Sober Living by the Sea Blog

The below blog about the costs of alcohol to residents of California is brought to you by Sober Living by the Sea Treatment Centers located in Newport Beach, California. We have been treating alcoholic men and women to help overcome their addiction and understand the underlying issues that lead to their chemical dependency for over twenty three years. We have gender specific drug treatment programs for men and treatment programs for women.

At a time when Budweiser is in the news for being purchased by Belgian brewer InBev, another interesting news item about alcohol caught my eye today. The below report will inevitably be used to attack "Big Alcohol" so that companies like InBev will be responsible for more of the devastating effects of their products.

The Annual Catastrophe of Alcohol in California

A New study funded by the Marin Institute, the alcohol industry watchdog
outlines the cost of alcohol use to the state of California to be $38.4 billion annually or $1,200 per second. That's a cost to every resident of roughly $1,000 annually. The costs come in the form of crime, traffic DUI costs, illness, and injury.

The study also estimates an additional $48.8 billion in quality of life costs, due to the pain and suffering of victims and families

Marin Institute compared the economic losses to those from natural disasters and concluded that alcohol costs far outpace earthquakes and fires. Per the Marin Institute: "Unlike earthquakes, fires, floods and mudslides, which come along infrequently, the catastrophe of alcohol in California happens annually, with devastating effects, and can be prevented."

The Marin Institute's study will calling for a number of steps to reverse the catastrophe, including higher alcohol taxes to reduce excessive consumption and the related harm and costs.

Labels: alcohol costs, alcohol taxes, big alcohol, budweiser, california, DUI, inbev, marin institute

Gen X Misanthrope: Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew- Four Days Left



People have been talking about our mention by Dr. Drew on the Celebrity Rehab show and I found this on the web from Gen X Misanthrope's Blog:

r. Drew suggested to the patients that they move on to a facility called sober living which sounds like a halfway house for recovering addicts. Apparently, it's a safe environment where they can learn how to make a sober transition back into their lives. Sober Living scares them. And some of the celebs are shown talking themselves out of going and making excuses why they can't afford it.

It was nice to hear about the shout out by Dr. Drew and also being chronicled by Gen X Misanthrope the only thing that dampens this is the mistaken perception that Sober Living by the Sea is not a fully developed treatment center that offers detox to outpatient treatment from our one central campus in Newport Beach.

Sober Living by the Sea has developed a wide variety of customized drug treatment centers and recovery programs that treat alcoholism, eating disorders, and drug addiction differently for every individual based on gender and age. Sober Living by the Sea has special treatment programs for men, treatment programs for women (including treating eating disorders), treatment programs for mature adults, including a very exclusive and private drug treatment facility for men, and a very exclusive and private drug treatment facility for women.

Our legacy of treating people for twenty three years successfully and the brand name for our network of treatment centers harkens back to 1986 when Sober Living by the Sea basically invented the extended care treatment model. These facts might give people the impression that we are a halfway house, while in fact we are an extended campus of unique programs that provide effective treatment for adult men and adult women who need help with alcoholism and drug addiction.

Dr. Drew apparently recommended (very responsibly) to these celebrities that they continue their treatment with us in Newport Beach as thousands of people have for the last 23 years. We appreciate the "shout out" by Dr. Drew but hope that everyone takes the time to know that we are the world's premiere treatment community.

Labels: Celebrity Rehab, detox, Dr. Drew, extended care, Gen X Misanthrope, private drug treatment facility, sober living by the sea

For information and treatment programs for adults of all ages, be sure to visit Sober Living by the Sea Individualized Treatment Centers which has information about customized treatment programs for men, as well as addiction and eating disorder treatment for women.

Prescription Drug Addiction is the fastest growing area of drug abuse in the world and one that you may not have heard much about. This is why we call it the invisible epidemic. Pharmaceutical drugs that are habit forming and lead to physical and psychological addiction can very loosely be classified as uppers and downers.

Downers a.k.a. Barbiturates, Depressants, Opioids, Morphine Derivatives

Prescription drugs known as "downers" loosely fall into two categories: barbiturates and opioids. Barbiturates are also known as Depressants and are originally prescribed by doctors to assist with issues like insomnia and anxiety. Opioids are morphine derivatives and are prescribed by doctors to assist the patient in coping with pain.

Both opioids and barbiturates foster physical and psychological dependence. Virtually all barbiturates and morphine derivatives have the effect of increasing the user's tolerance to the drug over time. This causes the user to take more and more of the medication to achieve the same effect. Users will begin to obsess about having more of the medication and might demonstrate an increase in abusing alcohol as well.

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepenes is the active drug in a newer class of "safer" barbiturates that has developed since the 1970s. The most common brand names of drugs that contain benzodiazepene, or a derivative of benzodiazepene or a drug similar to benzodiazepene include percodan/percocet, ambien, valium, klonopin, ativan, or xanax. Benzodiazepines are useful in treating anxiety, insomnia, agitation, seizure, and muscle spasms, as well as alcohol withdrawal.

Opioids and Morphine Derivatives

Opioids and morphine derivatives are prescribed by physicians for clients for pain relief. These drugs can be highly addictive both physically and mentally. The most commonly abused opioids and morphine derivatives include oxycontin, vicodin, lortab, lorcet, and norco.

Recovering from Addiction to Opioids and Benzodiazepines

Addiction to downers can have fatal consequences. Tragically, many of the adult clients we treat here in Orange County for chemical dependence to downers like percocet, oxycontin, ambien, or vicodin have become physically and mentally addicted to the substance without ever perceiving their use as irresponsible.

Many users will have begun their usage responsibly often having been prescribed the medication by their trusted physician after an accident, a life changing event, or an operation.

As time goes by the users feels dependent on the medication and will do anything to get more, even participating in illegal activities. Users of downer medications typically will exhibit anxiety about procuring more of the drug and experience mood swings as a result of their dependence on the prescription drug.

Users who abuse sedatives, painkillers, and tranquilizers in combination with alcohol are particularly at risk of an overdose. The combination of alcohol and a potent drug like ambien, vicodin, or any downer can cause the person to enter a coma or die.

Entering treatment here in Newport Beach for an dependency to prescription medications will likely be helped by going through a detox at a medical facility within the Reflections Program's trusted network of providers.

Uppers or Amphetamines

"Uppers" include drugs that stimulate the user (including diet medications). Some example of uppers includes adderall, dexedrine, and ritalin. There is also a rampant and growing pattern of abuse of illegal methamphetamines in the U.S. (aka . crystal meth, glass, ice, speed, crank). Users who are withdrawing from amphetamines will experience depression, stomach cramps, nausea or vomiting, "the shakes," and tiredness.

The use of amphetamines like adderall, dexedrine, and ritalin is psychologically addictive. Users become dependent on the drug to avoid the "down" feeling they often experience when the drug's effect wears off. This dependence can lead a user to turn to stronger and illegal stimulants such as cocaine or meth, or to larger doses of amphetamines to maintain a "high."

Recovering from Addiction to Amphetamine

Amphetamines cause a strong sense of dependence and the chemically dependent adult will often suffer from depression when they no longer have the drug in their system. Mature adults (and people of all ages) who are suffering from methamphetamine addiction often benefit from a lengthy medical detox which we can provide right here in the greater Los Angeles area. The dangers of using methamphetamine are very serious. There is a strong correlation between abuse of drugs like adderall, dexedrine, and ritalin and heart problems.

Reflections: A Special Treatment Center for Mature Adults

Here in Newport Beach, California, we have been treating adults for twenty three years and have identified the special needs of our mature adult clientèle. We have created a special caring and respectful addiction rehab program for adults who suffer from addiction to pharmaceutical drugs as well as alcohol and other drugs. Please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can help get you or your loved one on the road to recovery.

Our addiction treatment program in California is very effective at for all stages of recovery from detox through extended care and even outpatient care. Please do not hesitate to contact us as we will be more than happy to help you with you or you loved one's chemical dependency. We have experience counseling those in need from the pre-contemplation stage of seeking treatment, through the confrontation of a loved one and intervention process, and all of the way through extended continuing care check ups when our clients are years into their sobriety.

Labels: ativan, barbiturates, Benzodiazepenes, depressants, downers, klonopin, morphine derivatives, opioids, prescription drug addiction, valium