The following testimonial illustrates some of the wins and realizations that occur while enrolled in the Vista Bay Rehab program.

Success Story | Vista Bay Drug Rehab

When I first got here I did not want to be here. I was scared of how everyone seemed so happy without the use of drugs or alcohol. This was not possible for me at the time and I thought I would never be happy.

I don’t recognize the person I was when I arrived at Vistabay. I was so unhappy. I know who I am now that I am graduating. I am happy again and I know where I am going. I have regained a relationship with my family and I am so grateful to have them and my girlfriend back in my life. I realize that I still have a lot of work to do and I am motivated to do it.

I’ve gotten so much out of the program. I’ve learned how to live in the moment and how to not be burdened by guilt for what I have done wrong. I’ve also improved my relationship and communication skills. There was not one magic part, but everything together really prepared me for sobriety and a better life.

I am thankful for the opportunity to go to Vista Bay. I feel good, better than ever. I am happy and optimistic about the future.

Nolan P.

Professor Neil McKegany who is the director of Glasgow, Scotland’s Centre for Drug Misuse stated that drug substitution is “a shameful dereliction of our responsibility… we failed the majority of drug users by keeping them locked in addiction”.

Although maintenance therapy may seem like an economical solution in the short term, it has been shown that those who complete a residential rehab are seven times more likely to be drug free 3 years after treatment than those who enter a methadone program. Many addicts who enter into a maintenance program continue to use illicit drugs, depending on the maintenance drugs to stave off withdrawal symptoms.

The bottom line is that drug for drug therapy such as opiate blockers and even mood stabilizers do not offer the level of recovery and rehabilitation that drug free programs do. Vistabay drug rehab gives it’s clients the opportunity to become completely drug free and a chance at a new life!

The University of Michigan surveyed fifty thousand middle school and high school students for a study called “Monitoring the Future”. These studies are telling as to what trends we will be seeing in adult drug abuse and addiction in the years to come.

The latest report from December of 2009 states that overall drug use in the age groups interviewed has risen slightly due, in large part, to an increase in marijuana use. A more distressing finding is a high rate of prescription drug abuse among students in their senior year of high school. Save heroin, narcotic use has more than doubled since 1992. Thirteen of every hundred students have abused prescription drugs such as Lortab, Vicodin, Oxycontin or methadone. These substances are extremely dangerous due to their highly addictive nature and the ease with which one can overdose.

Amphetamines, sedatives and tranquilizers are other forms of prescription drugs that are regularly abused by adolescents. Adderall and Ritalin, both used for ADD or ADHD are widely abused by kids for their stimulant effects.

The way that these kids acquire these prescription substances isn’t through a dealer as one may expect. Over half of the children surveyed got the drug from a friend or relative. An additional third purchased the drug from a friend or relative. Twenty percent took the drug without asking, generally from a medicine cabinet, nightstand or even purse where the pills are left unattended.

Awareness and drug education can help to reduce the rate of adolescent drug use and ultimately reduce the amount of adult drug addicts. Vista Bay Drug Rehab delivers free drug education lectures to schools throughout the Northern California region as well as staying heavily involved in community efforts against drug abuse and addiction. Closer to home, parents can keep their children informed on the dangers of drugs and take precautions to ensure that narcotic prescriptions are not available to our kids.

It is the belief of Vista Bay Rehab that by informing our youth of the dangers presented by alcohol and drug abuse, they will be better able to reason a positive response when faced with the decision of whether to use drugs or not. Together we can get our kids back!

Recovery Month is designed to highlight the social benefits of the substance abuse treatment industry, shares contributions from treatment professionals and gets the message of recovery out to the public. Recovery Month is also aimed at encouraging citizens to get involved in order to help expand and improve substance abuse treatment and it’s availability. Every year a different theme is selected in order to bring focus onto various parts of the alcohol and drug treatment industry.

Every September, thousands of treatment programs like Vistabay Drug Rehab come together to celebrate people in recovery and those dedicated professionals who aid them. Individuals and programs are encouraged to share their experiences with their community, and help to educate the public about substance abuse treatment, how and why it works. Professionals in the field have saved and transformed the lives of countless numbers of Americans. By celebrating Recovery Month, we are celebrating these successes.

Recovery Month is also a vehicle to educate the public on the substance abuse crisis. It shows that addiction can be treated and recovery can be attained. The benefits of treatment for the individual, family, friends, workplace and society are highlighted showing how addiction and recovery effects everyone. By educating society about addiction and recovery, the stigma attached to it is reduced and support for treatment programs grows.

Join Vistabay Rehab in celebrating Recovery Month this September. For more information on how you can help, simply contact us.

Success Story | Vistabay

I came to Vista Bay on June 4, 2009. I, like many other people, had a terrible problem that I could not fix on my own. I was addicted to Oxycontin and Heroin. I had tried other rehab programs with little or no success. My longest period of any clean time was only a little more than a month. Doctors and specialists were telling me I was bipolar and had the disease of “Addiction”, which would plague my life forever. I was put on medications such as suboxone and even seroquel. I realized that as I was taking these drugs, I was feeling worse and worse. I went to my family on May 30, 2009 and told them I needed to fix this problem and that I needed more help. They told me to try the military, and I told them that day that if I didn’t go somewhere to get help first, I was going to die.

We got on the internet and looked up rehabs. I don’t know if it was by chance or if someone or something was helping me but Vista Bay Rehab was the first site I found and thank God for it. I talked to a registrar and he told me that he had been through the program, that many of the staff had been through the program, and that they didn’t believe I had a “disease”. I was sold, instantly.

I got to Vista Bay on June 4 and it instantly became my new life. I learned how to confront negative situations and communicate with people again. Then I got into the sauna and it totally repaired my body. My senses that were dulled by drug use came back and I felt better than I ever had. The drugs were finally out of my body. I got done with the sauna and learned that I can control myself and learned how to live life as a normal adult again. In fact I now have the tools to do anything I want. I know that I don’t need drugs in my life to feel a certain way or have people like me. I was free from my prison of drug abuse. The staff was amazing and they totally changed my life and thinking. The other clients were always very happy and we were a family of sober individuals with the same purpose in life.

I owe my happiness to the staff and program at Vista Bay Drug Rehab. I was given the guidelines to follow to ensure a happy and successful life. I am totally drug free, I have no mood swings and I am on no medication at all. I am the old Scott again. My family and I are closer than ever. I have no cravings and am no longer constricted by this “disease”. I thank the staff and everyone who helped me on my journey to regain my life and I am forever indebted to the Vistabay program.

Scott W.

If you or someone you love wants to permanently recover from drug abuse and addiction, contact Vista Bay Drug Rehab today!

The Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) recently released a survey stating that over 350,000 individuals in America entered a treatment or rehab program and listed opiates as their drug of choice. Humans have been taking opiates for centuries and over the past several decades, opiate abuse has become a major problem in America. As a result of this epidemic, the pharmaceutical industry has developed a number of replacement therapies for opiate addiction. The problem is that these therapies do not rehabilitate the individual, they simply replace an illegal narcotic with one that is legal. Withdrawal from opiates is very acute and uncomfortable for the addict. This is why so many turn to replacement therapies, to avoid the pain of withdrawal.

According to the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) stated that there are over 260,000 Americans who are on methadone maintenance for opiate addiction. Additionally, greater than one third of methadone programs don’t offer detoxification services for those who may want to overcome their addiction all together. This is big business for the pharmaceutical industry but it still leaves the individual addicted and vulnerable without any form of real treatment.

Because of a recent increase in the number of overdoses (fatal and otherwise) related to methadone use, stricter regulations are being legislated. In Virginia, methadone clinics are required to report and track take home doses.

The stated goal of methadone maintenance is to gradually ween off of the drug. The reality is that many never ween off and most increase their dosage due to increased tolerance. Because these addicts are still on drugs every day, the likelihood that they will continue to use illicit street drugs is high. Time and again, methadone programs are proven to fail. Without real recovery, an addict has very little hope of being drug free.

Vistabay Drug Rehab offers a solution. We run a completely drug-free treatment center designed to get our clients off of all drugs. Sure this method is more difficult than simply prescribing more drugs but our purpose is to rehabilitate and we don’t believe that can be done while the addict is still taking drugs. Vistabay Rehab offers detoxification, nutritional and vitamin therapy combined with exercise, cognitive therapy and life skills training. If an individual fully participates in our program, they will be given the best opportunity possible to have a drug-free and successful life.

Sobriety is within reach. With a little hard work you can overcome your addiction once and for all!

A survey compiled by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has come up with some disturbing statistics. According to the study, 80% of the nation’s high school students and 44% of middle school students have witnessed illegal drugs sold or used and students drunk on school grounds.

Joseph A. Califano Jr. who led the study stated the following “This fall, more than 16 million teens will return to middle and high schools where drug dealing, possession, use and students high on alcohol or drugs are part of the fabric of their school”.

This paints a clear picture of how dangerous the epidemic of drugs in our schools is. The problem is, despite these unnerving statistics, the number of kids who use drugs in schools continues to rise. This means that more effort needs to be aimed toward drug education and prevention in order to stem the tide. If kids aren’t properly educated about drugs by professionals or parents, they will be educated by their peers with devastating results.

This is why Vista Bay Drug Rehab offers free drug education lectures for schools across Northern California. We attempt to give children the true information on what happens when one begins using drugs and the effect that addiction poses. By teaching our youth, we give them a fighting chance when they are confronted with drugs.

For more information on how you can help, contact Vista Bay Rehab.

Success Story | Vistabay

When I first arrived at Vistabay Drug Rehab, I had long ago given up on getting clean and living a happy and successful life. Over the previous 10 years I had been through 6 inpatient facilities, 22 detoxes including a very painful and expensive rapid detox, a year long out-patient program and a methadone treatment program.

I truly believed I was broken, I tried to get clean so many times without success I just wanted to disappear from this world and figured my family would be better off without me. I had a very successful life and career at one point but that was all gone. The house, cars, boats, wife and family relationships were all gone. I had gone from all of that to living in a truck that wasn’t even mine. I just thought I had my day in the sun and now I was just waiting for this life to be over.

When I checked into Vistabay, I hated my life and myself. I pushed forward and despite all of my efforts the staff here never gave up on me, never judged me and the program started to work. Throughout my program I continued to feel better, and my life started becoming clear to me. I just wanted to die when I first got here and by the time I was done, I wanted to LIVE. I was more confident, happier and more sure of life than I have ever been before. When all else failed, Vistabay Rehab worked!

After all that I had been through and to have this work, I decided to stay and help others in need. If Vistabay could save me, they could save anyone and I wanted to be a part of that. I could actually use all my negative experiences in a positive manner by helping others so they wouldn’t have to go through what I had. I finally found my true purpose in life and can’t imagine doing anything else or working with any other people. I have my family back and that is the most important thing of all. To watch someone come in and have no hope left and to see them start to come back to life is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. To see a family reunite with their loved ones who they thought they had lost forever, and knowing I was a part of making that happen, is nothing short of amazing. Most students that I meet have long ago given up on themselves and cannot even describe how they feel, which is okay, because they don’t have to, we already know since we have been there too.

I am living a life I never would let myself even imagine and now thanks to Vistabay and its staff, it is a reality! I get to help people everyday turn their entire lives around, give them hope, and help them discover who they are and what they are capable of, I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Jason H.

Our state is becoming prey to drug cartels from Mexico who are developing illegal operations to produce large quantities of Marijuana within our borders. In Sequoia National Park and throughout northern California, law enforcement officers are engaged in an operation to root out and destroy these illegal farms.

Operations that ran throughout July saw hundreds of agents from federal, state and county jurisdiction sweep through three counties in an effort to identify and destroy marijuana farms. Once concluded, agents had eradicated $1.7 billion in marijuana plants and arrested 97 individuals, most of whom were Mexican nationals.

These farms are tied to Mexican drug trafficking cartels who are producing these drugs within our borders in an effort to avoid dangerous border crossings when getting their drugs to market. These cartels coerce Mexican nationals into acting as growers through promise of wealth or intimidation. These farms which are popping up in California, Washington, Oregon and Idaho use toxic fertilizers and are protected ruthlessly with weapons and booby traps.

The solution for this, aside from widespread interdiction efforts, is to actively pursue prevention and education efforts in order to reduce the demand for these substances. Vista Bay Drug Rehab regularly delivers drug education lectures to schools and cooperates with local and federal programs aimed at substance abuse prevention. Citizens are encouraged to engage in prevention efforts in their area to help spread the word and decrease the amount of addicts on the streets.

Vista Bay Rehab believes that together we can overcome this widespread epidemic and offer a better future for our youth!

When you walk down the street in a major city, you may encounter individuals who obviously appear to be drug addicts. Behind the scenes though, there are many people in workplaces, homes, schools etc. that are struggling with addiction. By learning to spot the signs and symptoms of drug use and abuse, we can all help these individuals to overcome their addictions.

By reviewing the below list, you may be able to determine if someone close to you is having a drug problem.

Signs and Symptoms | Vistabay Rehab

• Difficulty with direct eye contact (may also be a sign of shyness)
• Lack of dependability (excessive tardiness, inability to complete tasks, etc.)
• Poor emotional state (easily agitated, depressed and so on)
• Sudden change in behavior patterns, distancing themselves from friends and family and so on.
• Sudden financial troubles.

There are many more signs of drug use that may not be mentioned here and if you notice inexplicable behavior in your loved one it should be looked into.  Also, these symptoms are not meant to condemn anyone.  There are various other life situations that may contribute to some or all of the above listed signs.

What is most important is to be aware of changes in order to determine if there is a drug problem and to assist that person in getting help.  Drug abuse that is left unchecked leads to years of heartache, legal problems, damaged relationships, financial ruin and possibly death.

If you are concerned that someone close to you is addicted to drugs or alcohol, contact Vistabay Drug Rehab or another treatment facility.  Counselors will help you take the appropriate steps toward getting your loved one the treatment that they require.

Substance abuse commonly leads to addiction, legal troubles, health and social problems and even in some situations it can lead to sudden death. A recent study compiled by the Institute of Legal Medicine in Seville, Spain uncovered factors that resulted in the deaths of twenty one drug addicts. Though it may be assumed that these deaths were caused by overdoses, it was a fatal combination of drugs that were the real culprits.

Through autopsies and toxicology reports, the study determined that a fatal combination of cocaine, alcohol and tobacco were responsible for 3% of sudden deaths. Among deaths studied related to cocaine it was discovered that 76% had used alcohol and 81% had used tobacco. 62 % of the deaths were associated with cardiovascular problems and 14 % were associated with cerebrovascular causes (blood vessels in the brain) like strokes or aneurysms.

For years we have been aware of the stress that cocaine use places on our heart and can lead to sudden heart attack and death. With the advent of more drug abusers combining substances the chances of death increase exponentially. In the United States, 72% of all drug related deaths are caused by multiple substances being in the users system.

These facts reinforce the importance of drug treatment and rehabilitation. By reaching individuals and getting them the help that they need, we can reduce the number of drug related deaths and destroyed lives.

Success Story | Vistabay Drug Rehab

When I arrived at Vistabay I was not the happiest person but as the days moved on and I got further in the program, I noticed an extreme change in me. I have found that I am happier each and every day. I’ve learned how to control and confront my problems, I’ve become so much more patient and I’ve learned discipline. I’ve developed better communication skills and along the way and I’ve met the most amazing people! It definitely hasn’t been easy, and I’ve had major struggles, but the wins and realizations I have gained are life-long! I can honestly say this is the happiest I’ve ever been in my
entire life – or since I can even remember. I know I can take on anything while staying clean and sober!

Molly C.

Vista Bay believes that all of our clients can realize these goals. With Vista Bay Rehab, you CAN have your life back!

Newsweek recently published and article stating that the number of Americans taking anti-depressants rose from 13.3 million in 1996 to 27 million in 2005. This has resulted in pharmaceutical companies making billions in profits but is it necessary for so many Americans to be on drugs? A researcher in the article, Irving Kirsch, stated “The belief that anti-depressants can cure depression chemically is simply wrong”.

Kirsch went on to say that his study of both published and unpublished clinical trials has shown that 82% of patients benefit as well from a placebo as an anti-depressant. By taking into account the long term damage that side effects of these drugs may cause, it becomes apparent that a more positive and real solution needs to be pursued.

Depression is a common and natural symptom of substance abuse and addiction. This is easily understood taking into consideration the high highs and low lows that users experience as they go through the cycle of drug abuse. Many addicts have also engaged in harmful acts in order to maintain their addictions, the guilt of which exacerbates these mental states.

By completely detoxifying the body of all chemicals, Counselors at Vista Bay Rehab can begin to help their clients address these symptoms with a clear head in a safe environment. By helping addicts to repair their past, learn life skills to manage a successful life and come to terms with their value and inherent desire to be a good person, these psychological symptoms vanish. Being able to overcome these things without drug for drug therapy is incredibly empowering for the individual and strongly contributes to long term sobriety and a desire to live a happy, successful and sober life.

Vista Bay offers a lasting solution to drug and alcohol addiction. Contact our intake counselors today for more information.

According to the NIDA (the National Institute on Drug Abuse), it is estimated that substance abuse and addiction cost Americans over half a trillion dollars each year. There is some good news however, drug abuse in young adults has dropped from 19.4% in 2001 to 14.9% in 2006. These figures are encouraging but for those who are still becoming addicted, it is imperative that families step in and intervene.

When action isn’t taken, an individuals addiction can cost a family thousands not to mention the heartache that watching a loved on battle with addiction causes. In the most dire consequences families may have to live through the incarceration or overdose of a loved one.

Once addiction has a firm hold over someone, the best and possible only answer is drug rehab. The Vistabay Drug Rehab program has a very successful track record working with families and interventionists. Once enrolled in the Vistabay program, our trained and professional staff can show the addict that there is another way to live and teach them how to achieve a new life. Through detoxification, life skills training and repairing the past, addicts embrace their new found sobriety and are able to believe in a life without drugs or alcohol.

Vistabay Rehab truly believes that with the right rehabilitation, anyone can recover. We have seen so many families reunited and watched our clients go on to lead happy and successful lives. Drug rehabilitation works! Get help for those close to you before it’s too late.

Congress passed a law this year that increases benefits for millions of individuals, expanding health insurance coverage for substance abuse. This law is allowing people to attend more long term facilities such as Vista Bay without hitting yearly maximums. This is great news as it has been proven time and time again that the longer an addict is enrolled in treatment, the better their chances at lifetime sobriety. After all, it is very difficult to overcome an addiction that has gone on for number of years in a few short weeks.

This is not a sweeping reform, but it marks a step in the right direction. With facilities like Vista Bay Rehab turning out higher success rates, it is our hope that the insurance companies will recognize the long term financial benefit and enact more policies such as these.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab typically lasts 3 - 6 months during which time we completely rehabilitate the individual physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. It is a revolutionary treatment program with some of the highest success rates in the industry.

Success Story | Vista Bay

Since I’ve been here at Vista Bay Rehab, I’ve learned to love being sober. Not only that, but I’ve gained a love for life again. I hated the person who I was before I got here and I couldn’t find a way to change who I was. The program, staff, and people here have all made me realize that a person doesn’t need drugs to live a fun and happy life. I’ve laughed more here in the past two and a half months than I have in the past two years.

If it wasn’t for Vista Bay Drug Rehab, I would either be in jail or dead at the age of 18. I’d barely started being a legal adult and already had 3 felonies on my record and was a drug addict. Everyone at Vistabay told me that it was better to get treatment now than later because things only gets worse. I realize that I can have fun without being a drug addict. I can have fun by just being me and doing the things I used to enjoy.

Zach R.

This report also states that 17 million Americans were considered heavy drinkers. In the past year, 22 million people are estimated to have substance abuse or dependence problems and 15 million of those were dependent on or abused alcohol but not illicit drugs while 3 million were dependent on or abused both alcohol and illicit drugs. This translates to alcohol being responsible for more than 80% of all substance abuse in America.

People who decide to use an illicit drug or who relapse back to drugs are often under the influence of alcohol. This happens because alcohol lowers inhibitions and ability for rational thought.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab believes that by curbing alcohol abuse, particularly in young people, we can make a large impact on substance abuse as a whole. Less individuals will be introduced to drugs in the first place and fewer recovering addicts will be compelled to return to their drug of choice.

According to a report published by the to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), youth binge drinking rates were 8.8% and heavy drinking rates were 2.0%. For young adults between the ages of 18 to 25, binge drinking raises to 41% while heavy drinking goes up to 14.5%.

An even more alarming fact is that an for ages 16 to 17, 7.2% reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the past year. For 18 to 20 year old individuals it was 16.7% and for ages 21 to 25 it was 26.1%. It is estimated that 2 million college students drove after drinking in the past year.

These statistics can be directly correlated to the consequences of alcohol abuse. Each year, about 1700 college students age 18 to 24 die from alcohol related injuries (unintentional), including drunk driving crashes. 100,000 college students from age 18 to 24 are the victims of alcohol related sexual assault (date rape). Acts of assault (intentional or unintentional) from other students under the influence of alcohol account for 1.3 million cases. As reported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

We all know that College is a time when young adults are on their own for the first time and they tend to cut loose. We need to educate them of the dangers that go along with alcohol (and drug) abuse in order to mitigate these numbers and give our children a safer environment in which to live. Vistabay rehab delivers free drug education to schools and cooperates with many community organizations to help our youth to understand the dangers of substance abuse. Prevention begins in the community and all community members are encouraged to get involved. If you see your child struggling with substance abuse, get them help immediately before it’s too late.

With the help of organizations like Vista Bay Drug Rehab, we can reduce these statistics and offer a better future for everyone.

Recently, Vista Bay Drug Rehab uncovered some research from the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). In the report it is stated that illicit drug use remained fairly steady for youth ages 12 to 17 in America, with the exception of hallucinogens such as ecstasy.

Statistically, the increase is small. The rise occurred from 2007 - 2008 after use had remained static, preceded by a sharp decline. The actual numbers however, indicate that 900,000 individuals over age 12 used ecstasy for the first time in 2008. This indicates the highest levels of new users since 2002. In 2003, the National Center for Education Statistics wrote that 29% of students in grades 9 - 12 stated that they had been offered, sold or given illegal drugs on school property at some point in the past year.

Vista Bay Rehab knows that drugs are available at schools and that it is a growing problem. Fortunately, there are a number of grass roots organizations available that are fighting these trends but they need your support. Vista Bay offers free drug education lectures and works closely with community organizations to reach our youth and offer positive alternatives to drug use. All across the country, community organizations are doing similar work to combat drug use. To get involved, contact your local schools and volunteer your time. Together we can make a difference!

Success Story | Vista Bay Drug Rehab

I have found the true me. With the help of this program and staff, I have found that I am happy, outgoing, passionate and patient. I have also, for the first time ever, found that I respect and appreciate
myself. Fifteen years have gone by with me not having reality on any of the above emotions. This program has given me the will and the want to make a difference in my own life, as well as in the life of all of those that I love and care for. It’s provided me with the tools to be a better son, brother and father. Vistabay Drug Rehab has been an amazing experience for me. I never thought that a program could do as much for an individual. It has built my confidence, self-esteem and self-respect. I thought that none of these were attainable before coming to Vista Bay. I now know that I never want to hurt myself and others the way I have for the past fifteen years. I will make a difference and set an example for others, and I am a productive member of society.

Tosh B. Vistabay Rehab Graduate

Mephedrone is a substance imported from China under the guise of fertilizer. The drug is illegal in some countries but it is still awaiting a ban in the UK. It has become extremely popular around the club circuit due to it’s stimulant effects. Users of the drug have suffered from nose bleeds, nose burns, hallucinations, circulation problems, rashes, anxiety, paranoia, fits and delusions.

As reported on the Wikipedia website, mephedrone is a synthetic stimulant with psychoactive properties. It can be ingested in a number of ways, by swallowing, snorting or injecting. As of 2009, it is fourth most popular street drug in the UK. The US has a much more limited problem with mephedrone, although it has been confiscated in a bust in Oregon.

Although this problem is limited on our shores, Vista Bay Drug Rehab is dedicated to prevention. We believe that the more information that is available on potential drug threats, the better our communities are armed to deal with such problems. Vista Bay is an extremely successful drug and alcohol treatment program. We truly believe that anyone can recover and we do everything in our power working with families and clients to ensure that those addicted to drugs are given an opportunity for a new life.

It has become increasingly apparent to Vistabay Rehab that prescription drug addiction is on the rise. Individuals are abusing painkillers, stimulants, tranquilizers and more. Some individuals get these freely prescribed by doctors, while others find more suspect means to acquire their drugs.

Benzodiazepines or “benzos” are a category of tranquilizers that include drugs such as Xanax, Ativan, Klonipin and Valium. Because they are prescribed for a number of reasons, from alcohol withdrawal to anxiety, they are becoming one of the most heavily abused prescription substances.

Results from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) show that tranquilizers were the primary addiction for about 8,100 people admitted for treatment in 2003. The number of admissions for tranquilizers jumped to more than 10,700 by 2007, an increase of 32 percent.

Addiction to benzos can be extremely difficult to treat. They cause considerable withdrawal symptoms that can last for weeks. Symptoms include sleeplessness, losing touch with reality, violent mood swings, seizures, etc.

Fortunately with Vista Bay Drug Rehab, we can address these symptoms with our detoxification program. Using exercise, nutrition, vitamins, and sauna detoxification, we can remove the toxins left in the body due to benzo addiction giving the individual a chance to release themselves from the residual cravings and other health problems associated with drug addiction. Once this physical rehabilitation is complete, clients can begin to address the reasons why they used, repair damage done by their addiction and learn how to live without drugs.

Vistabay is dedicated to utilizing the most effective treatment methods available in order to free our clients from drug and alcohol addiction. You can be freed from your past, recover IS possible.

Among the many reasons to avoid cocaine, the realization that it compromises one’s vanity might deter would be cocaine abusers. The New York Daily News has recently reported that along with health problems such as disturbances in heart rhythm, heart attack, chest pain, respiratory failure, strokes seizures, headaches, gastrointestinal effects, abdominal pain and nausea, cocaine can affect the attractiveness of the user through rotting flesh.

“If you are a user of cocaine, you should be aware that some of the cocaine is not clean and can have other agents that can cause you to have a low white-cell count or skin tissue death,” said Dr. Ghinwa Dumyati, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester and an epidemiologist for the Monroe County Health Department in New York.

Duymati and doctors from the University of Rochester Mecical Center published two cases in the “Annals of Internal Medication”. They described two women who were admitted to the hospital complaining of a purplish plaque on various parts of their body. This plaque was due to toxic levels of Levamisole, a medication used in livestock to treat worms. This is a common substance used to cut cocaine and it is estimated that nearly 80% of cocaine coming into America has Levamisole in it.

The reasons for using this drug to cut cocaine are unclear but what is clear is that it presents an additional danger for cocaine users, one that they may not be able to recover from.

Vistabay Drug Rehab is an in-patient, long-term drug rehabilitation center that has freed thousands of clients from the clutches of drug addiction. With the help of Vistabay, the negative effects and consequences of long term drug abuse can be avoided. Don’t wait any longer to get help, call Vista Bay Rehab today.

Success Story | Vista Bay

Steve had wanted a boy, but from the moment we saw her we were filled with love dreams, and goals for her. She was beautiful, spunky, curious, smart and talented. Our relationship was blessed with many precious hours of togetherness. We have many nostalgic and irreplaceable memories of her childhood. Some times just being silly, some times working with her on her school work and others traveling with her extensively. Our relationship was magnificent and we were inseparable. We played, read together, shopped and basically did everything that mothers and daughters do. It was a joy to see the special relationship she also had with her dad. She was appreciative, sensitive, and self directed. She was blessed with wit and intelligence and she was fun and charismatic. We loved being around her and her contagious laugh. She was always happy. Teresaʼs talents had no limits either. At an early age she was an accomplished oboe player, she could sing, recite poetry, and her academic achievement was impressive. Even through high school she was involved in many extra curricular activities. As devoted and loving proud parents we were always there supportive and beaming at her accomplishments.

Then with little warning came some dark and painful years. At first it was denial, then anger and finally betrayal. I felt confused, helpless, hurt, empty, guilty, cheated, ashamed, and left out. The sense of loss was impossible to bear. I cried and mourned for the loss of our daughter’s carefree youth and for the loss of her opportunities. Steve and I were separating and our daughter was getting lost in the world of drugs. We were all dealing with our pain separately. I went through most of those years in shock and going through the motions. I do remember relying on my family to help me through this devastating period.

At sixteen, Teresa was accepted into Fresno State University. Even though we still communicated constantly with her, Teresa kept getting deeper and deeper into drugs. She was young vulnerable and out of character, dealing with an adult complicated, painful confusing, disturbing and anguished world, that was as foreign for her as it was for us. We did not know her. She had become estranged. She was now lying, stealing, and manipulating us to get money for drugs. We tried to reason with her, we cried, we pleaded but nothing was working. As she battled with selfishness and addiction, we lived a nightmare with the fear of losing her completely to drugs and ultimately to death. After getting kicked out of the dorms for possession of drugs and an encounter with the law, we enrolled her in an outpatient program. She did not complete the program, and continued on her disparaging path. We were forced to find a more comprehensive program. This is when I found Vistabay Drug Rehab.

Vistabay Rehab is a residential program that was willing and understanding, and seemed to have genuine interest in her total well being and they agreed to pick her up from the court and drive her to the program. It had an educational component, detoxification, and follow up. The recovery rate was impressive. It was an undertaking that I was not ready for, but, it was the only way to save our daughter.

My daughter was a very short distance from hitting rock bottom but with the help of the program she is now not merely surviving but thriving as strong loving compassionate and capable individual. I believe the program has given her the ability to turn the hardships and difficulties of her life into lessons. What could I say that could capture the essence of our relationship now. Part of who I am is the love I feel for her and the relationship we have developed. She is unique one of a kind and priceless. As she regains her dignity and self respect the tension between us has dissolved and our friendship and communication continue to flourish. The happy active, quick humored child that we had once known now has a great outlook on life, a positive attitude, sensitivity and continues to grow and impress us with her strength and abilities. She is self-directed and motivated again. She works and attends college full time and is focused on obtaining a nursing degree. I am so proud of all she is and is willing to be. I cherish the time we spend together, but most of all I am happy that she can now laugh again. I love being a part of her life. Whenever I read, hear or see something splendid I want to share it with her that instance. I think she does the same with me. I share my joys, fears, family crises with her and she is encouraging and understanding. Now I cry tears of joy because my prayers have been answered. I thank the lord for giving us the opportunity to enjoy each other once again. I am delighted that Teresa completed the Vista Bay program. I am also very grateful to the staff that nurtured her and developed a personal interest in her success in and out of the program. Deep down I never gave up hope to see our true daughter again. Once again I would like to thank Vista Bay Drug Rehab, for also believing in her.

Elisa G.

Grass roots organizations are started by community members who want a better life for their children and those around them. These types of organizations are extremely effective because those behind them do it because they believe in their cause, not for a paycheck or social acclaim. These are everyday people like you and I who see that we can make a difference in the world.

At Vista Bay Rehab, we have worked with groups to bring drug education to our youth, help families of addicts and alcoholics, worked with schools to create fun and sober activities for their students, collaborated with the sheriff’s department on carnivals and set up booths at county fairs. All of these methods reach out to the community and let people know that there is help and that people do care. It is very heartening to see communities band together to make a better life for everyone.

You can make a difference by supporting and helping local organizations. Together we can tackle the substance abuse epidemic and make a brighter future.

A method that proves successful is to sit the addict down and let them know that in no uncertain terms, you will no longer support them while they continue to use drugs or alcohol. This may mean cutting off communication if necessary while ensuring them that as soon as they are ready to accept help, you will be there. This is a very difficult thing to do but as long as the addict is enabled, it will be that much easier for them to continue using.

A more aggressive approach is to enlist the help of an intervention specialist. Intervention specialists are trained to help families through the process of getting their loved ones into treatment. They can help the family to have confidence when confronting the addict, counsel on appropriate interaction and act as a ballast for the whole proceeding. Interventions are highly successful and Vistabay Drug Rehab works with several individuals who perform interventions. Once they are admitted to our program, then we can show them why they really need treatment and how their lives will be better because of it.

Drug and alcohol rehab works. Every year, countless individuals overcome their addiction by successfully completing treatment. Don’t allow your loved one, or yourself to continue suffering.

One of the pitfalls that stop individuals from becoming drug free is that they think they can do it on their own. This is a great fallacy and extremely detrimental to addicts and alcoholics. If you look at it metaphorically, all professions and skills that humans embark on take training. Doctors are not inherently doctors, lawyers are not inherently lawyers and so on. Though staying drug free is not a profession, it is something that drug addicts need to learn. It takes life skills and perseverance that rehabs like Vista Bay can teach. Anyone who realizes that they want to be drug free can accomplish this. A few months of hard work, soul searching and rehabilitation will change a drug addled junky into a productive member of society!

Vista Bay Drug Rehab firmly believes that drug rehab saves lives… we see it every day. Families are restored, health is returned, legal problems are handled and people are able to move on. It is an amazing experience to witness the changes that take place not only in the addict, but in the families, friends, and even the counselors who help treat them. You can have a life free from drugs and alcohol, all you need to do is accept the help that is available.

Success Story | Vista Bay Drug Rehab

I know that Vistabay Drug Rehab helps restore individuals to their former selves and sobriety can bring families back together. It can also help the graduate become an even better person than they were before they started using drugs and alcohol. The gifts of Vistabay continue long after the student has completed the program.

My husband graduated from Vista Bay five years before we ever met. The first night we went out, my husband told me about his past – not in great detail, but the broad strokes of what he had been through and how he had come out of addiction. It was a powerful and compelling story, and it really piqued my interest. I couldn’t believe the person sitting across from me had lived that sort of life for so long. He looked and acted so “normal.”

As we got to know each other better, I realized that his recovery had forced him to go through an extensive self-evaluation. The Vistabay Rehab program caused him to look at more than just why he had used drugs, but delved into the entire person he was, including his purpose in life and his relationship to others and society as a whole. He says the life tools he learned at Vistabay provided him a system to hold himself accountable for much more than his own sobriety, including managing money responsibly, defining personal ethics, creating positive relationships with others, and setting goals for his future.

My husband had used drugs for over 15 years and his relationship with his family during that time was very, very fractured. After completing the Vista Bay Rehab program, he restored his relationships with his family to such a degree that they were once again excited to have him as a part of their lives. They want him to visit as often as possible and come to see him whenever they can. The level of repair he made during the first five years of his recovery convinced me that he was someone who could make a marriage work, no matter what issues we would face in our future. That level of possibility sealed the deal for me. I really admired his tenacity and honesty, and his courage to do the right thing. I was convinced he was the one for me. I didn’t tell him that at the time, but three months after we met, I knew we would one day be married.

I couldn’t be happier with how things turned out. He proposed to me a year and a half after our first date, and we were married in early 2007. He is exactly who I expected him to be – a sober, hard working, productive person who is thoughtful of others and a very loving husband. I didn’t know him before or during his drug use, but the person he turned out to be makes me proud and glad to know him every single day. He wouldn’t be who he is if he hadn’t gone through what he had and Vista Bay was a turning point in his life which helped create the truly wonderful person he is today. None of us has a perfect past, but my husband and I have a pretty incredible present, and we’re looking forward to our shared future together. I couldn’t have wished for better.

Ronda L.

Success Story | Vistabay Drug Rehab

Our daughter is home again. Not by distance, but by taking control of her life and evolving into a young woman that can now see the hope of a future and successful life. Vista Bay Drug Rehab has helped to guide her back to this point. I can not find adequate words to express my appreciation and support of this program.

We did not get here easily. We are a close knit family with our faith at the center. Our daughter, the youngest of four, grew up this way. All of our children were very active in school, church and community. Our daughter followed in her older sibling’s pattern. She worked in these activities and often took the leadership role. During these years we failed to recognize the signs that are now obvious to us. As she went away to college, it was easier to ignore or not admit the growing problems that she was facing. We did acknowledge the extra expense of those years for 4or 5 different colleges. In fact, the last one we were and still are not even sure that she was enrolled (We have not asked and at this point it is not important to know).We did however pay to have her enrolled, for books, medical bills and trips related to school functions and housing

During this last school she lived at home part of the time. Our things disappeared from our home, her things disappeared, and people called at all hours for her. Some of them wanted money that she supposedly owed them. Her 3rd car disappeared for days… always a story to explain. Worst of all she would disappear for days, come home at all hours of the night, and call (thank God) at all hours of the night for us to come and get her. We always feared the call that we might receive.

Then came her legal problems, these became part of a catalyst that helped force us into truly facing the situation. With the support of her sister she came to her father and me. She wanted and was desperate for help. A lot of what had been happening came out that night, as we talked. Her sister agreed to help us look for resource possibilities.

This brought us to Vista Bay Rehab. After talking to her sister, they set up a time to call and talk to us. They were straight forward in answering our questions checked if a bed space was open. They called and the opening was quicker than we had expected. They had a phone conversation with our daughter and then helped us set up transportation times. In less that 36 hours Robin and her father were leaving Tennessee for California. Robin was met at the airport by staff and left for the facility. That night I had my first full nights sleep in over 3 years.

During her stay as a client, the staff kept an open communication with us and was available to answer any and all questions that we had. Our daughter had a new energy and enthusiasm that did not come from a drug induced high. Our beautifully talented, loving child was returning to us. Most important of all she was returning to herself. She shared the ups and downs during the program growing stronger each day. Her successful graduation from the program was one of the biggest milestones our family has ever celebrated.

She continues to grow. She is reconnecting with members of the family that she has not spent time with in years. We take calls now without the fear of what we will hear. She is successfully working and enjoying her life. The program has meant a great deal to her and her family. She believes in the program so much that she decided to stay. She is now on staff trying to give back to others some of the guidance that she received in learning to take back control of her behavior.

While there are many miles between us, we are very close again. The drugs are not between us. For the help that was given to us in getting here, Vistabay has my thanks, praise, and support

Mary K.

Drug addicts who are actively using are often in deep denial about their problems and refuse to recognize that they need help. This is when those close to the addict need to take the steps necessary to get their loved one into treatment. Dispensing tough love is difficult and addicts can say and do some very hurtful things, but in the long run, they are always grateful for the help they are given. By utilizing intervention specialists, addicts can be convinced that they need treatment and gain the willingness to take the first step. While enrolled in a treatment program, the loved ones of the addict should continue to temper support with though love. Addicts will go through difficult emotional phases in treatment and it affects them all in different ways. Some may just need a shoulder to cry on while other may try to do anything in their power to leave the program. Families need to be ready for anything and communicate closely with counselors so that the client can stay focused and get through the program. Once they complete the program, this type of support needs to remain in place so that the individual stays on the right track. Vista Bay Drug Rehab works closely with clients and families after they complete the program to ensure that they are successful in their new lives.

Vistabay believes that support from loved ones is an integral part of recovery. We have staff dedicated to communicating with family members and keeping them involved in the recovery process. With Vista Bay, you can get your kid back!

This year, Recovery Month is focused on raising awareness about the increasing level of stress in society and how it impacts substance abuse and addiction. In 2008, nearly half of Americans surveyed by the American Psychological Association reported that their stress levels has increased over the past year.

It is known that stress can be a large contributor to addiction and relapse. This years theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Now More Than Ever!” is aimed at emphasizing how stress levels can contribute to and exacerbate drug abuse and addiction. In 2008 alone, more than 23.1 million people needed treatment for a substance use disorder according to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

For information on how you can help, visit http://www.recoverymonth.gov/Recovery-Month-Kit.aspx, or contact Vistabay Drug Rehab for more information.

Success Story | Vistabay

My name is Matt and I graduated from the Vista Bay Drug Rehab program on December 22, 2006. The story of my life does not differ much from other addicts. I began experimenting with weed at the age of 11 and was using hard drugs, such as cocaine and meth, by the time I was 16. By my early twenties I had embraced the entire drug lifestyle. I was selling, stealing, fighting and it seemed like nothing fell outside of my own ethical boundaries. Sometimes I would disappear from my house for days on end without as much as a phone call letting my parents know I was alive. As my drug addiction grew I began to question whether this experimental stage in my life was turning into something else, so I decided to pick up and move to Lake Tahoe. Things went well in the beginning, I had been clean for about four months, and then I began gravitating toward the same types of people I had left behind in my home town. Although I did not realize it at the time, I was just continuing down same destructive path as before.

I was now 22 and I started using at full speed. Even though I was the type of person who would do any drug, cocaine was my drug of choice. After about six months I was completely back into my old habits, only now I was living on my own and had no parents around to keep me in check. I was snorting cocaine every day and was using meth a couple of times a week. Putting all of those drugs up your nose takes its toll and finally one of my so-called friends talked me into smoking crack. I had always said that I would never be stupid enough to do anything like crack or heroin, but there I was justifying using it for the sake of saving my nose. The thought of just quitting never even entered my mind. So it went, and the downward spiral of my life sped up at an alarming rate over the next year. One day I found jail release papers in my pants pocket and I was unable to remember the events which they cited. Sitting, reading the list of charges it was as if I was just then becoming aware of them, but still did not care about the consequences awaiting me in court. The only thing that did matter to me was keeping my supply of drugs up and scheming on ways to achieve my goal. Toward the end I reached a point of apathy, where I didn’t care if I died or got locked up in jail. It didn’t matter to me I just wanted this vicious cycle to end. Finally, my parents arranged for me to go to Vistabay Rehab. They drove to my house one night, threw some clothes in a garbage bag for me and brought me to the center.

After a couple of days sobering up sleeping I was motivated to get through the Program. Right off the bat things didn’t seem to be going as smoothly as I had expected. I reacted as any normal drug addict would; I flipped out and wanted to leave. Instead of allowing me to quit one of the staff members pulled me off to the side and calmed me down. He explained to me that most of the clients react this way and that it would get easier as time went on. Normally I would have not even given this guy a chance to talk, but just knowing that he had gone through the Program himself gave him credibility. So I took his advice, which was a big deal for me because trust is hard to come by in the drug world, as time went on things did get easier. I began to adjust to the daily schedule and my emotional swings began to subside. I finished the Program in four and a half months. The average time it takes for someone to finish the program is about four to six months, so I had seen a few fellow students come and go before it was my turn to graduate. Before entering the Program I would have felt like I was being treated unfairly or that I had somehow been cheated into staying there longer, but I was seeing things differently. I felt that I had more to get out of the program and was glad that the staff didn’t let me off easily. I had wanted to get clean for the last few years of my addiction, but did not know how to do it. Vistabay Rehab taught me to take control of my life and how to avoid the negative situations in which I constantly found myself. I learned that staying sober required an entire lifestyle change and I felt confident that I was prepared to make that change. I am not exaggerating when I say that Vista Bay saved my life because there were only two other paths my life could have taken, jail or death.

I keep my certificate of completion on the wall above my bed. It serves as a reminder of where I have been and how much I have changed; I have only been clean for a little more than two years. That time in my life seems worlds away. Following my graduation I immediately applied to the local community college. I never thought I was very bright when it came to school, but something had changed. Getting through the Vistabay Program takes a lot of work and the schoolwork I was getting seemed to pale in comparison. I have earned an Associate’s Degree and am currently at a four year university working on a Bachelor’s in Marketing. When I tell people about my past they always give me the same reaction, at first they always think that I am joking, but after they realize I’m not they say that they can’t see me doing those kinds of things. When I look back on my past I can barely believe it myself. My personality has done a complete 180, I cannot even recognize the person that I used to be. I am nice to people for no particular reason and have even found myself lending a helping hand to people I don’t even know. Having compassion for others actually makes me happy. I know that these little things will probably not make up for the horrible things that I have done in my past, but I can’t look at it that way. All of my past negative actions have already been committed and there is nothing I can do about it now. The only thing that I can do is concentrate on what I do today. I can go on forever about how my life has changed, but I think I have gotten my point across. Vistabay has given me a second chance and I cannot thank the staff and fellow students who helped me get through a tough time enough. Finally, I would like to thank my parents for getting me into the program and pushing me to finish, without their support I do not think I would have been able to turn my life around.

Matt J.

On Friday, July 2nd 2010, Vista Bay Drug Rehab hosted a special graduation in recognition of the United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The presentation included a video presentation about the gravity of the global drug problem. Special guests that attended the event included the mayor of Watsonville, Officer Roy Morales of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department, and many more special families and friends of Vista Bay Rehab. The mayor of Watsonville presented a proclamation to our Executive Director, Angie Manson, and President, Dan Manson, for their dedicated service to the community. Additionally, the mayor personally acknowledged the four Vista Bay graduates for their hard work and the accomplishment of completing the Vistabay Drug Rehab Program.

It was a lovely evening, the four graduates expressed their gratitude and joy in moving speeches and their families were there to support them. Vista Bay graduations are always a joyous and emotional experience, but when it is tied to a global event against drug abuse, it becomes clear that with each new graduate we are making progress towards living in a drug and crime free society.

When clients complete treatment programs, it is imperative that they have a network of people behind them that are supporting their recovery. Vista Bay Rehab ensures that this network is in place by using a variety of methods. First, while enrolled in the program, all of our clients are set up with a “twin”. Each person works with their twin throughout the program to help the other get through it. By taking responsibility for another human being, our clients learn the importance of selflessness as well as being able to accept help from another. Vistabay also devotes a portion of the program to helping our clients identify those people in their life that want to help them versus those that hinder their positive development (i.e. friends that they used with, etc.). Before they complete the program, each of these relationships needs to be handled in a way that keeps our client safe when they go back home. Lastly, the long term nature of the Vistabay Drug Rehab program is significant due to the fact that over the course of the program our clients develop relationships with each other that last a lifetime.

By fully participating in the Vistabay program, our clients have the opportunity to completely change their behavior and rebuild their lives. With support from each other, as well as the counselors at Vista Bay, a life free from drugs and alcohol is within reach!

According to a report by Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), we uncovered some interesting statistics about substance abuse in people aged 50 and over.

• Older substance abuse treatment admissions (aged 50 or older) increased from 6.6 percent of all admissions 12 years of age or older in 1992 to 12.2 percent in 2008
• Between 1992 and 2008, the proportion of older admissions that reported primary alcohol abuse decreased from 84.6 to 59.9 percent, while the proportion that reported primary heroin abuse more than doubled (from 7.2 to 16.0 percent)
• The proportion of older admissions that reported multiple substances of abuse nearly tripled, increasing from 13.7 percent in 1992 to 39.7 percent in 2008
• In 2008, older admissions who initiated use of their primary substance of abuse within the past 5 years were more likely than those in 1992 to have reported prescription pain relievers as their primary substance (25.8 vs. 5.4 percent)

The report goes on to state that health care providers often misdiagnose substance abuse with older adults because symptoms of abuse often mimic symptoms of other disorders common among this population such as diabetes, dementia and depression.  In 2008 an estimated 4.7% of persons aged 50 and over used illicit drugs in the past year.  It is becoming increasingly important for medical professionals to recognize these trends as the U.S. population grows, these numbers are expected to increase.

Vistabay Rehab believes that by educating our youth early in their lives we can cut down on this number.  Vistabay Drug Education gives adolescents facts on the dangers of drug use and helps them to make responsible decisions when faced with drugs or alcohol.  For those that go on to become adult addicts and alcoholics, it is necessary that the symptoms are recognized so that these individuals can get the treatment they need.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab is dedicated to eradicating drug addiction from our society.  If you or someone you love suffers from substance abuse, get help today.

Success Story | Vistabay

It’s not hard for me to remember what my son was like before Vista Bay Drug Rehab because there are times when those memories still haunt me. When he started college I never dreamed that he would become addicted to heroin. Just saying that word gives me a vile reaction. The lies, distrust, and change in his demeanor and personality began long ago. He had been using drugs and alcohol since his teens. Life at times seemed unbearable for me as I watched my beautiful son become someone I no longer recognized. We tried everything from the long heart-to-heart talks about the dangers of drugs, professional counseling, tough love, constant supervision, grounding, and even stripping his room and removing his bedroom door with no success.

Getting drugs to feed his habit became all consuming for him about three years ago, at the age of 19 or so. He tried to get clean on his own at least once that I know of prior to Vistabay. He believed he was clean, but was addicted again within less than six months. We knew he was in trouble, and unless you are a parent, you can never truly know what it’s like to watch your child slowly die in front of you. He was gaunt and lifeless as he pretended everything was fine. As I spoke to him on the phone I could hear death, depression, and despair. My husband and I made phone calls and got online to research rehab centers that could maybe save our son’s life. It was through careful research that we found Vista Bay Rehab. We didn’t know where to begin. As we went online and started inquiring, an interventionist from Vista Bay called and emailed us immediately. He gave us information and guidance. He walked me through the whole process of getting my son to rehab step by step for over four days by telephone.

We are not wealthy people and it was not easy for us to get what we needed to pay for this program, but there was no hesitation for the life of our son. Once he was at Vistabay the journey continued. It wasn’t always an easy one. He tried to leave, lie, and manipulate his way through at first until he realized he had nowhere else to go and we were not buying into his old ways. When I spoke with him on the phone he was hurtful and sometimes argumentative. When he did this I spoke to the parent liaison and found clarity, comfort, and strength through our conversations. I don’t remember sleeping one good night for the first three months he was there. Did I do the right thing? Would my son be more damaged after this experience than before? How would our relationship survive?

I am here to tell you that it has been over a year since my son entered Vista Bay. We did do the right thing! He has been clean and sober for more than a year, growing and maturing each day, and our relationship has never been better. We attended his graduation last March, which I recommend that no parent miss; it was touching and inspiring, bringing tears to nearly all that were there. Vistabay Drug Rehab has given me my son back. Of course, he had to do the program and want a new life. I don’t know what the future holds for him, but I do know that I will never regret sending him to Vista Bay. I see life and hope in his eyes, now. All that pain I seemed to live with for so many years is finally going away.

Maryann G.

Drug addiction leads to a very singular lifestyle without room for much else. It’s as if an individuals world folds in on itself until there is nothing besides using. Once in recovery, these people see their world open up again with limitless possibilities to what they can achieve.

At Vistabay, as individuals begin to feel better, they rediscover and nurture positive activities. We see our clients vigorously engaging in sports, art, music and more in their down time while moving through the program. Social interactions become meaningful and people begin to understand how they can have fun and be happy without substances. Several clients over the years have remarked that they can’t remember the last time they’ve laughed so much. It’s an incredible reward for the counselors at Vista Bay to see this transition take place.

Recovering from drugs and alcohol offers a life worth living. It is the beginning of true happiness and success!

According to the University of Michigan’s “Monitoring the Future” survey of 50,000 middle and high school students, overall drug use statistics have slightly risen throughout 2009. This is largely due to marijuana use, which we all know often leads to use of more dangerous narcotics. The rate of narcotic use (excluding heroin) has more than doubled since 1992. Thirteen of every hundred students have abused prescription painkillers (oxycontin, vicodin, lortab, methadone, etc.). Vicodin alone is used by 3% of 8th graders, 8% of 9th graders and 10% of 10th graders.

Vistabay Drug Rehab offers drug education lectures to school age children free of charge. In these lectures we cover the effects of various drugs on an individual, elucidating the dangers and long term effects of using drugs. This effectively teaches kids why they should say “no” and helps them to make the decision on their own, because of their better judgment. This has proven much more effective than scare tactics as the kids feel respected and empowered to make their own decisions.

Vistabay drug education counselors routinely hear from students about how the lecture helped them to say no to drug use as well as be a positive influence on their friends who were getting involved with drugs. Students are surveyed to monitor the effectiveness of the lectures and to help isolate any problem areas within the school.

It is our hope at Vistabay Rehab that we can use this education to reduce the amount of adolescent drug use, thereby reducing the number of adult addicts and alcoholics. Support drug education in your schools so we can have a brighter future for everyone.

Inhalants | Vistabay

Inhalants are chemical vapors that are inhaled by users for their mind-altering effects. These substances are usually common household products that contain volatile solvents, aerosols, or gases. They are highly dangerous especially for young children. Because of this, parents need to be extremely vigilant to ensure that their kids do not begin experimenting with these substances.

The effects of inhalants include a rapid high, close to alcohol in nature, but lasting for only a few seconds or minutes. If extreme amounts are inhaled, the gases will produce loss of sensation or unconsciousness. Inhalants can cause irreversible damage such as hearing loss, central nervous system damage and brain damage. If high enough amounts are inhaled, death can occur from heart failure or suffocation.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2008 alone, 2 million Americans over the age of 12 had abused inhalants. These numbers break down to 8.9% of 8th graders, 5.9% of 10th graders and 3.8% of 12th graders having abused inhalants at least once in the year prior to being surveyed (source: Monitoring the Future).

As you can see, inhalants are a deadly problem. We’ve all read the headlines about inhalant related deaths, fortunately we can do something about it. By keeping these chemicals out of reach of our children and educating them on the dangers, we are going a long way in decreasing their ability to experiment with such substances. This will also help in the long term by removing inhalants as a gateway drug to more dangerous narcotics.

Vista Bay Rehab is dedicated not only to treatment, but also education and prevention. By teaching our youth about the realities of drug abuse, they can make intelligent and responsible decisions when confronted with substances. It is possible to stem the tide of this epidemic.

The following is a testimonial from a Vista Bay graduate and current Substance Abuse Counselor.

Success Story | VistaBay Drug Rehab

I came to Vista Bay Drug Rehab in October of 2004, and my sixth year of sobriety will pass this year. Although this is a tremendous personal success I am much more proud of what being sober has done for my family, friends, co-workers and community. Since becoming a Vista Bay graduate in January of 2005, I have mended all strained relationships with those close to me, repaired all past damage that my drug use caused and joined a group whose purpose is to rescue lost individuals from the perils of drug addiction. Because of this I am proud to say that I have helped save hundreds of lives over the past six years and will continue to do so until the world is eradicated of the harmful effects of drug and alcohol addiction.

Seven years ago I was practicing criminal law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was literally using all of the money I made to support a heroin habit. Sometimes I would even accept pay in the form of little baggies containing my drug of choice. I was completely out of touch with the outside world and estranged from all of my family and friends. My parents were sinking into depression not knowing how to help their only child; the daughter they respected and admired before she became unrecognizable and lost to drugs and deceit. I had lost all personal integrity and hope to continue living and was headed on a downward spiral, taking me into desperation I never felt possible.

I was arrested the last week of September in 2004 and spent the night detoxing in a holding cell in the Allegheny County Jail. There I was the once competent criminal attorney surrounded by former clients and criminals while I was on the floor shaking, sweating, and doubled up in misery. Looking back on this moment I think there must have been an angel with me that night that helped remind me of just how strong I was and how much life I still had to live. A week later I was on a plane headed across the United States for Northern California so I could free myself from the prison I had been living in long before I got arrested.

I had so many successes throughout the VistaBay Program. I started to feel better physically within hours of arriving on property. The staff put so much effort and time into helping me through my withdrawal from opiates that I barely felt sick. In fact, the actual length of time and severity of my withdrawal was much less than it has been in the past-even when I used medications to come off the drugs! After doing the New Life Detoxification Program or the sauna, I felt better physically than I ever have in my entire life. It was as though I had the body of a child; colors appeared brighter everything smelled different as though I was using my sense of smell for the first time. I was able to remember things and could actually think with a clear mind. I felt extremely fresh and new to the world, ready to conquer anything that got in my way of living. However, this was only a small fraction of what I got from the entire program.

As the days went on I started to discover who I really was as a person. I learned why I used drugs and why I was unable to effectively handle my life. Suddenly it all became clear to me. It was like opening up a treasure chest and finding the real me inside; the person I had always wanted to be but was too scared to put the work into being. I confronted people and situations that I hid from in the past and because of this I started to make things happen in my life; I started to control my destiny, and my life was suddenly fun again.

Within the days to come I learned who and what was holding me back from accomplishing my goals, and I learned how to overcome these obstacles. I also began taking responsibility for all that I have caused and in doing so regained a sense of ethics and moral identity which had been missing from my life for several years. Finally I began to realize how poorly I had been operating in life immediately before I turned to drugs as a solution for my problems, and I learned how to apply specific steps to any area of my life so that I never have to operate like that ever again. This was so incredibly liberating; it was like being given a key to my freedom. All I had to do was apply what I learned throughout the program and I never had to worry about becoming a slave to drugs ever again!

Now I live my life free from the guilt, worry and humiliation that accompanied my past drug use. I have an amazing job and a fantastic group of true friends. I am happily married and am looking forward to starting a family soon. VistaBay Rehab has given me a new life and a new purpose, and there is not a single day that I doubt myself or think that I cannot make it in life because now I know exactly how to have the life I have always dreamed of having. I now know that I can do anything in life and nothing will ever stand in my way unless I allow it. I cannot thank Vista Bay and the staff enough for all that the program has given me. The best that I can do is share my story with others and set a good example with the hopes that more people suffering from the depths of addiction will find the same help that I did and once again learn how to live free from barriers and shame in a world where anything is possible as long as you make the right choices.

Ashly G.

Vista Bay Rehab sees individuals walk through our doors who have seemingly lost everything. Many have damaged relationships, unemployment, poor health and legal troubles. These people don’t need to be told that they will always be an addict, they need hope… hope that they can recover, that they can overcome the damages of their addiction and that they can have a new life!

Vista Bay treats individuals physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. Our clients are helped to identify the reasons why they used drugs and alcohol and given tools for living so that these reasons are no longer an issue for them. The “triggers” that led to using and relapse are nullified and our clients are given the opportunity to re-enter their lives with a new perspective and self-confidence. By fully applying every aspect of the VistaBay Drug Rehab Program, the can recover and lose the moniker “drug addict”.

By treating addicts in this manner, they are no longer victims of perceived situations beyond their control. Those that come through our door broken are returned to their lives with a sense of enthusiasm, excitement and purpose. Addiction can be overcome with VistaBay.

VistaBay Rehab helps our clients to understand that recovery is within their grasp and that they can build a new life for themselves. Whatever they had in their life before drugs took over they had because they were competent, caring and responsible individuals. There is no reason why that cannot be achieved again.

Major portions of the Vista Bay Drug Rehab program are dedicated to repairing the past. Our clients systematically identify people they have hurt and situations where they have done things that they regret. Our counselors work one on one with each client to help them repair these situations while they are still in our program. It’s amazing to see how receptive people are when they learn that the addict is doing the right thing by getting help and trying to turn their life around. We have seen individuals repair marriages, salvage employment, become positive members of their families and regain spirituality that they thought they had lost.

With VistaBay you can rebuild your life, it is never too late. Our counselors are dedicated to helping our clients not only recover from drugs and alcohol, but also to leave our program productive, successful and happy members of society.

The history of drug rehab has been increasingly dominated by “drug for drug” therapy. This means that the addict or alcoholic is placed on over the counter medication as maintenance for their addiction. At VistaBay Rehab we don’t believe that clients need more drugs in order to recover. We offer a natural, holistic alternative that has worked wonders with substance abusers that have had difficulties with other programs.

The Vista Bay Drug Rehab program proves it’s efficacy with results. Upon completion of the program, clients are followed up with regularly and tracked to ensure that they are staying clean and sober. Upwards of 70% of VistaBay graduates are drug free 1 year after completing the program. This is light years beyond the accepted success rate of 20% that the rest of the industry puts out.

Holistic drug treatment puts the individual in control of their recovery and their lives. Many addicts feel that they are hopeless and defective. Once they learn that they can be drug free under their own determination, a sense of empowerment and excitement develops in the individual. This leads to self confidence, personal responsibility and a desire to change.

Vista Bay Rehab works. Don’t give up hope, you can have a new life free from addiction.

The following is a testimonial from parents of a Vista Bay graduate.

Success Story | VistaBay

Dear Vista Bay,

We sent you a person we didn’t know. As a parent we watched our son grow up and for twenty plus years he lived in our home. I taught him to play sports and the difference between right and wrong. He got married and gave us two great grand children. Then for reasons we’ll never know he decided to do “his own thing”.

Several times we paid thousands of dollars so he wouldn’t lose his home. Then the bottom fell out and he became a person we didn’t know. He fell behind in home payments, lost his job and his home. My son and grandchildren became homeless. My wife and I were destroyed. We spent many sleepless nights just thinking of our family with no home to go to, no roof over their heads. My daughter took them in, and then Tom decided to go to VistaBay Rehab.

We sent you a person at the bottom and the end. You are sending my wife and I our son back. I have visited your Vista Bay facility twice and both times I was truly impressed with the work you do in restoring lives. Thank you!

Earl & Gloria

It is said that 10% of Americans that have a substance abuse problem actually receive the treatment they need. In the past when there were limited treatment resources, public awareness and free self help groups this number may have been acceptable. However, in today’s age of awareness and availability of treatment these numbers are atrocious.

Vista Bay recognizes that helping addicts and alcoholics to find effective treatment has numerous benefits. Those that commit crimes to support their habits will become law abiding, recovered individuals will work steady jobs and pay taxes, and most importantly, people we know who struggle with addiction will get better. Our tax dollars will stop funding incarceration for drug addicts and can be devoted to other things. Essentially there is no downside to helping addicts find recovery.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab is implementing a number of projects designed to make it easier for addicts and alcoholics to get the help they need. We have a scholarship program designed for individuals who can’t afford treatment but show a genuine desire to get clean. We work closely with the court system to help people get deferment to drug treatment rather than jail time. We are also coming up with new ways to help those with insurance get adequate coverage so that they have a chance to recover.

With the support of like minded social organizations, the government and the public, treatment can be made available to everyone. VistaBay Rehab will continue to work toward this aim with our prevention, education and treatment programs as well as our alliances with other social groups. Recovery from drugs and alcohol is a reality, you can change have your life back.

Whether you are a house wife who abuses prescriptions or a heroin addict scoring drugs of the street, there are many telltale signs that will let you know when you’ve crossed the line and have developed a serious drug problem. The difficulty for most drug addicts is to recognize that they have a problem. When a your brain is numbed by substances it is very easy to ignore and deny the magnitude of the problem.

VistaBay Drug Rehab has compiled a list of symptoms to watch out for. If you recognize any of the following in yourself or someone you love, it is time to seek help.

• General neglect of responsibilities (e.g. school, work, home).
• Placing yourself in risky situations as a result of drug use (visiting dangerous neighborhoods, driving under the influence, etc.).
• Legal trouble resulting from drug use.
• Relationship problems.
• Increased drug tolerance.
• Avoiding withdrawal symptoms by using more drugs.
• Inability to control drug use.
• You are consumed by thoughts of drug use.
• You no longer engage in activities that you once enjoyed.
• Continuing to use drugs even after realizing it is negatively effecting your life.

VistaBay Rehab treats addicts at all stages of their addiction.  Even if you only recognize yourself in a few of the above mentioned categories, without help, the others will follow.  Recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is entirely possible and it is never too early to ask for help.  Please consider contacting VistaBay to find out more about how drug treatment can change your life.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab believes that with the proper rehabilitation, the regrets of the past can be overcome and individuals can be rehabilitated and go on to lead rewarding, happy and successful lives. Many of the problems that go along with drug use are can be repaired. It may take time, but it is possible. By taking responsibility for their actions, and living a clean, sober and moral life, addicts can be forgiven by those they love. After all, the people that are closest to us want us to do well and once they see the changes in behavior that recovery and sobriety brings, very often they will come around. There is also incredible potential for new relationships formed without the baggage of drug addiction that will help propel former addicts into a new life.

Another fear of many drug addicts is facing the legal ramifications of their drug use. At VistaBay Rehab, we help clients to address and confront those issues and with our help, get them handled as easily as possible. The legal system ultimately wants drug addicts recover and if a judge sees an individual on the path to recovery they usually exercise leniency so that the addict can continue with their recovery and reintegrate into society.

Vista Bay has seen thousands of addicts overcome their addiction and move on to have the life they’ve always dreamed of. Our graduates go on to develop rewarding careers, build families and contribute to society. VistaBay is here to help and our goal is to fully rehabilitate every individual that walks through our doors.

The following is a testimonial from a Vista Bay Rehab graduate that illustrates our ability to help anyone recover.

Success Story | VistaBay

As I sit at my computer, in my New York City apartment, attempting to gather my thoughts and feelings for this story, I am overcome by one thing most clearly: It has been almost one year. One year since I boarded a plane to visit my family in Florida for Thanksgiving, one year since I was put on a plane by my family to California, one year since I arrived at Vista Bay, one year since I have taken drugs. My drug use began typically. I moved to New York City when I was 18 to attend college. I coupled my new found sense of independence with the nightlife and parties I so believed was an essential part to the ideal New York scene.

Slowly, over the course of 4 years, this partying became habitual and abusive. I was no longer using drugs socially; I was using drugs to function. I entered graduate school, and for a brief time was clean and in control, free from the demons of my “wild” youth…or so I thought. I remember so clearly the moment I knew my life was about to take a dark and dangerous turn back to drugs. It was as if I had a score to settle with some unfinished business. And so it went. I made the phone call, I bought the drugs and I succumbed to all that I had believed was left in the past. I remember sitting at my graduation from Columbia University, high on drugs and thinking, “I am in over my head, and this is going nowhere good.” That was in May of 2007 and by November I was a full blown junkie. I slept and ate every 4 days, I had isolated myself from everyone I loved, I had sabotaged myself both professionally and financially, and I was more lonely that I had ever been in my life. The loneliness was so palpable that in order to cope, I numbed myself. I was stuck in a pattern I could not get myself out of. I knew I wanted to stop but I could not. I knew I needed help, and that is where VistaBay Drug Rehab entered my life.

I arrived at VistaBay broken and out of touch with anything in my life that mattered. My health had deteriorated to such a point that I could not look at myself in the mirror. I was embarrassed of who I had allowed myself to become. I must be honest and say that I did not immediately embrace the program. I spent a good month fighting and holding onto the world I believed I was missing back in NYC. It was only once I realized that holding onto these ideas in my head is what got me to drug abuse, could I fully let go, and work towards living in the present. I made a conscious effort to live in the now and free myself from the shackles of my mind. I decided to allow myself to live. The staff at Vista Bay Rehab guided me to this understanding that I truly believe saved my life. Before coming to Vista Bay I was my own worst enemy and upon my successful completion of the program I became a champion for myself. My program was not easy. I had to finally face those demons that I had stifled for so long. Along the way, I met many amazing people, learned how to play ping pong, became one with the rains of Northern California, and most importantly, regained my sense of self. I returned to New York exactly three and a half months after boarding that plane to Florida for Thanksgiving. Now, one year later, I can see how great of a journey it has been. Drug addiction, rehab, and Santa Cruz, CA were never on my agenda, however, the three months I spent at VistaBay remains some of the most important time of my life. Life is not always easy but I now have the tools to face it. I am working, I am creating art, I am practicing yoga, and I am spending time with both friends and family.

I am me again and that is because of VistaBay Drug Rehab.

Aryeh L.

Vista Bay successfully treats addiction every day. We receive clients of all ages, social classes and backgrounds. Our approach to treatment is revolutionary and extremely effective. Many of our clients have tried several methods of recovery and find that VistaBay Rehab gives them the self confidence and empowerment they need for success in all areas of their life.

At VistaBay, we don’t accept relapse as a requirement for recovery, nor do we feel that the individual is powerless to overcome their addiction. We teach our clients that they can make good decisions and direct the course of their lives in a positive and effective way. No longer do they have to have the specter of their addiction looming over their head. We help individuals to confront and accept what they’ve done, repair relationships and other damage done and re-enter society with a clean slate, excited for a new life free of addiction and alcoholism.

VistaBay Drug Rehab is a long term, in-patient drug and alcohol rehab that uses a natural approach. We don’t place our clients on medication, rather, we focus on detoxification, a healthy lifestyle and education on how to interact with others and make good decisions. No one leaves our facility until they have thoroughly completed all of the steps of the program and we offer ongoing support from trained counselors in our aftercare program.

You can get your life back with VistaBay. Don’t give up, get the help you need today!

An individual may have an inclination toward domestic violence but this does not necessarily mean they will act on it. Alcohol intoxication reduces inhibition and affects judgment which may be enough of a catalyst to cause an individual to become violent. In one study, 80% of men were intoxicate at the time they last abused their wives. Also, an incident of abuse when combined with alcohol can result in much more severe injury.

Alcohol abuse is never an excuse for domestic violence. Physical abuse is an unacceptable social problem that needs to be addressed and Vista Bay recognizes that. When we encounter a client who has had difficulties with these problems, we address them and help them to make decisions to handle the situation.

VistaBay Drug Rehab is a long term in-patient program. We help addicts and alcoholics to examine every aspect of their lives and create a plan to handle any dysfunctions or non-optimum situations. We believe that people can make the decision to change, get better and live a new life.

A major part of the VistaBay drug rehab program is learning new life skills. These are common sense tools that will help our graduates to effectively address any situation that comes up in their lives. Whether it is with family members, work colleagues or former using acquaintances, they will know how to react to any situation and create a positive outcome.

VistaBay rehab focuses on helping the individual to recognize the impact of their actions and decisions. They are taught to evaluate each aspect of their life (i.e. family, society, themselves, their job, etc.) and make decisions based on the greatest good. They are also taught how to improve their lives using basic tools which help them handle any difficulties that they may be facing.

Life skills cannot be underestimated. They are the cornerstone of permanent sobriety. Vista Bay has the most successful set of tools for living available. If you are suffering from drug addiction or alcoholism, contact VistaBay and learn a new way to live.

The following is a testimonial from a graduate elucidating the support they received while at Vista Bay Rehab.

Success Story | VistaBay

Before I came to VistaBay Drug Rehab my life was in a chaotic and disorderly mess. All I cared about was getting high and drunk. All of the relationships in my life were being attacked but I was so numb I didn’t care. Not only was I hurting myself but I was also hurting my family. Fortunately, they loved me enough to send me to VistaBay.

The second day I was here, I was scheming on ways to get out. The staff talked me into staying and I am so glad I stuck with it. Vista Bay has been the best thing I have ever done in my life. Over the past four months I have been able to reestablish my life and replace all of my bad habits with good, positive, constructive ones. I wouldn’t have been able to push through it without the tremendous support of the staff and other clients. They have helped me improve my life, both mentally and physically, as well as repair my relationships with all the important people in my life. Overall this program has not only given me a life back but has improved it immensely.

A.E. Vista Bay Drug Rehab Graduate

The VistaBay detox program consists of sessions in a dry heat sauna. This is used to sweat out toxins at a rapid rate. Along with the sauna, the client is placed on a regimen of vitamins, minerals and nutrition used to replace any depletion that occurs because of the rapid nature of this detox as well as build up the body’s supply of vital nutrients that have been depleted during the individuals drug use. Clients are also given healthy soluble oils that replace the toxic fat stores in the body with healthy fat stores. This is all combined with a daily exercise regimen to keep their metabolism functioning at a healthy pace.

Before any of our clients begin the VistaBay detoxification program, they are seen by our doctor. During the program they are constantly supervised by our counselors and medical staff to ensure that the process accomplishes optimum results.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab wants to give our clients the best possible chance to fully recover from their drug and alcohol addiction. The detoxification program is the first step in that process. You can have a life free from addiction with VistaBay.

• 13% of children under 18 years of age in the United States live in a household where a parent or other adult uses illegal drugs.
• 24% of children live in a household where a parent or other adults is a heavy drinker or alcoholic.
• 37% of children live in a household where a parent or other adult uses tobacco.

It has also been discovered that parents who abuse alcohol or drugs are 3 times more likely to abuse their children and 4 times more likely to neglect them than parents who do not abuse these substances.  Children of addicts and alcoholics also have higher incidents of physical injury, illness, depression, conduct disorders and academic difficulties.  They also find themselves at a higher risk of abusing drugs or alcohol themselves.

VistaBay can help to stop the perpetuation of this dysfunctional behavior.  Vista Bay Drug Rehab is a successful, long-term treatment facility that restores families on a daily basis.  If you are a parent struggling with drug and alcohol addiction please get help for the sake of your family.  The success and future of your children may depend on it!

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/503855

When a soldier exhibits symptoms of an inability to cope with the rigors of military life, very often they will be prescribed medications for stress, anxiety, pain or to keep them alert during battle. These drugs may seem necessary in a wartime situation, but what happens when the soldier returns home addicted to these substances?

Another difficulty our soldiers have to face is coming home. Although military personnel have regular communication with their family and loved ones, it is difficult for them to make a connection between what they experience in war and their lives in the states. They are left feeling disconnected from the civilian experience and when they return home many find an outlet in substance abuse in order to cope with the responsibility and pressure of integrating back into civilian life. This is compounded when a soldier has undergone multiple tours which increases their stress and disconnection from those they love.

Vista Bay understands that the military leadership falls short when it comes to addressing these issues. If a soldier can’t cope with the things they’ve witnessed, it is viewed as a sign of weakness. The bureaucratic difficulties of getting help, combined with the negative stigma often leaves them feeling helpless to do anything. This is when the loved ones of the soldier need to step in and get their loved one the help they need.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab is the most successful drug treatment available today. We have successfully treated people from all walks of life, helping them come to terms with any difficulties they may have experienced. We have seen many ex-military walk through our doors and successfully turn their lives around.

VistaBay supports those that fight for our freedoms and we are wholly dedicated to seeing that they are able to live happy and successful lives after they return home. VistaBay Rehab will help you overcome your addictions and come to terms with the reasons why you started using in the first place. It is okay to ask for help… there is no need to suffer with drug and alcohol addiction.

Success Story | VistaBay

When I first got here I did not want to be here. I was scared and didn’t understand how everyone her could be so happy without the use of drugs or alcohol. This was not possible for me at the time and I thought I would never feel like they do.

Looking back, I don’t recognize the person I was when I arrived at Vista Bay, I was so unhappy. I know who I am now that I am ready to graduate. I am happy again and I know where I am going. I have regained a relationship with my family and I am so grateful to have them and my girlfriend back in my life. I realize that I still have a lot of work to do but I am motivated to do it.

I’ve gotten so much out of the program. I’ve learned how to live in the moment and how to not be burdened by guilt for what I have done wrong. I have also improved my relationship and communication skills. There was not one magic part, but everything together really prepared me for sobriety and a better life.

I am thankful for the opportunity to go to Vista Bay Rehab. I feel good, better than I ever have. I am excited and optimistic about the future.

Nolan P.

VistaBay Rehab has the most effective method for permanent recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. With Vista Bay, you CAN get your kid back!

Vista Bay caters to many clients who come from out of state to seek drug treatment. Very often it is a good idea to get away from the area that an addict used in so that they can focus on their recovery without distraction or the temptation to leave when things get rough.

Vista Bay Rehab follows a completely drug free approach to recovery. We believe that when one substance is swapped for another, complete success and lifetime sobriety is seriously inhibited. VistaBay Rehab incorporates a dry heat sauna detoxification into their program that uses sweating in the sauna in conjunction with exercise, nutrition and vitamin therapy. This completely cleanses the body of harmful toxins that build up from drug abuse, greatly reducing cravings brought on by residual substances trapped in the body.

Clients are often amazed at the degree of physical health and mental clarity that results from this detoxification process. Vista Bay also provides a battery of life skills that help the individual to sustain their sobriety once they complete the program. After graduation, VistaBay places the client on a comprehensive discharge plan to help them safely transition back into their lives with the continued support of the Vista Bay counselors.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab does not limit the time that it takes for a client to complete the program. Each person is different and moves at their own pace. Because of this, we believe that they should be allowed enough time to thoroughly complete each step of the program without fear that they will be discharged prematurely or after a specific date. There is no additional charge for those who take longer to complete the program. Again, our aim is to create an individual who is totally recovered from drug and alcohol addiction.

The Vista Bay program is a very humanitarian approach to recovery. If you or someone you love is ready to completely recover from their addictions, give an Intake Counselor at Vista Bay a call.

The following statistics illustrate additional risks of adolescent alcohol abuse:

• Approximately 22.1% of 12 - 14 year olds state that they have tried alcohol at least once.  By age 15 - 17, alcohol use more than doubles and by 18 - 20, over 80% of our youth have had at least one drink.
• In 2006 the majority of underage drinkers reported that they used alcohol either at their own home or a friends home.
• Adolescents tend to drink a lot more alcohol at one time than adults. Those surveyed stated that in the past month they had drank 6 times, each time consuming 5 drinks.
• Nearly 1 in 10 persons aged 12 to 20 meet the criteria for abusive drinking.
• Studies have shown that those who began drinking before the age of 15 are 7 times more likely to have alcohol related problems in adulthood than those who begin drinking when they are 21.
• Alcohol is the most popular drug among adolescents.
• Alcohol creates more fatalities among adolescents than any other drug.

Studies also conclude that underage drinking increases risk of violence, sexual activity, poor performance in school and illicit drug use.

VistaBay recognizes the difficulties parents go through in raising children and how hard it is to protect them from everything.  You can help your children by maintaining open communication with them about alcohol an drugs while reinforcing a message of the dangers that these substances pose.  By building a close relationship with your children they will learn to trust you and likely come to you for help when confronted with alcohol or drugs.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab is fighting alcohol and drug use amongst our youth by offering free Drug Education Lectures.  If you are interested in having us come to your school, please contact us.

The following is a testimonial from a mother of one of our graduates.

Success Story - Vista Bay

I believe in life there is an order of the importance of all things, which first and foremost will always be my family. My husband and I expected, as most parents do, that our children would eventually grow and contribute to this world in a positive way. Possibly they would become a doctor, teacher, business professional, or help in some other way in this drama called life. As life continues forward we deal with both the glory and heartache that defines parenthood. The scraped knees, the good and bad school grades, the home runs and strikeouts- these are the ups and downs of living. There is however, nothing to prepare a parent for when a child turns to drugs as our son Billy did.

During his high school and college years his use of recreational drugs, such as alcohol and marijuana, served as the gateway to his devastating addiction to heroin and cocaine. Skipping most of the painful details we tried a variety of programs that either didn’t work at all, or worked for a short period of time. With each setback our entire family would feel powerless and devastated with our lack of ability to help our son overcome his addiction to drugs. Because all of our past efforts ultimately proved futile, my family struggled to remain optimistic even when Billy entered Vista Bay Drug Rehab in March 2006. Billy successfully completed the VistaBay Rehab program and returned home after his graduation in August of 2006. My family and I were astounded by the turnaround that Vista Bay helped our son to achieve. Shortly thereafter, Billy decided to return to Vista Bay as a staff member so that he could help other people struggling with addictions uncover the happy, productive, and fulfilling life that they too can achieve through the program at VistaBay.

It cannot be overstated that when Vista Bay Rehab helped our son fight and ultimately beat his addiction something more precious than anything in the world was given back to our family and to the larger community. Billy had done the work to gain back the life he never even knew he had lost, our family will forever credit this accomplishment to the counselors and staff at VistaBay. My son is now a contributing, hard working member of society. I will end the story of my son Billy’s success by quoting him as saying, “I have the most rewarding job in the world, which is helping others get off drugs and alcohol, and watching them get their lives back.”

Barbara W.

Our main location is situated on Mount Madonna in Santa Cruz County California. The scenic backdrop provided by this converted sprawling estate sets the stage for serious drug and alcohol rehab treatment. We have 2 dry heat saunas for our detoxification program, classrooms for the life skills portion of the program and a secluded cabin used for our drug free withdrawal.

Placerville California is home to our second location. This facility provides all of the advantages of the VistaBay drug rehab program in a friendly, away-from-it-all environment. Nestled in the Sierra Foothills, the Placerville location provides residents with a secluded, quiet respite where they can truly concentrate on getting better.

Our newest location is located in beautiful South Lake Tahoe California. The pine-scented air of Lake Tahoe is the resident’s first clue that this VistaBay facility is truly unique. Literally a short
hike away from Lake Tahoe, countless opportunities for recreation abound for residents at VistaBay’s Lake Tahoe facility. The staff-to-client ratio is 2-1, making it the ultimate location for residents who feel they require the utmost attention in order to kick their substance abuse problem.

Vista Bay rehab differs from the standard 12-step programs in a variety of ways. But none more so than in its approach to treating substance abuse. While 12-step requires addicts to admit that they have a chronic disease from which they will never fully recover, the program at Vista Bay is based on the belief that residents can be cured of addiction with the right treatment and education.

Vista Bay Rehab is the solution for permanent recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Don’t wait any longer to get the help you need.

For the occasion we were recognized by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors with an official proclamation which extolled Vista Bay’s “crucial role in educating youth and eradicating drug use by participating in local events and activities”. VistaBay is highly involved in local betterment groups such as the Santa Cruz Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, Watsonville Sober Grad Night and the Santa Cruz County Meth Project.

VistaBay Rehab has had many other honors over the years. In 2005, the Watsonville Mayor, Ana Ventura Phares, issued a proclamation that commended Vista Bay for it’s dedication in helping people to overcome addiction and helping them to become productive members of society. Other cities that have issued proclamations include, Monterey, Capitola, Marina, Santa Cruz and the list continues. In 2004 VistaBay Drug Rehab received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for outstanding and invaluable service to the community.

As you can see, VistaBay is widely recognized as a leader in the field of drug rehabilitation, education and prevention. If you or someone you know is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, please contact Vista Bay and get them on the road to recovery!

Methadone’s effects are long lasting, requiring a single dose in a 24 hour period to stave off withdrawal symptoms. The problem is, it is an opiate and thus creates a physical dependency of it’s own that many state is much worse than a heroin dependency. Methadone also comes with all of the health risks of other opiates, such as overdose, increased tolerance over time, respiratory depression, potential for hypotension or bronchospasms, constipation, nausea, vomiting, sedation, vertigo and edema. One of the largest drawbacks to methadone is the withdrawal. The average opiate takes the user about a week to overcome withdrawal symptoms. Methadone, on the other hand, induces acute withdrawal symptoms for several weeks and sometimes months. This makes it that much more difficult for the user to confront quitting.

The main drawback of methadone maintenance is that it keeps the addict dependent on a drug and doesn’t offer any sort of rehabilitation. Opiate addicts simply have to prove that they are addicted and they can join the methadone program. Many addicts use the methadone to supplement their supply of drugs and never stop using illegal narcotics at all.

The only way to overcome addiction is to stop using all drugs and enter an effective treatment program that offers the education and the tools necessary to stay clean. VistaBay Rehab is one such program. At Vista Bay, we have helped many people successfully get through opiate withdrawals and go on to live drug free and successful lives.

VistaBay Drug Rehab offers a permanent solution for drug addiction that does not require dependence on additional substances. Enroll in VistaBay and you can quit using for the last time. You CAN have your life back!

We are able to successfully withdraw individuals from substances naturally because we restore things in the body that the drug and alcohol use has depleted. On a very light gradient, The Vista Bay Counselors rehabilitate the client physically and nutritionally. We deliver regular meals to our clients along with a regimen of vitamins, minerals, and nutritional compounds. This helps to restore the nutrients that have been depleted for so long in the individual. We also take our clients on many short walks and have them do mental exercises to stay focused on the present and feel positive about this step they are taking.

All individuals going through withdrawal are placed under the watchful eye of a Withdrawal Specialist 24 hours a day. This constant supervision lasts until all physical and mental discomfort associated with drug and alcohol withdrawal is gone.

There is no time limit for the withdrawal portion of the drug treatment program. We provide this supervision for as long as it takes for the individual to pass through this difficult period of time. The Drug Free Withdrawal program at VistaBay gives our clients a solid foundation for succeeding with the rest of their treatment and embarking on a clean and sober life!

VistaBay treats addiction in a twofold manner. First the acute symptoms are treated, the client is detoxed from drugs and alcohol and they are restored to physical health with nutrition, exercise and our detoxification program. They are then taught how to live without drugs and alcohol and helped to handle the situations in their past that led them to substance abuse in the first place.

We view our clients as people with the ability to recover and go on to live their lives without worry of relapse. The Vista Bay Drug Rehab program usually lasts four to six months and is goal oriented rather than time oriented. Each client progresses at their own rate and there are no additional fees if one client takes longer than another to complete the program. We stay in touch with our graduates and track their progress for 2 years after completion. Graduates of the program who are following their approved discharge plan and are experiencing difficulties can return, for free, and do a review program that can last up to 30 days.

At Vista Bay Rehab, we understand that overcoming addiction is difficult and takes time. We are more than happy to do whatever we can to see this happen because, in the end, it is our business to create drug free lives and restore loved ones to each other.

The following is a story from a family members perspective of how the VistaBay Drug Rehab helped to save a loved one.

Success Story | VistaBay

My brother Jonathan is three years younger then me. We grew up in the suburbs near Seattle, WA. Since high school I had known he had been using drugs, but I was in denial about how much of a problem it was. I just figured that it was a phase that you go through when you are in your late teens and early twenties, and then you get over it. At some point in life you just realize that other things are just more important than drugs.

I moved to California to attend college and again later for work. I saw Jonathan when I visited home and saw signs that he still was using, but again just hoped he would get over that stage on his own. Thinking back, at this point in our life I don’t feel that we were very close. Not a conscious decision by either of us. Just the way it was.

I started hearing stories from my parents that made me realize that his drug problem was much more then a phase. First, he had trouble holding down a job. Then he had money trouble and needed to borrow from my parents and would ask me on occasion. Then he began stealing things from my parent’s house. That was the point I realized, way too late, that he truly had a problem and needed help.

I attempted to talk him into getting some help, but he said things were under control. My parents persisted and finally convinced him to go to rehab. My brother didn’t like the idea of taking prescribed drugs to fight his addiction, so he decided to enroll in Vista Bay Drug Rehab which happened to be 30 miles from where I was working in San Jose.

Jonathan boarded a plane from Seattle to San Jose and I picked him up at the airport and escorted him to VistaBay Rehab. I was nervous, trying to say the right things, I knew my brother was on edge and beat. The staff at VistaBay were very professional and comforting, answering the many questions I had and immediately took good care of Jonathan.

I visited Jonathan at Vista Bay on occasion and was able to finally really connect to my brother again now that he was off drugs. I met the staff and the people that were in the program and it was clear to me what a great support system my brother had. He was able to get through the program at a rate that suited him as an individual.

Jonathan has been sober three years now! He has been a tremendous brother and friend to me and an integral part of the family. I was married a few months ago and he was there right by my side in my wedding party. My wife didn’t know Jonathan while he was on drugs and still can’t believe that they ever played such a big role in his life.

My brother is a different man now that he is drug free and I’m happy about the relationship we’ve formed. He currently works in the field of Drug Rehabilitation, giving back to others in need. I couldn’t be happier and be more honored to be his brother.

Kevin B.

A recent report from the office of Nevada governor Jim Gibbons revealed some alarming statistics. Of those who used drugs, 45% of adults, 41% of adolescents and 82% of pregnant or parenting women reported crystal meth as their drug of choice. Per capita, Nevada has the highest meth use statistics in the nation.

The preferred method for using crystal meth is to smoke or inject it, this gives an immediate high which is what most drug addicts are looking for. The Drug, however, can be eaten or snorted though this produces a less pronounced effect. Hallucinations and paranoia can occur once the drug is in the system.

Meth is detrimental in many ways. It speeds up the aging process, destroys your teeth, sores appear due to poor health and the meth users propensity toward picking at themselves. Internal organs are also damaged. I once heard a drug rehab counselor compare the damage it does it to running sand through your system. Crystal meth also does extensive psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual damage. Families are torn apart and legal troubles stack up. Many who have used meth for years wind up in a meth psychosis that can last for weeks or months after the drug has left their system.

VistaBay knows that addiction to crystal meth can be overcome. The damage done by the drug may be significant, but with VistaBay Drug Rehab’s detoxification and life skills regimen, the individual can be restored to sanity and given the opportunity to turn their life around. We have numerous graduates who have conquered their addiction to meth and can attest to the efficacy of the Vista Bay program.

Drug addicts can have a new and successful life free of their addictions. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, contact Vista Bay Drug Rehab today!

When addiction is pegged as an incurable and chronic disease, that can be a little disheartening for the individual. Beyond that they are told things such as “relapse is part of the process” or “you are powerless”. Though the fundamental message of these statements is meant to be positive, the words are too easily misunderstood by the addict and they wind up feeling helpless, damaged, ineffective and broken. All of these factors combined can very easily set the individual up for failure which is why so few succeed.

In 2003, the Baldwin Research Institute published an article on its website titled Alcoholism: A Disease of Speculation. It asserts that addiction is NOT a disease:

“The disease concept has proven to be far more damaging to the substance abuser then anyone could have predicted. Therapists claim the disease concept helps the patient to understand the seriousness of [his/her] problems. But in reality, this idea has backfired. The disease concept strips the substance abuser of responsibility. A disease cannot be cured by force of will.”

The disease model has allowed the addict to view themselves as victims of circumstance. Vista Bay Drug Rehab believes the addict or alcoholic should be shown that they can overcome their addiction. They need to know that they are responsible for their actions and that they have the power to change. VistaBay understands that they can’t do this out of the blue, they do need to be rehabilitated and given an education on how to live successfully. Once they have received this education, they will have all of the tools they need to live a clean, sober and happy life.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab offers a true solution to drug addiction. By stripping away the belief that addiction is a disease, Vista Bay can return the addict to a healthy state. There is no incurable disease to combat. Not surprisingly, alternative drug rehabilitation programs that do not use the disease model have a much higher success rate than the standard disease model drug rehabilitation programs. VistaBay is just such a highly successful drug rehabilitation program.

It is not difficult to realize that addiction and alcoholism affects the mind, body and spirit. If you take a second to evaluate the life of an addict, you will see that each of these areas are dysfunctional and therefore they all need to be addressed. VistaBay is dedicated to handling all of these aspects of addiction and ultimately humanity in order to give their graduates the best possible chance of lifetime sobriety.

VistaBay Drug Rehab provides a safe environment where the addict can deal with the issues that led him or her to drugs in the first place. The addict has the freedom to work on changing thinking patterns. That way, when faced with challenging issues in the future, the addict will have new and productive ways of dealing with any difficulties they may encounter in life. VistaBay Rehab offers physical rehabilitation in the form of a detoxification program. This program thoroughly cleanses and rejuvenates the body so that it is not affected by drug residues, a major factor in cravings and relapse. Spiritually, Vista Bay allows for the fact that each individual addict has their own spiritual path. One should not be forced to convert to a religion or other philosophical way of thinking. Rather, the drug addict is encouraged to follow their own opinion and belief system about spirituality, even if they believe in nothing at all.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab offers the most comprehensive method allowing addicts and alcoholics to overcome their addictions. With a healed mind, cleansed body and a realized spirit, their addiction will be left in the past.

Success Rate

Drug treatment centers like VistaBay keep track of their graduates and how they are doing once they’ve completed the program. A higher success rate is obviously a plus because the facility must be doing something right. Ask to speak with graduates of the program or their families. Many are so happy to be free of their addiction that they are glad to help someone else achieve the freedom that they have. This will offer the insight necessary to understand the program from a clients perspective.

Method of Treatment

It is imperative that you seek out a drug rehab that addresses all aspects of addiction including physical, mental, social, familial, and spiritual. You will also want to ensure that the facility is able respect the morals and beliefs that you hold dear and that they provide a safe environment for everyone. Addiction affects every aspect of life and the addict needs to be rehabilitated in kind.

Additional Services

Many addicts and alcoholics have neglected their responsibilities for so long that they need help with more than just their addiction. If you have needs with legal issues, interventions, etc., make sure that the facility will help. Ask how they’ve dealt with similar cases so that you can feel secure that they know what they are doing.

Staff Qualifications

Ask for staff qualifications and ensure that they are trained and well experienced with addiction. Vista Bay Rehab employs staff that have decades of experience in the field and this is a good sign for any facility. Drug addiction counselors are the guides and teachers for the clients they must be up to the task and ready to set a good example for those they are treating.

Aftercare and Follow Up

Transitioning back into life can be very difficult for the recovered addict. To ensure that they don’t slip back into old routines a dedicated aftercare program is necessary. Ask a lot of questions about how the facility handles different scenarios with life difficulties, relapse, etc. This is a very crucial time in a clients progress and they need attention from their rehab to guarantee that they are successful.

Program Length

Standard 28 day treatment programs are better than nothing but when an individual has been using drugs and alcohol for years or decades, they generally need more than a few weeks to recover. Numerous statistical studies show a direct correlation between program length and success rates. Drug and alcohol rehab is a big commitment and you will want to make sure that it is as effective as possible. A few months now can save you or your loved one from a lifetime of heartache.

Vista Bay Rehab has become one of the most successful drug and alcohol treatment centers by continuously striving to improve on the topics listed above. It is our belief that if you find a facility that exhibits competence in these areas you will be in good shape for a positive treatment experience.

Below is a success story from one of our graduates who can attest to the fact that you can recover and find a new way of life without having to hit rock bottom.

Success Story

I can’t be more thankful for how far I have come in life since I completed the VistaBay drug rehab program. It’s not that I had hit rock bottom but I knew that was where I was headed.

My whole life I had been an illustrator of one kind or another and there wasn’t a moment I didn’t require some drug or drink to help me get through another painting. I always told myself I was doing OK because I had my own place, a good job, and never had legal issues. Over time, I found myself becoming more and more dependent on drugs and alcohol. My parents knew something was wrong but were never aware of the extent of my drug and alcohol use until I took the time out of my life to evaluate my situation. I knew drugs were my problem but I had been so dependent on them for the past 15 years I never thought I could function in life or in my job as an illustrator without them. I made the choice to come to VistaBay and it was the best choice I’ve ever made.

Throughout the Vista Bay program I spent my time getting my life straight with myself and my family. I spent my free time adjusting to being creative without drugs or alcohol. I found that once my head was clear and my body was healthy, my ability to draw was improved. My imagination went into overdrive and my sense of responsibility was far beyond what I ever could have imagined. I have never had a better relationship with my family than I do today. While I still have the usual stresses of a daily life, Vista Bay rehab has taught me to handle life without drugs. I am so grateful for the chance that VistaBay has given me to get back on track, I would not be where I am today without them!

Christopher R.

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It’s never too early to get help.  By making the choice to enter recovery before your life falls apart, you’ll be saving yourself and your loved ones from years of suffering and misery.  Vista Bay Rehab WILL give you your life back.

Many of the medications that doctors prescribe can be just as dangerous as street drugs. Many mood stabilizers have addictive qualities and narcotic effects and pain killers as we all know have long been abused by patients. VistaBay regularly treats clients for addictions that are for strictly prescription medications. It seems that the idea to use drugs to cure addiction is akin to the poison being the cure. This rarely if ever makes sense, especially when there are much more positive alternatives to recovery from addiction.

Drugs that promise to stop cravings or block effects sound nice, but they do not handle the myriad of social and psychological reasons why someone begins abusing drugs in the first place, nor do they rehabilitate the physical damages done by drug addiction. In fact, they continue to keep a stream of drugs going into the body which prohibits an individual from ever acquiring a natural balance or sense of normalcy.

Vista Bay has a holistic approach to drug addiction that has been proven to work. The New Life Detoxification program offered at Vista Bay Drug Rehab, truly addresses the cravings an addict experiences by cleansing the body of drug residues in a drug free setting, using vitamins, nutrition, exercise and sauna detox program. The end result is that the cravings for drugs have disappeared. The program also addresses the underlying causes for the addiction in the first place. VistaBay Rehab comprehensively treats not just every aspect of addiction, but every aspect of life and living in a successful and rewarding manner. This is why the program is so successful and why it is proof that a natural approach is superior to the shortcut of medications.

The reality is that pharmaceuticals are a multi-billion dollar industry and they make money by continuously making new drugs. Obviously their research into cures for terminal and chronic illnesses is essential, this will not be debated. It’s only when the industry becomes too motivated by the bottom line and the medications that are necessary for humanity take a back seat to the next wonder drug that we see a breakdown of the system. Vista Bay Rehab sees this and so do many other rehabs. If you are suffering from addiction, find a facility that uses a natural approach. You have a chance to truly recover from your addictions and live a new life!

Over the years, Vista Bay has seen every type of scenario for treating addiction and we know that treating one drug by substituting another never works.

Methadone is a long lasting synthetic opioid. One dose will stave off withdrawals for 24 hours which is why it has gained popularity as a maintenance medication for opiate addiction. Unfortunately, methadone creates a physical dependence just like any other opiate, and the withdrawals are very severe, lasting for weeks or months, much longer than withdrawals from opiates like heroin or oxycontin.

Advocates for methadone look at the fact sheet and point out the statistics that say weekly heroin use decreased by 69% for those addicts on a methadone drug treatment program. They tell you, that criminal behavior decreased by 52%. That’s all well and good, but that leaves 31% of methadone patients who still use heroin weekly. Not to mention the 48% of addicts who take methadone and still engage in criminal activity.

If we want to truly solve the problem of opiate addiction and do away with the crime associated with opiate addiction we need to get these addicts detoxed and into treatment.

VistaBay offers a drug free treatment modality that frees the addict from all substances. We approach treatment in a natural, holistic way. The client goes through a closely supervised withdrawal and then they move on to the Vista Bay Rehab Detoxification program and life skills training. The individual is freed from the physical addiction and taught a completely new way to live. This is truly recovery from drug addiction and the key to a life worth living.

VistaBay Drug Rehab understands that overcoming opiate addiction can be difficult and painful. However, as any of you who have seen a methadone program know, methadone keeps you trapped in a cycle of addiction, raises risk of relapse or ongoing use, causes health problems, and limits your potential as a human being.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab has a goal to see each of their clients stay clean and sober for the rest of their lives. This is why we place so much focus on handling legal situations. VistaBay doesn’t want to see a client graduate only to face horrendous legal problems that may be too much for them to deal with, potentially giving the individual an excuse for relapse.

At VistaBay Rehab, we strive to help our clients to become trusted individuals that have recovered from alcoholism and addiction and who want to begin a new life. We have found that when the judge sees these changes in the individual they are much more willing to show leniency.

While enrolled at VistaBay Drug Rehab, we happily transport students to and from any nearby court appointments. We work with out-of-state students to ease their reporting requirements while in treatment. Plus, we provide all required services for those on parole or probation, including random drug screening. Our Legal Liaison is employed full time and is well versed in dealing with courts all over the country. Very often we have cultivated personal relationships with parole and probation departments as well as judges.

Vista Bay is dedicated to helping our clients leave our program with the best possible chance of lifetime sobriety. Don’t wait any longer to recover from your addiction, there is a way out!

Healing Drug Metabolites | Vista Bay

VistaBay Drug Rehab utilizes a combination of exercise, induced sweating in a dry heat sauna, vitamins and nutrition therapy to eliminate drug metabolites and toxins from the body of the addict. At Vista Bay, we never give drugs of any kind to our clients. Modalities that use medications to help the addict quit their drug of choice very often create a secondary addiction that then needs to be treated.

The Vista Bay Rehab detoxification program will give the following results:

• Reduction or elimination of drug and alcohol cravings.
• Reduction or elimination of many symptoms associated with drug addiction and alcoholism. These can include depression, irritability, and fatigue.
• Ability to think more clearly.
• Improved memory and attention span.
• Increased energy.
• Increased sense of well being.
• Enthusiasm toward Life.

Healing the “Biochemical Personality” | Vista Bay

Once the physical setbacks of addiction are rehabilitated, we are ready to take on the psychological aspects. Every student at Vista Bay takes a series of specialized interactive educational courses that aid the addict in recognizing and defeating the self destructive thought processes ingrained throughout active addiction. These unique cognitive and objective therapies are followed by life skills training. This training is taught in easily understood phases that build one on the other.

The recovery program at VistaBay rehab is complete when the former addict recognizes and accepts responsibility for old habit patterns. They understands the reasons why they used drugs and alcohol and are no longer affected by them. Their relationship with themselves, their family, friends and environment are fully examined and rehabilitated.

The person’s own self-determination is restored and they are no longer victim to intense cravings and feelings of helplessness.  They are restored to their true nature, free and no longer a drug addict.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab truly makes recovery possible.

The two major causes for drug and alcohol addiction are:

• Mental and physical cravings caused by drug residues which remain in the body long after a person quits using the drug.
• The “Biochemical Personality”.  This is the way of thinking that is caused by drug addiction and the lifestyle an addict adopts to get drugs and live with a drug habit.

Both of these situations must be identified and dealt with in order to free oneself of any addictive behavior.  In this post we will discuss their effects on long term recovery.

Several decades ago, the biochemical aspects of drug addiction were discovered. This led to the most successful approach to rehabilitation in existence.  This is the approach that Vista Bay uses on a daily basis with incredible results.

When a person uses drugs over an extended period of time, the body stored traces of these drugs. These traces are called “drug metabolites” and they build up in the fatty tissues.  As the cells in these tissues regenerate, the stored drug metabolites are released into the blood stream and this is a major cause of drug cravings.  The brain centers that react to the drugs are reactivated.  This triggers cravings for the drug as well as the ”Biochemical Personality” traits that tempt a person into relapse.  If these drug residues are not removed from the body, a serious relapse can be triggered even after years of sobriety.

These unresolved symptoms and manifestations, create an underlying low-level type of stress that the addict cannot ignore. Usually, saying “no” is not enough. Other methods for treating the symptoms must be applied.

In our next post, VistaBay will discuss the solution for these causes of relapse and how the VistaBay drug rehab program can help.

An intervention is necessary when family and friends see an unwillingness or denial on the addicts part that there is a problem. During the process of the intervention, emotions often become heated but this is needed in order to show the addict how their actions and behaviors are a negative influence not only on themselves, but on those who love and care for them.

Vista Bay has Intervention Specialists who are trained to guide the intervention in a productive direction. The Intervention Specialist knows what issues to bring up and can remain a stable influence throughout the process. The Specialist will also coach the family on how to act and react to the addict in order to get the desired outcome. Under the guidance of a professional Interventionist, the process can be gotten through quickly and as painlessly as possible.

At VistaBay Rehab, we have seen many addict enroll the same day as their intervention and begin the road to recovery. You CAN get your kid back with VistaBay Drug Rehab, it’s never too late to recover!

At VistaBay Rehab we have treated thousands of cases and find that in the case of drug addiction and alcoholism, the person usually self medicates in order to compensate for some perceived deficiency or to get relief from a difficult situation. They may suffer from depression, have chronic pain or find themselves unable to cope with loss. Others discover drugs by hanging around with the “wrong crowd”. Whatever the reason, the individual is trying to seek out a solution by using drugs and alcohol.

Once drugs and alcohol are discovered as a solution to life’s troubles, the cycle of abuse and addiction begins. Every time the person feels depressed, stressed out, anxious, even excited, they use this as an excuse to get high. As they get high more and more, the time periods without drugs or alcohol become harder to deal with which leads to increased use and finally addiction.

Vista Bay can break this cycle. We have successfully freed thousands of individuals from drug and alcohol addiction. Drug addicts cannot easily quit on their own which is why they need a place like VistaBay Drug Rehab to give them the support and teach them the tools necessary for living a life recovered from drugs and alcohol. Vista Bay Rehab will give you your life back!

• In the United States, about 3000 teens smoke their first cigarette each day. Of those, about one-third of become addicted daily smokers.
• As of 2004, 27% of adolescents had used some sort of drug.
• In 2002, one-third of 10th grade students had used marijuana. Nearly one-fifth of 10th grade students said they had used marijuana in the past month.
• In 2002, 2% of 10th grade students had used cocaine, 3% had used opiates, 13% had used inhalants, nearly 5% had used a club drug like ectasy or methamphetamine, and about 2% had used anabolic steroids.
• While the use of most drugs by teenagers has decreased since 2001, the abuse of Oxycontin, a narcotic, has increased to 5% of 10th grade students in 2004.

There is a steady decline in teen drug abuse and this is largely due to drug education and prevention programs like the one that VistaBay Drug Rehab offers.  With proper education, teens can make informed decisions when it comes to drug use.  They will be aware of the dangers, pitfalls and consequences of drug addiction and more likely to say no.

VistaBay is a network of drug and alcohol treatment centers in California.  The Vista Bay program boasts a high success rate and uses a natural, social model for treatment.  You can get your kid back with Vista Bay Rehab.  For more information, contact an Intake Counselor at 877-600-6906.

At Vista Bay, we believe that if an addict gets clean, but lacks proper communication skills, there is a high likelihood of relapse. Not being able to communicate honestly or openly can lead to conflict with others. Also, if one does not know how to effectively get their point across, they can become frustrated and feel defeated. Either one of these reasons may be enough for a recovered addict to decide that they want to use again.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab requires clients to go through not one, but two communications courses while enrolled in the program. The first course happens at the beginning of the program to ensure that the individual develops the self confidence and presence of mind to get the most out of the program. Vista Bay rehab uses one on one drills and work with counselors to develop focus and to confront challenging situations. Our clients will learn how to resolve conflict with effective communication rather than negative behavior. The second course happens mid-way through the program and is a more intensified version of the first, building on what they have learned already and putting it into practice.

The VistaBay Drug Rehab communications courses are an essential part of our curriculum. Learning how to communicate along with everything else that VistaBay has to offer will give you the best chance at long lasting sobriety.

An independent American study reported that 86% of our graduates were living drug and alcohol free 2 years after they completed the VistaBay program. An independent Spanish study reported that 70% of our graduates stay drug and alcohol free.

The reason for these incredible statistics is that we offer a comprehensive and natural program that believes in the power of the human spirit. With appropriate handling of the past and addressing the reasons why one began using in the first place, many addicts have the realizations necessary to stop using drugs once and for all. When you combine that with our revolutionary sauna detox to remove any physical cravings, you have an individual who is more equipped to live a healthy and successful life than ever before.

Vista Bay Rehab divides their program into a series of steps, each one building on the last. They are as follows:

* Complete withdrawal from drugs and alcohol
* Regaining communication with others and the environment
* Removing the residual drugs from the body
* Gaining control of themselves, their environment and lives
* Achieving the ability to take responsibility not only for themselves, but for others as well.

If you feel trapped by drug addiction or alcoholism, or if you are directly or indirectly affected by someone suffering from addiction, Vista Bay provides a real, proven way to fully recover. VistaBay can give you your life back!

At Vista Bay, our program teaches that addiction is not a chronic condition that one has to bear like a cross for the rest of their lives. We believe that with a thorough physical detox and proper drug education one can fully recover from drug and alcohol addiction.

At Vista Bay Rehab, the detox program involves intense dry sauna sessions combined with exercise, vitamin therapy and nutrition. It sounds radical, but as anyone who has gone through the treatment will tell you, it works. The theory behind sweat detox is simple: Every time an addict uses a drug, residues from that drug use are left behind in the body building to toxic levels. These residues lodge themselves into muscle tissue, sometimes for years. When they are finally released into the bloodstream again, they create the addictive feelings or cravings that the addict worked so hard to overcome. Relapses are common, even years after the addict has last used drugs. Once the drug residuals and physical cravings are handled, the individual can learn and fully apply our life skills. With these tools in hand, there is no situation in life that a recovered addict can’t deal with.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab has a stellar success rate and continues to save lives every day. You can have your life back with VistaBay!

Drug addiction has severe effects on the mental and emotional aspects of an individual and in order to be free of drugs and alcohol they need to be taught a new way to view the world. VistaBay Drug Rehab teaches a comprehensive curriculum designed to help our clients make decisions and interact with the world in a way that makes them happy, as well as successful and productive.

VistaBay Rehab focuses their life skills education on several aspects of the individuals life, including understanding their addiction, confronting the future and any obstacles it may bring, addressing and handling past transgressions, repairing relationships, and identifying positive and supportive people to associate with. The sum total of this is to have the tools to continuously improve one’s quality of life and achieve one’s goals.

Drug and alcohol addiction is an awful and desperate experience, VistaBay understands this. That is why we place so much emphasis on learning the right way to live. Our life skills are practical, easily applied and can be used in any situation. When an addict knows that they have solutions to their problems, confidence increases and the risk of relapse decreases.

With Vista Bay, you CAN get your life back!

Vista Bay believes that it is very difficult to reverse years of drug or alcohol abuse in such a short amount of time. Vista Bay Rehab assigns no time limit to their treatment program. Our clients complete once they have undergone the entire treatment process. This process is specifically tailored by our Case Supervisor to suit the needs of the individual. The program generally takes between 3-6 months and some clients have stayed for as long as a year. The best part is that VistaBay does this for one flat fee. Once the client graduates they placed on a relapse prevention program that offers continuing support from the professionals at Vista Bay Drug Rehab.

VistaBay Rehab has one of the most humanitarian approaches to drug and alcohol treatment in the entire industry. Because we focus on rehabilitation and not our bottom line, you are sure to receive the best treatment experience available.

VistaBay holistic drug treatment involves complete physical detoxification using nutritional and vitamin therapy, exercise, and a sauna detox to completely rid the body of toxins left behind by substances. This restores physical health to the individual as well as nullifying physical cravings that occur due to drug residues left in the body. Next, Vista Bay Rehab utilizes cognitive therapy to help the addict realize that they have the strength and presence of mind to make correct decisions and take control of their lives. Armed with a rehabilitated mind and body, the individual can then learn Vista Bay’s life skills. These life skills will teach our clients how to handle any situation they may be confronted with in life. They are given tools aimed at helping to have positive relationships, deal with conflict, communicate effectively and contribute to society. These tools are easy to understand, put into use, and will positively change the way one interacts with the world around them.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab is at the forefront of holistic drug treatment. If you have tried other methods of drug treatment and continue to struggle, contact Vista Bay. It will change your life!

Crack speeds up the central nervous system, it also speeds up other body systems which triggers a sharp rise in heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. Short-term effects include feelings of alertness and excitement, along with increased confidence and decreased appetite. The crack high usually lasts for a few minutes of intense euphoria and is quickly followed by an equally intense low, involving anxiety, depression, and a craving for more. This leads to a cycle of endlessly seeking out the drug and doing nearly anything to get it.

VistaBay Drug Rehab breaks this cycle. By removing the user from the drug and completely detoxifying their system, they are no longer susceptible to physical cravings brought on by residuals of the drug in the users system. VistaBay also goes to great lengths to teach the addict a new way to live. With cognitive therapy and life skills, the client understands how they can live without crack or other drugs and how their lives will be immeasurably better. A client once remarked that VistaBay Drug Rehab “ruined” using for them. That is exactly what we’re going for. We want our clients to know the realities of drug abuse and how it affects the individual, their families and society. This gives them no illusions about the severity of their addiction and the negative impacts it has.

Vista Bay Drug Rehab is an extremely comprehensive and effective solution for drug and alcohol addiction. Contact an Intake Counselor to find out more about our revolutionary approach to treatment and recovery.

VistaBay Drug Rehab knows how you feel. Every day we work to cure an individuals addiction and restore families. We have many parents of addicts that actively cooperate with us through referrals and counseling so that they can help other parents to understand that there is hope and that their child can be saved.

VistaBay works with many intervention specialists that can help parents in to get their kid enrolled in our program. Once your child is safely receiving treatment from us, we will communicate with you regularly so that you can be a part of the experience and feel safe that your child is getting the best care possible. We encourage family member to visit and even offer family workshops so that you too can understand and benefit from what your child is learning.

Here at Vista Bay Rehab your kid can learn how to live a new life without drugs and alcohol. They become friends with many other young people who are going through the same process and develop meaningful relationships based on trust, understanding and most importantly, sobriety. Vista Bay can help you get your kid back. Call an Intake Counselor today at 877-600-6906.

Vista Bay is continuously researching information about the various drugs that our clients come in addicted to so that we can better understand the nature of an individuals addiction and how to best treat it. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2008, 2.1 million Americans age 12 and older had abused MDMA at least once in the year prior to being surveyed. The study goes on to show that 1.7% of 8th graders, 2.9% of 10th graders, and 4.3% of 12th graders had abused MDMA at least once in the year prior to being surveyed.

Ecstacy has the danger of interfering with the body’s ability to regulate temperature which can result in liver, kidney, cardiovascular system failure, or death. Ecstasy can also contribute to breakdown within the body and potentially harmful levels can be achieved by using ecstacy heavily in a short period of time. Ecstacy is also very often sold with many unknown substances in the pill and can lead to an overdose.

Vista Bay Rehab successfully treats people every day for ecstacy and various other drugs. We have a successful treatment modality that gets through to young people and helps them to realize that they will have a much happier life without drugs. Vista Bay Drug Rehab is a solution for drug addiction. With our help, you CAN get your kid back.

• 10 percent of publicly-funded drug abuse center admissions in 2006 were for crack cocaine.
• Approximately 33.7 million Americans ages 12 and older had tried cocaine at least once in their lifetimes. (ONDCP)
• 1 out of 4 Americans between the age of 26 and 34 have used cocaine in their lifetime.
• Cocaine is the second most commonly used illicit drug (following marijuana) in the U.S. More than 34 million Americans (14.7%) age 12 or older have used cocaine at least once in their lifetime. (National Survey on Drug Use & Health)
• Over 15,000 deaths annually associated with stimulants in the US (APA)
• In 1988, about 300,000 infants were born addicted to cocaine.
• During 2004, cocaine was the primary drug involved in Federal drug arrests. There were 12,166 Federal drug arrests for cocaine in 2004. (ONDCP)
• Cocaine hydrochloride is very stable. It binds closely to the ink in paper currency. FBI chemists have discovered that traces of cocaine can be found on almost every dollar bill in circulation. (Drug Enforcement Administration (U.S. Dept. of Justice))

As startling and disturbing as these statistics are, people still continue to experemint with and become addicted to cocaine every day.  VistaBay Rehab is fighting this epidemic on a daily with highly successful prevention and treatment programs.  Our primary aim is to stop drug addiction before it starts.  Vista Bay Drug Education programs are offered free of charge and delivered to schools all over the country.  If prevention doesn’t reach an individual and they become addicted to cocaine or other drugs, Vista Bay Drug Rehab can treat them and give them a chance at a new life.

There are solutions out there and with the help of facilities like Vista Bay Rehab, families of addicts and society as a whole, we can turn the tide on drug abuse.  A drug free life is a real and attainable possibility.  Contact Vista Bay today!

• Alcohol, of all substances used, causes the most problems on college campuses.
• Studies show that about 43% of all students report drinking in a high-risk manner at some point in the college career. Twenty percent of students report drinking in a high-risk manner often.
• Surveys at colleges and universities across the country indicate the percentage of students who used various other drugs within the past year: marijuana (32.3 percent); amphetamines (6.5 percent); hallucinogens (7.5 percent); cocaine (3.7 percent); and designer drugs such as Ecstasy (3.6 percent).
• Such illicit drugs have been factors in many tragedies, including date rape crimes, hospitalizations for overdoses, and deaths.
• It is not only those who engage in high-risk drinking or other drug use who are affected. Students who do not use, or who drink legally and moderately, frequently suffer secondhand effects from the behavior of other students who drink too much.

If your kid begins to exhibit signs of alcohol or drug abuse, Vista Bay can help. We have a comprehensive program that makes it very safe for young people to open up about the reasons why they are drawn to substance abuse. We help them get healthy and isolate the roots of many of their dysfunctions in life. They take action under the guidance of trained VistaBay counselors to clean up and handle any negative situations or influences in their lives. Individuals gain a huge amount of self confidence and personal responsibility while undergoing the program and graduate with a renewed excitement for life and their future.

Don’t allow your family to suffer when there is a solution out there. Vista Bay rehab can get your kid back!

Vista Bay rehab does not prescribe to the conventional notion in the drug treatment industry of “once an addict, always an addict”. This is a self defeating statement and a justification for returning to drug and alcohol abuse. At Vista Bay, we teach an empowering method of rehabilitation that gives the individual the tools they need in life to fully recover and not to be continuously haunted by the specter of relapse. We do this by showing the addict that they are in control of their lives and that they can dictate their destiny. We do not use anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications as a substitute for narcotics. Our holistic approach to recovery is based on the belief that all individuals have the fundamental character and strength to live a healthy and successful life. Vista Bay drug rehab’s detoxification and life skills programs uncover that strength and teach the client to use it.

VistaBay drug rehab is a progressive and successful approach to drug and alcohol addiction. You can your kids back, your loved ones back and your life back. Call an Intake Counselor today for more information at 877-600-6906.

* Over 1.4 million Americans have tired meth this year.
* Over 12.3 million Americans age 12 and older have tired meth since 2003.
* Meth use is greatest among 35-45 year olds.
* The biggest increase in treatment is among 18-25 year olds.
* Meth treatment admission has outpaced cocaine and herion in 14 US states.

Crystal and crystal meth are common street names for methamphetamine. Widely used in the 1960’s and early ’70s for its intense effects, crystal lost popularity in the 1980’s, but has resurfaced on a massive scale nationwide in recent years as an easily accessible and affordable street drug.

VistaBay rehab has placed special attention on this for their rehab and prevention efforts. This spike in the epidemic of crystal meth needs to be taken seriously and treated appropriately. Through drug education efforts by VistaBay, the hope is that our youth will realize the dangers of this drug. On the treatment end, Vista Bay drug rehab is focusing efforts on the most effective methods for rehabilitating meth addicts and restoring them to their families. Contact a Vista Bay Intake Counselor for more information at 877-600-6902.

Every year Vista Bay Rehab visits a number of schools and delivers Drug Education lectures to thousands of kids. According to conservative studies, children who have been properly educated on the dangers of drug use are less likely to abuse drugs as an adult. Teaching our kids about the risks of drug use is the key to a drug free society.

Vista Bay uses a method that makes it very easy for our children to understand how drugs affect the mind and body, as well as the short term and long term consequences of drug use. The presentations are very interactive in order to keep the children engaged. Surveys performed by our Drug Education Counselors show a high retention of the information presented along with honesty about the individuals thoughts and feelings toward drugs and drug abuse. Even if we save one child from becoming a drug addict, our efforts are worth it.

You can get your kid back with VistaBay Drug Education. For more information or to schedule a presentation, contact Rigo Ubillus at Vista Bay Drug Rehab, rigo@drugrehab.net.

Vista Bay offers some of the following statistics gathered from www.alcohol-information.com.

• Employees who were in serious trouble with alcohol showed significant improvement in drinking behavior and job adjustment during the months immediately following an intervention to confront problem drinking that was intruding on their work.
• A study of fifth and sixth-grade students found that those who demonstrated an awareness of beer ads also held more favorable beliefs about drinking and intended to drink more frequently when they grew up.
• An estimated 6.6 million children under 18 live in households with at least one alcoholic parent.
• By the time they are high school seniors, 80% have used alcohol and 62% have been drunk.
• In the United States, roughly 50,000 cases of alcohol poisoning are reported each year, and approximately once every week, someone dies from this preventable condition.
• Classical alcoholism takes about 15 years to develop, but it can happen much quicker in adolescents and young adults.
• Treatment for alcoholism has been shown to reduce criminal activity up to 80% among chronic offenders, has increased their rate of employment, decreases homelessness and reduces all health care costs.

As you can see, alcoholism and alcohol abuse can cause some serious social and health problems, but treatment and prevention has been proven to work. Vista Bay rehab successfully treats alcoholics every day using their comprehensive treatment method. For more information on Vistabay and how we can help you or your loved one recover from alcoholism, contact an Intake Counselor at 877-619-8648.

Opiates come in many forms, from illicit street drugs to prescription pain pills they are widely available in a number of forms. Signs of opiate addiction include: collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, cellulites, and liver disease. Pulmonary complications, including various types of pneumonia, may result from the poor health condition of the abuser, as well as from depressing effects on respiration. If the addict is using heroin, they may be exposed to additives that do not really dissolve and result in clogging the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain. This can cause infection or even death of small patches of cells in vital organs. With regular opiate use, tolerance develops and physical dependence occurs.

Vistabay drug rehab fully detoxifies the addict and gets the opiates completely out of their system. This is one of the largest hurdles for addicts because it can take weeks or months to fully withdraw from opiates. Complete detoxification combined with Vistabay’s life skills pogram offers addicts the best chance for an individual to recover from opiate addiction.

With Vista Bay Rehab, it is possible to live a clean, sober and successful life!

Vista Bay has extensive experience working with young people and their families to achieve lasting sobriety. Often, parents have to stage an intervention to get their addicted kid into rehab. This is the first hurdle. Next, the addict needs to be convinced that they need help and need to change their lives. Young people very often feel invincible and think that they can handle everything themselves. This is where the Vistabay rehab life skills are invaluable. They will help the client to understand why their life will be better without drugs and alcohol and how they can make the decision to stay clean. If the individual doesn’t decide for themselves that they want to be clean then it won’t work. Fortunately, Vista Bay counselors have a battery of tools and a lot of experience with bringing addicts and alcoholics to an understanding about the destructive nature of substance abuse and the benefits of a clean and sober life.

Vistabay drug rehab can get your kid back. Contact an Intake Counselor for more information.

As you can see from the previous articles in this series, VistaBay has a very comprehensive method for treating drug and alcohol addiction. There is no aspect of the human experience that is not addressed and rehabilitated. The final phase of the Vista Bay program addresses how one can easily achieve happiness.

Vista Bay drug rehab offers a common sense guide to happiness. Subjects such as the importance of taking care of yourself physically and mentally, setting a good example for others, maintaining honesty and respecting others. These subjects and many more are covered. They are very basic moral principles that anyone can follow in order to have genuine happiness.

This final phase of the program ties in all the concepts previously learned and gives the client the tools for a lifetime of sobriety. VistaBay rehab is the most successful drug and alcohol rehab available. If you are looking for treatment for you or your loved one, Vista Bay is the solution for you. We can help you get your kid back and restore your family.

Holistic drug and alcohol treatment from Vistabay drug rehab accomplishes this by treating every aspect of the individual. Social, spiritual, physical and mental. By addressing and treating all aspects of what it is to be human, Vistabay leaves no stone unturned during the treatment process. This allows the addict to leave rehab with a clean slate and tackle life with a new attitude, vigor and excitement. They are empowered with the knowledge that they do know the right thing to do in life and that they are capable of doing it.

Holistic treatment at Vista Bay drug rehab is the way to freedom from drug and alcohol addiction. Contact a Vista Bay intake counselor today and find out how holistic treatment can get your kid back and give them a new life!

The Vista bay Rehab program goes to great lengths to rehabilitate the mind and body, but it doesn’t stop there. Without learning life skills, the individual will not be able to maintain the amazing gains they have made so far in the VistaBay drug rehab program.

The first thing for an addict to understand is that everything we do affects every aspect of life. For instance, if you take a higher paying job, you will be able to better provide for yourself and your family, you will be contributing more money for taxes and the economy, you may have less time for exercise and so on. Though this example may seem benign, you can easily see how when this is applied to substance abuse it becomes much more acute.

By teaching clients about the parts of life and how their behaviors affect everything around them, they are better able to identify positive and negative behaviors. Once they can identify how their actions impact their life, the lives of those around them, and the world as a whole, they can implement the life skills that VistaBay teaches to make the best decision for the greatest good.

With this tool in their arsenal, you or your loved one will be well on their way to living a sober and successful lifestyle!

This is an outrageous number, especially when you consider that there is a solution for drug and alcohol addiction. VistaBay rehab works to fight these alarming statistics on many fronts. VistaBay drug education seeks to teach young people the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse so that they are informed and more inclined to make the decision to say no when confronted with drugs. Vista Bay rehab supports local law enforcement and drug prevention groups to get functional community programs out there that will give kids something productive and positive to do so that they are less inclined to use drugs. When these efforts fail, VistaBay drug rehab will rehabilitate the drug addict and return them to society clean, sober and ready for a new life. You can get your kid back.

Drug and alcohol related accidents and deaths are not necessary. With the help and support of the community, organizations like MADD and Vista Bay can win in the fight against driving under the influence.

While enrolled in an in-patient treatment program, clients are surrounded by people trying to better themselves and counselors to assist and guide that process. When they leave treatment its’ a different story. The people who addicts surround themselves by are generally very negative and inhibit a positive and sober lifestyle. This is why the Vista Bay program stresses the importance of spending time with positive people and staying away from the negative.

Addicts always understand on an intellectual level why it is so important to have positive influences in their lives but have a difficult time separating from those drug and alcohol using friends that they are comfortable with. VistaBay Rehab devotes an entire portion of their program to this very problem that so often leads to relapse.

First the individual is taught to differentiate between those people in their lives that want them to do well and those that want them to do poorly. Once this distinction is made, they can then determine how to handle the relationship with those that want them to do poorly. With the help of a counselor, they will usually contact those negative influences and make it clear that they are living a new life. The client will explain what is required in order to maintain the relationship e.g., support the addicts choice to be clean, not to belittle their efforts to stay clean or to change their lifestyle, etc. In the case that these requirements are not agreed to, the addict may choose to sever the relationship temporarily until their friend can change their attitude and become supportive. Usually this requires the other person entering a treatment program of their own in order to stop using drugs and alcohol.

This is a very uncomfortable phase of the Vista Bay drug rehab program which is why it is so important that it is done in the safe environment that Vistabay offers. If these relationships are not handled prior to the client leaving the program, it’s like throwing them to the wolves and could defeat the progress of the rest of the program.

A large part of getting your kid back is by working closely with Vista Bay and helping your loved one through this very difficult process.

In the previous article I discussed the physical rehabilitation aspect of the VistaBay treatment program, now I will begin the series on the mental and emotional aspects of the VistaBay rehab program.

Once the client is freed from physical cravings and hindrances, their mind has cleared and they are in an optimum position to begin the cognitive processes which are integral to acquiring a new outlook on life and long term sobriety.

These exercises are divided into eleven parts. The clients work in pairs through this portion of the program under the supervision of a certified counselor. The reason they work as a team to run each other through these exercises is to raise their responsibility level socially. By making a commitment to help someone else complete this phase of the program, they are learning to be unselfish, empathetic and compassionate. This will help them immeasurably in their personal and professional relationships in life.

Each exercise has a specific goal in the form of a realization that the addict needs to have in order to move on. These have to do with an individuals ability to focus on the present, look at things objectively and increase awareness of their control and impact on their environment and their lives. It is a very empowering process the leaves the individual with increased self confidence and optimism.

This Detoxification and Cognitive phases of the Vista Bay program combine to make the client physically and mentally ready to move onto the next portions of the program where they will learn and apply life skills as well as undergo the repairs to relationships that have been damaged by their substance abuse.

Get your kid back with the Vista Bay rehab program. They will become the people you’ve always wanted them to be, responsible and productive individuals no longer held back by drug and alcohol addiction.

As covered in earlier articles, the Vista Bay drug Rehab program takes a holistic approach to drug and alcohol rehab that begins with a drug free withdrawal. In this article I will discuss Vista Bay’s New Life Detoxification Program which rids the body of toxins and drug residuals.

Over many years of using substances, the addict inevitably builds up toxins in fatty tissues throughout the body from drugs and alcohol. If these toxins are not removed from the body they can be released into the bloodstream through diet, stress or exercise. When this happens, even if the individual hasn’t used drugs for some time, cravings will be triggered by the toxins and the individual may be compelled to use again. The Vista Bay rehab program handles this by completely detoxing the body of these chemicals.

The program is centered around sweating in a dry heat sauna. First, the addict is seen by a doctor to ensure their health and ability to do this phase of the program. Once they are approved, they begin a regimen of vitamin and mineral therapy, exercise and nutrition while sweating in the sauna. The client is given a variety of oils to replace the toxic fatty tissue with healthy tissue. All intake of vitamins and supplements is closely supervised by the counselor in charge of the sauna program as well as the Case Supervisor. Participants are required to get adequate nutrition and sleep to ensure that the program is as effective as possible.

Countless clients can attest to the effectiveness of the sauna program. They claim to feel better physically than they have in years, stating that food tastes better, colors are brighter, and many physical discomforts have vanished. In order to maintain the positive effects of the detox, they continue to take vitamins and are counseled on the importance of nutrition, exercise and sleep.

Once clients have completed the New Life Detoxification Program, they are ready to undergo the mental and social portions of the VistaBay rehab program without the distraction of a poor physical condition and the physical effects of drug cravings. Contact an intake counselor at Vista Bay to find out more detailed information on this portion of the program and have any questions answered. You can get your kid back and give them a new life!

A basic definition of the holistic philosophy offered by the Merriam Webster dictionary is as follows:

“Relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts ”

A more comprehensive definition is offered by the Canadian Holistic Medical Association:

“Holistic medicine is a system of health care which fosters a cooperative relationship among all those involved, leading towards optimal attainment of the physical, mental emotional, social and spiritual aspects of health. It emphasizes the need to look at the whole person, including analysis of physical, nutritional, environmental, emotional, social, spiritual and lifestyle values. Holistic medicine focuses on education and responsibility for personal efforts to achieve balance and well being.”

As you can see, the holistic approach leaves nothing untouched which is why Vista Bay has embraced it as an effective approach to drug and alcohol rehab.

Anyone who has suffered from addiction, or who knows someone struggling with addiction can see very easily that it affects every aspect of the human experience. This is why it is so important to address and rehabilitate all areas of life, not just those that are acutely affected by substance abuse.

Stay tuned to this blog to find out the step by step methods that give VistaBay such incredible success using this method of drug and alcohol treatment. Vista Bay can get your loved one back and give them a new life!

VistaBay drug rehab utilizes a holistic approach to drug rehab. This approach begins with a “Drug Free Withdrawal” designed to completely rid the body of all mind and mood altering substances in order to successfully undergo the rest of the program.

Many less effective treatment programs immediately place an addict or alcoholic on prescription substances such as methadone, suboxone or subutex (for opiate addiction), anabuse (for alcohol addiction) or mood stabilizers to mask emotions rather than teach them to live completely drug free. The drawback to this method is that the individual’s lack of self confidence and self determination is reinforced by the fact that they are led to believe that they don’t have the strength to stay clean on their own. Without adequate self confidence, long term sobriety and successful recovery is very difficult.

Vistabay uses a method of vitamin and nutrition therapy to help restore vital nutrients that the body is lacking combined with simple cognitive exercises designed to ease the pain of withdrawal. They are supervised 24 hours a day in a secluded hilltop cabin where they are able to relax and get through the withdrawal without distractions or worries. Once they are done with this step, many clients remark that they have a vigor and excitement for learning to be drug free. Counselors and family members see them rapidly go from being shells of who they were to healthy and vibrant individuals ready to embark on a new life.

From time to time a client is so addicted to substances such as alcohol or benzodiazepines that they must go through a medical withdrawal to avoid serious medical complications. In these instances, Vista Bay rehab will refer the addict to a medical facility in order to safely withdraw. This can usually be done in a few days or a week at which point they will be fully prepared to undergo Vista Bay’s drug free withdrawal.

Vista Bay can help you get your kid back and the first step is to completely rid them of all mind and mood altering substances. They will immediately begin to develop the self confidence necessary for long term sobriety.

The goal of Vista Bay drug education is to prevent people from becoming drug and alcohol addicts. We believe that if kids are educated about the realities and dangers of drug abuse and addiction they will be able to make better decisions when confronted with drugs as they grow up.

Very often kids begin to use drugs because of pier pressure. If a kid has the knowledge of how drugs can harm you physically, mentally, and socially, and this knowledge is coupled with skills on how to avoid temptation, we are going to see a new generation of empowered individuals. Not only will these people have the ability to avoid becoming addicted to drugs, but they will develop self confidence in the knowledge that they are in control over their lives and their destinies.

Contact Vista Bay drug rehab’s today to get information on how you can have a Counselor come out to your school and deliver free drug education. Together through education, prevention, and treatment, we can conquer drug addiction!

Vistabay’s New Life Detoxification Program is a cornerstone of their treatment philosophy. The purpose of this phase of the program is to ensure the addicts and alcoholics are completely detoxed from any residual substances and toxins in their systems. By having the drugs and toxins completely out of their body, addicts and alcoholics no longer suffer from the physical cravings brought on by drug use. This is done by sweating in a dry heat sauna, exercise, nutrition, and vitamin therapy. This rehabilitates the client physically and prepares them to participate in the remainder of the program feeling healthy and free from physical cravings.

Very often, clients remark that upon completion of the sauna detox they feel better physically than they have in years and sometimes their entire lives. The clients also learn to discipline themselves with regards to diet and exercise. They realize how good they feel when they take care of their bodies and want to continue to have that optimum physical feeling.

Vistabay is one of a kind with regards to this treatment method. For a complete and thorough treatment process Vista Bay is the facility for you!

Vistabay drug rehab methods are very thorough and comprehensive.  Clients are completely detoxified from drugs and toxins and rehabilitated from the ground up.  The philosophy they utilize is holistic in nature, meaning that the whole of the individual is rehabilitated physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.  By addressing all of these aspects of what it is to be human and function in society, clients at Vista Bay are given the best possible chance of having a drug free life.

Vista Bay rehab is also very humanitarian in it’s approach.  They charge one flat fee for the program, yet there is no time limit.  The program has a specific set of goals that each client needs to reach in order to complete the program.  As humans all learn and progress at different rates, each individual moves through the program at a different pace.  A client can finish the program in 6 months, a year, or longer and there are no additional fees.

Vista Bay drug rehab is having incredible success every day.  Contact their intake counselors today for more information.

Are you prejudiced against drug treatment? You might be. Do you believe that drug addicts and alcoholics only have one reliable way to seek treatment – rehab that ultimately ends up as a 12-step program or drug-for drug therapy? Have you been fed the lie that “once and addict, always an addict,” and that substance abusers have no choice but to admit that they are going to be addicts for the rest of their lives, and never be cured? If that’s what you believe, then here’s some news that you desperately need to know: That way of thinking is pure garbage.

The fact is, there is an alternative method to 12-step and drug therapy. It doesn’t require drugs and it’s not based on a foundation of hopelessness. It’s the drug rehab program provided at VistaBay.

VistaBay drug rehab combines sauna detox with nutrition, vitamins and counseling to produce a newly rejuvenated, educated and confident person. It must be working. Over 70% of all graduates of the VistaBay drug rehab program have never touched drugs again. And those that do are usually cured with a short round of additional therapy.

Vista Bay rehab is located in beautiful Northern California, amidst scenery that makes it easy to relax, recover and rediscover the skills required to live a confident drug-free life.

Overall, these findings were very encouraging with steady declines in drug abuse and drug addiction across the board. Among 12 to 17 year olds, there was a decline in illicit drug use from 11.6% in 2002 to 9.3% in 2008. Other positive trends show a decrease in alcohol abuse in college students and decreases in prescription drug abuse.

This is fantastic information for anyone who has been affected in some way by drug and alcohol abuse and shows that we are moving in the right direction. As treatment professionals it is a validation of the hard work that we do on a daily basis. That being said, there is still work to do. Countless Americans are under the impression that they don’t need treatment or that they don’t have a problem. By raising awareness through events like Recovery Month we have a much better chance of reaching these people and opening their eyes to the life that they can have by shedding their dependance on substance abuse.

Sources
www.samhsa.gov/samhsanewsletter

You don’t want to stay in the same environment that condones your drug abuse, you need to get away from your life the way you know it and experience it in a different light. Removing yourself from negative outside influences is a positive step in the right direction. Of course with all the news about the rich and famous being able to waltz in and out of drug and alcohol rehab centers has probably left many people jaded in regards to drug treatment centers. Their behavior does nothing but make drug treatment centers look like a joke to the people on the outside looking in. We think of these famous people who fall from grace and are in and out of rehabs that don’t ever seem to work. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Sure the famous and wealthy seem to be able to come and go as they please out of their drug treatment centers when they are rehabilitating, but that is their choice. It would be your choice to if you decided you didn’t want to stay. But you are different! Not only because you don’t have millions of dollars to throw away on half hearted attempts at sobriety, but because you want to be sober for you, not because your publicist tells you it is good PR. You know that your sobriety can’t be achieved without the help of experienced professionals that know what you’ve been through and who know what you are going to go through. When you are sober you will know you were right when you chose a quality drug treatment facility.

Throughout my life I have learned that people in general will tolerate someone who is an alcoholic. Unless they are outwardly causing problems for others, alcoholics are usually forgiven for their antics. Sadly, even though alcoholism runs rampant, drinking is a very encouraged activity, and is only treated like an addiction if the person drinking becomes a burden on some body else. Unfortunately this leaves a huge part of the drinking demographic out and it shouldn’t. Just because your wife, you son, your great uncle have a great personality and are fun drunks, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t persuade them into receiving treatment for their addiction from one of the alcohol treatment centers.

Although we live in an alcohol friendly environment, it doesn’t mean that drinking is something that we should all be doing, especially in excess. If alcohol is such an awesome thing, then there wouldn’t ever be a need for alcohol treatment facilities, and the world wouldn’t even know what an alcoholic is. But we do know what an alcoholic is, we do have a need for alcohol treatment facilities, we need interventions, we do need to detox our bodies, we absolutely need therapy to get to get to the real reasons we become addicted to alcohol, and we need it all because alcohol is highly addictive. The fact that it is legal automatically makes it readily available and ready for abuse

Unlike illicit drugs that aren’t advertised and completely shunned, alcohol is always portrayed in commercials as being exactly what you need to have a good time. It is what you need to sing karaoke, it is what you need to speak to the hottie next to you, it is what will make you a happening person. You can’t deny this, when you watch television or read a magazine you encounter time and time again advertisements of people drinking and having a great time. Of course you can’t blame your Grandma Edna’s alcoholism on advertising, but you can do what is best for her and get her the treatment and therapy she needs to overcome her personal demons. When she goes to an alcohol rehab she will be treated with the utmost respect and care, and she will come home your grandmother once again, not the drunken old lady that she turned into.

Whether you are facing your own personal addiction to alcohol or whether the addict is someone you love, recovery is possible. The first thing you need to know is that you are not alone. Others have gone before you and successfully achieved lasting sobriety and you can too. Of course, honestly facing up to the existence of a problem is the foundation for attaining an alcohol free life. Treatment then builds upon that foundation as a key to breaking the cycle of dependency though it’s not quick or easy; but finding a great facility is integral for successful sobriety.

Programs can run from a few weeks to a few months, but certainly location, treatment method, after care and even the amenities and approach are of great concern to you in getting treatment for the ones you love.

Many of the facilities are surrounded by the type of serene, tranquil environment that allows for a refocusing on the good things in life that you want to get back to, within a setting that allows for privacy as treatment ensues. It won’t be easy, but sober, healthy living will be more easily attained when treatment is received from caring professionals who have the experience and time tested results you, too, want to achieve. The road starts here and we can help you find your own personal pathway to break the cycle of dependency.

Successful treatment means successful recovery. Help is available from an alcohol rehab facility. Abusing alcohol doesn’t only affect the person who is abusing. If you are tired of the emotional toll that living with an alcoholic causes and you are ready to get help, contact our California alcohol rehab center and start living again.

It starts with being educated and determining the best road to recovery. Yet that in itself can be just as daunting of a task. Take heart, you are not alone. In fact, that’s just the place where we come in. With information from thousands of facilities around the country, we are here to provide you with the resources you need to obtain information about drug and alcohol abuse and to find a treatment center that meets your needs to recover from your addiction.

Whether you need to locate one of the many alcohol treatment centers in California or whether you’d prefer a facility that is located elsewhere, we can match you with a program that fits with whatever your specific needs are. Every family, every individual is unique and we can accommodate the differences to match individual needs, individually. Additionally, while we recognize that most who go to treatment have admitted their addiction and need for help, it is unfortunately true that some require intervention and we can help you find a facility that accommodates this, as well. We will provide you with all the tools you need to make this complicated time, less difficult. Before long, you will begin to see the light at the end of this dark tunnel and you’ll know that the treatment process was both necessary and worth it. For now, we know you need the information and resources to start the process and we are certain that we can help you find the perfect place to begin on your road to a brighter tomorrow.

Successful treatment means successful recovery. We want people to know that help is available from an California alcohol treatment facility. Abusing alcohol doesn’t only affect the person who is abusing. If you are tired of the emotional toll that living with an alcoholic causes and you are ready to get help, contact any of the California alcohol rehab centers and start living again.

Thankfully, there is hope for freedom from addiction and abuse. Our goal as part of a non-profit nationwide push to get the right information into the hands of those affected by drug addiction, is to endeavor to answer your questions concerning thousands of treatment centers around the country including alcohol rehab in Utah, as well. You deserve a better future by overcoming your own addiction or helping to find the best treatment for those you love.

As you investigate your options, our professional, experienced staff has the knowledge and resources to supply you with much needed information on treatment methods, price, services, staff, location and all the other variables you’ll want to consider as you choose your best treatment alternatives. After care and success rates are also available and are very important in choosing a rehab program. Additionally, we know that you value your privacy and especially during this difficult time you can be certain that we uphold the highest standards for security and confidentiality in all communications, whether online, verbal or via US mail. One call to our service professionals will put you in touch with another human being who is on your side, in your corner and pulling for you every step of the way. Just remember, we are not far away. You can reach us toll-free, 24 hours a day by telephone or look us up online where you’ll find a wealth of educational information on the subject. It’s that easy. When you want to start the process we’ll be there to help you through it; we’re only a phone call away.

The number one drug problem in America is, you guessed it, Alcohol. This often abused, legal drug accounts for 50 % of the driving fatalities in the U.S (see other most abused drugs here). With 15 million Americans dependent on alcohol, and 90 billion dollars a year being spent on it (www.drug-statistics.com), this is a problem that affects you.

But this substance abuse accounts for more than just vehicular crimes, Alcohol is also most closely linked to violent crimes. In 1998, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that 3 million crimes that occur each year have been while under the influence of alcohol. Among domestic abuse cases, 3 out of 4 incidents involved alcohol.

If Alcohol is numero uno, who comes in at second? Not surprisingly, Marijuana. In fact, this is the most used illegal drug in the United States with nearly 69 million Americans over the age of 12 having tried it. Oddly enough, It is also the largest crop in California. (www.drug-statistics.com/marijuana.htm)

The irony here is that 75% of the drug related criminal charges connected to this drug are non-violent - possession and distribution. Although, Marijuana is often labeled the, “gateway drug” there is no conclusive evidence that its use leads to abuse of other drugs.

Out of the 60% of federal prisoners and 21% of state prisoners incarcerated for drug violations (U.S. gov’t statistics, 2000), over two-thirds had been trafficking cocaine or crack. That is why law enforcement agencies have described crack cocaine as being more directly linked to crimes of violence than any other drug.

The main connection between cocaine and crime stems from individual users stealing to support their habit (NDIC, 2001). This usually takes the form of burglary and robbery.

Not to be outdone are Methamphetamines. They too are directly related to violent crimes, particularly domestic violence, child abuse, aggravated assault, property damage and murder (NDIC, 2001). A study by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, showed that the violent crimes committed by Meth users skyrocketed to 6 million in 2004, from 2 million in 2002.

Theft, in many forms, is the most common type of crime committed to support heroin addiction. The process of raising cash through borrowing (cough) or begging for cash to buy the drug, gets this drug abuser in the most trouble. As a general rule, heroin users do not commit rapes, aggravated assaults, or other violent crimes, but homicides may result in larceny or robbery efforts gone awry. (NDIC, 2001)

The main crime linked with this ecstasy is the possession and distribution of it. As far as crimes other than charges related to possession, the most common charges occur as a result of the distribution process, which can be accompanied by violence, including drive-by shootings and aggravated assaults in extreme cases (Leinwood 2001, Criminal Behavior).

Other crime related drugs include: Rohypnol (”Roofies”), Ketamine (”Special K”), GHB, and OxyContin. The first three are directly related to violent crimes, particularly towards women. They are often called “date rape” drugs and are usually put in the drinks of unsuspecting victims. (ONDCP, 2002) OxyContin made this list because of its increasing popularity and crime connection. Crimes mostly commonly associated are usually non-violent ones and include burglary, larceny, and other property crimes to fund drug use. Several doctors, too, have been convicted for over-prescribing this highly addictive pill (Bradley 2004, Criminal Behavior).

It would be a misconception to think that all drug users are criminals or that all criminals are drug users. Just as it would be a mistake to assume that criminal behavior is solely based on drug use. What we do know is that there are certainly differences in the types of crimes associated with specific drugs, and we can concede that all drug addicts, no matter their criminal history, are in fact prisoners in one way or another.

1. Cocaine

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The cost of cocaine has dramatically risen in the past two years. According to USAToday, the price of one pure gram of cocaine has increased by 47% since 2006, selling for $137 for one gram. A cocaine addict can easily spend upward of $100 per day on cocaine, or $36,400 per year. Cocaine users prioritize the euphoric experience and place the purchase of the drug over much else, such as paying rent, bills, food, etc. The euphoric feelings take precedent, and can mask any financial worries, causing the habit to be seemingly affordable. When powder cocaine is processed into crack,

2. Methamphetamines

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Along with cocaine costs rising, Methamphetamine is proving to be one of the most expensive drugs on the street. The going rate for one pure gram of Meth is around $245, which is a dramatic leap from $133 in 2006. Meth users may spend more than $1,000 per week, resulting in expenditures of approximately $52,000 per year. Methamphetamines are also known on the street as “Ice”, “glass” or “Speed”. One eight ball is 3.5 grams, and can cost anywhere from $250 - $1,200, depending on the cut. An average addict can go though one eight ball in two days.

3. Alcohol

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An addiction to alcohol can cost you financially and is the number one drug of choice since it is not illegal. Non-addicted adult social drinkers can spend $600 per month on alcohol. An alcohol addict can spend $2,800 per month, depending on the amount consumed. For an alcoholic, a night at the bar can be financially devastating, with staggering subtotals. When calculating the cost of alcohol, legal expenses related to citations and criminal offenses, lost productivity at work, and a shorter lifespan, one study (http://www.spiritualriver.com/for-alcoholics-quitting-drinking-will-net-you-over-one-million-dollars/) concluded that the actual cost of alcohol addiction amounts to $37,300/year for each individual. Most of the time, crimes are committed by a person who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, with consequences ranging from jail time to hefty fees. A person convicted of driving under the influence will spend on average $5,540 on their DUI/DWI fees.

4. Marijuana

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Marijuana is generally viewed as the least harmful drug. It averages $20 per gram, depending on the quality and type. A person addicted to marijuana may use up to 94 joints per week, or 13 joints a day, which would cost $260 a week or $13,520 annually. Designer marijuana strains like the White Widow strain contains a potent amount of THC, which makes the bud white, hence the name. White Widow can cost $350 per ounce, making for a very expensive habit.

5. Prescription Painkillers

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Using prescription medicines is costly, especially if the user does not have an injury. Prescription painkillers are around $15 per generic bottle of 20 pills, with a prescription. A painkiller user who just wants to get high usually pays more for street drugs. Generally, one’s tolerance increases, causing an increase in the drug to achieve the “high” effects. Buying painkillers on the street can cost up to $20 per pill. A person with a painkiller habit can use up to 70+ pills per week, which can cost $1,400, totaling $35,000 per year in many cases.

6. Tobacco

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According to a Duke University study by health economists, the real cost of smoking was calculated at $40 per pack, which includes the cost of the cigarettes and excise taxes, increased insurance premiums, medical expenses for the smoker and the family of the smoker, and lost earnings due to disability. By age 65, a pack-a-day smoker will have smoked half a million cigarettes. Tobacco addiction has been compared to heroin addiction and is one of the toughest habits to quit. Smokeless tobacco or “dip” costs around $4 per can (or more depending on state taxes), and to support the habit of 3 cans per week costs over $600 per year. A pack-a-day smoker at $4 a pack spends over $1,400. Many people smoke in their vehicles, and are subject to littering fees ranging from $600 - $1,000 if the cigarette is ashed or thrown out of the window.

Drugs Over the Decades

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At this point, 40% of the US population has tried marijuana. The drug has seen its largest rise in use (by percentage) since 1979 in the last 5 years. Cannabis is considered a “less illegal” drug, with steps towards legalization being taken in various states. One specific example of this is Colorado’s attempt to decriminalize the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana. The amendment failed by a margin of 60-40, similar to the Alaska’s attempt in 2004.

Cocaine/Crack Cocaine

I worked in the drug rehab field for roughly 3 years.

What was the most common substance abused by clients coming into the drug rehab program?

Alcohol was by far the most common substance abused.

As a drug rehab program counselor, what did your duties consist of?

I was responsible for running group therapy sessions, meeting with clients 1 on 1, monitoring client’s behavior, as well as logging daily treatment notes for clients.

What kinds of things were discussed in the group therapy sessions?

Relapse prevention, having fun in sobriety, and drug rehab after care plans.

What was the goal of 1 on 1 sessions with the clients?

To discover what psychological and emotional issues may have brought on drug and/or alcohol dependence and ultimately what landed them in the drug rehab program.

Would you say that most of the people that come to a drug rehab program want to be there?

Yes. Some of them are forced to go to the drug rehab program by family and loved ones; however most of them are there on their own accord.

What would you say the success rate is of people staying sober after leaving the drug rehab program?

Those who actually implement and follow the drug rehab program after care plan will almost all stay sober. The problem is that most of the people do not follow through with the plan after they get out of the drug rehab program.

What would you recommend as a tool for success to someone that is thinking about going into a drug rehab program?

Keep an open mind and be willing to follow the direction of the Drug rehab program staff.

Okay, thank you very much for your time and I’m sure that readers will be interested to hear what you have shared with us.

Yes, happy to be of help.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Thatcher

I unfortunately ran into a similar problem trying to find a good drug treatment program for my brother. He was a heroin user, and every drug rehab program we sent him to sat for a few minutes with him and then prescribed a drug or two, or three.

Drug and alcohol addicts, especially opiate addicts, have extremely uncomfortable withdrawals thus creating a high necessity for continued use. Thus, upon withdrawal the addict will do anything to get more of the substance he/she is abusing–he will be far more immoral due to this high need for the foreign substance. An addict’s actions on this basis could be criminal, violent or promiscuous. But remove drugs from the picture (and consequently the withdrawals) and you remove the necessity for use, and therefore the necessity for such immoral behavior. The American system has so tangled mental health with drug and alcohol abuse reform that these behaviors–which are distinctly connected to drug abuse and are mostly illegal–are now classified as “mental illness.” But if you remove drugs from the picture, the individual will not have such criminal or insane tendencies.

Underneath the drugs and alcohol was a REASON my brother began his path as a substance abuser. We wanted him to explore that for himself instead of receiving a band-aid or quick-fix. It made no sense to me that further drugs were going to fix the problem. I saw people turn into zombies from these drugs and become completely dependent on them and even physically unable to withdrawal from them without experiencing symptoms worse than from street drugs.

So what can I suggest to other parents, sisters, brothers, children or friends who have a loved one abusing drugs? Sure, you can try the “dual-diagnosis” route. But you will end up with the same problem, unfixed, and a new type of drug dependency. My brother was never mentally ill. He was a drug addict, and the drugs changed who he was and how he acted. This made him look mentally ill. Someone coming off of meth can appear to be a paranoid schizophrenic, but this is due to the meth. This is a mental and physical reaction and symptom of WITHDRAWAL. Not mental illness.

The best program I found, and the one which has had my brother now 8 years clean and sober, was one which focused on individualized, in-patient and long-term treatment. No drugs. Only vitamins and minerals, exercise and homeopathic remedies. The program allowed him to sweat out the drugs (which were acting as poisons in his body) and make a fresh start. He no longer stands on a crutch. He depends on his own innate abilities. He is physically clean and mentally clear.

There’s an old school of thought which teaches that all of what man needs to survive is within him. Today, we live in a “Now Society.” You have chronic migraines? Take a Tylenol. You want to lose weight? Try the latest diet pill. You’re abusing drugs and alcohol? Trade off your dependencies with a convenient tablet. The best advice I could give anyone searching for the right drug rehab program is to find one who supports the idea of getting to the root of the problem. Even a drug addict has all the happiness he will ever find within him.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jt_Daily