Circumstances

It is important to remember that aftercare programs for a recovering addict are no vacations. They require dedication and hard work to be successful in keeping a person from relapsing into old, destructive habits. The addict will be away from family and friends and it can be an incredibly stressful time. It is up to the individual to choose the right aftercare treatment for them. They must be honest in assessing their needs from a residential rehab. That way they will be able to go to a center that has exactly what they need to succeed in their recovery.

Intensive Outpatient Treatment

There are many different types of outpatient facilities out there for recovering addicts to choose from. There are some programs that are only a few days a week and may be a good option for those with other responsibilities. Outpatient treatment is, usually, only recommended for those individuals who are far along in their recovery. It is not a good idea for someone who has just checked into rehabilitation.

Continued Care

Another good option for recovering addicts is to enter a partial hospitalization center. There, they will be able to get the continued care they need while still being able to go home at night to see loved ones. This is another type of treatment that is only recommended for those who are far along on their path to sobriety. Otherwise, there may be too many chances for someone who has just admitted to an addiction to get distracted. As with all types of treatment centers, a person’s chances of success are much greater if they full commit to the program and adhere to all of the principles they are trying to instill.

The Importance Of Aftercare

No matter what type of treatment center a person decides to use, aftercare will play a vital role in a person’s long term recovery. Aftercare means the types of resources a recovering addict will have access to. This could be therapy, counseling, and other types of helpful activities that help keep a person on a path to sobriety. Getting into these healthy habits will help to promote continued success in a person’s recovery. Without quality aftercare a person will have a much greater chance of relapsing into old, destructive habits.

The Play starts out with a high screen and roll between Troy Murphy and Steve Blake. Matt Barnes and Andrew Goudelock are straddling the perimeter, creating space in the middle of the floor. As you’ll see, Murphy is coming up from the right side of the court, as Andrew Bynum starts fighting for position with Robin Lopez.

Instead of setting the screen from the direction Murphy was coming from, he slips the screen and Blake begins to drive toward Bynum. The slipped screen confuses Sebastian Telfair and Hakim Warrick — just for a split second — but long enough to free Troy Murphy. Warrick starts to show, when he doesn’t actually need to, and Telfair naturally tries to fight through a screen that isn’t there. With both eyes sets of eyes on Blake, Murphy rolls to the basket. During Murphy’s cut, Bynum begins to open up to receive a pass from Blake.

Steve Blake gets the ball to Bynum, who sees a wide open Troy Murphy cutting down a lane with no defenders in front of him. Hakim Warrick wasn’t quick enough to realize that he made a defensive lapse and found himself about a yard behind the cutting Murphy as the pass was being made. The design of this play was crucial for Murphy being wide open. With Barnes and Goudelock holding their respective defenders near the three point line and Bynum bringing the center out of the paint to the pinch post, there wasn’t anyone around to rotate fast enough by the time the defense realized that Murphy was getting the ball.

The result was Bynum hitting Murphy in stride with a beautiful bounce pass that led to a layup and a foul. Watch the play in real time below.

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The Lakers Coming in: The Lakers lost on the road again last night but that’s not close to being the story of the day in Laker-land. After the loss, Kobe held court with the media, and spoke his mind about the trade rumors circling around the Lakers and specifically Pau Gasol. The money quotes have been out there since Kobe uttered them last night, but here’s the gist of them from ESPN LA’s report:

“Basketball is such an emotional game, you got to be able to have all of yourself in the game and invested in the game. We didn’t have that,” Bryant said after Gasol had 17 points and 12 rebounds against the Suns. “Pau, it’s hard for Pau because of all this trade talk and all this other stuff, it’s hard for him to kind of invest himself completely or immerse himself completely into games when he’s hearing trade talk every other day. I wish management would come out and either trade him or not trade him.” Bryant made it clear that he prefers that the Lakers choose to not trade Gasol, the four-time All-Star who Bryant paired with to win consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010. ”I talked to (Gasol) a little bit about it,” Bryant said. “It’s just tough for a player to give his all when you don’t know if you’re going to be here tomorrow. I’d rather them not trade him at all. If they’re going to do something, I wish they would just (expletive) do it. If they’re not going to do it, come out and say you’re not going to do it. This way he can be comfortable, he can go out, he can play and he can invest all of himself into the game.”

My thoughts on Kobe’s comments are two-fold. First is that I’m glad that Kobe spoke his mind here. Normally it’s the team’s best player that’s in the center of these types of trade rumors (see Melo, now Dwight Howard) and can’t really speak up about how trade speculation can affect a player or the team. In this case, Kobe is the team’s best player and its leader, and is in a position to positively affect his teammates by speaking up about how this situation may be affecting a key contributor. This plays well in the locker room with his mates and shows that he has their backs (especially Pau’s). Second, I don’t think this changes the front office’s approach nor does it affect Pau’s trade value. Mitch has openly said that he’ll make a deal only if it improves the team, and I don’t expect that to change now that Kobe has spoken up. Kupchak has made it clear that he doesn’t have to trade Pau, and if these comments inspire a bunch of low-ball offers for the Spaniard, I expect those will be rebuffed (as they have been up to this point).

Do Kobe’s comments bring Gasol’s mental state more to the forefront than they already were? Yes, they do. However, I’d argue that after every loss or poor performance by Gasol the questions about where Pau’s head’s at were there already. I don’t think that was going to change until after the trade deadline for this season and/or until the Lakers make another big move that does or doesn’t involve him down the road. This would be an ongoing story with Kobe talking or without him talking, so I don’t see much of a difference.

Lastly, some of what makes a team successful is a bunker mentality where the players can rally together and find a common enemy (of sorts) that serves as extra motivation. Phil Jackson was a master of this during his time with the Bulls and the Lakers, and I’ve got a sneaky feeling that Kobe learned a thing or two about this tactic during his time under Jackson. Right now, this Laker team needs all the extra kick in the pants it can get. If this helps in that area, I’m all for it.

The Trailblazers Coming in: At the start of this season, the Blazers were the surprise team of the Western Conference (along with the Nuggets), looking like a real contender that could make a deep playoff run. They started their year 7-3 and boasted wins over the 76ers, Lakers, Nuggets, and Thunder. Since that point, though, they’re only won 10 of their 22 games and are now 8th in the West. Of course, as the Lakers know, the Western standings are a slippery slope where a team can have home court one week and struggle to hold onto a playoff spot the next. That said, the Blazers are a team that’s seemingly lost its way and there seem to be several reasons for it.

Inconsistent guard play has really hurt them. Raymond Felton has played very poorly this season and has become the whipping boy for many Blazer fans (as well as Coach Nate McMillan). Jamal Crawford has come in and seemingly thrown Wesley Matthews for a loop, stunting what looked to be a development path that was on a strong upward trajectory. When you combine these factors with Nic Batum not getting a contract extension before he’s set to reach restricted free agency and some strong questioning about Nate McMillan’s coaching style, you have a team that’s just not where it could be. Whether they turn it around or not remains to be seen, but they have the talent base to do so.

Trailblazer Blogs: Check out Portland Roundball Society and Blazers Edge for all your PDX news and analysis.

Keys to game: From Phillip’s recap last night:

The Lakers were able to kind of make a game out of what looked as if it would be a blow out. This falls in the ugly category because it led to Kobe playing 40 minutes and Pau playing 36. The Lakers were able to bring the lead down from 25 to 10 more than once in the fourth quarter, and with the score just a few possessions away from the lead, Mike Brown continued to go with Kobe and Pau down the stretch in a game that was a lost cause from the beginning. (Monday), the Lakers will be playing their third game in four nights, and their second of a back-to-back against a very good Portland Trailblazers team.

So while the Lakers return home – a place where they play like one of the best teams in the league – fatigue may be an issue. The Lakers must be ready to compete from the opening tip against a Blazer team that always wants to bring its best effort when they face off against the Lakers. This match up is a blood feud of sorts, so if nothing else goes right, the willingness to go hard all game must be there. Of course, the game will come down to more than just effort. As John Wooden said, we shouldn’t mistake activity for achievement. If the Lakers are going to win this game, they’ll actually need to do some things well.

Defensively, this starts with containing all-star forward LaMarcus Aldridge. LMA’s game is based on strong post play and a feathery jumper, so Pau Gasol will have his hands full. Pau will need to make sure he’s changing ends well, because Aldridge runs like a gazelle and likes to establish position early in the clock to make defenders honor the space he eats up on the block. If Pau can push him farther from the hoop and make him dribble to get into his post moves, that’s already a minor win on any given possession. Pau, though, can’t simply bang on LMA to try to get him off his spot. This is because one of Aldridge’s pet moves is spinning off his man and catching lobs for easy finishes at the hoop.

As hinted at above, pace will also be a factor. In the last matchup between these teams, the Lakers were careless with the ball against pressure Blazer D and that led to fast break chances. This was especially true for Gerald Wallace, who dominated the game with his activity level and his ability to race the floor to get easy baskets. If the Lakers are to slow Wallace, they’ll need to make him a half court scorer by racing back on D and being more careful with the ball when trying to initiate their own sets. By taking care of the ball, the Lakers won’t allow Felton, Batum, or Wallace to play full court basketball, while also limiting the trailing options of Crawford and Matthews to shoot uncontested jumpers against a collapsed defense.

This translates to a careful, deliberate attack on offense by the Lakers. Meaning post touches for Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. In the last match up, Bynum used brute force to overpower the slender Blazer bigs and scored at will early on. This led to double teams that Bynum struggled to navigate (which led to the aforementioned turnovers that helped the Blazers’ offense). At this later stage of the season however, Bynum has made some strides in dealing with the double teams he’s seen, often making his moves before the double can be fully established, making good passes to strong-side wings, or hitting a sliding over wing at the top of the key. Of course there’s still room for improvement in this area, but if the Blazers attack Bynum in this manner tonight, he should be better equipped to make them pay.

Of course, the Laker shooters must also make the Blazers pay for double teaming Bynum (or Pau or Kobe). Murphy, Fisher, Goudelock, and Blake will all see minutes tonight and all must hit some shots to keep the defense loose. Matt Barnes and Ron can also help out by slashing off the ball into the open spaces when defenders turn their heads to watch the ball. If LA’s small forwards can move well off the ball, they can get buckets in the paint and draw fouls on the Blazer big men, which will also further aid Bynum and Gasol. It’s a circle of effectiveness but all sides must play their parts.

Ultimately, tonight would be a good game to win. Not only because of the standings but because of all the peripheral drama I mentioned earlier. Nothing soothes things like a quality win and tonight would represent exactly that. Here’s to the Lakers getting it.

Where you can watch: 7:30pm start on Fox Sports West and TNT. Also listen live at ESPN Radio 710AM.

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It is always fun to watch Steve Nash play. Too bad, the Suns haven’t been as talented as in years past. But, of course, that’s also good news for Laker fans for that it’s an “easier” game for L.A.

THE GOOD
Kobe Bean Bryant. 36 points (18 in the 3rd!), 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals. 14/25 shooting. Efficient!

Kobe took what the Suns defense and capitalized. The Suns couldn’t stop him. Grant Hill? Jared Dudley? Shannon Brown? No problem. Kobe brought it all out. Left-handed hook shots. Midrange jumpers. Three-pointer on the break. Reverse lay-ups. And the great thing about this? It was all within the flow of the offense.

The ball movement was crisp (26 assists) in today’s game (yes, I get that Phoenix is not a defensive juggernaut), even if it got a little sloppy at times. But, at least, the idea was there to keep the ball moving (I saw cutting! Amazing!). The Lakers were decidedly more patient today and got away with good shots more often than not. As a result of all of this, the Lakers finished with 111 points in tonight’s game, a season high. It is their fourth time hitting 100 (in 30 games) but we hope to see more of this kind of offense from the Lakers. Like I said, it may have been against the Suns… but practice makes perfect and, hopefully, they can do this against tougher defensive squads.

Yes, the big guys (Bynum with 17 and 14) got theirs but it was SO nice to see the Laker bench do something good for a change. Matt Barnes scored a season-high 17 points and snatched 7 caroms. The Laker bench scored 34 points overall and they looked very confident in the second quarter when they sparked an 11-0 run.

The Lakers easily killed the Suns on the boards, 52-36. And the Lakers were better in their shot selection. They only put up 11 three-pointers but they made 5 of them.

This is easily the best I’ve seen the Lakers offense this season (even if they did have a bit of a lull in the fourth quarter). Every player on the court usually touched the basketball in possessions. They attacked the inside with much gusto tonight (whether it’s the bigs bullying or Kobe making his way through… season-high 54 points in the paint!).

The Suns had a hard time scoring in the 3rd, even though they scored 25 points. They missed eight straight shots (mostly jumpshots) as the Lakers packed it in the paint in a key 14-0 3rd quarter run (Suns didn’t score for nearly five minutes). Good to see them give Phoenix a hard time on the defensive end (they also subdued Steve Nash’s scoring: 11 points… even though he did get 17 assists). Most importantly, fans in Staples Center got tacos and Internet L.A. got virtual tacos!

THE BAD
Pau Gasol looked like a sad panda out there. Gasol couldn’t get anything going in the offense and was even missing bunnies out there. He still got his eighth consecutive double double but he got his last few points (he finished with 10 points and 13 boards) when the game was pretty much decided. Gasol looked weary for the most part and I wonder if the trade rumors are starting to take a toll on him.

I would definitely like to see better pick-and-roll play. Our fearless leader, Darius, brought up the fact that the guards are giving up their dribble too early on the pick-and-roll. It pretty much stops the offense and it gives the defense a chance to swarm on the guards.

We saw some of that in the fourth quarter and the Lakers, notorious for blowing leads, gave up a 20-point lead that they built in the 3rd quarter. The Suns managed to cut it down to 5 (with a spectacular Shannon Brown putback slam… hey, remember him?!) before the starters came back to put away the mess. As much as the bench played well, they can’t give up big leads like this. They looked more hesitant in the fourth quarter, quite the opposite from what we saw in the second quarter. Put it away next time, bench, since the starters need as much as rest as they can in this compressed season.

Before the Suns hit that wall in the 3rd quarter, the Lakers couldn’t stop Marcin Gortat. Gortat eventually ended up with 21 points and 16 rebounds but he was less effective in the second half (he had 14 by halftime).

Also, Shannon Brown exploded for 15 points in limited time. I’m sure the Lakers miss his production. Even if he took questionable shots. Right? No? Let’s move on.

THE UGLY
Lakers had 19 turnovers (Suns had 17). Most of this sloppiness occurred in the first half. Steve Blake threw some careless passes. Andrew Bynum still doesn’t seem to know what to do when he draws a two-team. At least, it was against the Suns… and a helter-skelter Suns team at that. Can’t do that against a disciplined team like the Spurs or the Bulls.

Also, I happen to like Metta World Peace personally but that fastbreak where he missed two lay-ups (including a… no-look shot)? Yeah. Ugly. But it made me laugh. Never change, World Peace.

THE PLAY OF THE GAME
It was very early in the first quarter where everybody (well, at least, four players) touched the ball that ended with an Andrew Bynum alley-oop lay-up from a nice pass by Pau Gasol. That was such beautiful basketball that I KNOW we’re capable of seeing from the Lakers. Ball movement is good! Keep it up!

The Lakers and Suns have a rematch on Sunday but this time around, they’ll be in enemy territory. The Lakers have now won three straight and I’m a little bit encouraged, guys! Hopefully, they can keep it rolling as they have a pretty tough schedule before All-Star Weekend.

Why can’t the Lakers play Phoenix every game for the rest of the season? Or ’til the world ends (I ALMOST inserted Britney Spears lyrics here; good thing that I didn’t)?

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Expediting

Your research will show that there is an established system for obtaining this essential travel document quickly. It is know as expediting. Located at a regional office, the service begins when you apply in person. You will find that there are over fifty service locations like this in America, so the chances of finding a quick passport service that is close to you should be high.

Identity

You will have to supply proof of your identity as well as your nationality. This information will need to be submitted with your application. As well as these documents, there are the mandatory photos that will need to be supplied. Checking what the regulations for these are will avoid disappointment and returned requests for standard images.

Mobile Access

Application forms are available at regional centers. You can also download them from your mobile phone or from specific Internet sites. Going to your local office with the completed application form, your documents and also photographs can mean a bit of a wait but it is one way to secure getting your travel document in one day.

Transmitting Documents

You could also scan any documents that are needed for the application form and submit these electronically. Using this method, the timing of the application is minimized. Make sure that you check out the fees for this service before applying. There is generally a higher cost for extra quick delivery.

Online Services

Most people find that either using the services that are located in their local office or online services are the quickest option. Postal applications generally take up to three weeks for processing but at peak times, this figure can double. Going to the government offices with all of your documents and a completed application form will certainly bring you success.

Cost

Expect to pay between sixty to a couple of hundred dollars for United States pasport name change. Cost does vary according to the speed of processing along with any extra services that may be used. Be aware that if you are using a normal postal system, it can take up to three weeks for your application to be processed.