Cornerstone of Southern California Alcohol and Drug Rehab Blog

Therapeutic Interventions

Today a successful interventionist who has referred individuals to Cornerstone is considering referring an individual from her personal circle ie; a family member. She inquired as to what therapeutic modalities does Cornerstone subscribe? She was very pleased to hear the response and she hoped that we were doing some of the following.

I am sharing this with you all because in the Intake office we think very highly of Cornerstone’s clinicians and advertise and describe to our callers (customers) what it is you all do. (If you have any questions or want some material regarding the following or want to brush up on your skills please let me know.) It is my hope that what is being presented at the beginning in the Intake Office is true and consistent from the time of Admit to the time of Discharge.

The following was stated:

Cornerstone clinicians subscribe to an eclectic approach. All the counselors are versed in 12-step facilitation but we know that there is not just one way for everyone. In addition the clinicians utilize; RET (Ellis), CBT, Motivational Interviewing, Reality Therapy – “Here and Now”, Choice Therapy (William Glasser) – “Choice and Consequences”, Family Systems Theory (Satire and Bradshaw)- “The Family Roles”, Gestalt – “empty chair work” and role play, Client Centered – Rogerian theory, psycho-education, music therapy, recreational therapy, nutrition and exercise including yoga, socializing, HIV, AIDS, STD education. The patient is supported in spiritual healing unique to their own personal beliefs and faiths in addition the patients are exposed to other journey’s in spiritual healing through Native American – Earth Centered – Universe and energy, guided and personal meditation.

Many of the assignments we use at Cornerstone have been developed from different therapeutic foundations and Cornerstone utilizes a multitude of assignments that individualize the treatment plan. For example, assignments on: Impulsive Behavior, Relapse Prevention, Gambling, Sexual Addiction, Eating Disorders, Relationships – Healthy/Toxic, Communication/ blocks to healthy communication, anger/stress management, education on depression, medication management, control, shame, grief and loss and the stages of loss, etc… We also work in concert with the outside professional who may be treating some of the above mentioned areas as we work within our scope of practice.

It was explained that the treatment team weekly and in daily staffing is a multidisciplinary team of all the counselors, director of operations with the medical support and staff. Treating the patient at Cornerstone is not done by one counselor it is the entire treatment team. Therefore, the more seasoned counselors and staff can make observations and suggestions of different therapeutic techniques and interventions to the different skill leveled counselor. The multi-disciplinary team is also inclusive of outside consultation with psychiatrists, PCP’s, psychologists, pain management specialists, interventionists, spiritual advisors, spiritual advisors and life coaches as well as our in-house addiction-ologists, psychiatrists and pain management specialists.

In addition the visiting interventionist was informed that the certified counselors maintain a current certification by obtaining the required CEU’s within the certification time frame. Also, Cornerstone provides training and education for the staff via PALM, Webinars and workshops and has been very generous to send selected employees to professional conferences.

I know there are other therapeutic styles and assignments that you all use….. this was what I could think of on the spot!

Susie Schultz, CADCII

Independent Clinical Supervisor

Cornerstone of Southern California

PH# 714-547-5375

Fx# 714-541-3320

Email – sschultz@cornerstonesocal.com

Meth Addict Completes 1 Year of Cornerstone Treatment!!

Client from New York who checked into Cornerstone’s detox program has just completed a full year of drug treatment and residential recovery home living and is moving home to continue life free from methamphetamine dependence! This client thought that the staff and house managers here at Cornerstone were integral to their recovery. Client could not say enough about how Cornerstone’s relapse prevention education opened their eyes to their past failures and the reasons behind those failures. Armed with this new knowledge this client feels secure in their recovery and is openly optimistic about their future as a sober, recovered addict.

Letter of Appreciation after 9 Months of Sobriety!

Cornerstone has been vital in my journey through rehabilitation from my alcoholism. I was admitted to Cornerstone by way of an intervention of my adult daughters and with the help and support of Cornerstone staff. In the beginning I was amazed and bewildered by the kindness and respect with which I was treated. At the time, I was so sick in my disease that I certainly did not believe I was worthy of it.

The care I was given through my detox was nothing short of a gift from God. They held my hand and cared for me until I could physically begin to care for myself and begin the long process of recovery. The staff has the patience of saints and really care about the clients. Each clients program is customized to fit their individual needs and they are so “solution oriented” it is incredible. Counselors and staff are always available and the education I received pertaining to addiction, recovery and relapse prevention is excellent.

One of the awesome things about Cornerstone is that they recognize that addiction affects not only the addict/alcoholic but the entire family. Cornerstone encourages the participation of family and other support members to participate in the recovery process as well. Cornerstone provided a physically and emotionally safe environment for me to begin to heal and learn the tools I would need to use in my recovery.

I would recommend Cornerstone to anyone and if I had to do it all over again I would………And in fact I did. Part of my recovery has been plagued by relapse and i was welcomed back to Cornerstone with open arms despite my miserable self-inflicted humiliation and devastation. I’m a slow learner in this process but Cornerstone has never given up on me. I have gone through nearly all phases of their program from my initial medical detox, to their extended care program, Intensive outpatient, family program and I now am happily residing in one of their sober living houses as I am 9 months sober.

Thanks to Cornerstone I am working with a sponsor in AA, working full time and continue to participate in their aftercare program. I would never have been able to begin to learn how to live without alcohol if not for the education support and direction of Cornerstone. My undying gratitude to Dr. Stone and His staff for their selfless dedication to the alcoholic/addict who needs help. I would not be where I am today if it were not for them. I continue to grow in my new sober life and I only pray that I can someday pass on to others what Cornerstone has given to me. God bless you Cornerstone.

Energy Drinks and Drug Use

What is a drug addict? There are many different definitions that would fit but for this article I am going to say that a drug addict is – Someone who tries to change the way they feel through some form of chemical. Alcoholics and addicts use substances to either feel better or to mask the way they feel.

A recent study published in the 2010 American Society of Addiction Medicine, Volume 4, Number 2, has concluded that there is a ‘substantial and rapidly growing proportion of college students’ who use energy drinks and that this growing group tends to have a greater chance of using drugs and alcohol. It was found that those who use energy drinks are also more apt to be ‘sensation seeking’ individuals who are consistently looking for new ways to change the way they feel through substances. This sounds a lot like a drug addict in the midst of their disease.

In the coming years more research must be done to find a definitive conclusion to this question of the correlation of energy drink consumption to drug addiction and misuse, but all the signs indicate a strong relation between the two.

19 Killed at private Alcohol Rehab in Mexico

According to the LA Times article on July 10, 2010, 19 people were gunned down in the city of Chihuahua in northern Mexico. The gunmen first posed as police before breaking into the rehab clinic and killing 19 people including recovering addicts and staff members. There is no clear cut motivation for the killings as of yet but it is likely tied to a vicious drug war being carried out by rival gangs and drug cartels.

There have been roughly 23,000 deaths linked to gangs and drug cartels in Mexico since 2006. It is believed that many cartels are using the treatment centers as recruiting centers by offering the recovering addicts drugs and threatening them with death if they refuse to join their operation.

400% Increase in Prescription Drug Abuse in the United States

According to a recent report from the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), prescription drug use and abuse has risen 400% from 1998 to 2008. The data is not yet complete for 2009, but it is sure to reflect another significant increase. TEDS numbers have also revealed that the number of opiate dependent people in the US have jumped from 6.8% to 26.5% during the same time frame. This increase is inevitably due to the increase in prescriptions given out by doctors for these types of medications. The numbers from our own records mirror these findings and I am sure that other treatment centers would come to the same conclusions after checking their past admission numbers.

I believe that the pharmaceutical companies are initially to blame. They have pushed the use of prescription pain killers on doctors and have raked in massive profits off of their use along with other money making avenues like vaccines for bird and swine flu that thousands of people have unnecessarily received in the past few years. At times it seems that the amount of money in the pharmaceutical companies bank accounts is the real motivation for their actions and not necessarily actually helping people.

If you or someone you love has been affected by this increase in prescription drug use and abuse please call us here at Cornerstone of Southern California. We can help you.

Dr. Stone: State Senate Health committee concerning AB 2221

Dear Dr. Stone:

Thank you, thank you for coming to Sacramento to testify before the Senate Health Committee concerning AB 2221. It is such an important bill for all of the patients in California who need access to better care during treatment to relieve their suffering and to allow them the best chance of stability during those important first days. I know it can be quite hectic to leave the clinic and I know that it can be a different kind of hectic waiting to speak at the hearing. All of us at CSAM appreciate that you were willing to do this. It was critically important for you to share your expertise and your experience with this situation with the legislators so they could make a more informed decision. David Pating said that you were terrific and your presence made a difference that day to the voting process.

Thank you again. Your time and professionalism was very much appreciated.

Christy S. Waters, MD
Public Policy Committee
CSAM

Spice - K2 - Scary Spice

There is a new and (at the moment legal) drug on the market all over the world called Spice or K2 that is growing in popularity among teens and marijuana users. It is an herb-based drug sold as an herbal incense online or in local stores, but when smoked, produces a high comparable to THC in marijuana. It is made by spraying the herbs that make up this so-called incense with a synthetic substance that mimics the THC found in marijuana. The danger lies in the uncontrolled manner in which this product is manufactured and the unregulated amounts of undefined chemicals which are sprayed onto the herbs. Health and law officials state that this product is being created in a ‘dorm-room’ type of setting by unqualified scientists or lab workers who most likely are not using any quality control measures. Dawn Dearden, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) likens the use of Spice to, ‘playing russian roulette,’ due to the uncontrolled way in which the product is being manufactured. There is no way to tell the chemical makeup of the product, and many users have had adverse reactions to it. Some such reactions are elevated heart rates, difficulty breathing and possible risk of heart attack.

This new drug is not only available in local stores and online, it is also undetectable by drug screens used in treatment centers. Due to this many probationers are using the substance to get high without fear of being caught. Hopefully lawmakers and officials will move quickly to outlaw this substance and bring it under the scrutiny of the DEA.