Sober 360

arizona meth recovery

2008-01-16T04:01:00.000-08:00

Nationwide, 6.2% of high school youth report having used Methamphetamine “at least once in their lifetime.” In Nevada , 11.7%, in Washoe County , 10.2%, and in Clark County , 11.6% of high school students report lifetime use of methamphetamine. (Source: Nevada Youth Risk Behavior Survey or YRBS, 2005 & Join Together Northern Nevada , Meth – Finding Solutions in Our Community Presentation, 2007)

Nevada is the 7 th highest (176 per 100,000) among methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions to treatment, with a rate three times the national average (56 per 100,000). (Source: Drug and Alcohol Services Information System, Issue 9, 2006)

Between 2002 and 2006, all methamphetamine related adolescent admissions to publicly funded treatment programs increased 25% (increased from 483 admissions to 605 admissions). For SFY 2006, the breakdown for the 605 admissions is as follows: Washoe, 56, Clark , 331, and balance of state, 218. (Source: Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Agency, Methamphetamine Fact Sheet, 2006)

Between 2002 and 2006, all methamphetamine related adult admissions to publicly funded treatment programs increased 31% (increased from 3,399 admissions to 4,440 admissions). For SFY 2006, the breakdown for the 4,440 admissions is as follows: Washoe, 1,074, Clark , 2,127, and balance of state, 1,239. (Source: Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Agency, Methamphetamine Fact Sheet, 2006 )

SAPTA estimates that there are 6,617 adolescents in Nevada who have unmet need for methamphetamine treatment. Also, SAPTA estimates that there are an estimated 2,062 juvenile justice involved adolescents who have unmet need for methamphetamine treatment. (Source: SAPTA presentation for Nevada State Legislature Methamphetamine Fact Finding Committee, 2007)

Based on the State Demographer’s projected 2007 population estimates, SAPTA estimates that there are 1,063 youth aged 12-17 in Washoe County , 4,758 youth aged 12-17 in Clark County , and 796 youth aged 12-17 in balance of state needing treatment for methamphetamine. (Source: SAPTA presentation for Nevada State Legislature Methamphetamine Fact Finding Committee, 2007 & Nevada State Demographer, Population Estimates Updated 2006)

SAPTA estimates that there are 58,445 adults in Nevada who have unmet need for methamphetamine treatment. (Source: SAPTA presentation for Nevada State Legislature Methamphetamine Fact Finding Committee, 2007)

Based on the State Demographer’s projected 2007 population estimates, SAPTA estimates that there are 8,892 adults in Washoe County , 42,177 adults in Clark County , and 7,376 adults in balance of state needing treatment for methamphetamine. (Source: SAPTA presentation for Nevada State Legislature Methamphetamine Fact Finding Committee, 2007 & Nevada State Demographer, Population Estimates Updated 2006)

76% of law enforcement agencies in the southwest U.S. report that methamphetamine is their largest drug problem. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports that meth is the most frequently encountered drug in Nevada . (Source: National Association of Counties survey of 500 law enforcement agencies nationwide, 2005)

Law enforcement reports that because of meth use, robberies and burglaries, domestic violence, assaults, and identity theft have all increased (Source: National Association of Counties survey of 500 law enforcement agencies nationwide, 2005)

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Phoenix, Arizona Alcoholic Anonymous: The Tenth Step Promise

2007-12-15T05:44:00.000-08:00

(Working the Step)

This thought brings us to Step Ten, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code.

(The 10th step Promise)

And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone, even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.

(A disclosure, though)

It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. "How can I best serve Thee, Thy will (not mine) be done." These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use of the will.

Do you want to be placed in a position of neutrality, safe and protected? Visit Crossroads, Inc.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-12-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

The holidays are approaching and we all think of good cheer, but for many people the holidays are a very difficult time. We rarely think about how many of our holiday traditions involve alcohol and excess. How can we make the holidays safer for everyone and more enjoyable for our friends in recovery?

When you are planning a party, always be sure to have non-alcoholic drinks available and easy to access. It can be just as festive to have non-alcoholic eggnog and other seasonal drinks. If you have not eliminated alcohol from your party be sure that you have alternative ways to get guests home. Designated drivers, taxis or overnight accommodations are all ways to keep everyone safe. Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and non-fatally injure someone every two minutes. Approximately 1.5 million drivers were arrested in 2002 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 130 licensed drivers in the United States. (NHTSA 2004) Be cautious; do not think it could not happen to you. According to the National Commission Against Drunk Driving, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day as many as 2,000 people are killed in traffic accidents nationwide.

Holidays are a time when we want to have our children and teenagers enjoy the season, but the most importantly, we want to be sure they are safe. Don’t be afraid to talk openly with your teens and young adults about the dangers of alcohol, drugs and peer pressure. Let them know about the increase in high risk behavior during the holiday break when they have so much more free time. Remember that your own behavior is the best model for you children of any age.

The holidays can be a difficult time for many people. They can be overwhelmed with financial issues, family and shopping demands. They may feel a great deal of loneliness, stress and isolation during the season. This is especially true for anyone who is in recovery at this time of the year. They need to be sure to attend extra meetings or put in place extra supports. Everyone needs to be sure to manage their time, learn how to say no, and reflect on the meaning of the holiday. Alcohol may make us feel better for a while but it is a depressant and will only create more problems.

It is important to remember that the holidays can be very difficult for families who have members with substance abuse problems. Don’t wait for a crisis, seek help and support now. The holidays can be a troubled time in these families, but sometimes the person with the problem has hit their bottom around the holidays and is more open to seeking help. There is help available if you or someone in your family is struggling. Center for Addictive Diseases can assist you to find the right treatment or support group for you and your family members. Exton and Drexel Hill offices of CAD all wish you a happy and safe holiday season.

arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-12-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

Patricia used to approach the holidays with an overwhelming sense of dread, because she never knew what her alcoholic brother might do to ruin them. As Thanksgiving floral arrangements gave way to sparkling Christmas ornaments and the drone of holiday music, her stomach would clench more each day and her mood would grow darker.

"Some years were just awful," she recalls. "So often my brother would show up drunk and make a scene at family gatherings. He'd scare his kids, embarrass his wife, and break my mother's heart over and over again. One year he got arrested a week before Christmas for driving under the influence and for disorderly conduct. I remember that we called the judge to ask if they could keep him in jail until after the holidays. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief when they did just that. We could finally relax and enjoy ourselves, knowing he was safe but unable to spoil things for everyone."

Thankfully, those painful memories are distant ones now, because Patricia's brother--after 25 years as a practicing alcoholic--stopped drinking 20 years ago. "But it took me several years after he went into treatment to trust him and his recovery," she says. "For a long time, I still prepared myself for the worst, half expecting another midnight phone call saying he had been an accident."

The holiday scene Patricia describes today, however, is right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. "My brother is a grandfather now, and he is like an excited little boy, eagerly watching his grandkids open the gifts he laboriously and lovingly picked out for each of them. I'm so grateful that my parents got to experience his sobriety and witness the profound changes he made in his life before they died."

Patricia says her own involvement in the Twelve Step program of Al-Anon has helped her understand that addiction is truly a disease that affects the entire family. She says recovery has allowed her to unearth the meaning of the holiday season and reclaim them as the joyous and contemplative occasions they were meant to be.

In autumn, the early settlers of our country gathered and evaluated their harvest, preparing themselves for the challenging winter months ahead as they gave thanks for the bounty their hard work brought them. "This is how I view Twelve Step recovery and Thanksgiving now," Patricia says. "I welcome it as a time to take stock of past experiences and meditate on the lessons I've learned--seeing those lessons as my 'harvest,' my protection for any future difficulties. Then I find ways to express my gratitude for all I've been given."

Two years after her brother began recovery, for example, Patricia gave him a little music box for Thanksgiving that played "We've Only Just Begun," thanking him for rekindling the flame of family that was almost extinguished in the winds of his alcoholism.

Patricia describes herself as a spiritual person who sees Christmas as another opportunity for deep reflection. "To me, Christmas is about love, acceptance and expectancy--a symbol of birth and hope," she says. "I try to carry through with the 'attitude of gratitude' that I learned about in Twelve Step recovery, and use Christmas as a time to help others."

Some years she and her husband and daughter play "secret Santa" and buy gifts for a family in need. Sometimes they serve meals at a homeless shelter or take an elderly friend out for a holiday lunch. She also likes to write letters of appreciation at Christmas to the special people in her life, letting them know what gifts they are to her.

"Recovery has been transformative for me, for my brother, and for my whole family," she says. "Twenty years ago, I hated the holidays and feared what my brother would do. But then he sobered up and I got my big brother back. Along the way, I discovered the Twelve Steps. I guess miracles really do happen. Isn't that what the holidays are all about?"

arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-11-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

Great news! Crossroads for Women has moved to a larger facility! The women’s facility is now located at 1632 E. Flower St. in central Phoenix. Our newest facility has 60 licensed beds for women who are serious about 12 step recovery. Our weekly fees include three meals a day for our female residents which are served in our large dining hall. There are at least 2 to 4 12 step meetings daily on property. These meetings need support and anyone interested in supporting these meetings can call the front office at 602-274-0730 to receive a schedule. Please come by and see the new Crossroads, Inc. facility for women. There are many opportunities for service commitments including home group participation, sponsorship and meeting chairs

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Phoenix Arizona AA: The Greatest Gift of All (from Grapevine)

2007-11-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

This one of the articles Bill W published in Grapevine December 1957:

THE GREATEST GIFT that can come to anybody is a spiritual awakening. Without doubt this would be the certain verdict of every well-recovered alcoholic in AA's entire fellowship.

So, then, what is this "spiritual awakening" this "transforming experience"? How can we receive it and what does it do?

To begin with, a spiritual awakening is our means of finding sobriety. And to us of AA sobriety means life itself. We know that a spiritual experience is the key to survival from alcoholism and that for most of us it is the only key. We must awake or we die.

So we do awake, and we are sober. Then what? Is sobriety all that we are to expect of a spiritual awakening? Again, the voice of AA speaks up. No, sobriety is only a bare beginning, it is only the first gift of the first awakening. If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on. And if it does go on, we find that bit by bit we can discard the old life--the one that did not work--for a new life that can and does work under any conditions whatever. Regardless of worldly success or failure, regardless of pain or joy, regardless of sickness or health or even of death itself, a new life of endless possibilities can be lived if we are willing to continue our awakening.

Soon after he entered AA, a certain newcomer approached me and he said, "I'm sober and it's mighty near a miracle. I admitted that I was licked, came to a few meetings, began to get honest with myself and my sponsor. Then that awful urge for a drink suddenly left me. There's been no more booze fighting; the desire for alcohol has simply evaporated and I can't yet understand just why or just how. Here in AA the folks are wonderful. They care and they understand. It's a brand new world to me.

"But" continued Mr. Newcomer, "I'm still plumb puzzled. I don't see just how this God-business fits into practical living. And when they talk about a 'new life for an old one,' I can't take it all in. Sure enough I'm sober, and that's new. But now that I've gone ex-grog, what's the matter with trying to live my old life? That was okay, until the liquor got me. I was going places, on the way to make my pile. Things weren't too bad at home, either, until the little woman yelled she'd had enough of me, and left. All I need is sobriety, and AA can keep on giving me that. Now I can go about my business. I'm sure I can make a better job of it this time."

Four years later, I ran across that same "newcomer." "Well Joe," said I, "Have you made your pile yet, and did your wife come back?" With a half-smile, Joe looked at me steadily and replied, "No, Bill, nothing of the kind happened. For a whole year I had the devil of a time. How I stayed sober was more of a miracle than getting sober in the first place. I had to make that pile and get her back or else I was going to be miserable. And miserable I certainly was. But little by little, I woke up to the possibility that God hadn't put me on earth for the express purpose of getting all the money, prestige, and romance that I could lay my hands on. I finally had to face the fact that I would have to settle for less, a lot less. And if I couldn't accept this. I'd probably get drunk again.

"So I quit giving lip service to AA's Serenity Prayer and really began to use it. Over and over I kept saying, 'God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.'

"As I slowly learned acceptance, my pain subsided. I began to wake up and look around. I began to see that my modest job was a means of living, and of serving society. The bigger and the better job could no longer be my chief aim. Then I looked at AA. What had I done for the fellowship that had saved my life? Mighty little, I had to confess. So I began to go to meetings with a very different attitude. I quit my envy of financially well-heeled AAs and listened closely to what they said. I learned that their money was no longer a symbol of prestige; it was a trust for the best use to which it could be put. They also showed me that the temptations of riches could sometimes be worse than the pains of poverty. I also found that there was no such thing as an 'unfortunate' AA--that is, if he were a real member. If sick, he was, by fine example, an inspiration to those both sick and well. If poor in pocket, he could often be rich in spirit, an eager worker and servant of our society.

"So I began to understand 'the kind of giving that has no price tag on it.' I threw myself into AA; I joined a church, and threw myself into it. I really began to 'carry the message.' The last three years have been the best in my life. This is because I have really tried to awaken and to grow, and God has helped me to do just that.

"I now see that awakening and growing is something that never need stop and that growing pains are never to be feared, provided I am willing to learn the truth about myself from them.

"The other day an old time AA gave me an example which I'll never forget. Jack is a real old timer. In fact, he started AA in my town. I used to envy him because he was a millionaire.

"They told me he was in our local hospital, deathly sick, and about to die. In a way, I hated to go there, it would be so sad. When I walked into the room it was filled with AAs all in a gay mood. They were gay because Jack was gay. He was telling funny drinking stories, now and then wiping away the blood that ran down his chin from a cancerous mouth. He sat upright, his legs and bare feet hanging from the edge of the bed. A nurse came in, demonstrating, begging him to lie down. Waving her away, he said, 'If I lie down flat on this bed, I might die now. And that would be too bad, because I want to go to our AA State Convention next week.'

"We saw that this was no bravado; he really meant it.

"A little later Jack again spoke of death. He said that he'd had a wonderful life. Whiskey had brought him great pain but, as a result, AA had given him great joy. With his 'awakening' in AA had come the utter conviction, indeed the sure knowledge, that 'in my Father's House there are many Mansions.' Everybody there could to Jack, death was but a fresh awakening. He never did get to the AA convention.

"But Jack knew, and we know, that this didn't really matter for Jack was in full possession of 'the greatest gift of all.'"

By Bill W (Grapevine 1957)

===================================================================
Visit Crossroads for Spiritual Awakening:

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

arizona meth recovery

2007-11-12T14:59:00.000-08:00

Our Family
My husband and I raised our family in Plymouth, Minnesota, a nicer suburb of Minneapolis. We have three children, Andrea, Doug and Katy, who grew up in the same home, had stable and nurturing childhoods, and attended church and public school like many of the other families in our neighborhood. We did, however, have some personal struggles within our family. Our son Doug, 22, is a recovering alcoholic. As the youngest child, Katy would often get lost in the shuffle because of the attention we had to give to her brother. Sometimes it seemed like she was trying to decide whether or not she should become more like her older sister, who she believed was perfect, or her older brother - the black sheep of the family.

Meet Katy
It seemed that Katy had adjusted well despite our family's troubles. She was an especially active girl - she started swimming competitively when she was 7 and was also very involved in our church. She participated in mission trips and camping trips and was also a "peer minister" when she was in eighth grade. As a ninth grader, she made the varsity swim team, a great accomplishment for a freshman, and also made the honor roll. Katy was always outgoing, friendly and spirited, willing to try new things and always loved her family and friends. This happy lifestyle started to change, however, when she began using drugs.

The Trouble Begins
Katy started experimenting with marijuana and alcohol in eighth grade - something we didn't find out about until much later. In tenth grade, we started to note a change in Katy's personality. While she was still swimming on the varsity team and managing to keep her grades up, her lifestyle was different. We noticed her friends were changing as well as her behavior and attitude. She started smoking cigarettes and wearing much more provocative clothing and makeup. She was no longer interested in any of the activities at church and even stopped being a peer minister.

Katy seemed depressed, so we found a counselor for her to see in the fall of her sophomore year. He wrote off her unusual behavior as "teen angst" and felt she would be just fine. By that winter, however, Katy was much worse. She and a friend decided to run away, so they stole her friend's older sister's car and took off. They were stopped by the police going 90 miles per hour down the freeway. We picked her up from the sheriff and immediately got her back into counseling for the remainder of the school year.

Although we were fairly certain Katy was using marijuana and alcohol, we had no idea that she was also abusing prescription drugs. She was taking Oxycontin, Adderall and Vicodin - all drugs that she managed to get from her friends. We didn't realize she was in so deep, because she still managed to keep good grades and stay on the swim team.

It Gets Worse
Her junior year is when things really fell apart. By October of that year, she was no longer attending her classes and was kicked off the swim team. She became moody, belligerent and withdrawn - all attributes that I would have never used to describe Katy Drugs had taken over her life. We realized Katy needed some serious help, and we put her into an outpatient treatment program near our home. But after two weeks it was clear that she would never succeed as an outpatient and needed more attention.

It was while she was in treatment that we learned about her drug use and how bad things had gotten. She graduated from her treatment and enrolled in Sobriety High in Edina, Minnesota and seemed to be putting her life back together. However, we didn't realize that she was still using drugs in aftercare.

Meth Takes Over
Katy had met a girl during treatment from a small, rural community in Wisconsin, whose drug of choice was meth. Up until this point, Katy had never tried methamphetamine before - but it soon became one of her favorite drugs. To this day, we're not sure why she tried it - I think it was just for a new thrill. During the three months that she used meth Katy lost 20 pounds, dropped out of school, and completely turned away from her family. Even though things were bad while she was using other drugs, it was never as bad as when she was addicted to meth.

I didn't want to believe that Katy's drug abuse had gotten to the level of using meth, but I was terrified when it became clear what was going on. That December she was kicked out of Sobriety High for using marijuana, so our focus went back to getting her off of pot. This changed when she was brought home at 3 a.m. on January 3, 2004, strung out on meth. The officer had found her wandering the streets, wet up to her knees wearing just a light jacket and. (The temperature had dropped down to 13 degrees that night.) We took her to the emergency room where they hooked her up to IVs to slow down her heart rate. At this point, my husband and I felt as if we were losing our daughter and wondered how much longer she would survive.

Getting Help
We put Katy back into treatment in a facility and two weeks later she was enrolled in a group home for girls recovering from addiction. We didn't give her any choice to do this, but she didn't put up a fight either. I think she realized how awful things were and wanted help. I give the group home a great deal of credit for saving Katy's life. Without the three months she spent there, I don't believe she would have had the tools or the strength to stay sober. We attended family sessions every Saturday with Katy and other girls and their families and continued for a couple months after her stay had ended. It was through these sessions that we dealt with many personal issues that had occurred throughout the years. This is where the real healing for all of us began.

After graduating from this program, Katy moved home in and re-enrolled in Sobriety High. We had our daughter back - not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well.

Katy has been sober now for a year and a half (since January 4, 2004). She has made new friends and no longer spends time with any of the friends she had before treatment. Katy continues to attend two 12-step meetings per week and is very involved in the entire program. Her father and I are supportive of her as well, and we are going to miss her very much when she goes off to college in a few weeks.

A Mother's Advice
DON'T GIVE UP. As long as your child is still alive, there is always hope. Get help for yourself, go to counseling, talk to each other and develop a support system -- no one needs to be alone when going through something like this. I believe it's important to remember the three C's: you didn't Cause it, you can't Cure it and you can't Control it.

Although Katy's drug use didn't begin with meth, it definitely ended with it. Using alcohol, marijuana and prescription pills was like a slow, slippery slope that Katy thought she could control the speed at which she went down, but meth was like jumping off a cliff - there was no stopping her without an intervention.

My family continues to talk about our issues. We now know that the disease of addiction cannot be hidden or disguised. There is nothing to be ashamed of and the more we talk and learn from each other, the better off we will all be.

arizona meth recovery

2007-11-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

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Home

TRUTH: Meth can make you lose weight.

REALITY: Although meth can cause weight loss, chances are it'll bring you a new host of problems because meth is highly addictive. Meth addicts are not concerned with anything but their next fix - in fact their teeth often rot due to extremely poor personal hygiene. Meth can also cause delusions of bugs crawling under the skin - so people scratch and scratch to get the 'bugs' out. Yeah, they can lose weight - but meth users often look like death - not supermodels.

TRUTH: Meth can enhance your sex drive.

REALITY: You might be confident about your desire to have sex, but it doesn't mean it will happen: meth can decrease sexual functioning in men. Also, even though meth has been known to provide energy and stimulate sexual urges, it is also notorious for washing away inhibitions and common sense, which is a dangerous combination. Meth abusers are much more susceptible to STDs, such as HIV and AIDS because when they're high, the last thing on their mind is protection.

TRUTH: Meth can give you the energy to stay up all night.

REALITY: Meth users often stay up for days taking more and more of the drug until they run out or get too disoriented to continue. While it first it might sound like fun to have extra energy and not sleep for a few days - it actually wreaks havoc with your body. Meth can cause muscle deterioration, which can damage your kidneys, liver and heart. Not to mention that when a meth user crashes, he or she often sleeps for several days in a row.

TRUTH: Meth can give you a rush.

REALITY: The rush that meth causes is due to an increase of the "feel good" brain chemical dopamine. The flood of this chemical can make meth users feel good for a while, but once they come down from the drug, they often suffer from severe depression. That's why it's so easy to get addicted - users crave more of this "good feeling" all the time, and yet, they can never seem to get enough of the drug.

TRUTH: Meth can make you want to clean and get organized.

REALITY: It's true that meth can make you want to clean, but that doesn't mean your house will be neat and tidy. Meth use is called "tweaking" for the repetitive actions users find themselves doing, like taking apart and trying to reassemble things. Unfortunately hygiene becomes unimportant and addicts often live in filthy environments.

TRUTH: Meth can make you feel confident and attractive.

REALITY: Meth can initially produce a sense of well-being, however, the consistent use of toxic chemicals to the body can do a number on one's attractiveness. People who use meth frequently can become delusional, imagining that bugs are crawling under their skin - so they scratch and scratch at their skin to get them out. Meth can also cause anxiety and violent rages.

arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-11-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

THE RECOVERY EMPORIUM

Where Did The 12 Steps Come From? - by Bill Wilson - from a July 1953 'A.A. Grapevine' Issue

Where Did The 12 Steps Come From?

by Bill W.
July 1953 A.A. Grapevine

AAs are always asking: "Where did the Twelve Steps come from?" In the last analysis, perhaps nobody knows. Yet some of the events which led to their formulation are as clear to me as though they took place yesterday.

So far as people were concerned, the main channels of inspiration for our Steps were three in number -- the Oxford Groups, Dr. William D. Silkworth of Towns Hospital and the famed psychologist, William James, called by some the father of modern psychology. The story of how these streams of influence were brought together and how they led to the writing of our Twelve Steps is exciting and in spots downright incredible.

Many of us will remember the Oxford Groups as a modern evangelical movement which flourished in the 1920's and early 30's, led by a one-time Lutheran minister, Dr. Frank Buchman. The Oxford Groups of that day threw heavy emphasis on personal work, one member with another. AA's Twelfth Step had its origin in that vital practice. The moral backbone of the "O.G." was absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness and absolute love. They also practiced a type of confession, which they called "sharing"; the making of amends for harms done they called "restitution." They believed deeply in their "quiet time," a meditation practiced by groups and individuals alike, in which the guidance of God was sought for every detail of living, great or small.

These basic ideas were not new; they could have been found elsewhere. But the saving thing for us first alcoholics who contacted the Oxford Groupers was that they laid great stress on these particular principles. And fortunate for us was the fact that the Groupers took special pains not to interfere with one's personal religious views. Their society, like ours later on, saw the need to be strictly non-denominational.

In the late summer of 1934, my well-loved alcoholic friend and schoolmate "Ebbie" had fallen in with these good folks and had promptly sobered up. Being an alcoholic, and rather on the obstinate side, he hadn't been able to "buy" all the Oxford Group ideas and attitudes. Nevertheless, he was moved by their deep sincerity and felt mighty grateful for the fact that their ministrations had, for the time being, lifted his obsession to drink.

When he arrived in New York in the late fall of 1934, Ebbie thought at once of me. On a bleak November day he rang up. Soon he was looking at me across our kitchen table at 182 Clinton Street, Brooklyn, New York. As I remember that conversation, he constantly used phrases like these: "I found I couldn't run my own life;" "I had to get honest with myself and somebody else;" "I had to make restitution for the damage I had done;" "I had to pray to God for guidance and strength, even though I wasn't sure there was any God;" "And after I'd tried hard to do these things I found that my craving for alcohol left." Then over and over Ebbie would say something like this: "Bill, it isn't a bit like being on the water wagon. You don't fight the desire to drink -- you get released from it. I never had such a feeling before."
Such was the sum of what Ebbie had extracted from his Oxford Group friends and had transmitted to me that day. While these simple ideas were not new, they certainly hit me like tons of brick. Today we understand just why that was . . . one alcoholic was talking to another as no one else can.

Two or three weeks later, December 11th to be exact, I staggered into the Charles B. Towns Hospital, that famous drying-out emporium on Central Park West, New York City. I'd been there before, so I knew and already loved the doctor in charge -- Dr. Silkworth. It was he who was soon to contribute a very great idea without which AA could never had succeeded. For years he had been proclaiming alcoholism an illness, an obsession of the mind coupled with an allergy of the body. By now I knew this meant me. I also understood what a fatal combination these twin ogres could be. Of course, I'd once hoped to be among the small percentage of victims who now and then escape their vengeance. But this outside hope was now gone. I was about to hit bottom. That verdict of science -- the obsession that condemned me to drink and the allergy that condemned me to die -- was about to do the trick. That's where the medical science, personified by this benign little doctor, began to fit it in. Held in the hands of one alcoholic talking to the next, this double-edged truth was a sledgehammer which could shatter the tough alcoholic's ego at depth and lay him wide open to the grace of God.

In my case it was of course Dr. Silkworth who swung the sledge while my friend Ebbie carried to me the spiritual principles and the grace which brought on my sudden spiritual awakening at the hospital three days later. [ Dec. 14, 1934 ] I immediately knew that I was a free man. And with this astonishing experience came a feeling of wonderful certainty that great numbers of alcoholics might one day enjoy the priceless gift which had been bestowed upon me.

Third Influence

At this point a third stream of influence entered my life through the pages of William James' book, "Varieties of Religious Experience." Somebody had brought it to my hospital room. Following my sudden experience, Dr. Silkworth had taken great pains to convince me that I was not hallucinated. But William James did even more. Not only, he said, could spiritual experiences make people saner, they could transform men and women so that they could do, feel and believe what had hitherto been impossible to them. It mattered little whether these awakenings were sudden or gradual, their variety could be almost infinite. But the biggest payoff of that noted book was this: in most of the cases described, those who had been transformed were hopeless people. In some controlling area of their lives they had met absolute defeat. Well, that was me all right. In complete defeat, with no hope or faith whatever, I had made an appeal to a Higher Power. I had taken Step One of today's AA program -- "admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable." I'd also taken Step Three -- "made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to God as we understood him." Thus was I set free. It was just as simple, yet just as mysterious, as that.

These realizations were so exciting that I instantly joined up with the Oxford Groups. But to their consternation I insisted on devoting myself exclusively to drunks. This was disturbing to the O.G.'s on two counts. Firstly, they wanted to help save the whole world. Secondly, their luck with drunks had been poor. Just as I joined they had been working over a batch of alcoholics who had proved disappointing indeed. One of them, it was rumored, had flippantly cast his shoe through a valuable stained glass window of an Episcopal church across the alley from O.G. headquarters. Neither did they take kindly to my repeated declaration that it shouldn't take long to sober up all the drunks in the world. They rightly declared that my conceit was still immense.

Something Missing

After some six months of violent exertion with scores of alcoholics which I found at a nearby mission and Towns Hospital, it began to look like the Groupers were right. I hadn't sobered up anybody. In Brooklyn we always had a houseful of drinkers living with us, sometimes as many as five. My valiant wife, Lois, once arrived home from work to find three of them fairly tight. They were whaling each other with two-by-fours. Though events like these slowed me down somewhat, the persistent conviction that a way to sobriety could be found never seemed to leave me. There was, though, one bright spot. My sponsor, Ebbie, still clung precariously to his new-found sobriety.

What was the reason for all these fiascoes? If Ebbie and I could achieve sobriety, why couldn't all the rest find it too? Some of those we'd worked on certainly wanted to get well. We speculated day and night why nothing much had happened to them. Maybe they couldn't stand the spiritual pace of the Oxford Group's four absolutes of honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love. In fact some of the alcoholics declared that this was the trouble. The aggressive pressure upon them to get good overnight would make them fly high as geese for a few weeks and then flop dismally. They complained, too, about another form of coercion -- something the Oxford Groupers called "guidance for others." A "team" composed of non-alcoholic Groupers would sit down with an alcoholic and after a "quiet time" would come up with precise instructions as to how the alcoholic should run his own life. As grateful as we were to our O.G. friends, this was sometimes tough to take. It obviously had something to do with the wholesale skidding that went on.

But this wasn't the entire reason for failure. After months I saw the trouble was mainly in me. I had become very aggressive, very cocksure. I talked a lot about my sudden spiritual experience, as though it was something very special. I had been playing the double role of teacher and preacher. In my exhortations I'd forgotten all about the medical side of our malady, and that need for deflation at depth so emphasized by William James had been neglected. We weren't using that medical sledgehammer that Dr. Silkworth had so providentially given us.

Finally, one day, Dr. Silkworth took me back down to my right size. Said he, "Bill, why don't you quit talking so much about that bright light experience of yours, it sounds too crazy. Though I'm convinced that nothing but better morals will make alcoholics really well, I do think you have got the cart before the horse. The point is that alcoholics won't buy all this moral exhortation until they convince themselves that they must. If I were you I'd go after them on the medical basis first. While it has never done any good for me to tell them how fatal their malady is, it might be a very different story if you, a formerly hopeless alcoholic, gave them the bad news. Because of this identification you naturally have with alcoholics, you might be able to penetrate where I can't. Give them the medical business first, and give it to them hard. This might soften them up so they will accept the principles that will really get them well."

Then Came Akron

Shortly after this history-making conversation, I found myself in Akron, Ohio, on a business venture which promptly collapsed. Alone in the town, I was scared to death of getting drunk. I was no longer a teacher or a preacher, I was an alcoholic who knew that he needed another alcoholic as much as that one could possibly need me. Driven by that urge, I was soon face to face with Dr. Bob. It was at once evident that Dr. Bob knew more of the spiritual things than I did. He also had been in touch with the Oxford Groupers at Akron. But somehow he simply couldn't get sober. Following Dr. Silkworth's advice, I used the medical sledgehammer. I told him what alcoholism was and just how fatal it could be. Apparently this did something to Dr. Bob. On June 10, 1935, he sobered up, never to drink again. When, in 1939, Dr. Bob's story first appeared in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, he put one paragraph of it in italics. Speaking of me, he said: "Of far more importance was the fact that he was the first living human with whom I had ever talked, who knew what he was talking about in regard to alcoholism from actual experience."

The Missing Link

Dr. Silkworth had indeed supplied us the missing link without which the chain of principles now forged into our Twelve Steps could never have been complete. Then and there, the spark that was to become Alcoholics Anonymous had been struck.

During the next three years after Dr. Bob's recovery our growing groups at Akron, New York and Cleveland evolved the so-called word-of-mouth program of our pioneering time. As we commenced to form a society separate from the Oxford Group, we began to state our principles something like this:

1. We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol.

2. We got honest with ourselves.

3. We got honest with another person, in confidence.

4. We made amends for harms done others.

5. We worked with other alcoholics without demand for prestige or money.

6. We prayed to God to help us to do these things as best we could.

Though these principles were advocated according to the whim or liking of each of us, and though in Akron and Cleveland they still stuck by the O.G. absolutes of honesty, purity, unselfishness and love, this was the gist of our message to incoming alcoholics up to 1939, when our present Twelve Steps were put to paper.

I well remember the evening on which the Twelve Steps was written. I was lying in bed quite dejected and suffering from one of my imaginary ulcer attacks. Four chapters of the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, had been roughed out and read in meetings at Akron and New York. We quickly found that everybody wanted to be an author. The hassles as to what should go into our new book were terrific. For example, some wanted a purely psychological book which would draw in alcoholics without scaring them. We could tell them about the "God business" afterwards. A few, led by our wonderful southern friend, Fitz M., wanted a fairly religious book infused with some of the dogma we had picked up from the churches and missions which had tried to help us. The louder the arguments, the more I felt in the middle. It appeared that I wasn't going to be the author at all. I was only going to be an umpire who would decide the contents of the book. This didn't mean, though, that there wasn't terrific enthusiasm for the undertaking. Every one of us was wildly excited at the possibility of getting our message before all those countless alcoholics who still didn't know.

Having arrived at Chapter Five, it seemed high time to state what our program really was. I remember running over in my mind the word-of-mouth phrases then in current use. Jotting these down, they added up to the six named above. Then came the idea that our program ought to be more accurately and clearly stated. Distant readers would have to have precise set of principles. Knowing the alcoholic's ability to rationalize, something airtight would have to be written. We couldn't let the reader wiggle out anywhere. Besides, a more complete statement would help in the chapters to come where we would need to show exactly how the recovery program ought to be worked.

12 Steps in 30 Minutes

At length I began to write on a cheap yellow tablet. I split the word-of-mouth program up into smaller pieces, meanwhile enlarging its scope considerably. Uninspired as I felt, I was surprised that in a short time, perhaps half an hour, I had set down certain principles which, on being counted, turned out to be twelve in number. And for some unaccountable reason, I had moved the idea of God into the Second Step, right up front. Besides, I had named God very liberally throughout the other steps. In one of the steps I had even suggested that the newcomer get down on his knees.

When this document was shown to our New York meeting the protests were many and loud. Our agnostic friends didn't go at all for the idea of kneeling. Others said we were talking altogether too much about God. And anyhow, why should there be twelve steps when we had done fine on six? Let's keep it simple, they said.

This sort of heated discussion went on for days and nights. But out of it all there came a ten-strike for Alcoholics Anonymous. Our agnostic contingent, speared by Hank P. and Jim B., finally convinced us that we must make it easier for people like themselves by using such terms as "a Higher Power" or "God as we understand Him!" Those expressions, as we so well know today, have proved lifesavers for many an alcoholic. They have enabled thousands of us to make a beginning where none could have been made had we left the steps just as I originally wrote them. Happily for us there were no other changes in the original draft and the number of steps stood at twelve. Little did we then guess that our Twelve Steps would soon be widely approved by clergymen of all denominations and even by our latter-day friends, the psychiatrists.

This little fragment of history ought to convince the most skeptical that nobody invented Alcoholics Anonymous.

It just grew...by the grace of God.

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arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-11-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

What is a drug?
A drug is anything a person puts into their body that affects the brain, mood, thought, and perception. There are many kinds of drugs. Some are illegal, such as methamphetamine, heroin, or cocaine. Others are legal, such as alcohol, prescription drugs and over-the- counter medications, and even household products like aerosol sprays, glue, or cleaning fluid.

What is Addiction?
There are many different definitions of addiction. But the experts seem to agree that someone who is addicted to drugs feels a need to use the substance — over and over again. In fact, abusers of certain drugs, such as heroin, can feel sick — literally — if they do not have the drug in their bodies. Addicted people continue to use substances even after the drugs have caused problems for them. Even big problems, like losing children or families, friends, jobs, or homes.

When Addiction Takes Hold
As addiction or drug dependence develops, users tend to increase their consumption of the drug —larger amounts, longer binge periods, or shorter intervals between uses. Many addicted people say they want to cut back on their use, and may even try to stop using. But addiction changes the way the brain works, and stopping without special help can be nearly impossible. Ultimately, addicted individuals spend most of their time and energy in pursuit of the drugs... consuming the drugs... and, if they are lucky, recovering from drug use.

Denial
Not every drug abuser is aware of the need to stop using. In fact, experts say that one common characteristic of addiction is denial. Users do not admit that their drug use is a problem. They either blame their use on someone else, or claim they can stop any time they want. Drug abuse is often thought of as a symptom of a bigger set of problems. Many people in drug treatment are also trying to overcome low self-esteem, feelings of despair, tattered relationships, and other issues.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Arizona - Alcoholic Anonymous: The Spiritual Malady

2007-11-05T05:37:00.001-08:00

The Missing Piece: The Spiritual Malady
by Mike L., West Orange, NJ
"Carry THIS Message" Group, West Orange, NJ

It is agreed that the "mental obsession" is the part of our "disease" which leads to the first drink; and it's the first drink that triggers the "phenomenon of craving." But, what part of my "disease" that triggers the mental obsession in the first place?

We know the physical craving does not cause these people to drink because it's been medically proven that after a few days of not drinking the alcohol is processed out of the body. And, if you've been in the AA Fellowship for a while, for most people, the mental obsession dissipates. So why is it that after a long period of sobriety many people in our fellowship return to drinking - EVEN WHEN THEY DON'T WANT TO? What is the third fold of our illness that triggers the mental obsession - WHEN NOT DRINKING - HAVING BEEN SEPARATED FROM ALCOHOL FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME?

Through closely examining our Big Book, along with much experience and practice with our Twelve Steps, as well as vigorous work with other alcoholics, the "missing piece" of Step 1 appears to be what is referred to on page 64 as the "spiritual malady."

Now, let me attempt to discuss the second half of Step 1: " - that our lives had become unmanageable."

For a long time I thought my life was unmanageable because of all the crazy insane things I did while drinking - like the car accidents, hurting people when I didn't mean to, failed relationships, loss of jobs, family dysfunction, jails, asylums, etc.

Finally, someone explained to me that those things are not the insanity that the Big Book talks about; nor are those things why the alcoholic's life becomes unmanageable.

Of course those things can be classified as "unmanageability" - but they are external unmanageability. The unmanageability that the 1st Step is pointing to is the INWARD unmanageability of our lives - the restlessness, irritability, and discontentment that most alcoholics have even BEFORE they ever picked up their first drink. There are many names for this "inward unmanageability". Some refer to it as "untreated alcoholism." Others use the term "bedevilments", which comes from page 52 of the Big Book (which I'll be discussing in a moment). Page 64 simply refers to this "inward unmanageability" as "the spiritual malady."

Our book promises us that "When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically." The mental and physical factors of alcoholism are put into remission AFTER the "spiritual malady" is overcome - which means I'm still in danger of drinking until I have a spiritual awakening - whether I think so or not.

Mike L., West Orange, NJ
"Carry THIS Message" Group, West Orange, NJ

===================================================================
For the complete article:
http://www.barefootsworld.net/aaspiritualmalady.html

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Phoenix Drug Rehab

2007-10-31T06:46:00.000-07:00

Phoenix drug rehab, take a look at this old educational video from years ago.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-10-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

McMahon's Commentary - 10/10: "Adolescent Alcohol"

What is the solution to the current problem America has with drunk driving and alcohol related crimes. Some are saying - let's have more drunks.

There is currently once again a movement to lower the legal drinking age to 18.

Of course that means that along with other problems, college kids who are killing themselves with binge drinking because of inexperience and stupidity, could now do so legally.

Logic professors must all be considering suicide. The argument for is generally based on the promise that if kids can drink legally at 18 they will do so openly rather than participating in keggers behind locked doors.

Hey, there are no doors. Under age consumption of alcohol is everywhere - in your face mom and dad - and the only defense we have is - it's against the law. Does anyone really believe a high school senior is concerned about cirrhosis of the liver?

Brain specialists generally agree that mental maturity doesn't happen before 25. Hey, for a real test how about a 6 - pack of Baby Bud.

Somethings Never Change

2007-10-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

I want! I want! I want! Now since I've received nothing that I've wanted I'm giving up. Surrendering to everything. I tell people that if your God will bring you to it, he will bring you through it. Then in my own damn life I see the shadow of things and I cringe and want to hide. Where am I going to go now? I just hit 3 yrs sober, should I just throw all that damn hardwork away? I think not. I worked my ass off to straighten out so much of my messed up thinking and I still have a long way to go.

I can't keep running from the fear because it will keep me from growing. The problem is that I've walked through some of my fears and I still have things that I have to face. There are days when I feel alone, useless, and then just out of sorts because I have this huge mountain that I need to face and I'm sitting at the base of the mountain crying. Crying because I can't see what's next. Crying because I can't CONTROL what's next or how it's going to happen or what the result is going to be. So now what? Sit on my ass go no where and be content with discontent? I think not.

I'm a little angry this morning because there are things that need to get done and I'm being helpless not HOPELESS. I claim I have a God, so why not ask for what I need and not what I want. I claim that I'm in love with my God, so why not trust him. I claim that I use the tools that AA has provided me - well then why in the hell am I not using what has been given to me as a way to get through life?

I have the excuse for all these questions and the moral of my problems, FEAR. Fear and doubt are the faith killers that will keep you down so long that eventually there is surrender but some go back to their old way of thinking and acting. Well now let's do the math....I have a job with benefits that's why my happy ass can afford the doctor's, therapists, meds, etc. I remember when my ass couldn't buy a job. I have an income, state short term disability, but hell it's still a way for my daughter and I to eat, have gas, and a place to live damn it. I have people that know me and friends from various meetings in 3 counties. We never met before this program but we
recognize that we are all the same underneath the ego of past. That support system has gotten me through many days when I did want to give up and leave a crazy world -- mine!!

My fear of failure has crippled me long enough. I have a huge resentment about all the meds that I need to take for one fricken job that literally drives me CRAZY. But I'm putting myself back in the position that God originally had me in, holding on to my ass because it just might get bumpy from here. My sponsor says that I have an identity crisis...I think I'm god but God is telling me I'm not. I tend to forget that new employer part of recovery. My only responsibility is to remain sober, attend meetings, work with other alcoholics, and keep my side of the street clean. Much easier than trying to solve my life issues.

I still have hope today and that is the most important thing. If I would have lost hope I would have given up on me. For this alcoholic that is the ultimate failure. One that I may not have recovered from so easily or if at all. So I follow steps 1, 2, 3 and with the shoe string faith that I'm holding onto for my very life, I'm not giving up or giving in. I'm going forward if new wounds are opened then so be it. If old wounds are healed, so be it. All I know is I'm doing what this program has taught me when I get depressed, anxious, and frustrated take the steps because the elevator is broken. Besides, I have a sponsor that loves to listen to me whine then she get a good chuckle for the day. So at least I'm being of service some how. LOL

F A I T H = Facing An Inner Truth Heals.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-10-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Below are some guidelines to help you make the most of talking with someone you care about regarding a drug or alcohol problem:

Having the Talk

When:

Make sure the timing is right. Have the talk when they're sober and clear-headed, perhaps in the morning before work. You won't get anywhere talking when they are drunk, high, or coming down.
Try talking to your loved one soon after you know they've been drinking or using drugs, when they are feeling hung over and guilty. Remember that you're not addressing just one incident, but a pattern of behavior.

Where:

Meet in a neutral place; a coffee shop, park, or some other public place. Make sure alcohol is not available.

How:

Always use a gentle, caring tone of voice.
Try not to judge: don't start out by accusing your loved one of being a drug addict or an alcoholic. This will put them on the defensive and they might walk away.
Tell them how you feel; how worried you are and how you feel when you see them drunk or high.
Tell your loved one about the things you've seen them do when they're drunk or high. Use specific examples, and tell them you want to help.
Most important of all, be prepared with information on where they can get help. Make a list of phone numbers, meeting places and times for local counseling services and treatment programs. Offer to go with them to a meeting or take them for an assessment — but only if you're going to follow through.

If your loved one has a serious problem and you can't convince them to get help, don't give up. For a drug user, accepting that they have a problem and asking for help is difficult and frightening. They have to face the pain they've caused themselves and other people in their life. All you can do is talk to them, show how much you care, and encourage them to get help.

You should also feel comfortable seeking advice about how to help them. You are not betraying your loved one by finding out as much as you can about their problem. Consider talking to an intervention specialist, doctor, nurse, counselor, or someone in your place of worship. These people are there to help. If you are concerned about privacy, ask that your conversation be treated as confidential — you don't even have to give your loved one's name.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Arizona Meth Recovery

2007-10-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Moira Knutson | 8/30/2005 01:43:45 AM

Katy was bright, spunky and outgoing, an honor student, involved in her church and sports teams. It seemed impossible that she would even have time for a drug problem but the signs were undeniable. Moira knew she had to intervene and save her daughter's life - or else it would be lost to meth.

Our Family
My husband and I raised our family in Plymouth, Minnesota, a nice suburb north of Minneapolis. We have three children, Andrea, Doug and Katy, who grew up in the same home, had stable and nurturing childhoods, and attended church and public school like many of the other families in our neighborhood. We did, however, have some personal struggles within our family. Our son Doug, 22, is a recovering alcoholic. As the youngest child, Katy would often get lost in the shuffle because of the attention we had to give to her brother. Sometimes it seemed like she was trying to decide whether or not she should become more like her older sister, who she believed was perfect, or her older brother - the black sheep of the family.

Meet Katy
It seemed that Katy had adjusted well despite our family's troubles. She was an especially active girl - she started swimming competitively when she was 7 and was also very involved in our church. She participated in mission trips and camping trips and was also a "peer minister" when she was in eighth grade. As a ninth grader, she made the varsity swim team, a great accomplishment for a freshman, and also made the honor roll. Katy was always outgoing, friendly and spirited, willing to try new things and always loved her family and friends. This happy lifestyle started to change, however, when she began using drugs.

The Trouble Begins
Katy started experimenting with marijuana and alcohol in eighth grade - something we didn't find out about until much later. In tenth grade, we started to note a change in Katy's personality. While she was still swimming on the varsity team and managing to keep her grades up, her lifestyle was different. We noticed her friends were changing as well as her behavior and attitude. She started smoking cigarettes and wearing much more provocative clothing and makeup. She was no longer interested in any of the activities at church and even stopped being a peer minister.

Katy seemed depressed, so we found a counselor for her to see in the fall of her sophomore year. He wrote off her unusual behavior as "teen angst" and felt she would be just fine. By that winter, however, Katy was much worse. She and a friend decided to run away, so they stole her friend's older sister's car and took off. They were stopped by the police going 90 miles per hour down the freeway. We picked her up from the sheriff and immediately got her back into counseling for the remainder of the school year.

Although we were fairly certain Katy was using marijuana and alcohol, we had no idea that she was also abusing prescription drugs. She was taking Oxycontin, Adderall and Vicodin - all drugs that she managed to get from her friends. We didn't realize she was in so deep, because she still managed to keep good grades and stay on the swim team.

It Gets Worse
Her junior year is when things really fell apart. By October of that year, she was no longer attending her classes and was kicked off the swim team. She became moody, belligerent and withdrawn - all attributes that I would have never used to describe Katy Drugs had taken over her life. We realized Katy needed some serious help, and we put her into an outpatient treatment program near our home. But after two weeks it was clear that she would never succeed as an outpatient and needed more attention.

It was while she was in treatment that we learned about her drug use and how bad things had gotten. She graduated from her treatment and enrolled in Sobriety High in Edina, Minnesota and seemed to be putting her life back together. However, we didn't realize that she was still using drugs in aftercare.

Meth Takes Over
Katy had met a girl during treatment from a small, rural community in Wisconsin, whose drug of choice was meth. Up until this point, Katy had never tried methamphetamine before - but it soon became one of her favorite drugs. To this day, we're not sure why she tried it - I think it was just for a new thrill. During the three months that she used meth Katy lost 20 pounds, dropped out of school, and completely turned away from her family. Even though things were bad while she was using other drugs, it was never as bad as when she was addicted to meth.

I didn't want to believe that Katy's drug abuse had gotten to the level of using meth, but I was terrified when it became clear what was going on. That December she was kicked out of Sobriety High for using marijuana, so our focus went back to getting her off of pot. This changed when she was brought home at 3 a.m. on January 3, 2004, strung out on meth. The officer had found her wandering the streets, wet up to her knees wearing just a light jacket and. (The temperature had dropped down to 13 degrees that night.) We took her to the emergency room where they hooked her up to IVs to slow down her heart rate. At this point, my husband and I felt as if we were losing our daughter and wondered how much longer she would survive.

Getting Help
We put Katy back into treatment in a facility and two weeks later she was enrolled in a group home for girls recovering from addiction. We didn't give her any choice to do this, but she didn't put up a fight either. I think she realized how awful things were and wanted help. I give the group home a great deal of credit for saving Katy's life. Without the three months she spent there, I don't believe she would have had the tools or the strength to stay sober. We attended family sessions every Saturday with Katy and other girls and their families and continued for a couple months after her stay had ended. It was through these sessions that we dealt with many personal issues that had occurred throughout the years. This is where the real healing for all of us began.

After graduating from this program, Katy moved home in and re-enrolled in Sobriety High. We had our daughter back - not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well.

Katy has been sober now for a year and a half (since January 4, 2004). She has made new friends and no longer spends time with any of the friends she had before treatment. Katy continues to attend two 12-step meetings per week and is very involved in the entire program. Her father and I are supportive of her as well, and we are going to miss her very much when she goes off to college in a few weeks.

A Mother's Advice
DON'T GIVE UP. As long as your child is still alive, there is always hope. Get help for yourself, go to counseling, talk to each other and develop a support system -- no one needs to be alone when going through something like this. I believe it's important to remember the three C's: you didn't Cause it, you can't Cure it and you can't Control it.

Although Katy's drug use didn't begin with meth, it definitely ended with it. Using alcohol, marijuana and prescription pills was like a slow, slippery slope that Katy thought she could control the speed at which she went down, but meth was like jumping off a cliff - there was no stopping her without an intervention.

My family continues to talk about our issues. We now know that the disease of addiction cannot be hidden or disguised. There is nothing to be ashamed of and the more we talk and learn from each other, the better off we will all be.