Drug Rehab May Be Helped by a Change of Environment

I recently worked with a man whose daughter needed help with her heroin addiction. She had been in and out of detox several times and had no success with any of the local programs. Regardless, she had taken it upon herself to check in, once again, to a detox program that only lasted five days, and she was due to be released in two. But this time he insisted she follow up with an inpatient drug rehab. He called me to see what options were available in his area.

Having tried many of them, he knew that finding a local successful drug rehab would be difficult - unfortunately, most of the programs close to home were government–run, short term treatments that he already knew had some of the lowest success rates.

We agreed she needed to try something different, and we discussed changing her environment so she could focus on herself – without the distractions of being close to home. He was nervous about sending her very far, but he also knew it would handle those distractions. Being in a different city would also make it difficult for her to walk out while still in treatment and confronting the issues that got her into drug rehab in the first place. We finally settled on a drug rehab facility in California that offered a comprehensive approach in a safe environment that was very conducive to her recovery. Dad was very pleased to find exactly what he was looking for so quickly, and she checked herself in.

He called back the other day to offer his thanks, and to tell me his daughter had been doing wonderfully. As a result of the change in environment, and finally finding a successful drug rehab program, his daughter now has a real chance of recovery.

Inpatient Drug Rehab Programs Can Be Hard to Find

There are more than 13,000 drug rehab programs in the country, but only a small number of them are non-hospital inpatient centers. In fact, according to the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, nearly 90% of people attending a drug rehab program in 2005 underwent outpatient services, while only 7% enrolled in long term inpatient care.

Part of the problem with this is that there simply aren’t enough beds at inpatient drug rehab programs for the people who need them. One reason is because insurance companies try hard to divert people to outpatient programs, and people are more willing to try what their insurance will pay for than try to get the best help possible.

Another problem is the scarcity of inpatient centers in some areas. The government funding for drug rehab programs is often based on populations, so there are plenty of scenarios where a more rural area has very limited bed space despite possibly having a higher ratio of substance abusers than a more urban locality.

So what does somebody do when they’re trying to find an inpatient center? Well, you can contact us at Addiction Help Services, and we can help locate inpatient drug rehab programs around the country.

Drug Courts Offer Addicts One Last Chance at Rehab

1,200 Massachusetts drug offenders are currently enrolled in the special "drug court" sessions where defendants are given one last chance: Commit to drug addiction treatment -- and to intense supervision -- and you'll stay out of jail. Started in the 1990s, it is a program with a demonstrated record of success -- addicts who participate re-offend less often, and stay sober longer.

The program grew out of a realization that simple incarceration of offenders with drug addiction issues had been a proven failure. As the number of drug addicts responsible for criminal acts grew -- by 1997 about 70 percent of those arrested for crimes nationwide were acknowledged drug users -- government and court officials arrived at a consensus that more drug addiction treatment was a better answer. With federal support, some 1,700 drug courts have been established across the country.

Source: www.boston.com

Gauging the Impact of Illegal Drug Use

Methamphetamine use, in particular, has been a growing problem in the rural South for years, reports The Herald Banner.

Illegal drug use takes a heavy toll on families and relationships torn to the breaking point by chemical addiction and the poor decisions it causes people to make...

Police statistics link drug use to property crimes and violence, both of which can be spurred by the drugs themselves and the irrational need to acquire more of them. Drug users waste millions of dollars to feed their habits, taking money from the legitimate local economy and giving it to criminals. Lives are lost as a direct result of drug use. People are killed in car accidents, by overdose and in violent, drug-related crimes.

Effective drug rehab programs that do not substitute one drug for another, but actually free the person from their addiction and help them to rebuild their lives can impact these statistics.

Drug Addiction Can Be Beaten

A year ago David Fetterer’s life was plunging further and further into desperation as a result of his marijuana addiction. But instead of giving up and losing his wife and children, he cheeked into a drug rehab center and beat his addiction. Now he is one of five Pennsylvanians who are being honored for turning their lives around.
Fetterer said he owned up to the realization he had a problem and entered a drug rehab program in July last year. It was the first time he had attempted to quit his abuse. He said he hopes others who are in a similar situation will admit they have to make a change in their life and make the decision to enter a drug rehab program.

“David is on the road to being debt-free in a marriage with honesty and trust in a drug-free environment,” commissioners Dave Cyphert, Donna Hartle and Donna Oberlander said. “He is truly a success story.”

Source: www.thederrick.com