I once knew a guy that people nick named “White Chip Charlie” The nick name of course was in reference to the regularity with which he relapsed and then picked up a new white chip. The white chip is the symbol used in 12 step fellowships when someone is invited to start a new way of life and give up their addiction. Relapse is so common to those in recovery that some go so far as to say relapse is just part of the recovery process. The Therapist in our Christian Drug Rehab dispute this as nothing more than a defeatist attitude and just not true.

 Relapse is a process but it is opposite from recovery and any                       addiction treatment center that doesn’t include relapse prevention does their patients a disservice. Addicts / Alcoholics are a paranoid untrusting group and this is part of the reason for relapse. Relapse is a process that is made up of any number of difficult situations occurring naturally is an addict’s life. When these situations are unaddressed they start to negatively impact the addict. There is a cumulative affect that leaves the addict so dysfunctional in recovery that self-medication with alcohol or drugs seem like a reasonable choice. If an addict has yet to develop a trusting relationship with a support group they are likely to relapse. Recovering addicts need feed back about their behavior and their attitude because of their ability to justify and deny to themselves.

 Learning to trust people and accept constructive criticism at home, work and in social groups helps the addict become aware of subtle changes and address situations before they become problems. Patient at our Christian Drug Rehab start the process of self examination and begin to under stand their shortcomings. They learn to trust as they engage in the therapeutic group process. If relapse does occur you must swallow your pride and jump right back into recovery, being readmitted into a drug rehab if necessary.

  Just because a doctor prescribes a medication, doesn’t mean you can’t become addicted. Our Christian Drug Rehab in Florida has seen an increase in admissions with patients addicted to Prescription Medication. Many of these patients denial is amplified by the fact that their drug of choice was prescribed by their doctor. Any medication or drug that is mood-altering can be addictive. Many of the patients use the medication for legitimate reasons and the use turns to abuse because of a low tolerance to pain. People start to increase the dosage or shorten the time between application to relieve symptoms and the end result is addiction.

 Patients with prescription addiction are admitted to our detoxification unit which is part of our Christian Drug Rehab. Our Physicians patiently explain the medical aspect of what happened to the patient and way the ended up in a drug rehab. Some of these addictions have a short history but some have persisted for years and our Christians Therapists help the patient work through the fallout of destruction present in life of any addict.

 While illegal drug use gets the most attention when people talk about drug addiction, it is easy to overlook the legal drugs that are used for recreation, which leads to addiction. Medicine cabinets all over America have become the source of drugs for young and old alike looking for a “free high”. Proper use of Rx meds and disposal of unused meds can reduce the risk of addiction. But when there is an addiction, please seek professional help at a Christian Drug Rehab.

We can draw strong comparisons between the devastated people of Haiti and addicts in Addiction Treatment. Although the situations are different the feelings of hopelessness and desperation are similar. We certainly can’t compare the loss of life or home; but we can draw on the incredible faith shown by these resilient people facing sever challenges and overwhelming odds. The faith in God expressed by the majority of Haitians is the same faith needed by patients in a Christian Drug Rehab.   

 When patients enter a Christian Drug Rehab it is often the result of a consequence, a loss or threat of loss in their life. Patients feel lost, hopeless, desperate and trapped. They often state they feel they are at the lowest point in their life, having lost homes, jobs, family and friends. This loss may in fact be self induced but loses just the same; and having to face their situation without the use of drugs is indeed painful.   

 Christian Drug Rehabs can offer faith through the word of God to help patients rebuild their lives. Christian leaders through out Haiti are rallying people through their faith and replacing desperation with hope. Our Christian Counselors in drug rehab can use the example of the Haitian People to motivate patients in their own struggle and in deed replace desperation with hope.

Making the decision to enter a Drug Rehab can be frightening as it is serious. When I was trying to find the right facility to get clean I looked all over New Jersey for a good drug rehab center. I ended up entering a Christian Drug Rehab even thou I wasn’t Christian. It was an excellent program but thee was too much pressure from staff and peers for me to attend Church and participate in other Christian oriented groups and classes. They finely just asked me to leave the facility saying I was non – compliant and a distraction to other patients.  

 After only a week in treatment I knew had to find another facility to complete my therapy. I found an Addiction Treatment Center in Jacksonville, Florida that looked like the right place for me. I was there for three days when I found out they had a Christian Drug Program. At first I was worried that I might have the same problem as in New Jersey. What I found out was that the program I was in, the traditional track was totally separate from any other program.

 Patients at Lakeview Health were free to transfer into another track within the facility if they thought it would help them but there was never any pressure. I knew some patients that moved to the Christian Drug Rehab, but they never tried to force their faith on me. Besides getting world class treatment we all learned we could live together regardless of our different beliefs.

As addicts leave their homes and communities to enter our Christian Drug Rehab, they are comforted in knowing we offer Pastoral Counseling. Even though this may not be their pastor from home, the parameters of Pastoral Counseling are such that the patient feels at ease with this stand in minister. In our drug rehab the same person that facilitates the patients Celebrate Recovery also does our Pastoral Counseling. This offers a high degree familiarity and the patients develop the trust necessary for the recovery process.

By definition, pastoral counseling affirms the client’s own spiritual journey and faith community even though these may be different from the counselors, thus it precludes proselytizing and “evangelical” efforts to induce the client to change faith communities. This process epitomizes our respect for the patients entering our Christian Drug Rehab.

The therapists in our addiction treatment  program work closely with the Pastoral Counselor to synchronize the effort in the therapeutic process. This is just one point that sets us apart from other Christian Drug Rehabs but an extremely important point. All staff members, even volunteers, work together as a team to provide the very best care for our patients.

People enter Addiction Treatment for many reasons; finding God is not on the short list or on any list. Patients entering our Florida Christian Drug Rehab most likely come to stop the pain or as a result of a major consequence in their life. Friends, family or employers intervene and present the addict/alcoholic with an ultimatum which usually includes a trip to a drug rehab center.

 When a patient enters our Florida Christian Drug Rehab they are often confused, fearful and have no idea what to expect. If the patient needs to detox it may be a few days before reality sets in. As the effects of the drugs begin to ware off the realization of their immediate situation puts them in a precarious position. At this point, if they are to succeed, they must accept the facts and find some hope in their future.

 When an Addict reaches this point in their journey they are often open to any help offered. The Christian Therapists in our Florida Christian Drug Rehab gently show the patient that hope begins in their relationship with God. Skillfully using the scriptures that directly relate to the patients present life situations helps the individual find God as a source of their hope. The patient begins to understand that God was there all along.

My clean date is December 21^st so every year at this time I reminisce about what it was like that last Christmas. I was in a relationship at that time and we were both using. We didn’t exchange gifts we only spent money on drugs. We didn’t have Christmas Decorations so at midnight on Christmas Eve we went out and stole decorations from houses in the neighborhood and put them up inside our house. That was her last Christmas, she died of an overdose in September and I entered a Florida Drug Rehab three months later.  

 Lynn was a twenty-four year old woman who didn’t get the chance to go for Addiction Treatment. It has been twenty eight years and her death still motivates me to help those struggling with an addiction find a Florida Drug Rehab. I work for a Christian Drug Rehab and feel blessed to be able to help other addicts find their way back to God and a new life in recovery.

 Many years have passed since those two addicts with no family and no friends struggled to celebrate Christmas. Our only belief system was that drugs would take away the pain we felt, lost in the grip of our addiction. That Florida Drug Rehab saved my life and our Christian Rehab can do the same for you. Today I understand that God gave me the best gift for Christmas I will every receive….freedom from my addiction.

Pastoral Counseling receives some of the credit for the recent success rate at an Addiction Treatment Center in Jacksonville, Florida.  “A New Life” at Lakeview Health is offering Pastoral Counseling in their Christian Drug Rehab. In a recent article published by Religion and Public Interest, using research by the Gallop Organization and Lilly Endowment Inc it was reported that 79 % of Americans acknowledge faith can help them recover from illness.

The Drug Rehab Center in Jacksonville’s Pastoral Counseling is preformed by the same clergy that offers Celebrate Recovery, attended by patients in the Christian Program. This familiarity increases the comfort level necessary for the counseling relationship to develop.

There exists today an excellent understanding of the medical aspects of addiction. Theologically addiction my be a poor attempt to satisfy a spiritual  need. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in God” a statement by Augustine directly speaks to the addicted person. The first three steps in the 12 step program speak to admission, hope, restoration and faith in a higher power. Pastoral Counseling will help in recovery that often involves a spiritual journey to accept God and develop a personal relationship with that God.