A successful rehab center is not measured by how many patients are enrolled, how much money they make every year, or even how many drug addiction recovery procedures pass through their exit doors every year, but instead it should be measured by the amount of lives that the facility touches every year. Illegal narcotics and even legal substances that can become addictive pose a huge threat not only to the physical, but to the moral and emotional integrity of our society, and the more patients whose lives are turned around, the stronger we become as we fight for the wellbeing of everyone. The best part of helping someone recover from an addiction is not getting them out the door so the next patient can enter; it is seeing the transformation that occurs in their lives when they are able to move on without chains and baggage holding them down on the ground when they were meant to fly.

Perhaps success should be measured by how many more smiles per year were made possible by a staff that helped former addicts return to their families, or by how many more nights were spent together instead of how many nights were spent worrying about a patient as he or she was struggling with a dangerous affliction. Drug dependencies are not a standard problem, they are different for each of their hosts, and therefore they must be treated as such. You do not measure the success of a movie by the run time in minutes, but by how it made you laugh, kept you on the edge of your seat, or touched your heart as the protagonist prevailed despite the ugly darkness of the antagonist. This is very similar to the nature of how a rehabilitation facility should be measured. How many struggling protagonists fell victim to the traps lay by narcotics, the antagonist, and with the support of their families and friends, were able to rise up above the faults inherent in the human condition to defeat what they previously thought was impossible.

Success is a highly relative term, and the success of a facility dedicated to the renewal of lives should be measured by the number of the patient’s relatives who have had their lives positively impacted by the center’s methods and by the caring staff who helped nurse the ex-addict back to a drug-free and productive life.

It is always difficult for parents from Ontario, as it is from anywhere else in the world, to see a son or a daughter in pain.  It is even more tragic when the loved one is caught up in a drug addiction because they are seemingly unaware of their own pain.

Your first job in helping an addicted son is to understand everything you can about his particular addiction.  You may think that your experience in dealing with the effects of your child’s addiction is knowledge enough for you to proceed; it is generally not.  It is likely that they, themselves, do not fully comprehend the dangers of their choices.

Each addiction is different and, as so, every consequence and aspect of treatment in the rehab centers and healthcare centers is also different.  For example, there are certain drugs that a person can quit ‘cold turkey’ (meaning all at once) without severe withdraw symptoms. However, for certain addictions, trying to quit in this manner may kill them.  There are medical details and signs of a particular addiction that you should familiarize yourself with before you go any further.

Confrontation before Intervention

You might be thinking that getting your loved one to accept treatment in a rehab center will require a full-scale intervention, but this is not always the case.  In fact, many addicts will feel cornered and can react in a hostile or agitated way to a formal intervention.  Because this can cause them to detach from you all together, a formal intervention should only be used as a last resort; after you have exhausted all other means.

There are ways that you can talk to them about their addiction in a non-threatening manner.  You don’t want them to pull away from you so you need to be supportive.  Don’t go into the conversation thinking it is futile.  Sometimes the only thing an addict needs to seek out help for themselves is a friendly voice on the phone or an understanding expression.

That being said, you do need to accept that they might not want help in these informal types of interventions.  If that becomes the issue, then you need to prepare yourself for a full-scale intervention when and if the need arises.

Being Prepared

It is crucial that you make sure to have a packet of information on a rehabilitation center before you speak to your loved ones.  Already having the research done and available for your son to look at with you might be all they need to accept help. You can get the needed information by talking to one of the Narconon substance abuse counselors 1-877-782-7409 or by filling in the online consultation form on the right.

Alcohol rehab for Ontario doesn’t have to be a difficult choice

There are no substitute drugs used at Narconon, because substituting one drug for another does not eliminate harmful substances from the system. To truly become alcohol free, one must rid the body completely of drugs and alcohol. More people from Ontario are choosing Narconon simply because it works. We use proven methods to improve the likelihood that our clients will go on to be alcohol free.

There are many alcohol and drug rehabs in the Ontario area. However, not all are successful and not all use the holistic approach, which has proven to be more effective.

Located only a few hours away, Narconon Trois-Rivieres is an effective residential drug & alcohol rehab center for Ontario for a reason; the rehab program we provide has been effectively helping people to truely recover from alcohol and drug addiction for over 40 years.

Call and talk to one of our alcohol abuse counselors today, 1-877-782-7409 and discover the difference that could change the life of yourself or a loved one who is plagued by alcohol.

There are different theories among the different Toronto drug and alcohol rehab centers. Not all subscribe to the same practices. This is something to consider if checking out rehab centers for yourself or a loved one. Some even use substitute drugs in treatment, which is controversial at best. There are safer and healthier ways of ridding the body of drugs, which is the ultimate goal. Since drugs affect every aspect of a person’s life; the only way to treat it is to treat the whole person. Treating the mind, body and spirit is called holistic healing and it is very effective.

Another thing to keep in mind is the longer a person is able to stay in treatment, the better chances of success. Alcoholics and drug addicts don’t have their lives torn apart overnight, nor can healing take place overnight. It takes time and learned skills to be able to return to their normal lives and be substance free. Residential programs normally have higher success rates.

There are times when an alcoholic or drug addict refuses to seek treatment for themselves. If this is the case; an intervention may be called for. These have proven to be very successful in getting the addict help. After an intervention, most alcoholics and drug addicts will seek help within a week. Normally, under the guidance of a drug counselor, the loved ones confront the alcoholic/drug addict and basically let them know that they will not put up with it any longer. Rules are laid out for the addict and they are told they need to get help.

Drug abuse and alcoholism are far reaching. So many people are affected by them. Loved ones often suffer just as much, if not more than the addict because they feel helpless to do anything as they watch their loved one’s life falling apart. If the addict won’t seek help, family members and friends should act by contacting a drug rehab counselor for help. Help is only a phone call away and it is so simple to do. One step at a time is the only way to combat drug addiction and alcoholism, so take that first step and call.

Q: How old are you and how long have you been a drug or alcohol abuser?

My name is T. F. and I am 28 years old. I have been using Heroin and cocaine for 10 years.

Q: Could you tell us how your drug abuse started?

I began smoking pot and doing LSD in early 1991 in east Vancouver. Mainly this was due to estrangement from my father and my mother was living in the states. My father committed suicide on my birthday in 1993 and I began using cocaine, methamphetamines and heroin. In the latter part of my addiction I was taking 75 milligrams of methadone per day plus using a half gram of coke and a half to three quarters of a gram of heroin intravenously everyday.

Q: What kind of relationship did you have with your friends?

I had no relationship with my parents and my uncle and other family members had a very strained relationship with me and our communication was sporadic and marred. I was lost and wasn’t letting anyone in at all.

Q: What kind of difficulties did drugs create in your life?

I had criminal charges against me, and had been living on the street and panhandling for drugs for the last three years of my drug addiction. Many times I woke up and didn’t know where I was and had no food or money. I had no home. I slept behind restaurants and in parks and was generally a wasted youth.

Q: What kind of advantages did you think drugs were creating for you?

None whatsoever. The only advantage to speak of was a brief numbness from confronting the hell I had created for myself. But every time I used, it made that hell a little more serious and eventually I either cleaned up, or I would have died. Actually, I did go under a few times and I consider that I should have passed long ago, and that I am living on “borrowed time”.

Q: When did drugs become a problem for you?

When I started to use chemical Narcotics.

Q: How did you hear about Narconon?

Through friends of my mother.

Q: What are the differences you’ve noticed between Narconon and any other rehab you’ve been to or heard about?

Other rehabs make you effect of your problem. You are “sick, and diseased, and powerless”. They treat you like a volatile chemical that they don’t know where to store, or how to clean it up and dispose of it safely if it spills.

Q: What steps in the Narconon program helped or are going to help you the most?

Values and Integrity. Gaining personal Integrity to achieve wholeness and “soundness” of character and spirit. That was the best for me.

Q: If I asked you to compare how you feel now to how you felt before coming to Narconon what would you say?

Life is great now. I have a new CD recorded and I am working on getting it promoted, and I have paid off my debts and got myself re-established. My relationship with my family is awesome and the future is bright.

Q: If you had something to communicate to the public about drugs or the Narconon program what would it be?

Drugs are definite scourges that are very hard to overcome. And yes, there are many evil intentioned individuals that work “behind the scenes” to release this scourge into society for profit and social unrest. But in the end, that is no excuse. There is no suffering that is “acceptable” or “justified” just because it is greater or more painful than someone else’s. Suffering is suffering. And the only one that is responsible for your suffering is YOU. You are the only one that can change it. Many drug addicts are actually very creatively inclined people inside. Lots that I have met have many artistic talents and are very unique and intriguing individuals. And I know from personal experience that I gained a lot of strength from my tribulations in life and from overcoming the pain that I had. It inspired me to breath new life into my music and many songs and poems have been written about it.

My point then is simply that I don’t believe that a person is powerless. I believe that they are the ONLY ONES THAT HAVE THE POWER! And to say that you can’t do it is simply an easy reason not to… because you are the ONLY ONE WHO CAN!

Love,
T. F.

T. F. now lives and works in Toronto, Ontario.