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Whitney Houston and her Struggle with Cocaine Addiction

Whitney Houston’s Story: Struggling with Addiction

Whitney's Life Before Drugs

The saga of Whitney Houston could potentially be the saga of every single person who is addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. By age 20 all her hard work practicing singer and excellent role models in the singing world in her family was starting to pay off. An agent heard her singing in a nightclub and offered her a contract that very night. Four years later she's on top of the world as the top female artist - ever.

And then somewhere along the line around marrying Bobby Brown and her role in The Bodyguard or additional movies, she starts using cocaine. And then the problems start with the law. With her job. With her good reputation.

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Why Didn’t Drug Rehab or Detox Work for Whitney?

Right here you have to start asking the questions. Why wasn't the drug detox center effective? Did they use a strictly medical approach to Whitney's addiction? Did they not have qualified addiction treatment counselors?

Did Whitney have to pay for some of the more expensive and elite treatment centers because she was a celebrity instead of settling for ones that didn't specialize in celebrities, such as cocaine drug treatment centers and alcohol rehab centers in in the U.S.?

Many people believe that the more expensive a drug detox or rehab or alcohol detox is, the better it is. However, this is often not true. The high ticket price may be more for beach resorts or luxurious resorts that look good on the outside but fail at providing top-of-the-line staff in the way of medical doctors, psychologists, nutritionists, natural foods chefs and addiction treatment counselors in the inpatient treatment.

Similarly, celebrities often look good on the outside while violent storms are occurring deep within their mind. They can't cope with life - one of the major characteristics of those addicted to drugs and alcohol. They may also be impulsive, unable to control their desires and whims.

Whitney Houston and Addiction

Inpatient Treatment Centers for Drug Addiction Treatment are More Advanced Now

Or was it simply that the field of drug addiction science hadn't yet made enough technological advancements so that she could have kicked the habit? What we know now in the year 2015 has vastly exceeded the knowledge that was known back in 2004 and 2006. There are cutting edge alcohol and drug detox in the Untied States and other places - inpatient and outpatient treatment centers that are far ahead of their time.

By 2006, Whitney was deeply involved in an environment - a fast lifestyle full of friends and family that she would have to leave if she had any hope of donning a sober lifestyle. This would have been the ideal time to sign in at a drug detox treatment center that also dealt with alcoholism. She would have been far away from the "friends" who were keeping her in her hell hole for selfish purposes. She did leave her family and using friends and signed in at an inpatient treatment center in Pennsylvania for cocaine and alcohol addiction.

Bad Coping Skills Need Excellent Counseling

Her treatment proved fruitful for a few years, as she came to her senses, got a divorce, and made a comeback album. But during singing appearances, it was all too obvious to fans that drugs and alcohol had ruined her voice. Negative press about it may have also magnified negative coping strategies she had and she ended up in a drug detox once again. However, as some cocaine and other drug detox and alcohol treatment centers would say, "She failed the treatment..." when more likely, they hadn't tailored the treatment to what Whitney needed.

Now, it's pretty well known that Whitney - as well as everyone else - needed a drug detox program that must be customized to needs of the individual.

Are You Addicted to Cocaine? The Time to Find Out is Now

How can you know if you're addicted to cocaine? Sometimes people who abuse this drug aren't sure if they're addicted or not. This is something that you need to know for sure. If you are addicted, you can move forward with getting the proper treatment.

Taking a cocaine addiction quiz can give you a lot of valuable information. When you take this quiz, be sure to answer every question honestly. At the end, you can find out your results right away.

You may prefer to take a closer look at some of the more common signs and symptoms of cocaine addiction. These can include:

  • Suffering from extreme mood swings
  • Becoming paranoid
  • Strange behaviors
  • Cravings for cocaine or crack after the high wears off
  • Feeling nervous or restless

You may also find that you get frequent nosebleeds if you're used to snorting cocaine. If you inject it, you may have needle marks on your arms.

All of these signs of cocaine addiction should not be ignored. You need to know that this problem is not going to just go away. That's not how addiction works. You need to seriously think about professional recovery at a cocaine rehab. That's the only way you can beat this addiction.

Cocaine Addiction Quiz

Can a Crack or Cocaine Addiction be Cured?

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an addiction cannot be cured. However, that doesn't mean that you have to remain in the active addiction for the rest of your life. There are ways to treat addiction so that you remain in remission.

Sometimes it's easier to think of addiction like you would other diseases. This is a disease of the brain that is very similar to asthma or diabetes. A diabetic understands the importance of remaining compliant with treatments. Otherwise, their blood sugar can become very low, or abnormally high. The same is true for an addict.

This isn't to say that you will need to stay in rehab for the rest of your life. That's not feasible, nor is it needed. However, you will need to get some form of treatment for quite some time. At first, it might mean going to rehab. After that, you may be able to step down into an intensive outpatient treatment program. Eventually, you may only need therapy and Narcotics Anonymous.

Detoxing is an important step in addiction recovery for many drugs. Cocaine is no different. When you quit using, you're going to experience withdrawal symptoms. Some of these may include:

  • Lacking in energy and feeling fatigued
  • Having very realistic nightmares
  • Feeling depressed
  • Feeling restless
  • Becoming angry or agitated easily
  • An increase in your appetite
  • Extremely strong cravings for more cocaine or crack

Detoxing the proper way is going to help you keep these symptoms under control. Some of them can even be eliminated through medication or other detox treatments. Cocaine detox is going to help to prepare you for what you'll encounter in rehab. It's a vital step that you won't want to skip.

Sometimes people feel that once they're over the physical part of the addiction, they're recovered. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. There is still so much more work that needs to be done. After detoxing, you'll move on to cocaine rehab. Again, please don't skip this step.

Your addiction to cocaine isn't just physical, although it may seem that way right now. You also have a psychological addiction to this drug. This means that your mind believes that you need it. Without it, you don't feel OK.

When you attend a professional cocaine treatment center, you learn how to live life without drugs. This is critical, and most addicts don't know how to cope without substances. Also, real healing is able to take place through professional treatment. Your therapist will help you understand what it was that caused you to become an addict. Once you learn the root cause, true healing can begin.

Prevent Your Own Tragedy: Choosing to Seek Help

Whitney's life ends in tragedy as she most likely drowned in her hotel bathtub after a night of drugs. Wasted talent. Wasted life that showed no fruit for harvest anymore. Getting away from family and friends who were users was a big key in her recovery - and although it's speculation, the right rehab facility and 12-step support could have been exactly the key to her long-term recovery.

Don't let the same thing happen to you. There are plenty of drug rehabs and alcohol recovery programs for alcoholism. If it's far away from your present incriminating environment, give it some thought. Call Northpoint Recovery today.

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