Besides the fact that Las Vegas, Nevada is a city that is synonymous with excessive alcohol use and gambling, drugs are not that hard to find, and heroin, because it’s cheap and highly addictive, is becoming a growing epidemic especially among younger people.

According to Jackie Valley’s article for the Las Vegas Sun, heroin “is the Las Vegas Valley’s fastest-growing drug problem, plunging a disproportionate number of teens and young adults into the throes of a powerful addiction.”

Heroin users are prone to skin infections, and a blood infection known as sepsis, which leads to organ failure. Sharing needles is extremely dangerous, as addicts are prone to getting AIDS and Hepatitis C.

Besides drugs, alcohol runs rampant in Vegas. After leaving an establishment or club that sells liquor, clients that are not quite finished with their drinks, can get a plastic cup and just like ordering a cappuccino or latte from Starbucks, can request that they take the alcohol to go!
No wonder there is a lot of alcoholism and addiction in Las Vegas.

The Dangers of Alcohol Tolerance

During the later stages of alcoholism and drug addiction, alcoholics and/or addicts don’t get the instant buzz or high that they used to get. They must consume more alcohol, inject more heroin or use more of the drug that they are addicted to. And even then, the buzz or high isn’t as intense as once used to be.

It’s not fun anymore.

If anything, the stakes have gotten higher.

By this point, they are gambling with their lives.

Drug & Alcohol Rehab at Cycles of Change

At Cycles of Change Recovery Services, we are here to help clients who are suffering from addiction. While located in Palmdale, California, our satellite facility in Las Vegas welcomes those who are struggling with their addiction, and who want to get help. We offer transportation to our beautiful facilities in California. Our gorgeous gender-specific Mediterranean style villas will be your home for the next 30, 60 or 90 days. Should you require detox, we offer a safe and high-end sub acute detox facility in quiet and picturesque Quartz Hill, an upper class neighborhood in Lancaster, California.

But why go to a drug rehab in California?

Why not find a drug rehab in Nevada?

And why Cycles of Change Recovery Services?

Well, for one thing, sometimes travelling to a new place allows clients to put a safe gap between themselves and their triggers. Sometimes its good to be away from people, places or things that prompt our need to use or drink, until we can get clean and sober, and build a foundation in sobriety.

And sometimes being away from home makes it easier to commit to a treatment program.

Travelling to a drug rehab outside of Nevada is the start of a new journey. And we believe that getting clean and sober is the beginning of a wonderful lifelong voyage.

Additionally, our high-end drug rehab is safely enclosed in the scenic Antelope Valley desert, which many people view as an oasis. For high profile, and executive clients we offer the perfect locale.

We respect your privacy.

Additionally, we offer personalized attention and individualized treatment plans for all of our clients.

We want to make sure that residents feel safe and secure in every way possible. Each of our gorgeous, gender-specific Mediterranean style houses, where clients live during inpatient care, accommodates only eight clients at a time. The houses are situated in high-end neighborhoods, and provide splendid views of the surrounding landscape, which includes stunning sunsets, and a desert milieu. Each house has a pool, which is lit up at night with lights and fountain, a patio and a private smoking area.

Residents are transported to 12-step meetings in luxury vans.

At Cycles of Change, the highly credentialed staff is there to help clients every step of the way. After participating in the residential treatment program, clients will begin to transform into happier, and healthier men and women.
The heaviness and despair that goes hand in hand with substance addiction will be replaced with a sense of lightness, and hope. The excessive existence that many find in cities like Las Vegas will lose meaning, and will be replaced by a more fulfilling lifestyle, one that is based on good physical and mental health.

Dual Diagnosis Rehab

Besides treating alcoholism and addiction, Cycles of Change Recovery Services is aware that co-occurring disorders often go hand in hand with substance addiction. Feelings of depression, anxiety and trauma often surface in early sobriety. This is normal. Our trained staff is there to provide medical and mental health support.

While we use a 12-step approach, we also offer evidence-based modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and motivational interviewing (MI). These are scientifically proven modalities that treat alcoholism, addiction, and co-occurring disorders.

Holistic Approach to Addiction Treatment

Additionally, we offer alternative therapies, including biosound therapy, which helps clients suffering from trauma, and psychodrama, which allows clients to engage in role-play and to safely re enact old scenarios from their lives, events that might have caused them to drink or use in the first place.

Besides treatment, our residents eat delicious and healthy food, which is prepared by a chef. All nutritional needs, including vegetarian diets, are accommodated. Besides treating the mind and spirit, we aim to treat the body.
Exercise, meditation and yoga are an active part of the curriculum. Clients will learn to get in touch with their bodies, and learn to feel good about themselves!

Our holistic approach is highly effective, and medically proven to ensure that our clients stay clean and sober. As long as they are willing to work on their recovery, we are there to help.

Sometimes being in a city like Las Vegas, where drinking and using sometimes appear to be the norm, can throw men and women who suffer from alcoholism and addiction into heavy despair. Besides providing a safe refuge for our residents in our beautiful residential treatment facilities in Palmdale, you will make new friends. You will find that your fellow housemates often feel and think like you do.

After going to meetings, and talking to our counselors, many who are in recovery, including our CEO and founder Joe Hunter, who has over two decades of recovery, you will begin to build a new life.

And most importantly, before you know it, you will realize that life has new meaning. The depression and loneliness will disappear.

The future will hold a sense of hope. Life will start to fall into place.

You are not alone, nor do you ever have to feel alone again.

We are waiting to welcome you with open arms at Cycles of Change Recovery Services.

All it takes is one phone call.

Drug Rehab in Las Vegas

Sources:

lasvegassun.com/news/2014/apr/13/modern-addiction-our-heroin-epidemic/

According to a post by M13, an enthusiastic online user on Urban Dictionary.com, his (or her) definition of Vicodin is “a really great painkiller with heroin like properties. Perfect for putting up with idiot co-workers and micro-managing bosses. Makes getting out of bed everyday worth the hassle!”

And then M13 concludes with, “Its easy to get Vicodin if you do a ‘lil doctor shopping!”

Besides M13’s somewhat carefree and misleading definition of Vicodin, what is it exactly and what is it medically used for?

Is Vicodin an Opiate?

Vicodin is an opiate, and is scientifically known as hydrocodone. Doctors or dentists often prescribe Vicodin for clients who are suffering from various levels of pain. When used as prescribed, Vicodin provides relief from physical anguish. Inside the brain, there are receptors that signal the sensation of pain to the body. Vicodin acts as a blockade to these receptors, thus providing relief which lasts several hours, depending on the person.

M13 was correct when he insinuated that Vicodin is not that hard to acquire. According to Narconon.org, there are over 139 million prescriptions for hydrocodone-containing meds filled on an annual basis! The top two of these medications are Vicodin and Lortab, the latter being a drug that has similar properties to Vicodin.

Also, clients who are prescribed Vicodin after surgery can usually get the drug on a long-term basis, which means a lot of refills.

Also, if the patients have been a doctor and/or dentist for a long time, sometimes a simple phone call to the dental care or medical health provider’s office will warrant a refill or two. After the final refill, when addiction begins to take over, and the medical or dental provider begins to get a little suspicious, some individuals will find another doctor or dentist or medical clinic. Or maybe if they live in Southern California, they will drive down to Tijuana, Mexico and pick up a few bottles.

Others might resort to theft, writing up fake or altering prescriptions, using manipulation to get mom or cousin Nora to help them get the drug, or even try to buy the stuff online from one of those illegal prescription drug companies.
Addicts can become quite clever and very desperate when they want to secure the drug of their choice, and Vicodin is honestly not that hard to get.

M13 sounds like the perfect poster child for Vicodin. That’s scary, because an unsuspecting reader will read M13’s definition of Vicodin, and perhaps be intrigued to check out the drug, which as M13 fails to disclose, is highly addictive and dangerous.

Effects of Vicodin High

What makes Vicodin so addictive? Well, not only do Vicodin users experience a sense of relief from pain, but also they get an extra perk. They feel really good, for a few hours or so. Also, Vicodin users become very relaxed. Some become happy couch potatoes. The roof could fall on their head, and honestly they would not even notice.

The problem is that after using the drug for a short period of time, users require more of a dosage to get the blissful effects, as well as to get relief from pain. By this point, their bodies have developed a tolerance to the drug. Taking more Vicodin can make the pain even worse. Those who take Vicodin just so that they can get high are abusing it and become addicts. Plus the euphoria doesn’t last as long as it used to. The addict takes more and more in the hopes of capturing that high that they used to get when they first started abusing that drug.

Well, guess what? That euphoria slowly dissipates and then goes away. And what is left in its stead are dangerous side effects, and horrible withdrawals. And instead of feeling happy, the addict becomes very unhappy and obsessive. The only thing that’s on their mind is getting their next Vicodin fix. It’s not uncommon for a person who abuses Vicodin to take between 20 and 30 pills a day.

Also, instead of feeling relaxation, they become lethargic, and walk around in a zombie-like state.

And how else do addicts abuse Vicodin?

Dangers of Abusing Vicodin

A common practice for them is to mix Vicodin with alcohol. This is extremely dangerous because when they get intoxicated, all rationale goes out the window. Sometimes they lose count of how many pills they have taken, or how booze they have drank. Many addicts have died this way, usually from an overdose.

Other addicts crush the pills and then snort them. This is done so that they can get an instant rush, but what they might not know is that by crushing or breaking the pills they are altering the chemistry of the drug.
Snorting Vicodin is truly alarming, because the body is going to absorb a highly concentrated amount of the drug at once. Another favorite way that an addict abuses Vicodin is by dissolving the pill in water, and then injecting it.

Snorting, swallowing, mixing with booze and/or injecting Vicodin is like booking a seat on the Titanic.

And beside death, what are some other side effects of Vicodin abuse? Well, for one thing, taking too much acetaminophen can lead to liver damage and failure.

Other side effects that Vicodin addicts experience are paranoia, swelling, itching, volatile mood swings, fainting, nausea and vomiting.

Sometimes the paranoia is accompanied by delusions or hallucinations, and some addicts hear voices that are not there or see frightening images that are straight out of a horror movie.

Oddly throughout all this, the addicts still maintain an obsession with the drug, and experience intense cravings until they get their next fix.

Treatment for Vicodin Addiction

Vicodin abuse is obviously life threatening and very damaging. By this point, professional help is required, and that includes detox and residential treatment, because physical addiction is often just a symptom of other more serious mental health issues that generally lie beneath the surface.

At Cycles of Change Behavioral Health Services, a high-end residential treatment facility in Palmdale, California, clients suffering from Vicodin addiction, as well as other opiates, are provided with sub-acute detox, prior to attending residential treatment. Medication-assisted treatment, therapy and medical monitoring are offered, so that the addict can safely withdraw from Vicodin’s horrible side effects.

Individuals who are addicted to Vicodin, and other opiates often require the help of professionals, so that they can be safely weaned off these chemical substances. Once abused, Vicodin can kill. It is important to seek out professional medical help.

Vicodin abuse is dangerous, but there is a way out and we can help at Cycles of Change Recovery.

Once addicts become clean, they will realize that recovery often produces a natural euphoria that is so much more fulfilling and much more safer, than any chemical bliss.

Sources:

urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Vicodin

narconon.org/drug-abuse/vicodin-abuse.html

Xanax (or alprazolam) is in a class of medications called Benzodiazepines, often referred to as “Benzos.” Besides Xanax, other drugs that fall into the Benzo family include Valium, Klonopin, Restoril, Librium, and Ativan. Restoril is often prescribed to help clients sleep. Xanax and its cousin, Valium, are often prescribed to alleviate anxiety. Ironically, Valium once earned the nickname “Mother’s little helper” after the famous 1966 song by the English rock band, The Rolling Stones. The song, Mother’s Little Helper, which was about prescription pills, is almost like an epitaph for pill addicts. By the end of the song, the “mother” or the woman who pops pills dies, presumably from a drug overdose help.

The song could have been written about the dangers of Xanax.

Like Valium, Xanax is a tranquilizer, and its effects are immediately felt.

How Do People Get Addicted to Xanax?

Psychiatrists and doctors prescribe Xanax to help clients who suffer from intense anxiety, usually on a short-term basis, or help clients with specific fears like those terrified to get on an airplane or those who have agoraphobia. Clients who suffer from long-term anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, often accompanied by depression, are usually prescribed psychotropic medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), including Prozac and Celexa. SSRIs often take between four and six weeks to produce an altering effect, and if one psychotropic medication doesn’t work, then the doctor will prescribe another one.

However, a drug like Xanax works almost instantly. Xanax usually removes the intense “fight or flight” feeling that people who suffer from extreme anxiety experience, and many users often equate the calmness they feel from taking a Xanax to drinking a glass of wine.

Effects of Xanax

After taking a Xanax, the individual feels a sense of stillness. This occurs within 15 and 20 minutes from taking a dose. But the Xanax effect only lasts about six hours, and what happens eventually is that the anxiety comes back, and the individual wants to feel calm, and then the addiction kicks in.

Often, the prescribing doctor or psychiatrist might write on a Xanax prescription, as needed, but what does that really mean? Sometimes a person will interpret the doctor’s AS NEEDED into AS DESIRED. Like many other drugs, a tolerance for Xanax develops, and then more plus more Xanax is required to achieve the desired effect.

As The Rolling Stones sing in Mother’s Little Helper, “Doctor, please, some more of these, outside the door, she took four more.”

How Addictive is Xanax?

A person who becomes addicted to Xanax will also go to any lengths to acquire this drug. If their doctor doesn’t prescribe any more refills, they pay a doctor or a mental health clinic visit until they get their precious Xanax. The drug itself, like other benzos, quickly becomes habit-forming. Withdrawing suddenly from Xanax or any other benzo can lead to deadly consequences, including severe depression, muscle twitches, intense anxiety, and seizures.

As Dr. Stuart Gitlow, an addiction psychiatrist and president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine said, in a 2014 article for Self magazine, “Withdrawal from benzos can be more dangerous than withdrawal from heroin.”
To handle a withdrawal, a Xanax user typically needs medical help. Often, another benzo, like Klonipin, will be prescribed to wean the addict off the Xanax. Klonipin works more slowly than Xanax. In other cases, the addict will be gradually tapered off the drug.

What’s scary is that the drug used to treat anxiety ends up causing more than TRIPLE the fear the person had to begin with!

Celebrity Xanax Deaths

Additionally, Xanax, when used in conjunction with another drug or alcohol, can be lethal.
Some celebrities have died from an overdose of Xanax and other chemical substances. Actor Heath Ledger died of a drug overdose that included Xanax and several other prescription drugs. Simultaneously, the singer Whitney Houston is suspected of having died from an alcohol and Xanax overdose.

Heath Ledger, who was only 28 years old at the time of death, was found naked and unconscious on the floor by his bed in his loft in Soho, Manhattan. This young actor whose talent, looks, and charisma commanded the silver screen died an awful death, thanks to the combination of Xanax and other drugs. Instead of more red carpets being laid out for him, he was rolled out in a body bag on top of a gurney.

Toxicology reports confirmed that he had died of a drug overdose and that it was an accident. That probably is true because the reasoning of addicts becomes impaired when they abuse a drug or when they ingest a deadly mixture of narcotics. Chances are, Ledger might have lost consciousness before his death, and then his heart and other vital organs stopped working.

What a way to go.

What a waste.

And it is not just Ledger and Houston and other young talents who died before their time, but what about the other addicts suffering from Xanax addiction today? Chances are they are caught in the throes of their addiction and probably might not even be aware of how dangerous Xanax can be.

Long-Term Side Effects of Xanax

While Xanax is often used to help people with anxiety, the long-term side effects are horrible. Are these drugs worth a possible demise or are there other more life-affirming ways to deal with stress, including phobias and panic attacks?

We live in a society that often demands instant gratification and has no tolerance for discomfort. Instead of trying to find a more grounded way of dealing with anxiety, like yoga or therapy or taking an SSRI, as opposed to a Benzo, many people become easily addicted to drugs like Xanax without really understanding the drug’s true nature.

How to Help Someone Addicted to Xanax

Those addicted to Xanax probably need to get to a safe residential treatment facility that treats drug addiction. Before receiving inpatient care, detox will be provided. Medication-assisted treatment and therapy are offered to help addicts wean off the drug because it is not safe for them to undergo the process or go cold turkey. Xanax addicts are best served by going to a residential treatment facility that provides dual diagnosis support for co-occurring disorders like anxiety and depression.

By dealing with the root of the problem, which is probably the anxiety, these recovering addicts can heal from the damaging effects of their drug addiction and find healthier ways to deal with the stress that got them hooked in the first place.

In the end, taking Xanax is really not worth it.

There are other, healthier ways to deal with anxiety.

If you are suffering from the dangers of Xanax, please call Cycles of Change Recovery Services for help.

Sources:

en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother’s_Little_Helper

foxnews.com/health/2014/01/31/popping-xanax-is-more-harmful-than-think.html

pharmacytechs.net/blog/18-celebrities-who-died-from-prescription-drugs/

huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/whitney-houston-xanax_n_1279947.html

medicalbag.com/what-killed-em/heath-ledger/article/486652/

Opiates are outranked only by alcohol as humanity’s oldest, most widespread, and most persistent drug problem. Although law enforcement, psychiatry, and pharmacological science have been seeking solutions for over a century, more than one million opiate addicts remain in the United States alone. Still, in recent years new drug treatments, Opiate Addiction Rehab and refinements of older psychological and social therapies are offering some hope of relief.

History of Opiates

Dozens of opiates and related drugs (sometimes called opioids) have been extracted from the seeds of the opium poppy or synthesized in laboratories. The poppy seed contains morphine and codeine, among other drugs. Synthetic derivatives include hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (Percodan, OxyContin), hydromorphone (Dila-udid), and heroin (diacetylmorphine). Some synthetic opiates or opioids with a different chemical structure but similar effects on the body and brain are propoxyphene (Darvon), meperidine (Demerol), and methadone. Physicians use many of these drugs to treat pain.

What Makes Opiates Addictive?

Opiates do not have serious side effects at therapeutic doses, although they can cause constipation and depress breathing. Addicts neglect their health and safety for many reasons, including a tendency to ignore pain and other normal physical warning signals. The use of intravenous needles can lead to infectious disease, and an overdose, especially taken intravenously, often causes respiratory arrest and death.

Addicts take more than they intend, repeatedly try to cut down or stop, spend much time obtaining the drug and recovering from its effects, give up other pursuits for the sake of the drug, and continue to use it despite serious physical or psychological harm. Some cannot hold jobs and turn to crime to pay for illegal drugs. Heroin has long been the favorite of street addicts because it is several times more potent than morphine and reaches the brain especially fast, producing a euphoric rush when injected intravenously. But prescription opiate analgesics, especially oxycodone and hydrocodone, have also become a major problem.

Treating addicts is not easy. Even recognizing and acknowledging the need is difficult, because addicts conceal, rationalize, and minimize, while friends and family may fear being intrusive or having to assume responsibility. Thinking about taking that first step to detoxify from opiates can be scary. Rehab for opiate addiction has proven to be very successful if the program is followed closely.

Let us Help You Detox from Opiates at Cycles of Change

Cycles of Change Recovery Services can help you detoxify from opiates and stop this destructive cycle painlessly. Opiate Addiction Rehab can give you the tools you need to prevent relapse in the future. We have helped 1000′s detoxify from opiates and recover from addiction. We can help you, too!

Las Vegas Office: Detoxify from Opiates

Lancaster Luxury Drug Extended Care Program

All over the world, there are so many drug treatment programs and rehab centers that promise absolute success in their rehabilitation programs. Unfortunately, sometimes everything is simply a marketing ploy. Nevertheless, there are still many drug treatment centers that are truly dedicated and committed to what they have envisioned in the beginning for their respective organizations. Some drug treatment centers have gone out of their way to really provide exceptional service to their constituents. This is exactly what the residents of Lancaster, California have been enjoying all this time. And if you are curious as to what makes this particular luxury drug treatment center is offering the residents of Lancaster, then read on.

Choosing a Rehabilitation Facility with JCI Accreditation

A truly dedicated luxury treatment center must, first and foremost, duly accredited and duly licensed by government regulatory agencies. Now, if the drug treatment centers has the well-recognized seal of excellence – the Behavioral Health Home Certification from the Joint Commission International, or JCI – then you can be doubly sure about the quality of both services and facilities including systems that this particular drug treatment center has. The JCI seal and the Joint Commission accreditation has always been taken as a symbol of excellence, a true mark of dedication to superior service, unparalleled patient safety, and soundness of organizational foundations and management. Many healthcare institutions continue to strive for JCI accreditation but only the best ever get the recognition. If you see a luxury drug rehab center serving the residents of Lancaster, CA with the JCI seal, then you can bet it is the worthiest decisions you will ever make.

Now, some truly dedicated luxury drug treatment centers do not stop with JCI accreditation. You might also want to consider membership and certification coming from the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers or NAATP. Having this certification is guarantee that the drug treatment center adheres to the nationally-recognized treatment protocols. These are all geared towards ensuring optimum quality and safe patient care.

Putting the Needs of the Client First

A dedicated drug treatment center puts the welfare of the rehabilitee first above all else. This means that from admission until discharge from the treatment and rehabilitation program, you are the king. A dedicated drug treatment center should be able to facilitate the ease of admission, meaning you don’t have to be stressed filling up forms and waiting in line just to receive the kind of care that you need. Once you enter the premises of a truly dedicated drug treatment center, then you can expect to be treated with utmost respect and value for your presence. This extends well into the design of highly individualized plans of care. A drug treatment center should not use generic care plan templates because these do not reflect your own unique characteristics and the circumstances surrounding your drug or substance addiction. This means that the drug treatment center should be able to get as much assessment findings from you upon which a plan of care can be designed. Again, even in the planning of your care, you will have to be included in every step of the planning process. By the time you are ready to leave the drug treatment center, you will still be given adequate social support to prevent the possibility of drug relapses as you start to lead a more sober life after rehabilitation.

JCI Accreditation & Commitment to Excellence

As an extension of the seal of quality, JCI accredited and NAATP member drug treatment centers must ensure they comply with the necessary standards of professional competencies expected from their healthcare personnel. This means that the doctor who is going to supervise your medical treatment and the psychologists and behavioral specialists who will manage your therapies must possess all the necessary competencies required of them. Even your nurses and health aides must be able to demonstrate competence especially in the care of individuals undergoing drug treatment and rehabilitation. It simply follows that the seal of quality from JCI and NAATP also assures you of highly qualified, duly licensed, and truly competent drug treatment and rehabilitation professionals.

Luxury Extended Care Programs at Their Finest

Luxury speaks of comfort and convenience as well as a general sense of safety and overall functionality. Looking for a true luxury drug treatment center should focus on the determination of the presence of modern living amenities including a milieu that fosters healthy and beneficial interpersonal relationships. Venues for the different therapeutic programs must be set in a home-style milieu so that it will be non-threatening, helps foster open communication, and enhances interpersonal relationship skills.

A truly luxurious drug treatment center will have gender-separate home-style therapeutic milieus in order to help facilitate openness and trust-building. Because some drug treatment programs will also require absolute concentration and focus, it does pay to look for a drug treatment center that can provide for absolutely peaceful and tranquil environment. This is something that many successful rehabilitees from Lancaster are truly proud of.

Wide-Ranging, Highly-Individualized Treatment Plans

Some drug treatment centers only focus on one or two treatment modalities. A truly dedicated luxury drug treatment center, on the other hand, knows the value of highly individualized rehabilitation programs. As such, there must be as many available effective drug treatment programs as possible in order to provide a more varied option for rehabilitees. Because no two persons are exactly alike, a particularly effective drug treatment program may not always work because of personal differences. While some can find meaning in yoga and meditation, some would consider psychodrama as being more effective. If you don’t like these therapeutic modalities, maybe you would prefer immersing yourself in some biosound therapy. The whole point is that different drug treatment center guests will have different personalities; hence, different preferences when it comes to therapies. What may work for you may not necessarily work for another. This is the value of a highly-individualized rehabilitation plan that only truly dedicated drug treatment centers can adequately provide and guarantee.

If you are looking for a truly dedicated and top-of-the-class drug treatment center you simply do not have to look very far. If you are already in Lancaster, there is one that has been providing the best drug treatment program for a long time now. All you need to look for are the things stated above and you will be able to zero-in on the best drug treatment center.

Are you looking for a luxury drug rehab center in the Las Vegas area? Read more about Cycles of Change in Las Vegas: Premier Drug Extended Care Program