The good news is that there’s at least one reliable indicator of a drug treatment center’s true value: the success rate of its clients. The best drug treatment facilities are those which produce the most meaningful recovery for their residents. As you explore your drug treatment options, then, it’s vital that you focus on results. No, you can’t trust everything you read on the Internet. You can, however, believe in healing when you see it for yourself. All that remains, now, is for you to do the necessary research before you enroll in a private drug treatment program.

Let’s be clear on this much: At any drug treatment center, you’re always your own best friend. Drug treatment works if you want it to work, in the end; drug rehab is successful when its patients make it so. Getting sober is a personal thing, when you really get down to it, and no drug treatment program can help you beat addiction if you’re not ready to play an active role in the fight.

And how do you get active? First, you’ve got to learn: about drug addiction, about drug treatment, about what makes one drug treatment program or drug treatment center different from the next. Drug treatment isn’t compatible with ignorance, after all, and getting better is largely a function of your own understanding of the healing process. Think of it like this: You can’t fight what you can’t see. If you’re serious about overcoming addiction, you’ve got to understand it, and understand how to beat it.

None of this is easy: not drug addiction, not drug rehab, not drug treatment. Getting sober takes work, and vigilance, and the sort of steel-hard resolve that won’t come unless you cultivate it. But the fact that it’s hard doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth it, and the success of a drug treatment program at a drug treatment center is more than worth any costs that might be entailed by it. If you or some you care about has succumbed to addiction, you know the status quo isn’t acceptable: You know things have to change; you know you need drug rehab.

For your sake, for the sake of the people you love: Don’t let another day go by without starting the drug treatment process. Drug addiction won’t wait. Neither should you.

Accepting that you need drug rehab is a beginning, not an end. And yes, I know: You already feel like you’ve been through hell and back. You feel like even just deciding to get drug treatment at a drug treatment center is an achievement unto itself, and like anything more might just finish you once and for all. Well buck up, kid, because we’re just getting started.

Drug treatment doesn’t work unless the patient plays an active role in the process. Drug rehab isn’t a vacation, you might say: You don’t check yourself into a drug treatment center and then just wait to get sober. On the contrary, you’ve got to make the thing work for you: You’ve got to want to get better, and you’ve got to use drug rehab as a vehicle to get you where you want to go.

What does that mean, in practical terms? First, you’ve got to be on the ball. Finding a drug treatment center that’s right for you means being educated about drug rehab and drug treatment: You’ve got to know your options, and you’ve got to know what distinguishes one drug treatment center from the next. More importantly, you’ve got to know yourself: You’ve got to know what you need out of drug rehab, and how the right drug treatment center can get it to you.

Remember, you are who you are. It sounds obvious, of course, but no fact is more essential to the ultimate success of your drug treatment experience. Some drug treatment centers claim to have developed a blanket cure for drug addiction: a universal drug treatment plan that can help all (all!) of their patients get better. Those drug treatment centers, though, make the mistake of assuming that all drug addicts are alike. They aren’t. Remember: You are who you are. And you need a drug rehab program that recognizes you as such.

Successful drug treatment, in the end, has got to be about personalized care. The truth is that every recovery patient is a unique individual, with a unique case history. Drug rehab can’t and doesn’t work unless it addresses the physical and psychological roots of addiction itself…and it doesn’t and can’t address those roots unless it considers every patient as he actually is.

The lesson here? To make drug treatment work for you, you’ve got to be your own best advocate: You’ve got to find a drug treatment center that treats you as you are, and as you need to be treated. If you’re here, you already know what’s at stake. Don’t let another day go by without doing something about it.

Part of the answer lies in the mechanisms of drug addiction itself. Remember, drug addiction is a disease, and like all diseases it has a knack for hanging in against even the most aggressive treatment plans. No drug rehab program, you might say, is sophisticated enough to make drug addiction anything other than what it is: a bear, a bull, an enemy that will never, under any circumstances, simply lay down and die.

But that’s not the whole story, is it? There’s more to the failure of drug treatment that just the stubbornness of drug addiction: There’s got to be, because so many drug addicts do get healthy in drug rehab, and so many patients do get healed at drug treatment centers. So what gives, then?: What separates the success stories from everybody else?

Remember, drug treatment is ultimately a patient-driven process. Getting better means finding the right drug treatment center, of course…but getting better also means resolving to make that drug treatment center work for you, and committing yourself to the entire extent of the drug recovery process. Drug rehab can’t be effective, is the thing, unless you want it to be: Drug rehab can’t count for much of anything, in fact, unless you’re determined to make it so.

What that means, in plain terms, is that those patients who get better in drug rehab get better because they want to, and because they refuse not to. Let’s be clear about this much: Drug treatment isn’t easy. Drug recovery doesn’t just happen: Healing is a product of struggle, and strain, and the sort of drawn-out fight that you can’t win without the fiercest kind of resolve. Yes, those patients who get better in drug rehab get better because they want to…but wanting, in the context of drug rehab, isn’t simply a matter of wishing and hoping.

So what’s the rub in all this? If there’s a message here, let it be that drug rehab and drug treatment really can work if you commit yourself to them. As long as the road to sobriety might seem, the way is a passable one, and millions of people have traveled it successfully. But, again, the journey isn’t easy: It’s full of physical and psychological toil, and it will tax you, whoever you are, in ways you didn’t know you could ever be taxed. Still, though, the taxing is worth it, in the end, if for no other reason than that the alternative, well…

The alternative is too bleak to contemplate. If you’re here, you already know what’s broken. Let today be the day you decide to start making it better.

If you are a user and abuser of substances, making the pivotal decision to stop is often impossible without aid and assistance from treatment professionals. It is important that you choose a treatment method that is compatible with your needs. Getting the right information and doing an accurate evaluation of those needs is the work of a skilled professional; you cannot be expected to do it yourself.

As well, for people who have tried on more than occasion to quit their abuse of substances, the best solution remains inpatient treatment at a drug treatment center.

At Cliffside Malibu we understand that each individual has separate needs, and different responses to the drugs to which they are addicted. We can ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of each person when they are admitted.

Naturally, the longer you have been at the mercy of your abuse, the harder it will be to stop. Your life has not only been defined by the chemicals you have been putting into your body; but often your social circle has revolved around the use of substances. Quitting the drugs may very well mean quitting your circle of friends. At any age, peer pressure is major component of abuse. This is another reason inpatient treatment is often the best option; it separates the substance abuser from his mode of addiction – the destructive and enabling social circle which he/she inhabits on a daily basis. Residential treatment for a period of three to six months is often just the tonic to get a person out of such a destructive cycle.

You must make an informed decision about which treatment center is best for you, but Cliffside Malibu makes that decision easy: we have extensive facilities for treating all forms of drug and alcohol abuse – from prescription drugs to crystal meth. Our aim is return you to a healthy, productive lifestyle.

At Cliffside Malibu, we understand drug and alcohol abuse are chronic illnesses. Chemical dependents will be challenged throughout their lives to refuse all forms of drugs, from dealers or simply uninformed friends. We will teach you the warning signs that often lead to relapses; and give you the mental tools with which to fight them.

In our inpatient program we offer counseling, psychotherapy, group discussions and a host of other resources to help you combat your addiction. We will also better equip you to deal with other, seemingly unrelated aspects of your life: research has shown that those who have checked into drug treatment centers and successfully completed their program are statistically more likely to be employed. Studies have also shown that successful drug treatment decreases the number of crimes committed by individuals.

It is often the case that drug abusers have alienated themselves from their families, their coworkers, and their friends. Often, they have “bottomed out”, and have no choice left but to commit themselves to a drug treatment program. It is important that the administrators of such a program be sensitive to the emotional state of the individual. We understand the emotional toll drug abuse has taken on your personal and professional life; and want to assure you we will be caring and supportive every step of the way.

Although you may find the notion of taking a month off from work to be counterproductive, it is often the only remedy for your addiction. You will not be able to find a more serene and scenic environment in which to start on the road to recovery than at Cliffside Malibu, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Many stay away from treatment facilities for fear they will be discovered as “addicts.” We are a fully confidential facility with a strict non-disclosure policy, so your admission to our treatment center will remain your business and your business only.

You have made the toughest, most important decision of your life to seek a drug treatment facility. Now you must choose the right one for you. We encourage you to look at our literature, and consider Cliffside Malibu as you head towards your goal of recovery.

The statistics on methamphetamine use are staggering. Data from a 2000 Drug Warning Network (DAWN), report stated that patients were being seen in hospitals for meth-related episodes at an alarmingly increasing rate. Their report showed that in 1999 there were approximately 10,400 emergency room visits related to meth, but went up to 13,500 in 2000. That is a 30% increase, and that was six years ago. The problem has grown by leaps and bounds since then.

One of the most disturbing aspects of meth, is the fact that it is so alarmingly addictive. Abusers of this drug have said they became hooked after their first use. Meth grabs its victims by the throat and isn’t easily shaken off. One of the reasons it has become so wide spread is the ease of getting it, and at a price anybody can afford. This isn’t like Cocaine, which was considered the “yuppie” drug back in the 80’s. The damaging effects of meth can be seen in a user within a matter of weeks of their initial use, and by that time, they are already hooked.

The effects of methamphetamine can be severe and even brutal. After taking meth, the user can expect a high that will last from 6 to 8 hours, and after that begins to wear off they may experience high agitation, which can lead to violent behavior. So, this means that methamphetamine abuse isn’t just a danger to the abuser, but it is dangerous to society as a whole. That is why it is crucial to get the addict into rehab. Rehabilitation may be their only hope for survival.

Continuing use of meth has some very serious short-term and long-term effects, effects that can ultimately lead to their death. Some of the short-term effects a meth user may have are; increased respiration and hypothermia, which can lead into the more severe long-term effects of; paranoia, hallucinations, mood disturbances and possibly stroke. In order to save the addicts life, intervention and recovery are vital.

When in the middle of the throes of addiction, most people are in deep denial. This is why intervention is so essential. They have to be forced to face the reality of their situation, and the deadly path they are on. Ultimately, if they don’t get off the meth, there is bound to be one of three outcomes; 1) jail, 2) institutionalization, or 3) death! But, it doesn’t have to end this way. There are places they can go to get help, and return to the person they once were.

Rehabilitation and recovery happen for meth addicts every day. With the help of highly trained medical personal and deep psychological counseling, an addict can come out of the shadow of their addiction and back into the light of sobriety. There are several different ways they can approach rehabilitation. The most recommended being a residential drug treatment facility.

In a residential drug treatment facility the patient stays for an extended period of time and receives a multitude of help and services. But, the first thing they will need to do before they start the program is detox. Detoxification is a medically supervised withdrawal from the methamphetamine in their system. It is one of the three keys to a successful recovery, which also includes family support, relationship repair and length of stay. There is a correlation between an addict’s length of stay at a rehabilitation clinic and long-term sobriety. That’s why the residential treatment centers are preferred. But, if for whatever reason they cannot commit to a long-term situation, there are also day clinics that offer much of the same help.

Some of the components of the program in a residential drug treatment center are:

• Assessment/Evaluation
• Medical Experts
• Individualized Drug Treatment Planning
• One on One Drug Counseling
• Group Counseling
• Introduction to Community Services
• Emphasis on Peer Support
• Transition and Continuing Care
• Lifetime Aftercare
• Legal System Advocacy

Much of these same services are offered to an addict who wishes to avail themselves of the day program. The biggest difference is that they don’t live there. In a day program, or out patient program, the patient comes in to the drug treatment center up to 8 hours a day 6 days a week. Although this works, statistics show that the residential drug treatment centers have a higher rate of success, which they attribute to the around the clock supervision and support. Aftercare is a vital part of rehabilitation for an addict.

With aftercare, the addict continues to go to group counseling where they can discuss the issues they are dealing with in a safe and understanding environment. They are surrounded by other people who have gone through what they have gone through, so they may feel more comfortable opening up and sharing what they are really feeling. This takes away that feeling of isolation so many addicts experience. Aftercare is credited with playing a major role in keeping an addict clean.

Methamphetamine rehabilitation has been proven to work. Before you or a loved one is lost to this drug forever, seek the help that is out there.