Posts Tagged ‘dr. drew’

Sober House Season Over, So What's Next For Cast Recovery?

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Now that this season of VH1’s Sober House has concluded we wonder what will become of the “cast members” we’ve grown to love over the course of their two show series. From the touching goodbyes and the optimism pervasive in most everyone leaving, it appears these troubled people in the public eye might actually make it sober.

The show’s commentary did a great job cutting down the misleading music to ensure viewers these people’s struggle was far from over, concluding that many plan to continue in their active recovery with ongoing and after care.

So, what does that mean? What care goes beyond living with people advocating their respective recoveries?

For cast member Mike Star, continuing recovery would mean going to the Aurora Las Encinas Hospital near Pasadena, California. Dr. Drew pushed this idea to plenty of resistance by Mike, but, as the dramatic music and flashbacks showed viewers, his recovery is anything but complete. Las Encinas’ programs have both inpatient (living on site) and outpatient (living on one’s own with program structure) options, so Mike’s recovery would have the attention and the structure he needs.

Many of the other cast members would benefit from programs like AiR’s Recovery Assistance Program, which gives the recovering addict a person to talk to, guide them and hold them responsible for their recovery – much like the people helping them in Sober House. Programs like this also help the families of the recovering addicts learn how to navigate and help the progress to ensure lasting recovery.

Tags: addiction recovery, celebrity addiction, celebrity drug addiction, dr. drew, sober house
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Sex Addiction- A misunderstood compulsive behavior

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Last week, Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction specialist, medical doctor, and TV personality, appeared on Oprah to discuss sexual addiction and compulsivity. Sex addiction has long been known to disrupt families and relationships, and now is being brought more into light as it makes its way through different media channels. Dr. Pinsky came on to talk about what sex addiction is, and how to treat it.

He talks quite a bit about the effects sex addiction has on others. Basically, like any addiction or compulsive behavior, sex addiction can cause many varying consequences, from damaging relationships, to sexually transmitted diseases, legal issues, etc. As with other addictions, these compulsive behaviors create a pattern of unhealthy events that eventually creep into every area of an addicts’ life.

Dr. Patrick Carnes, one of the leading experts in sexual addiction and compulsivity and former clinical director at The Meadows, puts sex addiction in this perspective: “Generally, addicts do not perceive themselves as worthwhile persons. Nor do they believe that other people would care for them or meet their needs if everything was known about them, including the addiction. Finally, they believe that sex is their most important need. Sex is what makes isolation bearable. If you do not trust people, one thing that is true about sex (and alcohol, food, gambling, and risk) is that it always does what it promises, for the moment.”

Dr. Drew says 80 to 90 percent of the patients he has treated for sex addiction suffered trauma as children. “If you have a history of trauma, particularly sexual trauma, in childhood, you want to look very carefully at this behavior,” he said. A history of trauma, in early childhood, can create patterns of self-destruction, codependency, and compulsive behaviors. Carol Cannon, the co-founder of The Bridge To Recovery, says this about codependency:  “Codependence is the pain in adulthood that comes from being wounded in childhood, which leads to a high probability of relationship problems and addictive disorders in later life.” Trauma early on in one’s life can lead to a whole host of problems and, without help, can create an unmanageable life.

Here’s a clip from the show.

If you or a loved one are struggling with sex addiction or another compulsive behavior, please contact us directly at 877-320-0247 or visit us on the web at www.a-i-r.com.

Tags: addiction, addiction genes, addiction intervention, AiR Assistance in recovery, assistance in recovery, behavioral health, dr. drew, dr. drew sex addiction, oprah, sex addiction, sex addiction treatment, sexual addiction, sexual compulsivity
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