The death of Amy Winehouse at age 27 is a tragedy for the music world, a tragedy for her family and loved ones, and a stark reminder that addiction is a nefarious disease that has no respect for talent or celebrity. No one is immune.

She was found dead at her apartment in London on Saturday, July 23, 2011, police and her publicist confirmed. No cause of death has been determined, and it will likely be weeks before the medical examiner issues a ruling.

The singer with the rich, throaty voice, numerous tattoos and trademark beehive hairdo found international success in 2007 with her album Back to Black, which nabbed her five Grammys in 2008. Her huge talent was often overshadowed, though, by her erratic public behavior and arrests, usually tied to her alcohol and drug addictions.

Ironically, one of Winehouse’s hit songs was titled “Rehab” and includes lines where the singer says “no” to her family’s insistence that she seek treatment. She did eventually get help, several times. In fact, in 2009, following her volatile two-year marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil and their divorce, Winehouse seemed on the road to recovery, undergoing what her parents termed a “gradual recovery.”

Winehouse in Rehab

Just prior to her death, there were clues that Winehouse continued to struggle with her addictions. She entered a treatment program less than two months ago, supposedly in an attempt to prepare for an upcoming European tour. But in her first performance she was booed off the stage in Serbia by disappointed fans following a disastrous performance that found her staggering around the stage and stumbling through several songs. The tour was immediately cut short.

Winehouse spokeswoman Tracey Miller told CNN at the time that the singer “agreed with management that she cannot perform to the best of her ability and will return home.” A new statement appeared on Winehouse’s website Saturday, according to CNN, saying “Amy Winehouse is withdrawing from all scheduled performances.”

Dying when she did, Winehouse now joins a club no one wants to be a part of, a group of talented musicians who succumbed to addiction at the ridiculously young age of 27. The group includes Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Doors frontman Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix.

Substance Abuse Rehabilitation

Unfortunately, Winehouse’s experience is all too common. Treatment isn’t a one-time fix that solves the problem of addiction forever. It can take several tries before it actually “takes,” with relapses along the way. And even then, recovery is a lifelong process. There is no quick cure for the disease of addiction, and while many dabble in drug use or experiment with alcohol, sure they can remain in control, substance abuse sneaks up on them and they realize they’ve lost control once it’s too late.

Drug and Alcohol Treatment at La Paloma

If you’re struggling with alcohol or drug addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about drug and alcohol treatment, financing or insurance.

Troubled actress and singer Lindsay Lohan was released from home confinement after 35 days, a sentence that was originally imposed for misdemeanor theft and probation violation. But her freedom was threatened several weeks before her release when she tested positive for alcohol after hosting a party at home.

The actress was originally sentenced to 120 days in jail after entering a guilty plea to stealing a necklace from a jewelry store earlier this year. The jail time was traded for much less time served at home because of jail overcrowding and credit for good behavior for prisoners.

There is still that pesky problem of the 480 hours of community service Lohan needs to serve, but she didn’t let that get in the way of celebrating on her first night of freedom, hitting a club for a friend’s going away party.

The actress, who turns 25 on July 2, has served very little jail time despite two drunk-driving convictions, the recent theft conviction and a long list of probation violations.

Substance abuse may be at the root of Lohan’s problems. She entered drug rehab last year to avoid a jail sentence imposed by another judge, but Lohan’s most recent judge wasn’t buying it, saying, “she’s got other problems for which she self-medicates.”

A May 2011 probation report counters, saying the actress “appears to be continuing to struggle with substance abuse issues.” In addition to alcohol abuse, Lohan’s issues have also reportedly involved cocaine and amphetamines. Whether she’ll be able to get a handle on her problems – both substance-related and otherwise – remains to be seen, but the media, fans and addiction experts will all be watching.

Substance Abuse Treatment

If you or someone you love is battling an addiction or co-occurring disorder, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

In the month we celebrate our presidents past and present in the United States, it seems only appropriate for those of us in the recovery community to also look at what they’ve done – both purposely and by accident – to further addiction awareness.

President Bush and Alcohol

Before he was the Commander In Chief, George W. Bush battled a drinking problem. In his younger years, it took the form of pranks and minor brushes with the law, but it later became an issue that began to hamper his performance. In the James Hatfield penned Bush bio, Fortunate Son, Bush is quoted as saying, “alcohol began to compete with my energies … I’d lose focus.”

While Bush has never labeled himself an alcoholic, he has publicly acknowledged he was “drinking too much.” A charge of disorderly conduct when Bush was 20 years old was later dismissed, but a DUI arrest a decade later resulted in a fine and a suspended license. Bush has said that he quit drinking in 1986 for good after waking up with a hangover following his 40th birthday celebration.

Betty Ford and Addiction

Probably the most well-known White House resident to come clean about her own personal battle with addiction is Betty Ford. The wife of President Gerald Ford, Betty entered treatment following a 1978 intervention staged by the Ford family to force her to confront her addiction to alcohol and opioid analgesics (the painkillers had been prescribed more than a decade before for a pinched nerve). Ford became such an advocate for recovery that she went on to establish the Betty Ford Center in 1982.

One of the most famous instances of drug use (or misuse) among a U.S. President was when Bill Clinton tried to downplay some youthful pot use by insisting, “I didn’t inhale.” The statement, made during his first presidential campaign, became a punch line for comedians and late-night talk show hosts, not to mention Clinton’s political opponents. This incident was the catalyst for a new truthfulness from future presidential candidates. During his campaign, President Barack Obama admitted to getting high when he was younger, without qualifying his experimentation. He has also just recently given up smoking after a long addiction to nicotine.

You don’t have to be in public office or married to the leader of the free world to experience a substance use disorder. If you or someone you love is battling an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

Headline News’ Jane Velez-Mitchell knows a little something about addiction. As someone in recovery for alcoholism, the newswoman is aware of its pull and its dangers. In her latest book, Addict Nation: An Intervention for America, Velez-Mitchell posits that the problem is far more widespread than most people acknowledge. In fact, she suggests that we’re a nation of addicts, each addicted to some substance or behavior.

“Virtually everyone in America is hooked on something,” she insists, adding, “Americans are being lured into a slew of addictions that are supremely self-destructive. They’re making us high. They’re making us overweight. They’re keeping us constantly distracted. They’re trivializing our most important relationships. They’re putting us in debt. And they’re destroying our natural world. We’re all becoming slaves to our worst impulses. We are giving up our freedoms.”

Some may argue that freedom is the choice to eat, do or even smoke what we want, even if it’s bad for us. But Velez-Mitchell knows that anyone in the grips of addiction is far from free – whatever that addiction may be. Instead, that freedom comes from being free of an inescapable urge to continue to do something we know isn’t healthy or helpful. Instead, Velez-Mitchell found freedom in sobriety.

“I no longer had to worry about what inappropriate thing I might do or say as the night wore on,” she explains in her book. “I knew that the next day I would remember everything that happened at the party. I knew I would not have to phone anyone the next morning for a ‘damage assessment’ nor would I have to apologize for anything I did or said. There would be no embarrassment or remorse or worry.”

While the DSM IV – the diagnostic manual that determines what does and doesn’t constitute an official addiction – might not classify your urge to text or exercise as a true addiction, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem. Addiction, by definition, is being powerless to say no to a particular substance or behavior despite long-term pain or other negative consequences.

Addiction Treatment

For those struggling with alcohol or drug addiction, help is just a phone call away. If you or someone you love is battling an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about rehab, financing or insurance.

Actor Charlie Sheen was back in the news on Jan. 27, 2011, after being rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital by ambulance. The hard-partying actor’s rep attributed the medical problem to “severe pain related to a hernia,” according to CNN.com. Sheen left Cedars-Sinai Medical Center later that same day, after being treated for what was characterized as an ongoing condition, but that didn’t stop reporters from swarming the hospital after news of the early morning 911 call leaked.

This second emergency trip to a hospital for Sheen in three months has many speculating that the Two and a Half Men star is on a dangerous downward spiral. His history of alcohol and drug addiction may make that concern warranted. The last hospital stay, which began when police responded to an early morning call from the plush Plaza Hotel about “an emotionally disturbed person.” Sheen’s representative later blamed an “adverse allergic reaction” to a medication. No official charges of substance abuse have been leveled at the star.

Sheen’s hit show was off the week of this most recent incident, and he’s expected to return to the set on Tuesday. But is that what’s best for Sheen in the long run? If he didn’t have one of the top-rated comedies on the air, would it be easier for him to receive treatment? Would he be more willing to head back to rehab? When millions of dollars are at stake, that impacts how others treat you, and it has some questioning whether the show’s producers should step in and intervene. What responsibility does Hollywood have when managers, agents, producers and studio heads suspect a star is starting to self-destruct?

Addiction Treatment

If you or someone you love is battling an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

In the U.S., drugs are usually taken recreationally, used to pass the time, enhance social activities or check out of reality for a while. Then, after a prolonged period, it turns into addiction. For many people in Afghanistan, drugs are a way of life.

A recent report from CNN.com spotlighted the problem of opium addiction in the war-torn country, and the facts were staggering. Parents feed chunks of pure opium to their children to help them sleep and keep them calm so the adults can work. It also quiets the hunger that is often a constant companion in a region where there never seems to be enough food.

These poor families aren’t educated and aren’t aware of the risks of this dangerous drug. In fact, they pass out opium to the children when they’re sick, using it as a medicine in a place where regular medical care is nonexistent and medicine is too costly. As a result, the cycle of drug addiction passes through the generations. In fact, babies are often born addicted because their mothers use opium regularly to ease the pain of long hours doing backbreaking work. The region is known for its carpets, but it’s also earning a reputation for a cycle of addiction passed on through generations. Often, entire extended families are addicted. In this area, it’s just a way of life.

Drug Treatment in Afghanistan

The problem isn’t anything new, either. For years locals have been turning to opium to quiet a baby’s cough, to help get through the day, to ease aches and pains both physical and emotional. And there are treatment options, but the closest government-run drug rehabilitation center has only 20 beds and a handful of staff to deal with the epidemic – and it requires a four-hour drive to reach it.

Opium Addiction Help

Experts estimate that opium addiction afflicts more than one million Afghans. While addiction is a struggle in any country, here in the U.S. help is just around the corner. If you or someone you love is battling an opium addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about drug rehab, financing or insurance.

Even as Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is transferred to a rehabilitation facility, the tragic shooting spree in Arizona that killed six and wounded 13 is still fresh in the nation’s consciousness. The horrific incident has led to much speculation about whether anything could have been done to stop 22-year-old suspect Jared Lee Loughner.

In the days since the shooting, Loughner’s father, friends and former community college classmates have come forward. They paint a picture of another tragedy, a young man dealing with serious mental health issues.

There were enough complaints at college that Loughner was suspended and warned not to come back without a mental health evaluation. There were also postings attributed to Loughner on websites including MySpace and YouTube that one expert told CNN show “classic signs of psychosis.” Loughner’s own father admits his son was “out of control” prior to the incident.

Forensic psychologist Kathy Seifert told CNN that Loughner’s postings were “absolutely psychotic,” adding that he should have been evaluated for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism or other mental illnesses.

Other reports – including a hospital visit for alcohol poisoning, an arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia and a failed attempt to enlist in the Army due to a positive drug test — suggest that Loughner may have turned to illicit drugs and alcohol in an attempt to self-medicate. This is common among those with mental health issues, leading to what experts refer to as co-occurring disorders (when addiction is paired with another disorder that precipitates or aggravates the substance use).

Obviously, many individuals with mental health problems aren’t violent, and it would be an added tragedy if Loughner’s actions were to make the public afraid of harmless individuals who are struggling valiantly against a mental health disorder. The focus now is on justice for the victims and to find positive outcomes from this senseless tragedy. Increased understanding of mental health issues and addiction can be part of that if people will only make the effort.

Co-occurring Disorder Treatment

If you or someone you love is battling an addiction paired with a mental health issue, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

The debate rages on over our nation’s drug problem and the best way to make positive changes. Some call for harsher drug laws, while others insist incarceration isn’t the answer when it comes to battling the disease of addiction. Many agree that those with a substance abuse problem need treatment, while it’s the drug lords who deserve jail. But a recent arrest at Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport raised a new issue, making some wonder about the fate of the desperate individuals who help bring drugs into the country.

On January 6, 2011, Customs and Border Protection authorities arrested 32-year-old Sherifat Lamidi when she was found to be carrying 91 pellets of heroin inside her body. It was the biggest bust of its kind in recent memory, with Lamidi having swallowed 2½ pounds of the drug, packed inside balloon-like packaging, according to the arresting agency. The drugs she was carrying had an estimated street value of $125,000, and Lamidi was reportedly paid $6,000 for putting her life (and her freedom) at risk. Once arrested, she admitted it wasn’t her first time to take such a chance. The Detroit Free Press reported that the suspect admitted she was previously paid $4,500 to travel to Chicago after ingesting 50 heroin pellets.

Stopping that amount of heroin from entering the country and hitting our streets is certainly cause for celebration, but Lamidi, a Nigerian citizen, is far from a drug kingpin. Instead, she’s what’s known as a “drug mule.” Her long trek originated in her home country with a stop in Frankfurt, Germany, where she boarded the Lufthansa Airlines flight to Detroit. What will become of her now that she’s been caught? After being taken to a local hospital in order to “pass” the pellets, her case was turned over the US Attorney’s office for prosecution. Meanwhile, our drug problem rages on, with new individuals falling into addiction every day.

Drug Addiction Treatment

If you or someone you love is battling a drug addiction, call La Paloma at the toll-free number on our homepage. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about drug rehab, financing or insurance.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. No sooner did the caffeine-laden alcoholic beverage Four Loko start receive negative attention for it’s popularity among teens and barely-legal twenty-somethings, than a new beverage has cropped up.

Adult Chocolate Milk

Adult Chocolate Milk, made by Adult Bev Co, is touted as “youth at 40-proof.” The alcohol-spiked kiddie fave may be advertised as “for the adult crowd only,” but it’s definitely going to pique the interest of those who are under 21. Getting R&B singer Ginuwine to hawk the product dressed up as a funkified milkman will only help with that.

Next up from Adult Bev Co: Adult Orange Cream, Adult Fruit Punch and Adult Limeade. “They taste just like your favorite treats from way back when,” the company’s site says. And that’s exactly the problem. There’s nothing wrong with providing tasty drink options for consenting adults, but it’s a fine line between that and creating products that teens are going to find too tempting to pass up – despite being legally prohibited from partaking.

Meanwhile, some college campuses and other locations are banning drinks like Four Loko.

Addiction Treatment

If you or someone you love is battling an alcohol addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about alcohol rehab, financing or insurance.

As the war in Iraq and Afghanistan continues on, we hear more about the effects of war on those serving in the Gulf. PTSD rates are high among veterans and these veterans are at risk of developing substance abuse issues as well. But all veterans are not at equal risk. A new study shows that female US veterans between the ages of 20-39 are significantly less likely than their male counterparts to engage in binge drinking, smoke cigarettes or use illicit drugs, according to a new study.

Data on Veteran Substance Abuse

The 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health collected data that found that more than 22 percent of female veterans reported binge drinking in the past month (defined as five or more drinks on the same occasion), while more than 43 percent of male veterans reported binge drinking. Among that same group, 13.1 percent of male veterans used illicit drugs in the past month versus 9.6 percent of female veterans. Cigarette use for male veterans was at 40.9 percent, while 33.4 percent of female veterans were apt to light up regularly.

PTSD Treatment

While this may be seen as positive news for women in the military, PTSD and higher incidences of depression and addiction continue to be an increasing problem among all veterans. Fortunately, help is available. If you or someone you love is battling a PTSD along with an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.