It’s true, I met Santa on crystal meth and even spoke to a reindeer. Heck, if you did as much crystal meth as I did, you would have met him too. I lived in Virginia, was snowed and and began to party. Well I over did it and thought I saw Santa and began speaking with him. It was not long after that my friends got me to a recovery program for crystal meth addiction. This recovery program for crystal meth addiction tried to convince me that Santa didn’t exist but at this point I begged to differ.

The recovery program for crystal meth addiction detoxed me, treated me and referred to me aftercare help. I was in the recovery program for crystal meth addiction for six weeks and I left realizing that Santa didn’t exist, but I wasn’t so sure about the reindeer.

When the Holidays approach I often think back to when I was a child and how excited I would become as Christmas neared. We were a Christian Family and always attended Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. The Clergy was magnificently attired and the choir sang beautiful Christmas Hymns. We hurried home and went to bed to await the arrival of Santa Claus. The only thing that could disrupt this happy event was if my father decided to have a drink. My father was an Alcoholic who never had the benefit of attending a Christian Treatment Center. Any of you reading this that have an addict / alcoholic in the family have probably experienced some anxiety as we approach what should be a wondrous tine of the year.

When I entered a drug rehab in December of 81 there were no Christian Drug Rehabs but the Addiction Treatment Center I attended did allow us to go to church Christmas Day. At the time I remember how sad I was to be in treatment during the holidays but today I know it was a blessing. Addicts find this time of year to be particularly difficult trying to manage of run away from feelings. The result in both cases is to use whatever is their current drug of choice.

Many an addict / alcoholic procrastinate when making the decision to enter addiction treatment this time of year deciding to wait till after the holidays. Many never make it through the holidays. Christian Treatment Centers offer the gift of recovery and a reunion with Christ. What better gifts could be placed under our tree this Christmas Season?

As clinicians take more time to treat patients and they begin to see withdrawal symptoms diminish and symptoms which resemble withdrawal remain. These symptoms which accompany drug addiction and alcoholism are termed a dual diagnosis or dual disorder. These people require dual diagnosis treatment and dual diagnosis treatment in a residential treatment center.The reason behind a residential treatment center is that as different medications are tried to manage the dual diagnosis symptoms cravings to use heighten.

Treatment for dual diagnosis takes time and is more complex that treatment for addiction. Treatment for addiction is pretty straight forward, while treatment for dual diagnosis is alot of give and take, coupled with a comprehensive relapse and discharge plan. Make sure the residential treatment center has a good psychiatrist that understands treatment for addiction.

It was almost instantaneous that I developed a crystal meth addiction. I was using almost everyday and just couldn’t stop. I knew I needed help but didn’t want to be one of those people that needed residential treatment for crystal meth addiction. I thought I was strong enough to get treatment for crystal meth addiction on an outpatient basis. I was wrong…………I was using again within three days and darn near had a stroke this time so I surrendered and went for residential treatment for crystal meth addiction. Best thing I ever did. As a matter of fact I ended up at a Christian treatment center which was really cool.

If you need and want treatment for crystal meth addiction and also want to find Christ try a Christian treatment center. They had a great detox program and today I am six months clean. Happy thanksgiving, I know I have alot to be grateful for.

Christian Counseling emphasizes addiction must be dealt with today, each today of your life. You have to wake up today and say that today I choose not to participate in active addiction. One excellent way to do that is to start off each day with prayer. At “A New Life” Christian Drug Rehab the clients start the day by telling God you know you have a problem, and you want him to deal with it.

Clients may be away from home and their church but continue to hear the word. Those in Christian Rehab will learn whatever their addiction, Paul says instead fill yourself with the Holy Spirit. We believe the scripture teaches that the Spirit is the word of God, it follows that the more you apply that word in your life, the less you will participate in your addiction.

Using Scripture that directly relates to the clients immediate situation in life allows them to use The Bible in conjunction with traditional therapy to increase their chances of long term recovery.

Christian Drug Rebab can make a difference in a clients acceptance of the 12 steps. Most Drug Rehab Centers incorporate the 12 steps in their programs because they increase the probability of continued sobrity once a client is discharged. When the steps begin to mention “HigherPower” many clients suffering with an addiction, bristle at what appears to be a synonym for God. In a Christian Treatment Center, those clients that come to the center already beliveing in God, their acceptance and ability to work the 12 steps is relatively easy. The clients that have an aversion to any mention of “Higher Power” and struggle with certain steps can actually witness the difference between clients in the Ttraditional Track and the Christian Track. At this point the client has the option to transfer to the Christian Track if they feel it will better serve their recovery.

The Lord came “To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” Isaiah 42:7

 I am a Christian and I know it is my duty to bring souls to God through Christ. I am also an addict in recovery and working in an Christian Treatment Center. The scripture above perfectly describes those addicts we see every day; blinded by their affliction in a prison of their own making sitting in the darkness of self obsession feeling hopeless and helpless. The disease of addiction affects a person physically, mentally and spiritually. No matter how far a Christian has strayed they know the way back is through Christ. I am blessed to witness souls returning to Christ and others finding Christ for the first time. I know when our clients leave Christian Addiction Treatment they have addressed their spiritual needs and are well on their way to a life of recovery through Christ.

First let’s be clear, you can’t pray your drug addiction or alcoholism away. It takes pleanty of work and drug rehab treatment. If you could pray these addictions away, there would be no need for anyone to enter drug rehab treatment. Secondly, if prayer would distinguish addictions than any disease could be cured by prayer because addiction is indeed a disease; identified as such by the American Medical Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Prayer in conjunction with the clinical services offered in the treatment center can certainly produce recovery for any Christian, but prayer alone won’t work.

When I was looking for Christian drug treatment programs in North Carolina I became so frustrated I just gave up and continued my drinking and drugging  for another six months. After hitting another bottom, divorce, I began looking again in North Carolina for a drug treatment program and even looked in South Carolina and Georgia. While I found quite a few traditional drug treatment rehab programs, a Christian drug treatment program was not to be found.

That is when I took one last shot at a drug treatment rehab program in Jacksonville , Florida and much to my surprise found a Christian drug treatment program. It was I later came to realize as an act of God.  Well I finished the treatment rehab program, renewed my belief in Christ and  am now 7 months clean and sober. Who would have thought a guy from Carolina would have ended up in Jacksonville, Florida.

Coming from a Christian family, all who were alcoholics, I seemed to have followed their lifestyle. By this time I knew I was an alcoholic and began looking for a Christian treatment center in North Carolina. Since I lived on the South Carolina border, North Carolina was not such a stretch. After days of looking for a Chtristian treatment center in North Carolina I started to realize that a christian treatment center like this didn’t exist, at least in North or South Carolina.

By mistake, which I believe was Christ centered today, I came across a Christian treatment center in Jacksonville, Florida. As much as I wanted to be close to home it seemed the Christian treatment center in Florida had everything I was looking for. It was the best decision I ever made. Let Christ direct you and you will be fine. I am glad he directed me to the Christian treatment center…A New Life.