June 14, 2008 - Who Needs Rehab?
BREAKTHROUGH ADDICTION RECOVERY RADIO SHOW
JUNE 14, 2008
Brian: Good afternoon Atlanta and welcome to the Breakthrough Recovery Hour, I am Brian Fujii and my co-host is Jill Mattingly, welcome back Jill
Jill: Hey
Brian: My partner is back and today we are going to ask a very interesting question. Who really needs rehab? Many of us are probably wondering do I need it? Or families out there looking around them and saying “You know does my loved one really need rehab” We are going to find some interesting individuals out there who have attempted rehab and not needed it.
Jill: You know there are a lot of programs out there where people look into rehab facilities, but this story is coming up and it is quite interesting and you will be shaking your head as driving around Atlanta today. So we are pulling out a topic in the news, during the week we find items about addiction and I am never disappointed let me tell you. Actually this story is called, “Drunkorexia” a new …
Brian: What
Jill: It is a cross between drunk and anorexia. A new eating disorder and this is actually coming out of England. Talking about young women who face the pressure to be thin so they are doing some math in their heads and figuring , “Ok, if I am going to drink beer with my friends tonight that means I am not going to eat anything but a cheese cube today so that I can drink at least a six pack tonight. And it is actually happening frequently on college campuses as people are going into these communities where partying is so much more accessible and these girls want to stay thin and they don’t want the extra college pounds and foregoing any type of nutritional food for alcohol.
Brian: What is the definition of a “healthy” body these days. Talk about stick thin individuals. I said stick, thin right? Stick, I just don’t understand
Jill: I have to read this quote, this is “Piper ” an assumed name, and a 21 yr old student says, she had food issues for years and so “Beer was like, you know, don’t drink beer unless you like, you know haven’t eaten all day.” That is a direct quote (laughter) another thing too, it they are thinking beer is not nutritional but maybe a bloody mary would give them vitamin C they may want to think again. There you are folks, some of college’s finest. So, drunkorexia, watch your students for this.
Anyway, sounds like it was a good show last week.
Brian; Yes, Dr. Johnston was here we had quite a few good calls and..
Jill: Let’s give out the number, this is a call in show dealing with issues of addiction and dependency, the number is 770-226-0920, maybe someone needs to hear the show today and hear the criteria we look at when we look at someone going into rehab they can actually go to the 920 website it is www.920wgka.com and click listen live and they can listen at home and outside the listening area and want to call in you can always use the cell phone, 770-226-0920 or 1-888-020-2665. Ok, have I give out all the info?Brian: Yeah, keep the calls comingJill: Last week I actually attended my sister’s 50th birthday, happy birthday Joy one more time, I am so glad she is turning 50 before me, but it sounds like you had a wonderful and interesting show last week, Brian: we did we talked about the different issues of how people move into what we call socio economic drift, basically what we are talking about is how people actually move into addiction and in such a way because as they move into addiction their lifestyle and quality of life begins to diminish you know we talked about one area, and in our rehab we talk about four different areas of how people move into this life degeneration we call it the introduction phase and that first phase, talking about college kids? They go in there see the beer, drink some beer do some drugs, but they are having fun and their lives are basically positive and is not revolving around the drugs or alcohol and so they go and enjoy and it is social and then as they continue to use they kind of move into the second phase which is the maintenance phase and what we teach there in our program is that the big difference is now they are getting into what we call a tissue change or tissue dependence and it is really interesting that research shows that when a person moves into that particular arena the brain actually begins to change. So when they just think about alcohol or get exposed to it the trigger we find is that the brain automatically a little bit of that dopamine and gives them what they want. Beer. And so there we go. Now we are in a situation where now the individual is seeking they are looking forward to it and in fact some in my rehab program when we were talking about it said, “I never thought about that, you know there was a period of time and I had fun, now when I think about parties I decide which party to go to , is it going to have booze and drugs and this party not? Well I am going to the party with booze and drugs.”Jill: So they are putting a lot more thought into the maintenance phase and how they will get what they want and satisfy those cravings.
Brian: The social choices they are making and so for now we are seeing that they are making these choices based on availability and whether or not it will be there at the time of their presence. So at that phase we see where there are a lot of positive things and now they are experiencing a few negative things missing work, classes and problems with family and friends. Then they move onto the third phase called disenchantment and now we begin to see some real significant changes and the scale gets tipped and now they experience more negative than positive and maybe they are being threatened in these areas and facing some legal circumstances and so now we talk about the socio economic drift, we see that the drinking is beginning to truly have a negative impact and goes back to a couple shows back and some use and have no problems and now in this disenchantment phase they come to a point where they do experience problems. This is when it begins to become more problematic and it is called the addiction phase and the last one is that disaster and everything is on the negative,
Jill: Brian it sounds like there are warning signs all along the way and at some point someone is going to say, “You know what, you may not want to go to that party, it might cause you some problems.” So really having a person go all the way into the disaster phase definitely speaks of a brain disease. There is a problem there is a circuitry
Brian: A real rewiring of the brain. I was wondering Jill if they are listening to this and wondering if they are at any of these stages, or their loved ones, please gie us a call at 770-226-0920- of 1-888-920-2665, again the local number is 770-226-0920, we are coming to a break and will be right back.
Jill: Call in!
Commercial Break
Jill: Welcome Back to the Breakthrough Addiction Recovery Hour, 770-226-0920 that is the number to call if you are riding around and you are in a safe situation grab your cell phone and call in and give us a comment or question having to do with some of the things we are talking about and you may want to do that after you hear this story. You may have seen this story in the AJC this past week , when I did I just shook my head and it is amazing to me and it does have to do with addiction. Our ex-mayor Bill Campbell as we know most of us anyway, he has been serving time in prison for tax evasion and that was a 30 month sentence however, former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell misrepresented testimony and persuaded the bureau of prisons to stretch it’s policy to mind boggling extremes to get into a substance addiction program that would have shaved four months off his sentence. This just came to light after his complaint and they caught him doing this and they had to unseal court documents and now we all know what he did. After sitting in prison he decided he was an alcoholic or an alcohol dependent person and he stated that he was telling prison officials that he drank bottles of champagne daily and had a certificate of completion from the rehabilitation program, did you see this Brian?
Brian: It is fascinating, he called himself a champagneaholic.(laughter)
Jill: That is the first time I have ever heard that. This story goes on to say he actually finished a program after convincing the prison that he did have an alcohol problem and he went into a half way house and that is when federal prosecutors said, “What?” He is not supposed to finish until October. So by doing this program he was shaving four months off of his sentence now if it was two years that is one thing but this was four months and so he was yanked out of the half way house and returned to prison. It was revealed that before he actually went to jail for tax evasion he stated he had never had a problem with alcohol and didn’t even like the taste of it and the only time he used he said to his parole officer was that he drank for toasts, since he was a public servant. So you have to be alcohol dependent to go through this program and this sentence says it all “Mr Campbell is a well educated man with no health or substance addiction problems, as such Mr. Campbell is not in need of an already thinly spread services offered by the correctional system.”
That is probably what got me fired up about sharing this story. We know that the services to people in the prisons that have true needs and many times that is why they are there because of alcohol or drug dependence and they could have used that spot for someone in need and I am livid about that whole thing just to shave off four months, so let me give out the number for comments and questions. 770-226-8920, I am sure there are those out there, I had a vision of the steward on the Titanic that pushed the women and children out of the way so that he could get on the lifeboat first. That is the character of our ex-Mayor, let’s elbow everyone else aside so that I can get out of jail four months early!
Brian: Well his tax evasion states that he needs to pay his fair share
Jill: 770-226-0920 if you want to make a comment or ask a question about our illustrious ex-Mayor, anyway that brings me to why we termed this show, Who Really Needs Rehab? There are many people out there, not just in the prison system that need substance addiction rehab and you were talking earlier that a lot of people who need it never even seek it
Brian: That’s right Jill, many times we see this that there are many many people high percentage of people that have been identified as needing the rehab but unable to get it for this very reason that you just read. The lack of resources. We see this happening, the bias, the funding sources, insurance companies, managed care organizations , all of these are mitigating against the rehab that many of our citizens need. And here we are with an individual taking advantage of a scarce resource using it to manipulate the system to meet his own needs. So when we think about this, who does need rehab? There are a lot of people out there that aren’t getting it, because of scarce resources. So if we are thinking about this for those who are in our listening audience, the concern we have today is that you may be sitting in your home, your car and listening to the show and realize that someone in your life is struggling and I don’t want to be pushy. Am I identifying this situation as being accurate? I think that is a question people ask and wonder if these folks in their lives need rehab. One of the key criteria is if your loved one is drinking or drugging and at the very first segment we talked about that and if they are experiencing negative consequences then it is very likely they need to seek some help. Somehow this is what we find in families, they too are in denial, not just the person who is struggling with the problem and I really want our listening audience to understand that it is not condemnation it is natural and normal. In the active use stage it is interesting that statistics show they are in protection mode, so you ask, “What does that mean Brian?” That means they don’t want to feel the shame or the guilt and protect the family image and so they will not seek help and they are in protection mode. This is why I am hoping as our listening audience will begin to really look at what are some of the behaviors that their loved one is currently expressing, they need to understand that they might be in a situation that they could benefit from rehab.
Jill: We have a call and it is Judy in Atlanta?
Julie: It’s Julie, that’s ok
Jill: I can read I promise, you have a question for us uh go ahead
Julie: Ok my question was I know that he just said that um you really know that there is a problem when negative consequences as far as drinking goes and I was telling your screener that I do drink every day and I guess my trigger would be around dinner time it started just you know drinking wine while making dinner and throughout dinner and now it is at the point where it is like, I can’t go without it and it starts at 5 and goes till I go to bed. I really haven’t had any negative but I know it is at the point where I can’t
Brian: Julie we are coming to a break so hang on, can I ask you a question. If you have not experienced any negative consequence that is probably in a social level and I don’t know whether or not you are having any physical problems, gastritis, pancreatitis
Let me ask you this, you say that you drink every day, how much every day, a bottle? Two bottles?
Julie: A bottle
Brian: A bottle a day. You are progressing, you are getting there, for women 3 to 4 glasses of wine a day is considered heavy drinking. So you are already probably there, ok? You may not be in the uh what you might call the addiction phase yet but you are getting there. ,
Julie: Well that is my question, at what point, I just want to quit on my own, I don’t want rehab, you know but you know I know of course don’t buy it but it is harder than that you know.
Brian: It is you are right. One of the things you will find is that even though you want to quit on your own you need to ask yourself, have you ever tried to cut back but found that you couldn’t
Julie: Yes
Brian: You get annoyed when people tell you that you drink too much
Julie: Yes
Brian: You feel guilty on the day after
Julie: I don’t get drunk or black out or you know, I just get a buzz and that is you know so never feel guilty about anything that has happened.
Brian: Julie we are at a break will you hang on?
Julie: Sure
Brian: We will be right back after the break. Call us at 770-226-0920 and we will be right back
Commercial Break
Jill: Welcome back to the Breakthrough Addiction Recovery Hour my name is Jill Mattingly and we are in the process of talking to a caller right now, she called in before the break, this is Julie in Atlanta, Julie are you still there?
Julie: I am here, just driving
Jill: Be careful, but also I want to recap for the audience some of the things you were talking about, calling in and asking if starting you know to drink up to a bottle of wine of night, can that be considered too much? Can this be considered a problem if I am drinking every day trying to cut back but not able to.
Julie: Yes
Jill: Ok, first I want to thank you for calling and letting your story go out over the airwaves, there are so many people doing exactly what you are doing, and there are people in their cars right now nodding, ok? Because most of the females, and I am talking as one, this is exactly where they are when they come through our doors and they can’t seem to not have it every night. And they don’t remember how they got to the whole bottle, finishing off the whole bottle and all they know is that they are there and it is very hard once that bottle is opened at 5:00 not to finish it off. This is a disease that does not stand still and the things that Brian was talking about like the physical and legal problems those things come as you continue with your drinking. They will come and this is the best time, when you start to contemplate, “Is this a problem?” Brian just went through some things with you that yes, you are in a standing right now where understanding what’s happening in your brain and in your body is of you know utmost importance and that is what rehab is all about. Rehab isn’t say, “Come in here and sit down and don’t ever drink again!”
Brian: It’s about understanding it is a brain disease,
Jill: Exactly, that’s why people have misconceptions about rehab and what it really is, it is understanding a disease like a new diagnoses of diabetes but this does take it’s toll and addressing it as soon as possible is of the utmost importance.
Brian: Julie, I was wondering if you have any other questions, I know we talked about the identification of heavy drinking, basically by what you said you are moving into the heavy area. Have you found yourself drinking more than the bottle at any particular time?
Julie: Yes, I mean you know, it is just there, and I will drink until I go to bed. So.
Brian: That is what I am saying you are beginning to see it is progressing and that is why we call it a disease. The first is biological impacting your brain and your body and it certainly has certain signs and symptoms and it will get worse not better so,
Julie: I guess that is my question. What kind of things do you recommend to your patients as far as just I guess trying to get through those triggers like if I could get home from work without stopping at the liquor or grocery store, then I’m fine, you know. Not that I’m fine, I still wish that I had some but I am not using.
Jill: I am really glad you brought up triggers is well one of the things we do is that medically we treat for triggers, we have medications that actually can help with alcohol cravings and I have many patients that come back after starting them on Naltrexone and Campral, and they will say, “You know I looked at the clock and it was 7o’clock and I hadn’t opened the bottle.” At Breakthrough we combine that with education and therapy and combine this and find the underlying problems so I think Julie the best bet for you would be to go to your physician and ask them or come to us for a free consultation and take a seat on the couch we could talk and look at the whole problem and come up with an idea of how it would best serve you, our rehab facility. So, anyway, that is what I would recommend.
Brian: Go to the website www.breakthroughaddictionrecovery.com, a lot of information there and you can review it and see what might be of interest and might best serve you.Jill: Julie my picture is on that website, so, you gotta go look at it, anyway(laughter) we hope to hear from you and we will set up a consultation and we will look at this for you.Brian: Go to the website it will be informative
Julie: Thank you very much
Jill: Thank you for calling hon. That highlights the problem that goes through the mind, you don’t know where you stand as far as needing rehab. We are coming to a break and the number is 770-266-0920. Please Call
Brian: Stay with us
Commercial Break
Jill: 770-226-0920 that is the number to call if you would like to get in on the conversation, comments and questions or just whatever is going on with you right now, if you are thinking about things that you are addicted to or having problems with and if you want to call in and talk to us on the air that is fine and we will preserve your anonymity
Brian: This topic is so good , who needs rehab. You know Jill it is scary for some and it is not easy to answer even for yourself
Jill: And you know as we were talking about the Bill Campbell story, not everyone is going around knocking on the doors of rehab centers trying to get in although with his ulterior motive Some people though, fly under the radar. I thought of isolation and denial and those can definitely cause someone to fly under the radar and no one will ever know they are polishing off a couple bottles a night and as I think about that, not everyone that comes through the door needs to be drug and alcohol detoxified.
Brian: Yes, that’s good Jill, many do think they need that but that is not true. We have many people lin our program that have already been stabilized and are now saying, “I need some rehab and I need to find out what is wrong with me.” What is it you need to do to change your life.
It is not like what you said, we don’t mandate to someone and become parental, we help them understand that addiction is indeed a disease and it is a disease of the brain, and it has nothing to do with will power or character or our ability to say no, it is something that is a disease that they can’t help and the only way they can do it is to understand it is a disease process, they need some coping skills under their belt to handle this.
Jill: Absolutely we gave out the website in the last segment, I am giving it again, www.breakthroughaddictionrecovery.com and we are located in Norcross, it is an easy drive to come and get your free consultation. You can ask, “Do I need rehab?” If those questions are in your mind then there needs to be an answer. Brian: There are different levels of care in rehab you know we go sometimes to the extreme with drug and alcohol detox and rehab and individual therapy but sometimes we can find what level you are at and what is your situation and what is the best type of help we can give you. We need to help you get your lives back. So what we can do is assess effectively when the person comes in and see whether they are drinking to self medicate due to depression, if so we can refer them to our psychiatrist. Medications might diminish the substance addiction. Many times there is mental illness as well as the substance addiction and if this can be addressed they find that there is help and hope.Jill: That is very important to know that there are multiple services under one roof and many don’t know that when you come to a place like breakthrough you can be addressed in many different ways, so we encourage you if you have the thought that something is going on and you need to talk to someone, please make that call, 770-226-0920 or if you want to call our office in Norcross, 770-734-8091.
Commercial Break
Jill: Welcome back to the Breakthrough Addiction Recovery Hour
Brian: I am Brian Fujii
Jill: We have a caller, Miranda in Atlanta, how are you, we are in our last segment and if we run out of time please hold on and we will talk to you after the show also
Miranda; I have a family member that needs help and some of us are trying to find ways to get them to see that they need help. Do you do an intervention, or do you drive them up to your place or how do you get someone you are sure has a problem to get help.
Brian: Sometimes we can set up a formal intervention where we get together with your family and our staff uh, many times it is the person is really struggling to see if they have an issue, sometimes it is helpful for just the family to begin sharing with the individual what some of the problems are that you personally are experiencing as a result of their using so if this person is having, is it alcohol?
Miranda: Yes, alcohol
Brian: Begin as a family to share what the negative family impact is and let that part be real clear and let them know that this particular drinking event is really causing a lot of stress and also too, if they are experiencing uh specific problems with their job or law, uh or with finances, you can use that to get them to hear you. You can share objective definable events that are producing the problem and see if he is willing to just come in and talk. Let’s see what we can do to find the level of care that he will need. He may not need drug and alcohol detox so maybe some issues are causing the drinking.
Jill: You would be surprised Miranda that familymembers when you start to talk with non-confrontational talking they will look at the website and then when they look at that they may say that they are willing to drive up there to listen to what they have to say. We don’t force anyone to rehab, we don’t like the heel marks on the floor as you drag them through the door, so you need to share your concerns with that loved one and give them the options and that’s a formal intervention will do that but you can also do that around the dining room table tonight.
Brian: If you have not seen our website
Miranda; I have
Brian: Then you know what the resources are
Miranda: Should that be in a group setting or individually.
Brian: I would recommend that you do it individually not ganging up on the person right off of the bat. It is a process Miranda and
Miranda: I feel like the conversation falls on deaf ears, I know he will lose his job and so that is why I want to know about the next step.
Brian: On the other hand, then you need to get back with us and we will set up a formal intervention and certainly help you in that area
Miranda: Call your office?
Brian: That number is 770-734-8091
Miranda: Thank you so much
Jill: Call us and we will help as much as we can,
And to all the fathers out there, Happy Father’s Day, and to my dad , thanks, thanks for putting me through college!
Breakthrough Addiction Recovery in Norcross, we are there and we can help.
Brian: See you next week.
