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Try to make me go to rehab, but I said "no, no no!"

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by DrFrylock, Jul 26, 2011.

  1. DrFrylock

    DrFrylock
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    A tactical error if ever there were one.

    FOCUS: Rehab. Been? Know anybody who's been? Worked? Didn't work? Place to get your shit together or just a better place to meet new connections?
     
  2. AlmostGaunt

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    I have to admit, I laughed at the FB group 'Elton John will perform his new song at Amy Winehouse's funeral, Candle Under The Spoon". Then I started composing terrible lyrics for it.

    Spoilered for poor taste and because only I find them funny...
    Goodbye Amywinehouse,
    Though I never knew you at all,
    You made a disgrace of yourself
    While those around you bawled
    Shadow people crawled out of the woodwork
    And they whispered into your brain
    Paparazzi saw you on the footpath
    In just bra and jeans in the rain

    Ahem. I am very conflicted about rehab. I think it's a hugely necessary, wonderfully beneficial opportunity which is totally misused, but I'm not sure how to fix it. I've known 4 people to go to rehab. One went because his parents begged him to go after finding powder in his wallet, but he was barely a weekend warrior and it was a total waste of time. He's a lawyer now. A good friend of mine got sent there by a shrink and met a girl there. She was even more fucked up than him, and a horrible influence. Dating people you meet in rehab is a bad idea. I see how it happens though - emotions run high, and anyone showing you a little kindness in the midst of a brutal detox is going to light a fire in your heart. Plus, you've got common ground, etc. From what I've seen, eventually one person relapses, and drags the other one down with them. If everything else in your life is shit, and you've lost the support of your family etc, it's really hard to let go of the one person that is still there for you, even if they are bad news. Relationships built around using look really hard to escape. He went to jail a while back, and she's fucking everything that moves.

    The other two could have benefited from it, but their rehab was court-ordered. This is where I'm ambivalent. I don't think we should jail people for simple possession, as I think the punishment is worse than the crime. That mostly leaves rehab as an option. But as most every counselor will tell you, rehab only works if the person wants to be clean. Forcing people to be there achieves sweet fuck all as far as I can tell. One of the two must have been 5, 6 times, because he has shitty judgement and a good lawyer. It's a horrible waste of limited places / resources available to addicts, but I don't know what a better alternative would be - jail him and let him get raped / brutalized because he likes dancing in nightclubs all night? Ignore him and let him eventually become a drain on society? I don't even know what a good option would look like.

    All that said: the most recent statistics I've seen suggest that every $1 you spend in rehabilitation is worth $10 in punishment when it comes to recidivism rates for addicts, so I would prefer my money go there.
     
  3. Gravitas

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    I only know two guys that went to the same rehab (at different times), a family friend and my brother. And they did not go to just any rehab program, but a Narconon facility, which is basically a front for Scientology. Here is a good article written by our old Rudius pal Mark Ebner about it.

    Their basic philosophy is that drugs are stored in fat and when that fat burns off it can trigger cravings years later. So you need to get rid of all that fat. You do this by basically sweating it out in sauna's I gather.

    My brother stayed on for a while to work for them as a counselor of some sort. He decided to leave when they started pushing their love for Xenu just a little bit too hard. I'm not really close to my brother, so I've never asked him about it at all. I actually learned more about it from the family friend who gave a "drugs are bad, mmmkay" presentation with another Narconon graduate a few years earlier at my school. It seemed to work for both my brother and the family friend though as they are still clean.

    All I know is that shit is fucking expensive for a lower middle-class family and they wanted it all upfront. This drove my mom into bankruptcy and our vehicles being repossessed. But what else are you supposed to do? When your son is crying out for help and willing to do what is necessary it's not the time for tough love, in my opinion anyway. I'm not sure where my mom got the money, but she did. However, seeing your brother as the root cause for most of your family's financial problems doesn't make Thanksgiving a fun time. But now that I have grown up a little bit and made my own mistakes I don't hold it against him.
     
  4. lostalldoubt86

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    I have a cousin who went to rehab. I have no idea if she actually needed it, because she announced it in Facebook before her mom really had the money to send her. The fact that she's still a 16 year old little shit who gets drunk every night leads me to believe she went to rehab just for the attention. A nicer explanation is that rehab didn't help, but I've know this girl her entire life. Going to rehab just to get attention and sympathy from her friends is something she would do.
     
  5. Guy Fawkes

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    My completely unscientific assumption of rehab is that it works for about 10% of the people who go to one.

    The other 90% either don't stay long enough, go to some shoddy program, or don't have any intention of beating an addiction and are only in attendance because the court ordered them to go.
     
  6. PIMPTRESS

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    Mr. P was addicted to heroin for years and had been sent to rehab several times. He hated the way that the programs he participated in gave power to the drug. (Ask him about AA, he felt the program was a weird replacement addiction and gets quite passionate about it being "bullshit.") It was never long before he relapsed, every time. Heroin is a motherfucker to be hooked on.

    What did the trick is going to a Texas prison for six months, picked up for posession of heroin. He was in general population, no special treatment, going through heroin withdrawals. He was so sick and so scared. He says he told himself every minute of every day "remember this."

    He got out, and stayed clean. It's been nine years since he's been in that place where he worked and stole to support his $800 a day habit. He still gets emotional sometimes, talking about the things he's seen and done.
     
  7. dewercs

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    I went to rehab , went to Hazelden in lovely Minnesota. I checked myself in and went on my own free will.

    It had got to the point where I could not function without vodka, I would wake up in the morning and try to do a few shots so I would not puke before I went to work and I had to continue to drink through out the day so I would not shake and start withdrawal. I was pretty sure that if I did not do something I was going to die.
    I contacted them and was interviewed over the phone and they told me to be there in 48 hours, my girlfriend (now wife) was not real excited about me being gone during Christmas but I did not really care. I had my moms husband give me a ride from his home in wisconsin and got hammered on the way. I checked in with a bac of .26 and plunked down the $24,000.00 it was going to cost and was on my way to recovery. They do not let you have a cell phone or internet access.

    Rehab for me went like this, first 48 hours they give you librium so you do not die during your detox and they keep you in a hospital enviroment checking on you every hour or so. My blood pressure was fairly high so they got that under control as well. You are given a physical and checked for TB.
    You are then introduced to your unit, where you spend the rest of your time, there are about 20 people in each unit. You are not to speak to anyone except the people you housed with and they really do not want you speaking to any women that are there. There is a cafeteria you eat at as a group, and when they have 3 daily meetings you all sit together.

    Days went like this.
    6am you got up and did your job around where you were housed
    7am morning meditation
    8am breakfast
    9am meeting with all the inmates at hazelden
    10am individual therapy
    11am study time
    noon lunch
    1pm meeting with all the gropu
    2-4pm excercise
    6pm dinnner
    7pm meeting
    8pm final meditation

    They used the 12 step recovery program I did not question anything about it, I just went with it because I needed a change.
    My counselor was very much into the steps and pushed me through 5 of them, made me read books, write reports, get impact letters etc. They really push aftercare and attending AA meeting regularily 90 meetings in 90 days, they suggest halfway houses to some or sober houses but there was no way I was doing that. I was told if I ever drank again I would end up back there.
    I checked out after 28 days and went back home, I found an outpatient place and went there for 6 weeks after which they told me that if I wanted to keep coming I had to pay more.
    I hate AA meetings, it is just not my thing, I went to a total of 3.

    I learned alot in rehab, about myself and about addiction and it probably kept me alive.
    The relapse rate is very high the first year, I made it 4 years and 10 days before I touched a drop, I now drink wine on occasion but have not desire to go back to where I was.
     
  8. zzr

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    My only experience with rehab was through a person I never met.

    A couple of years ago I used to be regularly tailgated on my way to work by a guy in a Ford Ranger. It was the worst tailgating I had ever experienced - seriously 10-12 feet behind me at times - and being on my motorcycle most days made it all the more dangerous for me. The first half of my commute is on two-lane roads and the rest on four lanes. It didn't matter how fast I went to try to give myself some room, whenever I slowed down below a go-to-jail speed, he would get right up behind me again. Whenever we got to the four lane section he would pass me, and a couple times I smelled pot when he was in front of me. One day I decided I'd just be a little late to work and find out where this little fucker needed to get to in such a hurry. I followed him to an office building that I looked up later to find out is a court-ordered rehab facility. I called and talked to one of the employees there and gave him a description of the guy and told him what was happening. He obviously didn't give me a name, but he said he knew who I was talking about. He said the guy would be picked for a "random" drug test in the next few days, and if he tested positive he would likely go to jail.

    I never saw him again.
     
  9. toddamus

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    My 60ish year old mom went into rehab about 2 years ago. My opinion is that rehab, like most anything, only works if the person doing it is genuinely buying into the program, and has a sincere intent to get clean, otherwise rehab is one giant fucking vacation. I think that a lot of people go in, they get their backs rubbed, told that they aren't bad people, then leave. When they are there they have no intent to get clean, they are just doing what's easy.

    My mom didn't change a dam bit. As soon as she got out she started going back to her old ways. My mom is/was fond of sleeping pills and booze (she likes to tempt fate I guess) and right after she got out she was back at passing out at the dinner table again. Nothing says family values like eating dinner while watching your mom slowly pass out face first into the dinner table.

    Is rehab worthless? I don't think so, because the alternative is clearly worse. If it helps anyone it is worth the money and effort those people who work the rehab center put in. Rehab in its intent is great, but in practice it is lacking. I take the personal view that most people who go are doing it for a vacation and nothing more.
     
  10. dewercs

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    I can assure you that people do not go to rehab for vacation, some may go because it is court ordered or they will go to jail otherwise. In the rehab I was in if you did not participate in your own recovery you were sent packing, having a structured 12-14 hour day full of classes and meetings is hardly a vacation. You are held accountable by your peers and there is nothing like a bunch of addicts to sniff out a liar. There is no vacation detoxing from years of drug abuse or drinking.
     
  11. toddamus

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    I guess my use of the phrase giant vacation was probably a bit of hyperbole. I totally understand that going through detox is extremely uncomfortable, but based on what I saw I stand by my statement in a way. Rehab is a very safe place, yes, a lot of people don't want to be there, and a lot of people leave because of that. But lets say someone who goes in there is unhappy with their current life, rehab can be a respite for that, which it is intended to be and I understand that. But in some ways it can be used as an escape from their current life. I think escaping someone's current worries and stressors is what a lot of people seek to do on vacation, and as such, rehab can be an escape, like a vacation. It is it enjoyable? No I'm sure no one enjoys rehab like they do a vacation. It is emotionally draining, physically challenging, and expensive.

    I think your experience is special, and I think it is encouraging as I'm sure there are people on this board who are struggling with alcohol and other drugs.
     
  12. lhprop1

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    This might sound stupid, but do they at least let you go fishing at Hazleden? You're on one of the best walleye lakes in the twin cities and I can't think of anything more therapeutic than catching fish.
     
  13. Frank

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    What about catching fish while having a nice relaxing beer? Now there's an idea...
     
  14. dixiebandit69

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    Okay, I'm sure that a few of y'all were wondering when I was going to chime in on this subject.
    For those of you who don't know, as of this past May, I finished six months of in-patient treatment at a state rehab facility. I was sent there because it was a choice between six months of rehab (including an additional six months of weekly aftercare; I just went to a session today) plus probation, or six years in state prison.
    Rehab seemed like the logical choice.
    For those curious about what brought me there: I got another DWI when I was on probation for my second DWI. My drug of choice was alcohol (daily use to intoxication), but I would also use cocaine (cheap down here in the asshole of Texas; typically $40 a gram), benzodiazepines (Valium and Xanax, scored in Mexico), and opioids (painkillers from Mexico; usually Darvon [NOT Darvocet]. I spent two years of my life ['06-'08] taking that at least 5 days a week.).
    From '08 on, I had stopped all the medical drug use, and was just getting drunk daily and doing blow about once a month.
    My problem was drinking and driving. I just loved getting behind the wheel and driving fast after having a few beers. Every time I was pulled over and arrested for DUI, it was because I was speeding. Stupid, I know. But alcohol makes you reckless.

    What my counselor stressed during all of our sessions (twice a week) was that I COULD NOT drink and drive again, no matter what. His opinion was that drinking in a safe, controlled manner was acceptable as long as it didn't interfere with other areas of your life, and I stick by that.

    Just not drinking and driving seems like a really simple thing to anyone who isn't used to it, but all that time, after all those arrests (there were a few more than three; I've gotten out of more than that, whether it was me faking out the cops on the roadside, or beating it in court), I genuinely thought that I wouldn't get caught/wouldn't get stupid behind the wheel again/etc. Plus, since I had been lucky and beat those other convictions, I figured I would always be able to do so.

    (At this point I want to mention that out of all of my arrests, I have never hurt anyone, nor have I ever caused any property damage. I was just dumb enough to get caught speeding after I had a few beers.)

    I don't feel that way anymore. I have not driven-while-intoxicated in over 9 months, and don't intend to ever again.
    Yes, I have consumed alcohol since I got out of rehab. It has not interfered with my work or my family life.

    I agree with Mr. P. I think it's just replacing one addiction for another (disclaimer: If 12 step programs work for you, that's awesome. More power to you.).
    There is a really great article written by Jim Goad in the now defunct publication "ANSWER ME!" where he chronicles he and his wife's journey through addiction recovery.
    I couldn't find it on-line, but the article was called "12 Steps To Hell." I did a search for it, and I couldn't find the version that was written by Goad; I found lots of results for that title, but they were completely different (mostly Christian propaganda).


    The schedule at my rehab was as follows:

    5am Wake up
    5:30 Physical Training (guided exercise)
    6:30 Shower
    7:00 Breakfast
    7:30 Clean the bay/bathrooms
    9am-12 Treatment classes or Community service*
    12-12:30 Lunch
    1-5PM Treatment classes or community service
    5PM Dinner
    6PM Clean bays and bathrooms again.
    7PM Free time (sometimes outdoor recreation, usually indoor recreation [card games, board games, reading, etc.])
    8:30 Lights out
    8:30-5AM Absolutely jack shit. You were not allowed to read or write in your bunk. If you tried, you would get written up, and risk an extension. This really sucked for me, because I was unable to get to sleep until about midnight, every night.

    I've got a whole lot more that I can say about that place (like how I changed some of the policy there, and the talent show we had, and all the shennanigans I pulled, my favorite classes [you'll get a kick out of how I manipulated these for the betterment of the inmates]), but that's for another time.

    * Depending on how long you had been there, and depending on which counselor was there to teach classes, you would either go to classes, or do manual labor for the probation department. The manual labor could be anything from loading trucks with boxes full of old court papers to painting county offices.

    EDIT: I forgot to mention that my rehab was run like a boot-camp.
     
  15. dewercs

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    I was there in December and January, so I did not go outside unless I had to. Fishing is not real high on the priority list there, it is all sobriety all the time. They encouraged me to maybe quit fishing for a while since I drank when I fished. My response was, I drink when I do anything so I am going to fish anyway.

    I was told that there is a bar on the other side of the like from rehab that will give you a free drink if you give them your sobriety chip from Hazelden, not sure if that is the truth or not.

    One thing I should mention involving any kind of rehab, if you pay for it yourself or have any, do not mention it as you will be denied medical insurance because you sought treatment, you may not want to mention it to your doctor either. If you check yourself in, your time there will be 100% confidential, they will not release any medical records unless you tell them to, they will not confirm or deny your time there, you do not have to take visitors and people can not call you unless you give them a specific number to reach you. They will not disclose anything anything you tell them about what you have done
    regardless of the legality of it, ongoing sexual abuse of children and murder are the exceptions.

    Addiction sucks, I don't care if you think it is a disease or not, it sucks. If you have problems with it there are lots of very non-judgmental people you can talk to.
     
  16. iczorro

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  17. mad5427

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    Daddy was wrong!


    On topic, I've been fortunate that I've never allowed myself to go down the path towards bad addiction. Cigarettes were as far as I went and got off them 8 years ago. My father, grandfather and all my uncles and who knows how many other relatives on both sides of my family have all battled alcohol addiction.

    My dad made a comment to me early on when I was about 17 or so that always stuck and I think this is why I've always been careful. "I may not be any further along in life but I would have reached this point 20 years ago if it wasn't for my addiction."

    Through high school and college and even today, I made sure I never allowed drinking to become more than a casual part of my life. I've had stupid moments of drunkenness, but I never let it get out of control. Being towards my mid-30's I feel like I've past a time when it could take over. I've gotten through too much shit without turning to alcohol to need it now, even if/when things get rough in life.

    My sister on the other hand has been battling prescription drug addiction for a good while now and is finally on the mend, at least for now. She didn't go through an actual rehab facility, but has been going through NA and seems to be doing alright at the moment. I'm a little afraid that she just replaced one habit (pills) for another (NA). She's been clean for 10-11 months now, so here's hoping.
     
  18. StayFrosty

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    I've never gone to rehab, but I did have a terrible sleeping pill addiction for almost a year. Maybe I should have gone in for help, but I ended up kicking it on my own. If you want to fuck your life up, those will do the job. I honestly have no idea how I functioned with 300-500mg going into my system every night, or how I even stayed awake on that dosage, but all it took was a moment of clarity and a few hours in front of a toilet praying for death.
     
  19. rbz90

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    I blew 30k on coke and other stuff in a semester. This is with me selling on the side as well. I did not go to rehab because I couldn't have my parents find out so I quit cold turkey. It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life without a doubt. I had a couple of friends who saw me through it and I probably owe my life to them.

    At my worst I was going so crazy from the lack of any sort of stimulant that I cut the shit out of my arm with a hunting knife just so that I can ignore the cravings. I still have the scars all over my arm. When I went home to see my parents my mom saw that and freaked the fuck out so I had to lie once more and tell her I got in some drunken street brawl. Fuckin' Rick James was right.
     
  20. lust4life

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    Some quick numbers on rehab and substance abuse:

    Average number of stints in rehab before an addict achieves sustained remission: 6 (This may be falsely inflated due to the common occurrence among heroin addicts to use rehab as part of their using cycle. They get to $400-800/day habits, got to rehab, detox and allow their bodies to reset over the course of 4 weeks, and upon discharge, head right to their dealer because they've lowered their set point back to $40 getting the job done. Though, it's temporary and they return to the $400-800/day level shortly thereafter.)

    More than 50% of those seeking treatment for substance abuse in a residential treatment facility are diagnosed with a co-occurring mental disorder, while better than 25% of those seeing treatment in a psychiatric hospital for mental disorders are diagnosed with a co-occurring substance use disorder. The research indicates that unless treatment for both are integrated and simultaneous, the patient has a much lower chance for a successful outcome with either disorder. Unfortunately, most treatment facilities are not staffed or equipped to deliver both services.

    Length of stay positively correlates with higher success rates. 28 days in treatment is the standard (due to insurance, not some magical number), but aftercare programs (usually included in the cost of the inpatient program) are typically offered for as long as the patient feels he/she needs it. This is also part of the reason why 12-Step programs are integrated into some treatment modalities like the one Dewercs experienced (which is the prevalent model)--it provides an ongoing peer support system for when rehab is over.

    This is also the reason for some halfway houses and "therapeutic communities" for some after the 28 day program. My AA sponsor spent 6 months in a TC after his 4th go around in rehab (for heroin and booze) and has been clean and sober for over 16 years. Another friend has been living in a TC for almost 2 years now. Someone else mentioned rehab as being an escape. I suppose some may see it that way, but for this friend, leaving the TC and returning home scares him. He's relapsed so many times. I think his issues run a lot deeper than just his alcoholism and the TC isn't the right environment to address those issues, but like entering rehab, he's got to make that choice to face what his real problem is and be willing to do something about it.

    I detoxed in the ICU of a psychiatric hospital over 10 days, then did a 6 week intensive outpatient program. I didn't have the best counselor in the world (which led me to my current career path), but the IOP did 2 things for me: it provided me with a pretty good understanding of the clinical aspects of addiction, and it put me into AA. Thus far, nothing has had a greater impact on both my recovery and my life than AA. But, as I've seen over the past 3 years, while AA is open to all alcoholics, not all alcoholics are open to AA. It's a choice.