Living &Giving - Ramblings of a drug free life

Horses, Painkiller Addiction, Recovery

2008-07-15T10:57:00.002-05:00

Having been in recovery now for over 7 years I am still excited to hear the wins and gains from others beating addiction and alcoholism. Here is one I recently came across and found inspiring. This is a story of painkiller addiction, and how easily it can creep up on someone. I wanted to share this particular story as painkiller addiction is one of the fastest growing addictions in the world. With all the ads on TV pushing pills for this and that it is refreshing to see someone successfully step off the treadmill which the drug companies love to tell us is safe. Read the story and you can decide for yourself. Kayakotto

Horse Trainer Recovers Her Way of Life After Recovery from Painkiller Addiction

Amanda Clements spent much of her life with horses, the animals she loved and trained. But in an odd way, that love led her indirectly into her long fight with addictive painkillers.

“I injured my neck in a riding accident when I was sixteen years old,” she said. “I was okay for a while but then something triggered it twelve years ago when I was 28. I began to suffer pain all the time. My doctor prescribed Percocet and Vicodin for the pain but never explained the potential for addiction.”

Years went by as Amanda took the pills just as prescribed. “I didn’t like taking them but when I tried to get off them on my own, pains showed up all over my body. When I told my doctor about it, he bumped up my prescription to a higher dosage.”

As the dosages increased, Amanda was becoming addicted to the painkillers without ever realizing it. When her tolerance for the drug increased more, she began to go from doctor to doctor to get enough of the pills to enable her to feel normal and function in her daily life. “I even forged prescriptions to get enough of the drugs,” she explained. “No one knew I was taking so much and no one around me realized I had an addiction. And I had no concept myself of how bad it had gotten, even when I was taking more than 40 Percocets throughout the day.”

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New Drug Education Study

2008-07-03T10:43:00.002-05:00

I have sitting around thinking about how I can make this blog an effective tool for helping others with a drug or alcohol addiction problem, or loved ones with such problems seeking help or effective drug rehab treatment. There are lots of opinions on the subject of addiction treatment. Even though I am a certified chemical dependency counselor, I certainly have preferences and opinions when it comes to modalities of treatment. Some you may embrace and some you may not. I do feel that the subject of drug education of our children as a preventative tool is common ground where most of us can agree.

There is a new study out that I want to share with you. It is a study of the Narconon drug education program that is proving to be uniquely successful per this independent study. Click on the title above to get the actual study, unadulterated. I would be interested in others thoughts and opinions in regards to this subject.

Love Kayakotto

Read the Narconon Drug Education Study

A Drug Free Friend Gets His Life Back

2008-06-30T13:30:00.003-05:00

This is my first entry and I am rather new at this blogging game. Drug Rehabilitation and all its issues is not new to me. I hopefully will have lots to say on the subject as time goes by, things inspirational, controversial, discussable, laughable, cryable, etc. The goal is to offer what hope and help I can to the subject of workable drug rehabilitation for a lifetime, offer links and resources that I have found useful in my personal as well as professional life.

Comments are welcome and encouraged, but will be moderated.

My first offering is the story of a friend of mine that I wanted to share with you let me know what you think

Kayakotto

Unique Drug Rehab Program Restores Love of Music to Formerly Addicted Concert Violinist

For fifteen years, concert violinist Michael Ginsburg lived in a nightmarish world composed only of drugs and his addiction to them. His musical skills were left far behind as he sought out and used the drugs that his addictions demanded.
“Drugs completely robbed me of my music,” said Michael. “I started out studying music at The Julliard School, the New England Conservatory of Music and the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. But then after starting to use marijuana, my grades plummeted, I stopped studying or playing music and quit school.”

Over time, Michael developed addictions that included all the most commonly abused drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and prescription drugs. Michael started working as a DJ at all-night raves, using other drugs all too often found around Dallas: Ecstasy, ketamine and LSD. When he got into trouble in a city where he was working as a DJ, he usually wound up homeless, so he would move on to a new city. “In fifteen years, I lived in eighteen states,” he said.

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Drug Free and Rambling

2008-06-27T11:22:00.004-05:00

I am clean and sober from all drug and alcohol use for over 7 years now. Many, many, many, good and wondrous things have occured for me and those I love since completing my drug rehab program. This blog is meant as simply a log of my thoughts, ideas, wanderings, musings, etc. I would like to entertain quest bloggers from time to time as well as share information and websites that I think will be of interest to readers. I certainly welcome comments and feedback from those who are in the recovery community and especially from those still suffering from the ravages of drug and alcohol use. If I can do it, anyone can. Lets see if we can all be of service to each other.

Love, Kayakotto