How prevalent is the problem?
One out of every four families is struggling with active addiction.

How do you treat prescription drug addiction?
Tranquilizers (Xanax, Valium, etc.) and pain pills (Vicodin, Oxycontin, etc.) need to be handled very carefully. Both create a difficult, uncomfortable, withdrawal syndrome.

Quitting tranquilizers can be Fatal!  Great care and medical supervision are necessary, for a safe, gradual withdrawal.  Pain medication addictions can be treated with a new federally approved alternative medicine.  We are having great results with this new tool to treat opiate dependency. Gradual withdrawal can often be safely achieved on an outpatient basis.

How is the family affected?
Families accommodate the addiction by adapting to their feelings of fear, shame, anger and betrayal in unhealthy ways. This accommodation is often referred to as "Walking on Eggshells".  It is much like having an elephant in the living room that we can't acknowledge.  This denial of the obvious causes everyone to question their own perceptions, feelings, purpose and even sanity.

What can the Family do?

1:  Informal Intervention  
Start:  Attend Al-Anon, Get professional help, create accountability, drug test
Stop:  Blaming,  threatening, pleading, rescuing, enabling

2:  Formal Intervention
A formal intervention is a strategic mobilization of the family members. It is designed to lovingly confront the chemical dependents behavior and coerce a specific plan of action to get the loved one into Treatment.  It is not designed to blame, accuse, resolve intra-family issues or convince them that they are addicted.  It is highly effective and usually costs from $2,000.00. to $5,000.00 dollars. Formal interventions should only be facilitated by counselors specifically trained to do so.

Read about Abuse Treatment