has stayed that way ever since.

Family Issues, Confessions and Chyna

Phillips has said that she has no contact with any of her siblings, including Chynna Phillips, formerly of the band Wilson Phillips. Though Chynna supported Phillips when the book first hit the shelves, Phillips says that Chynna has since gone into rehab for anxiety and has not spoken to her since. Phillips says that Chynna has made comments that imply Phillips wrote the book for money and that the two have agreed to take a break; both comments, says Phillips, are untrue. While she seems to regret the effect of her drug addiction and confessions on her family, Phillips says that without the drama, she and her son, Shane, 24, are better off.

Honesty in Recovery

Phillips says that she feels no regret about writing or publishing the book. Phillips told ParentDish: “I’m very sorry it’s caused this rift in my family, but I feel beholden to a much bigger community of survivors and addicts who have been given a voice where they felt they had none as a result of someone finally coming forward and saying, ‘Look, here’s what happened.’”

She has little concern about a future relapse because, now that she has been honest about everything in her life, she feels more free than she ever has.

If you have been a victim of incest, do not hesitate to get therapeutic treatment. Drug addiction often stems from trauma and if you are struggling with an addiction to alcohol or drugs, drug rehab is your best option. Contact us today to identify the right type of drug rehab for your needs.