The holidays are a happy time for most.  But for those suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction this time can be challenging, stressful, and downright depressing.  Thus it is important for loved ones to be aware of how the holidays affect those who suffer, but to enjoy the celebrations and family gatherings just the same.

Parties and gatherings can be a challenge for individuals in recovery.  Alcohol seems to be everywhere in the eyes of an alcoholic, from television to the glass in the hand of those that don’t normally drink.  Fond memories can overshadow the misery alcohol brought to their lives, and open the door to relapse.

It is also a time of year when distant friends and relatives are reunited.  This can bring stress in several ways.  An old drinking or drug using friend may call for a visit.  Since the damage of alcoholism and addiction has a wide reach, someone who has been harmed in the past may show up at a gathering.  Recovering individuals may find a reason to drink or use, and those not in recovery might go on a heavy binge.    

Holiday festivities, movies, and music can conjure up memories of lost friends and better times for alcoholics and drug addicts.  It is common for them to dwell on these memories rather than just move on, causing a feeling of “if only…” and a form of self-loathing.  Using the tools of recovery when these feelings arise will often help.

Some degree of depression, from “the blahs” to major depression, is bound to set in for those who believe they are bad people due to the feeling of self-loathing.  This is a common reason for relapse, increased alcohol or drug abuse, or for some folks in recovery to simply stay away from social situations.

Loved ones may become angry with alcoholics and drug addicts, join them in their misery, or even offer them a drink, drug, or tobacco to feel better.  The healthy response is in fact to let them be and enjoy the festive holiday season.  Loved ones have no control in dealing with the sufferer’s state of mind.  It may not be easy, so attending a support group like Al-Anon can help.

There are many resources on the internet for dealing with alcoholism and drug addiction during the holidays.  The excerpt below is from a discussion transcript posted on The Washington Post website.  The full Q & A session contains a wide variety of good advice for those who suffer and their loved ones.

-- Begin external content --

Arlington, Va.: My dad is an alcoholic, sober for about about five years now. Prior to this, we had thought he was still on the wagon, but he was hiding alcohol all around the house in flavored water bottles. Both my brother (28) and I (26) live away from home, and during the holidays, when we get together, it's tough because we always wonder if he has fallen off the wagon again, and we snoop the house inconspicuously. Will there ever be a time when we trust him again? We feel guilty traipsing around the house. My mom is at home, and she wonders/snoops too. FWIW, he was sober from basically my birth until I was 14/15, and that's when he fell off the wagon unbeknownst to us until five years ago.

Dr. Harris Stratyner: Alcoholism is a disease. It's primary, progressive, chronic and, if untreated, fatal. It makes liars of those people who fall victim to the disease unless they actively work on staying sober -- treatment, 12-step programs, etc. Instead of going behind your dad's back, realize that relapse is often part of this disease and speak to your dad about your concerns.

-- Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/12/05/DI2008120502603.html --

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides family services as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help for alcohol dependence or drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Drug addiction is mainly driven by internal factors with individuals who suffer.  But external cues, or triggers, can affect the progression of drug use, or relapse for those in recovery.  So it is very important for those who suffer from drug addiction, as well as alcoholism, to be aware of their triggers, and for loved ones to understand how they work.

Triggers, generally defined, are anything that sparks an emotional response in addicts that in turn lead them to a thought that their substance of choice will calm them.  The trigger can cause stress, sadness, or glee.  They are such a high risk of relapse that triggers are typically addressed in drug or alcohol detox, early in treatment.

Loved ones often wonder why anyone in recovery from drug addiction or alcohol dependence would use a drug to make things better after gaining awareness of the damage it had caused them.  The fact is that the trigger mechanism is out of the addict’s control.  The decision of whether to use drugs or not is something that requires work.  So it is an effective defense for addicts to inform family and friends about specific triggers.

A trigger does not necessarily involve the drug of choice, like a heroin addict seeing a picture of a needle.  It can be a neighborhood, event, person, and even the sunrise.  Triggers from sensory cues tend to last for a lifetime, but lose power when a program of recovery is followed.  Because of this, addicts must always be prepared to either avoid triggers or know what to do when faced with them.

The excerpt below is from a study about the relationship of news media reports and opioid overdoses.  It is interesting to note that opioid addicts are more likely to overdose with a relapse, especially after a long period of abstinence.  Since the disease is progressive they may use a high dose to feed their addiction, but the body simply can’t handle it anymore.    

Those who suffer from drug addiction and their loved ones need to be vigilant about triggers.  Use the information in this article, along with the study, for knowledge as a defense.

-- Begin external content --

Historical studies of news media have suggested an association between reporting and increased drug abuse. Period effects for substance use have been documented for different classes of legal and illicit substances, with the suspicion that media publicity may have played major roles in their emergence. Previous analyses have drawn primarily from qualitative evidence; the temporal relationship between media reporting volume and adverse health consequences has not been quantified nationally. We set out to explore whether we could find a quantitative relationship between media reports about prescription opioid abuse and overdose mortality associated with these drugs. We assessed whether increases in news media reports occurred before or after increases in overdose deaths.

-- Source: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0007758 –

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles staffs addiction counselors in medical detoxification units as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help for drug addiction or alcohol dependence, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases that are typically driven by fear.  This is true whether these individuals are using their substance of choice or are in recovery.  Understanding this may help those in recovery, and help the loved ones of those still suffering to cope.

Fear paralyzes alcoholics and drug addicts.  Worry about the effect current actions will have on the future or how past actions have affected the present can cause great indecision.  Many thoughts flow through the mind at these times, and it stops individuals from even leaving point A to start toward point B.  

Without a program of recovery, alcoholics and drug addicts will reach for their substance of choice for relief.  The common reason will be to “clear their heads”, but it is really an attempt to escape from reality.  So, at its core, alcohol dependence and drug addiction drives sufferers to drink and use drugs by instilling fear in them.  It can be a deadly cycle.

This can seem foreign to those who don’t suffer from alcoholism or drug addiction because fear is often a motivator for them.  When it doesn’t motivate, fear is seen as irrational and forgotten.  This makes communication with addicted loved ones difficult because there is no natural way to relate.  Understanding the addict mind may help loved ones, but addicts need recovery to change.

Individuals learn tools in recovery to stop the fear before it starts.  12 Step programs teach individuals to “Let it go”, and take life “One day at a time”.  Sayings like these are repeated over and over because fear is deep-seated in newcomers to recovery.  When put into practice, these concepts slowly reduce fear, allowing individuals to face life instead of escape from it.

Knowing that fear drives alcohol dependence and drug addiction can help those in recovery to understand the usefulness of the 12 Steps and other programs.  It gives meaning to the words they hear and read, making a vital connection between the program and their lives.  And they must remember this every day of their lives.

Understanding the fear problem is just the beginning for loved ones of alcoholics and drug addicts.  Support groups, like Al-Anon, can help family members and close friends to start living their own lives.  Addiction is a family disease that drags everyone into a co-dependent, fear-based way of thinking, and they all need to recover.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides family services as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcoholism or drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

When a loved one suffers from alcoholism or drug addiction, many believe that it is because the individual lacks willpower.  But the truth is that willpower is more of a problem than the lack thereof.  Alcoholics and drug addicts need strong willpower to feed their obsessions.

The process can be compared to the drive for success in achieving goals.  The stronger the desire to attain a goal, the more an individual will prioritize for it.  People will sacrifice and take risks to reach goals they believe will improve their lives.  Where alcoholism and drug addiction are concerned, there is no higher goal than to get the next drink, hit, or fix of their drug of choice.

For those who are unaware, most alcoholics and drug addicts enter treatment only after they “hit bottom”.  They have been willing to harm relationships, deplete bank accounts, and suffer legal consequences for alcohol or drugs.  The mounting problems did not meet the level of urgency they felt for more of the substance.

The strong willpower, coupled with the physical need to continue using alcohol or drugs, places a brick wall in the way of suggestions to enter treatment.  Family and friends are seen as a threat to the relationship they have with a substance because they want to take it away.  So the will to protect the relationship grows.  

This does not mean it is a hopeless endeavor to suggest treatment before problems pile up.  Indeed, it is not likely that demands will work.  The approach must be made in a loving manner when the individual is momentarily sober.  The best way to break the willpower of an alcoholic or drug addict is to organize an intervention.  

So the next time someone says to you that alcoholics and drug addicts lack willpower, show them this article.  Remember that alcoholics will crawl in the rain at 1:00am, and drug addicts will brave dangerous encounters in dark corners of a park, just to get what they need.  That is sheer willpower.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles can help with interventions, and provides drug and alcohol detox as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help with drug addiction or alcohol dependence, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Alcoholics and drug addicts take action when faced with trouble.  The only problem is in the solution they choose.  They choose to escape from trouble by drinking alcohol or using drugs.  The reason is that the disease of alcoholism and drug addiction is marked by the lack of a defense mechanism in the brain.

A basic example would be if you are walking down a hall at work, and a co-worker accidentally bumps into you.  In most cases a simple “excuse me” and “no problem” would end the innocent occurrence.  But alcoholics and addicts can only rarely just let it go without some time to dwell on why it happened.  They believe that something must have caused it.

That innocent bump in the hall can become an obsession in the mind of an alcoholic or drug addict, and turn into a belief that he is going to be fired.  This process of turning a mountain into a mole hill plagues them every day, and they believe it is normal.  This makes life appear to be an uphill battle, with everyone against them.

Alcohol and drugs temporarily ease the tension and bury the feelings of frustration.  But it all comes back as the effects wear off, and the need to defend against the mounting pain grows.  Drinking alcohol and using drugs as a defense becomes a habit through learned behavior, and is cherished as the only answer.

It is an important aspect of the disease to understand, while it may seem silly to some that believe alcoholics and drug addicts are weak.  And from a certain perspective it is a weakness.  The point is not to excuse the behavior of individuals with the disease.  It is simply to help those suffering from the disease to understand, and bring awareness to their loved ones.

The lack of a defense mechanism is one of many disease components.  Pace University has posted an article that includes it as part of a detailed look at alcoholism and drug addiction.  A portion of the article that relates to adolescent alcohol and drug abuse is below, followed by the link to the full version.

-- Begin external content --

Students give many different reasons why they may drink. Some students say they drink because of peer pressure and to be part of a crowd. Some use alcohol to avoid difficult situations that may arise at school and work and with family and friends. Others use alcohol to avoid uncomfortable feelings, like anxiety or sadness. Anyone who drinks runs the risk of developing an alcohol problem. A serious problem can develop quickly, especially among college students.

-- Source: http://www.pace.edu/page.cfm?doc_id=5117 –

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides addiction counseling during medical detoxification as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  We also provide teen alcohol and drug treatment services.  If you or a loved one has a problem with alcohol dependence or drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

People have a hard time understanding why loved ones suffering from alcohol dependence or drug addiction wait so long to enter alcohol and drug treatment.  A major reason for this is denial of reality.  As bad as things look to the outsider, alcoholics and drug addicts just don’t see it.

Denial should not be compared to a blindfold.  It’s more like blinders on a racehorse.  Alcoholics and drug addicts are well aware of the problems they face in life.  But they are incapable of accepting the consequences they suffer because alcohol and drugs are an important part of their lives.  As far as they are concerned, alcohol or drugs are a solution and far from a problem.

It comes from a belief that absent their calming substance things would be much worse, not better.  When a thought that problems stem from alcohol or drugs begin to enter their minds, it is quickly dismissed as preposterous.  There is a tunnel vision that temporarily pushes these thoughts out of sight along with all of the problems that need to be solved.

Even deeper in their psyche is an incapability to deal with emotions.  Denial protects alcoholics and addicts from feelings.  When they are confronted by a loved one, they will run to the comfort of alcohol or drugs to “clear their heads”.  The escape from emotions is a comfort.  In fact, it is usually the only comfort they have.  

This cycle is never-ending because alcohol and drugs are both the solution and problem for the alcoholic and addict.  But the solution illusion always wins in their minds.  Thus, they will not seek alcohol and drug treatment until problems are insurmountable or the family calls for an intervention.

Sadly, it takes a shock to the system to drag the alcoholic and drug addict into reality.  Once denial is shattered they may feel lost, so care must be taken to avoid provoking them back to denial.  The best bet is to be firm with the shock, but have loving arms to catch them when they fall.  Then immediately contact an alcohol and drug treatment center.

Drug-addiction.com, an informative website, posted an article a few years back that offers a glimpse at the problem of denial with the disease.  The portion excerpted below shows pertinent statistics, and the full article offers some additional insight.

-- Begin external content --

According to the results of the survey, of the 5.0 million people who needed but did not receive treatment in 2001, an estimated 377,000 reported that they felt they needed treatment for their drug problem. This includes an estimated 101,000 who reported that they made an effort but were unable to get treatment and 276,000 who reported making no effort to get treatment.

"We have a large and growing denial gap when it comes to drug abuse and dependency in this country," said John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy. "We have a responsibility--as family members, employers, physicians, educators, religious leaders, neighbors, colleagues, and friends--to reach out to help these people. We must find ways to lead them back to drug free lives. And the earlier we reach them, the greater will be our likelihood of success."

-- Source: http://www.drug-addiction.com/drugs_and_denial.htm --

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles can help with intervention as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcoholism or drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

People who don’t suffer from drug addiction, and most who do, do not understand the process of this disease.  Even if they are curious, it seems like a daunting task to even begin learning about how the addicted brain works.  So it is fortunate that the potential cocaine vaccine is in the news because the information is currently widely available.

Many individuals are content with the knowledge that drug addiction is a physical and psychological disease that operates on obsessions and cravings, if that much.  When the disease hits home, though, that information just doesn’t seem enough.  By then their attention is focused on the visible problem rather than the processes that make it happen.

As interest grows among the general public, more will be written and reported about the cocaine vaccine.  Each new article reveals a piece of the puzzle that makes up the processes of the addicted brain.  This is important for those seeking understanding because the research is bringing many facts to light about the underlying disease of addiction in an easy-to-read manner.  

A basic understanding of the normal brain processes may be necessary in reading some articles.  But most articles on the subject are taking that fact into account and giving brief explanations.  So just starting to read articles about the cocaine vaccine should yield better understanding of the disease of addiction.

An article has been posted on Sciencedaily.com about computer models of cocaine addicts’ brains.  A portion is copied below.  It is a good example of an article that may seem complex, but is understandable and can encourage further reading.

-- Begin external content --

Glutamate is the major chemical released in the synaptic connections in the brain; the right amount present determines the activity of those connections. Using the computational model, MU researchers found that in an addict’s brain excessive glutamate produced in the pleasure center makes the brain’s mechanisms unable to regulate themselves and creates permanent damage, making cocaine addiction a disease that is more than just a behavioral change.

“Our model showed that the glutamate transporters, a protein present around these connections that remove glutamate, are almost 40 percent less functional after chronic cocaine usage,” Mohan said. “This damage is long lasting, and there is no way for the brain to regulate itself. Thus, the brain structure in this context actually changes in cocaine addicts.”

-- Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922160104.htm --

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides addiction education and medication assisted treatment as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help with drug addiction or alcohol dependence, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Drug addiction is a disease that can result in death.  The subject is certainly not pleasant to discuss. However, in order to save lives we must face this fact.  More people need to be aware that drug treatment helps to prevent drug-related deaths.

Drug abuse and addiction results in death from several consequences.  Overdose is the obvious one.  These days it isn't just the addict who injected too much heroin.  Even those who use prescription drugs, like pain killers and benzodiazepines, ordered by their physician can accidentally overdose and be lost.

Stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamines affect the heart, causing possible heart attacks.  And the erratic behavior of these users can lead them to destructive activities that can cause serious injury and death.  The sad thing is that most of these users are seeking to be in that state of mind.

We've all seen individuals say they are okay to drive after an evening of alcohol abuse.  Driving under the influence of drugs is equally dangerous.  Drug users tend to actually believe they drive better on drugs, though, because of the false notion they are more attuned to things around them.  Sadly, DUI and other factors of drug abuse leads to lost innocent lives.

Drug addiction leads individuals to commit crimes that harm innocent bystanders.  The impaired mind of a drug addict only seeks to satisfy its need for more of the drug of choice.  It is selfish and lacks remorse if when life is lost in the pursuit of its needs.  This, above all other reasons, should persuade anyone of the urgency to get drug addicts into treatment.

Treatment helps drug addicts to stop using drugs and learn how to live productively without them.  When drug detox is complete, entering residential rehab or outpatient treatment gives addicts a chance to understand why they use drugs and what may trigger a relapse.  It is urgent that treatment is sought before a life is lost.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has released a report from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) about drug-related deaths in the United States.  A portion is below, followed by a link to the full report.

-- Begin external content --

DAWN is a public health surveillance system that monitors drug-related deaths referred to medical examiners and coroners in selected participating metropolitan areas and states.  Although the DAWN data cannot be extrapolated to the entire United States, the information can be helpful for analyzing the nature and scope of substance abuse-related deaths in the areas it covers.
 
For example, analysis of the 2007 DAWN Report reveals that among the 10 states participating fully with DAWN, rates of drug-related deaths ranged from a high of 21.0 deaths per 100,000 population in New Mexico to a low of 5.9 deaths per 100,000 population in Virginia.  The rate for the State of Oklahoma saw a 79 percent increase from 2006; while Vermont's rate dropped 12 percent. 
 
-- Source: https://dawninfo.samhsa.gov/pubs/ --

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides medical detoxification, and residential and outpatient treatment as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help with drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Drug addiction is a complex term that has different meanings depending on who you ask. It is easier to answer the question “what is drug dependence”. Drug dependence refers to a state in which an individual uses a drug so frequently and consistently that it appears that it would be difficult for the person to get along without using the drug.

A physiological dependence implies that a person experiences physical symptoms of withdrawal. If a person spends a great deal of time and effort to get and use the drug, if they take more of the substance than he or she intended to, and they have tried to quit or cut down or control their use of substances without success, they meet the criteria for substance dependence. (Ksir, Hart and Ray: Drugs, Society and Human Behavior, 2006.)

In medical terminology, an addiction is a chronic neurobiological disorder that has genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors and is characterized by at least one of the following: the continued use of a substance despite its negative effects on a person’s job, relationships and life, impaired control over the use of a drug (compulsive behavior), and using a drug for non-therapeutic purposes (i.e. craving the drug).

Deviant behavior is typically associated with addiction.  Most drug addicts will commit crimes on all levels in order to support their habits, from theft to prostitution, and some will even resort to murder.  An interesting note is that they tend to justify these behaviors to the point that they don’t even realize they are committing crimes.

How Tarzana Treatment Centers views addiction:
“We view addiction as a chronic, yet treatable, recurring disorder. Research indicates that both genetics and the environment can place an individual at risk for developing an addictive disorder, and having a co-occurring psychiatric disorder further increases this risk.

We are learning that the release of neurotransmitters to the reward center of the brain produces the euphoria associated with substance use, and that prolonged use can cause structural changes to parts of the brain, which may explain why addicts cannot return to occasional use even after long periods of abstinence. Many individuals with substance use disorders may require more than one episode of treatment, as is common with most chronic diseases.

There is overwhelming research evidence that shows that treatment does work, and that the length of time one stays in treatment and recovery activities is the best predictor of long-term positive outcomes. Also we view addiction as a disease that affects the whole family, and recognize that it is important to incorporate the family into treatment, in order to assist them with their own healing process.”

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides treatment for drug addiction including medical detoxification for physical drug dependence.  If you or a loved one needs help with drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Many people with chronic alcohol dependence or other drug addictions experience liver disease. This is no accident. The liver is used to digest food, absorb nutrients, and get toxic substances (like alcohol and drugs) out of your body. The liver is an important organ in the body; you only have one and cannot survive without it.  And with alcohol’s effects on the body, liver problems could just be the beginning.

Alcohol abuse is not the only way to damage your liver. Unprotected sex, sharing needles, prescription drug abuse and addiction, and getting tattoos or piercings from places that do not properly sterilize the needles also can put you at risk of liver disease and damage.

There are many forms of liver disease; the conditions listed below are most common among alcohol and other drug abusers.

Cirrhosis – scarring of the liver that is caused by having another liver disease (like Hepatitis), or by many years of heavy alcohol drinking. Cirrhosis is not curable, but there are treatments that can help slow the scarring.

Hepatitis C – a disease that is passed through blood-to-blood contact. It is caused by a virus that attacks the liver, causing the liver to become inflamed. There is a cure, but it takes months to complete treatment, has severe side effects, and does not work for everyone.

Hepatitis A – a disease that is similar to the flu.  You get Hepatitis A by eating food containing human waste. People rarely die from it, and there is a vaccine to prevent you from getting it.

Hepatitis B – a disease that is passed through body fluids during sex, through the breast milk of infected mothers, and through contact with contaminated blood. People can die from it, but there is a vaccine to prevent it.

The best way to prevent liver disease is to not abuse alcohol or use illegal drugs.  Only use drugs as prescribed by your doctor, or as indicated on over-the-counter packaging.  Never engage in unprotected sex (unless you and your partner are completely monogamous and have tested negative for all STI’s recently).

If you have not been vaccinated for Hepatitis A and B, talk with your doctor to see if it is right for you. There are treatments and some liver disease is reversible, so talk to your doctor about the choices that are out there.

For most information, check out the American Liver Foundation website: http://www.yourliver.org/learn.html.

If you or a loved one need help for alcoholism or drug addiction, and also suffer from liver disease, Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles can help.  As part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare, our alcohol and drug treatment program includes primary medical care.  Please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.