College Students are now Using Alcohol Enemas

Over the past few weeks “alcohol enemas” have received wide media attention following an incident at the University of Tennessee involving a fraternity student. The student was in critical condition (but has since been released) last weekend with a blood alcohol level of 0.40, which is five times the legal limit and can result in death by alcohol poisoning.  

According to the Knoxville, TN Police Spokesman Darrell DeBusk, “Upon extensive questioning, it is believed that members of the fraternity were using rubber tubing inserted into their rectums as a conduit for alcohol as the abundance of capillaries and blood vessels present greatly heightens the level and speed of the alcohol entering the bloodstream as it bypasses the filtering by the liver."

As often seen with substance abuse, the tolerance level  for the substance increases and abusers attempt to get their high through a faster mechanism. The slowest administration is through oral ingestion and the fastest is through intravenous transmission. The alcohol enema serves just like an IV, as it goes directly through to the blood stream. According to Aaron White from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) the use of enemas “makes it all the more dangerous, because your body can't reject the toxin...When you do it rectally you may still throw up, but there's nothing to throw up here. It's kind of like a point of no return once you put it in there that way."

Alcohol enemas were otherwise unknown to many, including the Chancellor of Student Life at UT who said, “Shock would be an overstatement…I myself have never heard of what has been alleged.” Although alcohol enemas may be unheard of, the general problem of underage drinking is well known across college campuses throughout the US. It is estimated that 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 experience alcohol related deaths, according to the NIAAA. These deaths can include alcohol poisoning or injuries such as car accidents or falls.

What can start out as casual drinking for your adults can soon turn into alcohol abuse and dependence with dangerous consequences. Harmony Foundation has seen this within its own admissions - with an increase in young adults from across the US, both in and out of college, who have suffered the negative and often unintended consequences of alcohol abuse.


If you or a loved one suffers from substance abuse, Harmony foundation can help through our addiction treatment programs and our specialized treatment tracks for men, women and college age young adults.

September is Recovery Month

The month of September is known as Recovery Month with various events that commemorate and promote the treatment of and recovery from substance abuse and mental health disorders. The goal of Recovery Month is to impact the general discourse about mental health and substance abuse, advocate for more services for these disorders and to celebrate recovery and addiction treatment professionals.

In the past, the influence of popular media on general public perception has stigmatized mental health and substance abuse disorders a negative and shameful. This was recognized 23 years ago by addiction treatment professionals who started Recovery Month as a way to honor those who worked in the field of addiction treatment. Recovery Month then evolved in 1998 to celebrate those in recovery and it evolved last year to include those with mental health disorders. 

Since Recovery Month began, public awareness and understanding substance abuse and mental health disorders has grown. One way this has been effective is equating the disease of addiction with cancer. From this perspective, people realize they wouldn’t shame someone who had cancer, discourage them for seeking treatment or caution them from telling their loved ones or peers about their ailments. In this light, if people are going to great lengths to face one of the most difficult diseases to recover from, their efforts should be celebrated rather than stigmatized.

Because mainstream media can impact public discourse on addiction, it is important to have visible events throughout Recovery Month that re-shape the negative perception of substance abuse and mental health disorders. Recovery Month celebrations are routinely done by sharing stories with others such as neighbors, friends and colleagues as a way to educate the public about living with and recovering from a substance abuse or mental health disorder. Their shared stories and celebrations show that addiction does not discriminate, that it can impact the rich and poor alike, regardless of race, gender, age or sexual orientation. The stories of treatment professionals and those in recovery reveal how and why recovery works, as SAMSHA explains, “There are millions of Americans whose lives have been transformed through recovery. These successes often go unnoticed by the broader population; therefore, Recovery Month provides a vehicle to celebrate these accomplishments.”

Those in recovery should rightfully be depicted as triumphant heroes walking through one of life’s most difficult encounters. Their investment in their own recovery is positive essential to their general health and well-being and that of those around them. They are living testaments that treatment does indeed work and enables them to lead amazing lives, as the best versions of themselves. By shifting the discourse, Recovery Month is a tribute to those in recovery and treatment service providers and spreads the message that recovery is common and possible. If you are a loved one is interested in recovery from a substance abuse or mental health disorder, Harmony Colorado has effective treatment programs that can help you begin your journey. 

Harmony's New Young Adult Recovery Track

Harmony Foundation now has a Young Adult Recovery Track!

Harmony's YART Program is rooted in the peer-to-peer model of recovery. This evidence-based model shows that when those among similar ages or stages in life are in recovery together, they have greater chances of achieving long-term recovery. By being among those with shared experiences that they can better relate to, young adults in particular are better positioned to grasp on to sobriety and recovery as a way of life.

The YART program has been established in response to the growing problem throughout the US of young adults who are addicted to drugs. According to SAMSHA, more than six percent of all Americans aged 18 to 25 have engaged in non-medical use of prescription drugs in the past month. The most commonly used prescription drugs are addictive substances like opiates and benzodiazepines.  

Unfortunately, these drugs and the combination of these drugs known as “drug cocktails” can be life-threatening - as indicated by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism that reported a serious increase in overdoses among 18-24 years old over the past decade. The researchers found that hospitalizations among young adults rose by 25 percent for alcohol overdoses, 56 percent for drug overdoses and 76 percent for overdoses from a combination of drugs and alcohol.

Young adults are more susceptible to peer pressure than other groups, which can be a liability when it comes to drug abuse - yielding to the pressure to try prescription drugs for example. But it can also be an asset - such as in a recovery setting where they see their peers thriving in recovery and embracing 12 step principals.

Harmony Foundation’s recognition of the need for this peer-to-peer model of recovery has been complimented by another innovation - recognizing the impact technology has on young adults in their ability to learn and embrace new concepts. Rather than traditional lectures used in drug treatment programs, Harmony engages clients in a more interactive and technologically engaged track through an array of groups including impulse control, anger and resentment, sexuality, relationships, codependency, trust, grief and loss, relapse prevention and life skills. To compliment these groups, recreational, creative and stress reduction offerings include experiential art, music therapy, yoga, a rock climbing wall, meditation, acupuncture, enhanced exercise and T’ai Chi.

YART will provide a great service to young adults with substance abuse problems in Colorado and throughout the US. Harmony’s Clinical Director, Chris Desizlets - CAC III, speaks to the need of such a program, recognizing that “Clients today enter treatment both younger and sicker than ever before and we cannot treat clients in a one size fits all model. Young adults deserve a young person’s treatment program that respects and speaks to them.”

If you are a loved one has been struggling with substance abuse, Harmony Foundation has affordable addiction treatment programs that can re-ignite your life. Young adults have the rest of their lives ahead of them, make that life filled with peace and joy by calling today.

The "Helping Others" Study Finds That Alcoholic Anonymous Works

There have been few scientific studies on the efficacy of 12 step programs - until now. Maria Pagano, a professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University led a 10-year study known as the “Helping Others” study. Considering the high membership of Alcoholics Anonymous worldwide, the outcome of the study comes as no surprise - active participation in AA does in fact improve one's chances of successful long term sobriety.

Pagano and her colleagues used Project MATCH, a clinical trial on the efficacy of alcoholism treatments on behavior sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. What they found was that those in AA had lower alcohol use and longer sustained sobriety than non-participants.

Twelve step programs like AA promote service as an important component to the program and staying sober. Service can be as simple as driving someone to a meeting or sharing one’s own personal story with others. It is through this service aspect that many are able to sustain their sobriety and recovery. “Consequently, being interested in others keeps you more connected to your program and pulls you out of the vicious cycle of extreme self-preoccupation that is a posited root of addiction" says Pagano.

A large program component of Harmony Foundation's Drug and Alcohol Programs is service and getting outside of one’s own way to strengthen their own sobriety. To many it seems counter-intuitive who may think don’t I need to focus on myself and analyze my past to overcome it? Or don’t I need to be ok before I can help someone else? Sometimes the best thing a person can do for their recovery is to stop analyzing, thinking, worrying and the best way to do that is to take the focus from inward to outward. Like headlights on a car shining outward, a fellow addict can beam light on others and help them through the darkest of times. In such an instant, the worrying addict forgets their own problems by helping another and inadvertently feels better about themselves. Feeling good about oneself and selflessly giving to others brings pleasure and reward that is undoubtedly deeper and more pleasurable than any false reward from substance abuse.

Harmony foundation’s Colorado drug rehab is rooted in 12 step principles, which do have a lasting impact on the ability of our clients to recover and live productive and fulfilling lives.