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Tragically, Whitney Houston passed away on Saturday, February 11th, at the Beverly Hills Hilton. The singer was found submerged in the hotel bathtub not even an hour after she entered, and emergency responders tried to revive her before pronouncing her dead at 3:55 p.m. She was 48-years old.

Known best for her legendary role as a singer in “The Bodyguard,” Houston also had a long singing and acting career, which won her 415 career awards over her lifetime. Hits include: “I Will Always Love You”, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”, and “So Emotional”, among several other top billboard hits.

Her success came with a price: Houston became addicted to drugs, including cocaine. Performances in the late 1990s and in the 2000s suffered after her marriage to Bobby Brown, a person believed to be an influence in Houston’s illicit drug use, and Houston fell from popularity.

After divorcing Brown in 2007, Houston made plans to complete a comeback tour, and in 2009, she finally admitted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that she used drugs with Brown, sometimes daily. In May 2011, she checked in to a drug treatment center to obtain inpatient rehab.

However, it is known that she has battled an addiction to drugs and alcohol for many years, which included attempts at drug treatment and admissions of drug use to the press. There were prescription drugs found in her hotel room.

Moving forward through the aftermath of her death, we can look at Whitney Houston’s life as one filled with success; success in her career and success in attempting to complete drug treatment, an action that in and of itself proves a strength of nature. Please, find the courage to seek drug treatment if you have an addiction. This was likely an accidental death due to a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol; it can happen to anyone. Vista Taos Renewal Center in New Mexico is ready to help you take that first step towards sobriety.

When 57-year old Steven Slevin was jailed for two years, he was never given a chance to attend a rehabilitation facility to conquer his alcoholism. In fact, he was not given a chance for many basic human rights.

Slevin was arrested in 2005 for stealing a car and driving while under the influence. Because he was depressed and potentially suicidal, he was tossed into a padded cell for three days and then sent to solitary confinement. He was never offered treatment for his mental health issues.

According to New Mexico’s Dona Ana County jail’s procedures, any inmate who is suffering from mental health problems is immediately sentenced to solitary confinement.

A doctor was assigned to Slevin at the beginning of his solitary sentence, and Slevin received medication without proper treatment. The doctor did not even see Slevin before dispensing the prescription drugs. When Doctor Zemek left the jail staff a few months later, Slevin’s care was assigned to a registered nurse, who continued to prescribe and increase the dosage of the “complicated psychotropic medications.”

Without proper treatment, Slevin’s health and mental well-being deteriorated over the two year stay. He was denied basic necessities, and sometimes his one hour of allotted time outside of the cell was not granted. Even basics like sanitary care were denied: upon release, his fingernails curled; his body weight had decreased to one-third of his original weight; and he had bed sores and a fungal infection.

Of course, without being granted basic care, it may be obvious that Slevin was also denied access to an alcohol rehabilitation facility. Had he been provided proper care and access to an alcohol rehabilitation facility like the nearby Vista Taos Renwal Center of New Mexico, Slevin may have become rehabilitated while in jail. Instead, he now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. It may be also safe to say his alcoholism, while suppressed during his jail stay, will return sometime in the future.

Two men were arrested last month to the tune of a total 30 total combined DWI arrests. Todd Turrietta and Johnny Ignacio both were arrested 15 times each for DWI-related incidents, but their sentencing for the 15th arrest could be no more severe than the first under New Mexico law. How does this act as a deterrent to prevent further drunk driving offenses? Simply stated: it doesn’t.

Lawmakers want to make a change and are pushing to increase the severity for each punishment. Right now, by state law, New Mexico citizens can expect the same time for the crime, no matter if they are repeat DWI offenders or not. In Albuquerque, however, the laws are more severe. Many state officials and citizens would like to see New Mexico as a whole go towards the direction of Albuquerque’s drunk driving laws.

Albuquerque law allows courts to take away the DWI convict’s car and increased jail or prison time for a repeat offense. Each felony conviction of DWI would count against the newest charge, making 10- or 15-year prison sentences a possibility for those who have repeatedly driven under the influence.

According to Governor Susana Martinez, repeat offenders should be punished in a stricter fashion. “Obviously (repeat offenders) haven't taken advantage of the treatment that is being provided by law (and) need to stay off the streets,” Martinez said. The treatment she mentions is New Mexico substance abuse treatment that was more than likely part of their sentencing.

Treatment available to DWI offenders can include substance abuse treatment at an alcohol rehabilitation program. For many DWI convicts, New Mexico’s own Vista Taos Renewal Center is an excellent option for substance abuse treatment. It will only be a matter of time before the laws are brought into effect and those who are convicted will face greater sentences for their DWI crimes. Don’t wait until a judge orders you into substance abuse treatment; seek one out before you end up behind bars. To learn more about an alcohol rehabilitation program in New Mexico, contact Vista Taos Renewal Center to discuss how the program can help you.

A new, very dangerous method for making the drug methamphetamine, also known as meth, has begun to cost taxpayers millions of dollars. The drug-making method is known as the shake-and-bake method because producers must pour dangerous chemicals together in a plastic soda bottle and shake to mix the concoction. The chemical reaction bakes the drug within the bottle, but it means that a slight mistake can make the mixture blow up in the “chemist’s” face.

Although this method is so dangerous that thousands of meth cooks are harmed by brewing the chemical drug every year, it remains a method of choice for a number of reasons. First, the chemicals used in the concoction are quite common and readily available. Second, the method can be employed anywhere, from a car to a stall in a public restroom. And third, the drug can be made in minutes rather than hours using this new soda-bottle method.

Unfortunately, the dangers of disfiguration, chemical burns and death don’t outweigh the ease of operation for many drug-makers, and hospitals and taxpayers have had to shoulder the financial burden of meth injuries. Many meth cooks are uninsured, so when an accident does occur, the typical $130,000 cost of hospital treatment alone (not counting rehabilitation costs) often either forces hospitals to close burn units or forces the government to cover the cost.

Meth addiction does not appear to be ending soon, though. Many of those injured in meth accidents continue on the meth addiction path, since the drug is so addictive. However, when those suffering from meth addiction seek help at a drug rehabilitation center like Vista Taos in New Mexico, they are more likely to kick their meth addiction and begin life afresh. Contact Vista Taos today to learn about the meth treatment program they offer as well as the complimentary therapies that provide comfort and ease stress affiliated with drug detoxification.

In the Houston Police Department, DWI-offending police officers, or those officers who have themselves received a Driving While Impaired charge, may receive a little more leniency in their jobs than may be expected.

The Houston Police Department has been giving a “last chance” to offending officers for around ten years – and possibly longer. The department consensus seems to be that if the officer has been on good behavior in the past, he should not be fired for receiving a DWI. Instead, the officer should be monitored.

Why would the police department take such a stance when they work so hard to keep drunk drivers off the roads? Well, police departments nationwide often spend more than fifty thousand dollars on training each officer. Spending the time and money to train these officers only to lose them due to an issue that may be resolvable doesn’t make much economic sense – not when alcohol rehabilitation programs can play a part in officers’ recoveries. Many police officers carry a lot of baggage with them. The job is very stressful and at some point may even be traumatic. Law enforcement officers are human; mistakes can happen.

Oftentimes, the police department looks at three factors when deciding the outcome of the offending officer’s job. The department determines the extent of injuries, the extent of property damage, and the actual conviction of the officers. A minor incident will often result in quick reinstatement with monitoring and potential alcohol rehabilitation. A major incident may result in a less lenient stance.

Alcohol rehabilitation is available in New Mexico at the Vista Taos Renewal Center, where the recovery program is altered to each case. This case-by-case treatment allows the center to address underlying issues that may influence alcohol addiction. Counseling and family therapies during the alcohol rehabilitation process can help the person to deal with those outside world triggers and learn to exist and resist while living a fulfilling and healthy life.

Citizens caught driving drunk in 15 US states may face the issuance of a vehicle interlock system as part of their penalty, effective Jan. 1. On the first of January, Connecticut became the 15th state to require the interlock system for all drivers – even first time offenders – who are convicted of driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) above the legal limit.

Other states also participate in the interlock program, to a lesser degree; 24 other states require that repeat offenders or highly drunk drivers (those with a BAC above 0.15) have the interlock system installed in their cars after conviction.

The interlock system is a device that is installed into the ignition of the car. When installed, the car cannot be started until the driver cleanly blows into a breathalyzer. A sober driver may drive; a driver influenced by alcohol may not.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the group that has most heavily pushed for the state-mandated interlock system, believes that the device can save lives. If a driver who is under the influence of alcohol tries to start his car, he will not be able to until he sobers up, meaning that fewer drunk drivers will be on the road to cause harm.

As more and more states join the current 15 who immediately issue interlock systems for any driver convicted of driving while drunk, more people speculate that other states will join the less lenient program – or even require the system be installed in all cars, regardless of a drunk driving conviction.

The interlock system is only one step to keeping drunk drivers off the roads. Helping alcoholics recover at a substance abuse treatment center is also integral to minimizing drunk driving. Substance abuse treatment centers can help alcoholics realize how much harm drunk driving can cause.

For more information about alcohol rehab, please call Vista Taos Renewal Center, a premier substance abuse treatment center located in New Mexico, one of the first states to require the interlock devices for drunk driving offenders.