Drummer Patty Schemel once played for the band Hole and is the focus of a new documentary called Hit So Hard: The Life and Near Death Story of Patty Schemel. Now screening at film festivals across the country, the documentary tells the tale of Schemel’s experiences in a famous band and her struggles with heroin addiction which she eventually overcome.

Building a Foundation for Hole… and Heroin Addiction

Schemel grew up in a small town and soon found that most of the world was not as receptive of her gay identity as her supportive parents were. According to Schemel, her mother told her “There’s such a huge world out there for you,” and with the support of her family, Schemel went out to find it. She soon found “her people” and began to play music more and more. It wasn’t long before she was introduced to Courtney Love and other members of the band, Hole… and heroin.

Schemel’s Heroin Addiction

Her heroin addiction was not at all connected to her identity as a lesbian. Though many gay and lesbian youth turn to drug and alcohol addiction as a way to escape the pain and guilt that they feel for the discrimination they face, this was not Schemel’s experience. For her, heroin started out as something to try, but she had a genetic predisposition for the development of addiction so experimental use quickly turned into something more serious.

Heroin Addiction Treatment for Schemel

After a few years of living with an active heroin addiction and continuing to tour with Hole, Schemel soon lost control. She left the band and began the process of seeking treatment for heroin addiction – but it was a long road.

When asked what helped her to finally start living a clean and sober life, Schemel said: “The small things like the small estimable acts like taking time to help and teach drum students or teach rock and roll camp for girls and that got me back to being around music. Now I do all kinds of stuff with music. It was a slow return, you know?”

Schemel hopes that the documentary will remind viewers to be careful of what they wish for. Also, because she lost a lot of friends along the way to heroin addiction, she hopes that the documentary may inspire viewers to make the changes necessary to kick their own habits.

Women who are interested in heroin addiction treatment can call The Orchid today and learn more about our woman-centered heroin rehab program. Call now.

Heroin addiction is a problem across the United States but for years, Baltimore City has been called the Heroin Capital of the US. The latest research says that a great deal of progress has been made in the last few years in terms of lowering the number of those living with active heroin addictions, those admitted to the hospitals for heroin overdoses or heroin-related accidents, and those admitted to heroin rehabs in search of treatment.

Unfortunately, the number of Baltimore City residents needing help for heroin addiction is still higher than almost any other city in the country – but a number of help measures have decreased the number in need dramatically.

Some of the Heroin Addiction Help Measures Baltimore Implemented

Baltimore may not have wiped out the problem of heroin addiction in Baltimore City, but they’ve gone from having a heroin overdose death rate that exceeded their extremely high homicide rate to investing heavily in heroin addiction treatment. Their work shows:  increased funding meant increased care and more 18,000 admissions into heroin rehab increased to 30,000 over five years. A heroin overdose prevention and care system was implemented, which also helped to decrease the number of Baltimore City resident deaths due to heroin addiction. Drug courts were increased and expanded to include more addicts in treatment. Suboxone treatment for heroin addiction was offered on a wider basis, providing more active addicts with an outpatient means of treatment. The end result has been a strong heroin addiction recovery community in Baltimore City and hundreds of saved lives.

Why Heroin Addiction Wasn’t Wiped Out

With all the increased funding and availability of treatment, why isn’t heroin addiction a thing of the past in Baltimore City? Unfortunately, despite the increase in services, it still is outmatched by demand. Waiting lists are months long in some cases and there was limited funding for the area of highest need: uninsured heroin addicts in need of treatment.

Finding Help for Heroin Addiction

If you need help for heroin addiction and the services are lacking in your town, opt for a private heroin rehab that can give you what you need without the long wait list. At Orchid Recovery Center, we offer women a comprehensive heroin detox and addiction treatment program. Call now to find out more about how we can help you fight heroin addiction and learn how to live without drugs of addiction.

Your relationship with your children is likely one of the primary reasons that you are considering heroin addiction treatment or opted for heroin rehab. Helping them deal with your behavior while you were using and heal from the inevitable issues they developed as a result should definitely be a priority for you as a mother and a recovery heroin addict. You can do this before you leave for rehab, while you are getting the treatment you need to recover and after you return home. Here are a few tips.

Talking to Children Before Heroin Rehab

Before you leave for treatment, it’s important to take some time to talk to your kids. Don’t think for a second that you have shielded them from your heroin addiction – they know, and they’ll appreciate the fact that you are being honest with them about what is going on. Depending upon their age, there is no need to get into the graphic details of what you have been doing behind closed doors, but you can emphasize that you have not been well and apologize for the things you did that hurt them while you were under the influence. Explain that heroin rehab will help you and give them an idea of what they can expect in terms of communication with you while you’re gone, visiting days, and when you’ll return home. Let them ask questions and answer them as honestly as possible. Try not to take offense if they are angry. Instead, give them the space to feel what they need to feel and express it to you.

Including Children During Heroin Addiction Treatment

While you are at heroin rehab, your communication will be severely limited, especially during the beginning of treatment. You may not be able to call home for a couple of weeks and when you can call your kids, it may be only for a brief period. If they live near where you will be getting treatment, they are welcome to come see you on visiting days and family events. In some cases, it may be appropriate to include them in family therapy with you later in your treatment if they are of the right age. You can also write letters and ask them to write you in return. They’ll love to see that you have pictures of them up and that you proudly post the pictures they draw for you when they come visit you in treatment.

Reconnecting with Children After Heroin Addiction

When you return home, the real work of reconnecting with your children begins. You may have already gotten off to a great start during your stay in heroin rehab, but when you come home, you have the opportunity to put some action behind your promises. Your kids will be happy to see you clean and sober each day, but you will need to put a little extra time into talking to them, watching movies with them, helping them with their homework, eating with them, putting them to bed. They’ll appreciate the attention even if it feels awkward for you at first.

If you are looking for a heroin rehab home, contact us at Orchid Recovery Center. We offer heroin addiction treatment for women that can include your family. Call now for more information.

Willingness, honesty and open mindedness are the considered the essential tools necessary to succeed in any recovery program by most in the 12 step community. For women entering heroin addiction treatment, this holds true. But what exactly do these three things mean and what does it look like in action when a heroin addict takes those first strong steps into a new life without heroin addiction?

Heroin Rehab and Women: Willingness

Obviously, if you are over the age of 18, no one can drag you kicking and screaming into a heroin rehab program. You have to agree. You have to be willing to walk through the doors, sign the papers, and prepare for a new way of doing things. It may sound simplistic but that is exactly what heroin addiction treatment is made of: a series of simple steps in the right direction. These simple steps and decisions never stop and the first one is the willingness to conceive that there is hope for you outside of heroin.

Heroin Rehab and Women: Honesty

Honesty is an interesting characteristic of successful heroin addiction treatment for women. Most people define honesty as the simple act of not lying, but honesty in recovery means also being honest with yourself. There are lies that everyone tells themselves to help them make dealing with certain things easier. Most heroin addicts, for example, may downplay the level of their heroin addiction for years in order to make it easier for them to continue living the way they do. Even with the willingness to enter heroin rehab, they may not fully be honest with themselves about the extent of their heroin addiction. For a real shot at success in heroin rehab, it’s very important that women are not only honest with their therapists, their counselors and their doctors but with themselves and each other as well.

Heroin Rehab and Women: Open Mindedness

This is arguably one of the most difficult of the three characteristics of a successfully heroin rehab stay. Willingness will get you through the door and you have to make the decision to be honest every time you open your mouth but open mindedness, that is what happens inside your head where no one else is there to hold you accountable. Are you open to hearing what your counselors have to share? Are you open to trying out the new coping skills in your everyday interactions and thought processes? Are you open to putting in the work it will take to learn how to live a life without heroin addiction? Are you open to the possibilities that will come your way as come across new ideas, new people, new opportunities?

No matter how wonderful the idea or opportunity or person that crosses your path, if you don’t have an open mind, it won’t benefit you in the slightest.

If you think you have the willingness, honesty and open mindedness necessary to succeed in heroin rehab, contact The Orchid for more information today.