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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.

Tragically, a man driving drunk killed his entire family on Wednesday, November 9, in Valencia County, New Mexico. Possibly, and more tragically, the father will not release the remains of the children to their grandmother for burial.

James Woolbert was driving drunk with the mother and the two children as passengers on Wednesday when he crashed the car in Meadowlake. The children were not in the car seats, and they were thrown from the vehicle. They were 2 years old and 4 years old. The mother, Dawn, also suffered fatal injuries.  

The children’s grandmother, Pauline Jaramillo, has requested the remains of the children be released to her for burial, but Woolbert has been uncooperative with her request. Jaramillo, who helped raise the children, is heart stricken and has sought the assistance of a lawyer in the matter.

To complicate matters, Woolbert is currently recovering from his own injuries at the University of New Mexico Hospital. As soon as he has recovered, he will be arrested and await trial. The matter of the releasing the remains may be drawn out even more for these reasons.

Sadly, this tragedy may end in more tragedy, with the burial delayed and the father sentenced to prison. On a positive note, Woolbert may receive the alcohol rehabilitation he needs to prevent future lives from being lost.

While alcohol rehabilitation often takes place in rehabilitation centers like Vista Taos Renewal Center in New Mexico, Woolbert may receive his treatment while in prison. Jail is never the ideal environment for detoxification from drugs or alcohol, as the reoccurrence rate is high. Before you or someone you love is behind bars, get to an alcohol addiction center and seek proper treatment, outside of prison walls.

Not one, but three healthy young adults experienced heart attacks in the Dallas Texas area after smoking the synthetic marijuana: K2/Spice. Doctors are curious if there was something particularly dangerous in that specific batch, though all synthetic drugs are showing a high rate of illnesses associated with using them. These drugs are legal to purchase, but the FDA has been working hard to stop the production of these cannaboids. It seems as soon as one is outlawed, the makers manufacture another one to take its place.

Emergency rooms all over the United States have been reporting side-effects from these products, including nausea, convulsions, elevated blood pressure and many more. Now they can add heart attacks to the already long list of health issues associated with synthetic marijuana. Thankfully, the three young men who suffered the heart attacks in the Dallas area are healthy, and are lucky the heart attack didn’t bring about any other problems; they’ve all made a full recovery.

Doctors are warning people to stay away from these drugs and if needed, seek help for addiction at a drug treatment center. Spice and K2 may seem appealing because they are able to be obtained easily, cheaply and won’t show up on common drug screening tests, but the side-effects are not worth the risk. Though no reports link K2 to deaths in Texas, there have been reports in other parts of the country, such as Iowa.

Vista Taos Treatment Center is located in New Mexico, and able to assist those in the Dallas Texas community who need help with substance abuse. Let these stories be a warning to you; addiction does not end well for those who do not hurry and get on the right path to wellness. Please let Vista Taos show you the path to sobriety.

For many years, car accidents have been a major cause of death for Americans. That is until recently when new data was published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that traffic fatalities are now surpassed by drug overdoses in the number of deaths in the United States. What might surprise people even more is that the drugs people are overdosing on are not heroin, methamphetamines, or cocaine. Shockingly, more overdoses are occurring with prescription medications.

In the new information published by CDC, it showed that drugs killed at least 37,485 Americans in 2009, which is more than the 36,284 deaths which were caused by traffic accidents. Of of these stats alone, we can now see that the death toll from drugs takes one life every 14 minutes. As this staggering number continues to rise, deaths from other causes are dropping. The main prescription drugs being abused are Vicodin, Xanax and OxyContin. The drugs are even causing more deaths than illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine.

It is scary to think of how many of those are suffering from an addiction to prescription drugs and are unable to stop. Many people struggling with an addiction believe they are hopeless or they might just be fearful of the thought of going to a treatment center. But there is always a way out of abusing drugs and a treatment center is one of the best ways to get the utmost care to lead a life without depending on drugs.

Americans dying from overdoses of prescription drugs are people of all ages. These numbers have doubled in ten year’s time and now is the time for those suffering to stop the numbers from increasing anymore. Now is the time to seek out a treatment center that can help to lead a drug-free life so that you or a loved one is not a casualty of addiction. For more information on how to lead a life that is not dependent on drugs, contact Vista Taos Renewal Center in New Mexico today.

Florida inadvertently was instrumental in shredding the myth of addiction and who’s abusing drugs. Their welfare program now requires drug screens, and to the surprise of many 98% of recipients passed!

When we look for addicts and the scourge of addiction, the general populace remains stubbornly attached to the notion that we’re looking at lowlifes, criminals, the chronically unemployed, and the homeless.

In an effort to save the state of Florida hundreds of thousands of dollars, the state spent tens of thousands of dollars proving that addiction and drug abuse is not concentrated and limited to lower socio-economic strata.

Enlightening the populace and politicians that addiction is not more prevalent among the poor has been a decades long effort by treatment professionals. And reputable study after study continually reveals that minimally 7% of the population of the United Sates is addicted to alcohol or drugs (legal or illicit). Studies from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration continually reveal that 48% of the American adolescent and adult population used a legal or illicit in just the past week! Clearly, our general awareness and ignorance of addiction is abusing the truth.

By the best and most learned estimates, 20% of the American population is addicted to drugs or alcohol. Most of these folks are functional: they work, they are in relationships, they are physicians, attorneys, teachers, coaches, professionals in every aspect of business and service workers. These functional addicts are cousins, siblings, parents, grandparents, friends and colleagues. It is believed that of every 5 people anyone in America knows or is related to, one of them is addicted to a drug or substance.

As has been the mantra of treatment professionals since the 1940s: Educate the Public about the realities of this disease. Addiction is a neurological and medical disease. Addiction can occur in anyone from any walk of life. Addiction Prevention is best served by education and public awareness. 12 step Programs are highly effective in treating addiction. Treatment Programs really work in treating addiction. Incarceration has been shown to be the least effective method of reducing addiction.

As has been the case for so many centuries – addiction remains caught in stereotypical definitions. It will be the strong, consistent and clear voice from addiction professionals and their advocates who will ultimately change the public perception of addiction and enlighten society to addiction treatment.

S. Darcy
Vista Taos Renewal Center

Celebrating and embracing recovery is one of the most important parts to accepting a better future. Each year during the month of September, individuals worldwide group together in hopes of spreading the message of recovering from addiction and seeking help within treatment centers. The Rally for Recovery focuses on putting a face and voice on recovery over substance abuse and gaining numbers in a life of sobriety.

Many times those struggling with addiction, and even those who are in treatment centers or in recovery from substance abuse, often hide their experience and what they are going through or what they have been through. Through the Rally for Recovery, people are given a voice and are encouraged to share their years of recovery and prove that a positive life can exist after conquering addiction.

As people take more time to understand the recovery process and realize how important it is to give it a voice, then people will be more accepting in helping with recovery and supporting it as they would any other healing from any type of disease. Sadly, substance abuse recovery has been something people feel they should be ashamed of but now is the time to stand up and give it a voice. Now is the time to show that things can get better through the progression of recovery.

An important step in making it to the recovery process is seeking the treatment needed to be successful in recovery. Treatment centers can provide safety and acceptance for individuals to learn to live a drug-free life. Vista Taos Renewal Center is a treatment center that aims to heal people inside and out and assist them in recovering from addiction. If you or a loved one is recovering from an addiction or is seeking treatment for an addiction, do not hesitate to take the steps needed to heal and grow by contacting Vista Taos Treatment Center today. Vista Taos is proud to be representing New Mexico’s expert treatment center and is a participant in many of these drug education and prevention functions.

Drug addiction is something a lot of individuals suffer from in our society. But what many do not realize is the effects a drug addict has on their family and friends. Addiction is an ugly disease that can tear families apart. Whether a person abuses alcohol or prescription or illegal drugs, a family will always suffer from the time a person is abusing until the time a person decides to get help. Sometimes the feelings last beyond treatment.

The longer someone suffers from substance abuse, the more it affects the family. The addict might verbally or physically abuse family members when they are using. They might also steal from family members or end up in trouble with law enforcement. This can cause intense heartache for those family members or friends who only want to help an addict get the help they need.

That is why it is so important that an addict seek help for their addiction through a treatment center. Not only can the addict receive help for their addiction and learn to lead a healthy and drug-free life, but they also can work with their family members and begin to heal from all the damage that an addict’s substance abuse has caused over time. Addicts with children are especially causing pain to their family, because their children not only see what addiction does to tear the family apart, but also because the children are more apt to start abusing alcohol or drugs too.

Even though an addict is the cause of destruction to the family ties, they are also the solution to repairing the damage done through substance abuse. When an addict chooses to enter a treatment center and learn to live a drug-free life-style, they are ultimately helping their entire family being the healing process. Treatment centers provide a safe environment for addicts and family members to move forward in a positive direction that does not involve drugs or alcohol, and works to eliminate past painful choices made by an addict.

If you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction, please visit Vista Taos Renewal Center in Taos, New Mexico and let them lead the way to a more positive future for everyone involved. Vista Taos is just 85 miles north of Santa Fe. Counselors are able to take calls at any time of day.

Of the many vast treatment programs there are for problems regarding addictions, the one tried and true program that still makes the most significant impact is the Twelve Steps Recovery Program. The program’s best selling point is that it ultimately states that the program works as long as YOU work it. A lot of people believe that if they get treatment, then their problem will just go away and they will be all “better”. Unfortunately, this is usually never the case as addiction is a lifelong battle.

With the help of the Twelve Step Program and assistance from an inpatient drug treatment, a person can turn their life around for the better and learn how they can be successful in their fight against substance abuse. The Twelve Steps, first published in 1939, focuses on the constant working of the program’s steps with someone who is going through the same process too. This helps build a support system and veers people away from relapsing and going down another rocky path in life.

The Twelve Steps are designed to provide personal discovery and reflect on your past choices. With reflection and support from others going through the same struggle, individuals are able to make connections and realize they are not in this addiction fight alone. Vista Taos’ inpatient drug treatment program is designed not only to work the Twelve Step Program, but also provide the best possible care to re-enter the world a positive, enlightened and healthy individual.

If you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction, don’t hesitate to reach out and get the help you deserve and need. Vista Taos Renewal Center, located the peaceful village of Taos, just  north of Santa Fe, New Mexico provides the serenity needed to become a better you and to make smarter, healthier life choices.

Jeff Conaway, best known for his roles in the show Taxi and the popular movie Grease, recently passed away tragically after a long public battle with multiple drug addictions. Many people were unaware of his struggles at home until 2008 when Conaway appeared on Drew Pinsky’s show “Celebrity Rehab,” which is based in a drug rehabilitation center with cameras documenting each celebrity’s every move and struggle. Conaway was documented on the show as having addictions to multiple prescription medications and the pain he dealt with on a daily basis was very evident and pain-staking to watch on television.

But Conaway is not the only celebrity to have his life end from drug addiction after appearing on Celebrity Rehab. Recently, Mike Starr, formerly of the band Alice in Chains, died of an overdose of prescription drugs after years of struggles and multiple stays at drug rehabilitation centers. Not only are these heartbreaking stories, but they also pose the question as to whether their deaths could have been prevented had they chose a different path in seeking treatment.

While people might find it fascinating to watch these painful struggles play out on television, for those fighting to kick an addiction habit, this type of environment is completely unhealthy and unsafe. A drug rehabilitation center is supposed to be a place where individuals can separate themselves from the day-to-day world and focus on recovery and healing. Celebrity Rehab puts cameras in the faces of celebrities dealing with drug addictions hoping to kick their bad habits on a show that lasts only three weeks. Most experts will tell you, it takes a lot more time than three weeks to focus on fighting an addiction and winning your life back.

When people are fighting against the powerful pull of substance abuse, they need privacy, comfort, a calm environment and time to focus on their health and becoming a more content, drug-free functioning adult. Vista Taos Renewal Center in New Mexico provides exactly what a person with addiction needs- a secluded, private rehab facility where the only thing patients have to worry about is getting better. This is the best way to get the recovery needed to truly stay drug-free and healthy.

Sleeping Pill AddictionSleeping pills are generally seen as a harmless substance that are sold legally both over the counter and through prescription, and are therefore safe for consumption. Yet, while millions of Americans are prescribed sleeping pills, the necessity to watch themselves for addiction symptoms is often the last thing on their minds. Interestingly, sleeping pills are one of the most highly addictive substances on the market, and has one of the highest addiction margins of any substance, mainly due to the fact that many people start using sleeping pills because of an actual need for the product.

A person may start their use of sleeping pills after a few bad nights of sleep, searching for an over the counter product that will help them get at least a few hours of rest. After discovering that they fall asleep more quickly, and sleep more deeply while using the medication, they may begin to use it every night to avoid having any bad nights of sleep. Soon, they will rely on the product to even fall asleep at all, and over the counter products will no longer have the same effect, leading them to seek prescription-strength sleeping pills. Unfortunately, at this point the person is often exhibiting addiction symptoms, yet because they are only taking a recommended medication, think nothing of it. In March of 2011, a 13 year old student at a middle school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma took seven prescription sleeping pills and had to be transported to a hospital. Besides addiction possibilities and like every medication, there is a chance of overdose. Many have died of an overdose from sleeping pills, this Oklahoma City girl is very fortunate. Actor Heath Ledger died from a simple cocktail of prescription sleep aids like Ambien with a booster on a non-prescription sleep aid: Unisom.

Prescription-strength sleeping pills such as Ambien, Sonata, and Lunesta are highly advertised, and some even offer free week-long samples – just enough to give a person time to begin developing dependence and start to feel addiction symptoms. In some cases, a person may plan their activities according to when and where they will take their sleeping medication, they may not attempt to fall asleep without them for fear that they will just have to get up and take them anyway, and they may have anxiety over acquiring enough medication or planning ahead in order to ensure they will have medication. These are all addiction symptoms related to sleeping pills.

If you suspect that you or a loved one may be exhibiting addiction symptoms as a result of short-term or long-term use of sleeping pills, whether over the counter or prescription-strength, contact Vista Taos Addiction Center and stop the co-dependency of sleep medications.