Promises Treatment Centers

Promises Treatment Centers - The Fix

January 30, 2012

How Well Does AA Work?

It can't be easy to learn that your much younger, ex-husband is hot-subbing it with a bevy of Brazilian girls. So perhaps it's not surprising to learn that an anguished Demi Moore, who'd been sober for years, turned again to substances to relieve her pain.

After suffering a seizure and spending a night in the hospital, the actress, who was sober for most of the '80s, is reportedly checking into rehab, the latest in a long line of celebrities to turn to AA. But will treatment do her any good? How effective are the 12-steps anyway? Is AA more successful than, say, one-on-one psychiatric treatment? Or than no treatment at all?

Promises Treatment Centers - US

January 30, 2012

Demi Moore: What Drug Did She Smoke Before 911 Call?

What was Demi smoking?

Released online Friday, the disturbing audiotape of the 911 call placed by frantic friends of Demi Moore reveal that the 49-year-old star collapsed in her L.A. home Monday after smoking a mysterious substance.

"It's not marijuana," the unidentified female caller told the dispatcher. "It's similar to incense." The drug left the newly single actress and mom with "convulsions," unable to speak and "burning up," her friend reported.

So just what was the incense-like drug that provoked Moore's frightening emergency?

One potential guess could be synthetic cannabis. Known as "K2," "Spice" or "herbal incense," it's a blend of herbs, spices and a synthetic compound similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredients in marijuana.

"It's a relaxed high," Dr. John Sharp, MD, faculty member of Harvard Medical School explained to Us Weekly Friday. "People who aren't used to it can feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. Others feel relaxed physically," added Dr. Sharp, a psychiatrist who has worked in celebrity rehab centers.

"It's similar to weed," he added of the increasingly popular, inexpensive drug. "The mistake, though, is to think that it's necessarily safer. It also doesn't show up in toxicology screenings."

"The issue with this is there is no control of the purity of the chemical that has been sprayed on the weed that they are going to smoke," noted Dr. David Sack, M.D. CEO of Promises of Malibu, an addiction treatment center.

Promises Treatment Centers - Monsters and Critics

January 30, 2012

Demi Moore's drug choices unusual for her age, according to top addiction expert

The details of Demi Moore's physical breakdown are coming to light in recent news reports.

First, Moore's 911 tape will be released, minus any personal location details. The Los Angeles Times reports the Los Angeles city attorney’s office will redact all personal information to comply with federal privacy laws.

Moore's publicist said Tuesday that the actress is seeking professional help to treat her exhaustion and improve her health. Publicist Carrie Gordon says the decision is due to the stresses in Moore’s life.

Reports have surfaced identifying the culprit in her collapse. drug nitrous oxide, more commonly referred to as "laughing gas" or "whippits."

The drug is an anesthetic and calm dental patients’ anxiety but it is also sold in small cartridges that are intended for use in making whipped cream. These containers can easily be misused and the abuse can have serious consequences.

Dr. David Sack is at the forefront of drug addiction rehabilitation. Dr. Sack serves as CEO at Promises Treatment Centers. He has extensive experience in clinical, research and administrative psychiatry, and has served as a senior clinical scientist at NIMH, where his research interests included affective disorders, seasonal and circadian rhythms and neuroendocrinology. Dr. Sack offered Monsters and Critics his opinion on this unusual case of substance abuse from what information has been released to the press.

Promises Treatment Centers - Together

January 5, 2011

What’s Wrong With My Brain?

New imaging technology helps us see our addiction

By Suzanne Riss

In 12-step meetings people are always saying, “After five years, you get your marbles back. After ten, you remember how to use them.” You also hear, “Don’t make any major decisions in your first year of recovery.” Some say it’s more like your first two years.

People in recovery often recognize that something mysterious is going on with their brains. They’re forgetful. They have trouble concentrating. They don’t think clearly.

Now doctors and scientists are gaining insight into what’s going on. They know that an addicted brain undergoes physical changes. And they know that the brain’s plasticity — its ability to change — allows it to heal over time. Now they can chart some of these changes using SPECT scan images, which can identify differences in blood flow in a normal brain and an addicted brain.