alcohol addiction	Fiorinal® addiction
alcohol dependency	GHB addiction
alcoholism	Klonopin® addiction
Ambien® addiction	phenobarbital addiction
Ativan® addiction	Soma® addiction
barbiturate addiction	Valium addiction
Fioricet® addiction	Xanax® addiction

Three Month Program

Initial 5 day hospital admission:

Inpatient medical detoxification, provides higher quality medical care than typical "treatment centers". Better cardiac and respiratory monitoring allows Florida Detox^® to safely utilize heavier sedation and intravenous medications that prevent any tachycardia (racing heart), elevated blood pressure or seizure-like activity. The Florida Detox^® technique prevents twitching, muscle cramping, nausea and other typical symptoms of Xanax^® detox or alcohol detox.

Obviously, the Florida Detox^® technique used to detox alcohol or detox Klonopin like drugs is much safer and more comfortable than detox offered at other detox centers. The administration of IV (intravenous) medications facilitates our ability to detox patients with alcohol dependency or Xanax^® addiction with a safe and painless detox.

We routinely detox Xanax up to 60-80 milligrams/day and we detox Klonopin^® up to 40-50 milligrams per day.

The administration of intravenous vitamins, minerals and nutrients accelerates repair of brain cell damage caused by alcoholism and drug addition. Florida Detox^® patients receive much more extensive medical testing, hormonal evaluation and wellness/anti-aging treatment than any other addiction treatment center in America.

At Florida Detox^® and Wellness Institute, all patients admitted for alcohol treatment or drug detox have the following workup:

Ovarian hormones	Kidney function	Magnesium
- Estradiol	Liver Function	Calcium
- Progesterone	Pancreatic enzymes	Ferritin levels
Thyroid hormones
DHEA-S	Red blood cells
Proteins	Testosterone (male/female)	White blood cells

Brain Chemistry and Science of Addiction Workshop:

On Monday, day of admission, family and patients are empowered by Dr. Sponaugle's Brain Chemistry and Science of Addiction Seminars. In these "workshop" seminars, they see specific brain scans that match certain personality profiles, what brain chemical deficiency or excess causes craving for specific drugs or alcohol and what medications, vitamins and nutritional supplements will stop drug and alcohol craving.

Patients and families also learn how hormonal imbalance, especially in females, can cause alcoholism and Xanax addiction. They learn that middle age females often develop progesterone deficiency, which can cause anxiety and insomnia disorders. These females frequently begin to self medicate with alcohol or receive prescriptions for Xanax^® from doctors who are ignorant of hormonal influence on female brain chemistry.

Females learn that serotonin does not work in women when estradiol levels fall below 60 pg/milliliter because serotonin receptivity decreases greatly. This relationship between estradiol and serotonin often leads to depression, anxiety and insomnia, which subsequently causes alcoholism or Xanax^® addiction.

Empowered by the seminar, families and patients can assist in diagnosing the true biochemical cause of the patient's craving. Families begin to understand why their addicted family member has always relapsed after multiple 30 day, $30,000 programs. Typically after the seminar, they can also diagnose several other family members with different brain chemistry and behavioral issues. Families can see clearly what chemical deficiency runs in their genes and often causes addiction in their family tree.

Comprehensive Brain Chemistry Analysis

Beyond extensive medical testing, patients will undergo measurement of the following brain neurotransmitters:

- Histamine
- Serotonin
- Dopamine
- Glutamate
- GABA
- Epinephrine
- Norepinephrine
- PEA

1) Anxiety and Insomnia Disorders

Commonly Cause:

alcoholism, Xanax^® addiction, Ambien^® addiction and
opiate (Vicodin^®) addiction.

Biochemical Causes:

- Serotonin Deficiency

Serotonin deficiency has become much more common in the American population secondary to lack of crop rotation; which causes vitamin and mineral deficiencies in many Americans. Our serotonin factories, cannot produce serotonin if we suffer from zinc, magnesium, or B6 deficiency. A recent study suggest that up to 70% of Americans suffer serotonin deficiency because of nutritional deficiencies and chemical toxins created by our industrial revolution.

Serotonin deficiency causes two areas of our brain to become overactive producing both: anxiety and depression. Our emotional center called the limbic system lies in our midbrain and is about the size of a walnut. It becomes severely overactive with serotonin deficiency causing moodiness, irritability, negativity, hopelessness, excessive guilt and causes anxiety and insomnia.

The other region of our brain, which becomes severely overworked in patients with serotonin deficiency, is the brain's "gear shifter" and "worry center". Called the anterior cingulate gyrus, when overactive this region of the brain causes patients: to become stubborn and stuck on negative thoughts; inability to forgive or forget; to worry about everything.

Patients who suffer undiagnosed serotonin deficiency frequently use alcohol, Xanax^®-like drugs, or pain pills like OxyContin^® to quiet or turn down the electricity in their overactive cingulate and their overactive emotional center. When these patients are properly diagnosed and treated, they no longer need to medicate with alcohol, Xanax^® or opiate pain pills (OxyContin^®, Vicodin^® etc.).

- Estradiol Deficiency

(Common cause of alcoholism, Xanax^® addiction
and opiate dependency(OxyContin^®, Vicodin^®, Actiq^®, etc.)

In females, serotonin receptivity, or the ability of serotonin to attach to and activate serotonin receptors is dependent on sufficient estradiol levels. The female with estradiol deficiency develops the same overactive regions of the brain as the serotonin deficient female.

This biochemical relationship explains why some females have severe premenstrual depression, anxiety and insomnia symptoms three to four days per month when estradiol levels are at their lowest level. It also explains why approximately 30% of females suffer some level of post-partum depression, the phenomenon in which after delivery, the ovaries fail to produce adequate estradiol usually for a three month to one year period. Brooke Shields is a brave celebrity who unselfishly increased awareness of postpartum depression by discussing it in public forum.

Estradiol deficiency also causes myalgia (muscle pain), fibromyalgia and headaches. Many females who present to Florida Detox^® and Wellness Center with pain pill addiction (OxyContin^®, Vicodin^® etc.) are victims of failed American medical treatment. When intelligent hormonal evaluation and treatment is performed these female patients no longer need pain medication.

- Progesterone Deficiency

(Common cause of alcoholism and Xanax^® addiction
in middle age females)

Progesterone deficiency causes excessive bleeding, painful bleeding, and frequently anemia in young females. Many middle age females who have not suffered anxiety or insomnia in their twenties or early thirties often do so in mid life because of progesterone drop-out.

Unlike other addiction treatment centers, at Florida Detox^®, we perform extensive evaluation of pituitary and ovarian hormones in all female patients. Our clinical research suggests that undiagnosed progesterone drop-out is a major cause of alcoholism and Xanax^® addiction in middle-age females. When progesterone deficiencies are corrected with bioidentical progesterone, our female patients no longer need to medicate with alcohol, Xanax^®, Klonopin^® or opiate pain pills.

Progesterone deficiency also causes increased electrical current (anxiety and pain) throughout the body: See GABA Deficiency below.

- GABA Deficiency

GABA is our major inhibitory or relaxing chemical. GABA "turns down" electrical voltage and therefore deficiency causes anxiety and increased physical pain.

GABA deficiency is often seen in patients with severe chronic stress and nutritional deficiencies. The most common cause of GABA deficiency seen in patients at Florida Detox^® is the female who suffers from underactive ovarian production of progesterone. Progesterone - through three chemical reactions- becomes a hormone with strong GABA activity.

- Excess Histamine Production

(Caused by chronic infection; most commonly yeast like candidiasis and often mold toxicity)

Excess histamine production is commonly diagnosed at Florida Detox^® and Wellness Institute, especially in females who suffer from chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia; candidiasis overgrowth is the most common culprit. Yeast overgrowth is the leading cause of chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and migraine headaches in American females.

Histamine is elevated in response to our body's allergic reaction to the abnormally high levels of yeast found in Americans who have been exposed to excessive antibiotics. Through American poultry, doctors prescriptions and city water supplies; Americans suffer over exposure to antibacterial antibiotics, which kill the normal flora (good bacteria in our intestines). Our good bacteria are our bodies defense against fungal and yeast overgrowth.

Histamine is a mono-amine like dopamine and serotonin. Excess histamine levels can cause increased electricity throughout nerves in the brain (anxiety) and body (fibromyalgia). Treatment of underlying fungal overgrowth corrects the excess histamine levels thereby ameliorating anxiety, insomnia, and total body nerve pain which leads to alcohol addiction, Xanax^® addiction, and opiate pain pill addiction (OxyContin^®, Vicodin^® etc.).

- Excess Glutamate Production

Glutamate is the primary excitatory chemical in the human brain. Excess glutamate is frequently diagnosed in our anxious females who present to Florida Detox^® and Wellness Institute for Xanax^® or alcohol detoxification.

- Excess Dopamine Production

Dopamine is a brain chemical that activates electricity in the brain. Too much dopamine "turns up the voltage" causing anxiety and sometimes paranoia (over thinking). Some patients inherit overactive basal ganglia (dopamine factories) or suffer PTSD induced overactivity of the basal ganglia. These patients, if properly diagnosed, can be treated with non-addicting dopamine blockers; this accurate diagnosis and treatment negates the need for patients to "turn down the voltage" with alcohol, Xanax^® or opiate pain pills (OxyContin^®, Vicodin^® etc.).

Many of our patients who suffer from excess production of dopamine, have been misdiagnosed at famous treatment centers. Simply diagnosed as "drug addict" or "alcoholic" these patients continue to relapse to alcohol or drugs. Stephanie, the first patient Dr. Phil referred to Florida Detox^® and Wellness Institute suffered from a serotonin deficiency and an overactive basal ganglia. She was self-medicating with Vicodin^® and Percocet^® to treat her undiagnosed brain chemistry. Stephanie is now 3 1/2 years post detox and drug free.

- Excess Norepinephrine/Epinephrine Production

(OVERACTIVE ADRENAL GLANDS)

Common in America (chronic stress) Once identified, easily treated with non-addicting medication.

2) Depression

Commonly Cause:

alcoholism, cocaine addiction, nicotine addiction,
OxyContin^® addiction and Xanax^® addiction

Biochemical Causes:

a. Serotonin Deficiency
b. Dopamine Deficiency
c. Norepinephrine Deficiency
d. Glutamate Deficiency
e. Acetylcholine Deficiency
f. Estradiol Deficiency

(Females - reduced serotonin action causes depression and anxiety)

g. Testosterone Deficiency

(Females and Males)

h. Hypothyroidism

Undiagnosed hypothyroidism is common in American females and can cause severe depression if not treated. Patients then use alcohol and drugs such as OxyContin^® to treat their depression. Our brain's pleasure center (nucleus accumbens) runs on dopamine. Alcohol, pain pills, nicotine, and cocaine cause a temporary release of dopamine from brain storage units giving the hypothyroid patients a temporary burst of energy and happiness. Unfortunately, the pain medicine or alcohol used by the patient to self-medicate their depression often exacerbates the depression by suppressing the pituitary output of TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone.

Three Months (90 day) Intensive Outpatient Treatment

During the three month period following detoxification, our doctors and medical staff work directly with patients and families to optimize brain chemistry and correct hormonal imbalances that cause craving in the addicted patient.

Continuous evaluation of brain neurotransmitters and hormonal imbalances guides treatment through the three month period. Hormonal replacement therapy and anti-aging regimens are initiated in effort to accelerate repair of damage from alcohol and drugs. We produce a state of optimal wellness treating nutritional deficiencies and co-existing medical diseases which can affect brain health and drug craving. The true biochemical cause of craving and addiction is properly diagnosed and treated with medication and neutraceuticals. At the three month mark, patient care can be transferred to a primary care physician in the patient's home state.