Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers

Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers:
GI Drug and Alcohol Abuse On The Rise AgainDuring the Vietnam War ‘What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor’ was my theme song. The ship would sail for three months at a time up-and-down the coast of Vietnam, then go to a port for rest and relaxation, which meant pulling the plug and letting the crew loose. Now, 40 years later, it’s all a haze and I’m just happy to have lived through it. I hear the old English sea shanty and the words resonate with me. There are so many other verses in this traditional sea going song, some more colorful than others. Alcohol at sea is nothing new, as U.S. warships in the 1700’s and 1800’s routinely carried large quantities of rum. That is no longer the case, but alcohol abuse remains a concern. Focusing our attention on the U.S. Army for a moment, a while back I was reading a story by Gregg Zoroya in USA Today about the Army and how the rate of soldiers enrolling in alcohol treatment programs has doubled since 2003. Of course there is a correlation between the rise in alcohol abuse and the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. According to this article, the reports from counselors diagnosing alcoholism or alcohol abuse, such as binge drinking, has risen from 6.1 per 1000 soldiers in 2003, to about 11.4 per 1000 soldiers in early 2009. It also said that there was an increase of 12% in Marines who tested positive between 2005-2008 for drug and alcohol abuse. That is an alarming statistic, and U.S. military leaders are aware of the situation. Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told USA Today, ‘I’m sure there are many factors for the rising numbers’but I can’t believe the stress our people are under after eight years of combat isn’t taking a toll.’ Alcohol abuse is a major method of dealing with stress for millions of people, who are just trying to deal with everyday life. Add to that the pressure of combat, being away from family for long deployments, the riggers of military life in a war zone and it’s understandable that the military has a serious issue to deal with. They know that alcohol is easily abused and can be the solution for many men and women. Moreover, the military also understands that they must reduce the strain, by reducing the number of deployed troops.The paper said that the military issued a directive to commanders ‘urging’ them to have soldiers who test positive placed into treatment programs. The directive also said that, if necessary, some soldiers might need to be punished under Army regulations. The problem is, soldiers who failed the test may slip through the cracks and not receive treatment. If their disease has progressed, they may just be discharged and given no opportunity to be a part of a therapeutic community and move into recovery. That is an unfortunate reality. Even with the increased awareness of the military leadership over alcohol-related issues, enrollment in treatment programs between 2003 and the present have only risen by half a percent.The article also observed that soldiers might not be allowed to go into treatment because of the need to keep the numbers up for combat deployments. Meanwhile, the numbers of related health issues, most notably suicides, has reached record numbers. Call it an inconvenient truth, but the U.S. military has work to do in taking care of its own. Just like the civilian world, it is much easier to ignore the problem, or punish those with the disease, than it is to really make an effort to bring people into treatment and help them regain their lives. Give the military credit for being aware of the growing problem and give them encouragement to follow up on plans to treat personnel for the disease, with the goal of retaining them as members of the armed forces. But if the whole plan is an empty promise, then we’ll end up with a same problems of addiction/alcoholism and homelessness that occurred after Viet Nam, nothing will have changed or improved in 40 years.Each case is unique so Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers have to be tailor-made to fit the needs of the individual. One size does not fit all and people have to be in the right setting in order for healing to take place. So whether the judge ordered the treatment, whether it’s in-patient or out-patient, look for programs that treat body, mind and spirit. All three components work together. Even if a person can get back to health, the destruction on their lives that the addiction has inflicted may require emotional and spiritual support. Good treatment centers recognize this important aspect of drug recovery.

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Types of Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers Let’s begin by stating that Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers may consist of several different elements. For example, a program may center on behavioral therapy, which is counseling, cognitive therapy and psychotherapy. Sometimes the needs of the individual necessitate a medical treatment component. This presents an interesting point for consideration. Just as people are complex and all Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers are different, so too are the theories surrounding drug treatment. I once worked with a psychotherapist who would bristle at the idea of ANY medical intervention in drug/alcohol treatment, and likewise worked with medical people who ONLY saw the value of a using medicine to help the patient work through the clutches of addiction. A balanced program is usually the best.12 Steps Alcohol/Addiction Programs: Under behavioral therapy is the 12 Steps program which was developed by AA a program so successful that over 250 self-help groups have adopted it. Instead of ‘alcohol’ just insert your drug of choice. Written by addicts, the 12 Steps has proven to be a powerful tool for fighting through addiction. The driving force behind the 12 Steps is the relationship that is formed between the recovering addict and the ‘power outside them’ that guides and sustains them. Relationships and support are important healing elements in recovery. For more about 12 Steps Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers click hereOut-Patient Drug-Free Treatment: This type of service is less costly than the previously mentioned treatments, but some of the more streamlined versions of this treatment may offer little more than some education. Do your homework first. This is a good program for those who have social support, hold jobs and have connections to resources. Some out-patient, non-drug programs can offer the same intensity of the in-patient treatments, with an emphasis on individual patient needs, such as medical and psychological. Long-Term Residential Treatment: Long-term residential provides 24-hour service in a non-hospital setting. Most popular and well known is the therapeutic community model (TC). Some residential centers may use other models, like cognitive-behavioral therapy, but the TC is most common. By long term, we mean six to 12 months, as these programs focus on ‘re-socialization’ and sometimes that means rebuilding a life. Patients interact with staff and other residents during treatment, and addiction is viewed in terms of the patient’s social setting, his/her psychological factors, and treatment takes place in a highly structured setting, as the patients’ schedule from wake-up to bed-time is programmed. Sometimes this form of therapy can be confrontational, as patients are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions, and rethink their views on themselves, their view of the world and their place in it. Some treatment centers offer employment training and referral. The person who needs this treatment has more severe problems. They may have mental issues, criminal/legal complications. Short-Term Residential Programs(Rehab): These programs began as a treatment for alcoholism, using the 12 Steps program. Centers began treating drug addiction in the 1980’s, when cocaine use reached epidemic proportions. Originally, patients would participate in a hospital-based program for three to six weeks, then enter into out-patient therapy. Also included in this model were self-help groups. Unfortunately, cutbacks in healthcare coverage for drug and alcohol abuse have resulted in fewer of these programs, and under managed care, the length of stay is much shorter. Medical Detoxification: We mentioned this before, but a note of explanation is necessary to clear up any misconceptions. People have this image of detox being a torture chamber, an image brought on my Hollywood. Patients are systematically taken off drugs and are under the care of a physician. It used to be thought that detoxification was a treatment in and of itself, but it is most often just a precursor to treatment. Think of it as helping a patient get back to square one and get the drugs out of the system. For most types of drug abuse, detoxification can include medications to make the withdrawal process safer. Sometimes, just going through this process without medication or the care of a physician can be fatal. Detoxification does not address psychological, behavioral or social issues, and so treatment is necessary to meet all of the patient’s needs. Narcotic Antagonist Treatment: This is also an out-patient program for opiate addicts, but the medication, in this case Naltrexone, is not given until after the patient has gone through medical detoxification in a residential setting. Naltrexone, like Methadone, is a synthetic and has few side effects. It’s long-lasting and patients will take it two or three times a week. The reason patients need to go through detox first is that the drug will not work if there is any lingering opiate in the system. If this is not done, the drug can produce what is called an opiate abstinence syndrome. When all is right, the Naltrexone will block the effects of opiates, and that is the idea behind this treatment; patients gradually change their habits because of the continued lack of the desired effect of the opiate. To receive benefit, patients in this treatment program need to be constantly monitored for compliance, be in therapy sessions. Criminal Justice System: The research into treating abusers and addicts involved in the criminal justice system suggests that using the law and providing treatment can go hand-in-hand in reducing both drug use and the crime that goes with it. Whether a patient has court-ordered treatment, or voluntary, people who are under legal authority tend to stay in treatment longer than those who do not have any ‘legal’ pressure to do so. Because addicts are so often the last ones to know they have a problem, the criminal justice system can often be the first to respond to an individual’s need, even sooner than health care or social systems. Sometimes the drug treatment is given in lieu of incarceration, or if incarceration is necessary, drug treatment takes place during that time period. Community-Based Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations: Rather than incarceration, criminal justice systems have tried pretrial entry into treatment, conditional probation or other limited diversion programs. Each carry sanctions and those being allowed to use this path are well advised to take full advantage of the treatment offered. The idea of the drug court shows promise, as drug courts have the muscle to order treatment and can facilitate treatment avenues. The courts monitor progress and can play a role in changing programs to meet individual needs. A resource for additional information is the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Courts Program Office. Availability Critical for Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers Everything needs to be in place in order for Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers to be effective. If a person is in need of treatment, treatment needs to be available. If a person is put on a waiting-list, or if there is not treatment available in their community, or perhaps a short distance away, the degree of difficulty increases. By the time people are entering addiction treatment programs, in so many cases, they have lost their driving privileges, or they’ve recently lost their job, or worse yet, they have nowhere to live. In many cases the Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers have been ordered by a judge. Regardless of the circumstances, people need services, individual services to meet the needs of their condition. Some people who enter Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers must first go through medical detoxification, which in effect gets the drug out of their system, but that isn’t the answer to the problem. While they may not have the drugs in their system, patients completing detoxification needs to begin work on managing their drug addiction. In-Patient can be either short-term or long-term, depending on the needs of the patient, and all too sadly, the patient’s ability to pay. People have a busy schedule of therapy sessions, which are not limited to drug addiction but can include job counseling, socialization skills, etc. The day is filled from early morning to bedtime. Out-Patient can be very similar only sometimes people just come in for their therapy sessions, but are well enough to go home at the end of the day. These programs are well-designed for people with jobs, people who have family support and access to resources. Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers Take Time Drug rehabilitation programs can be long and arduous and because of that people need encouragement to stick with it and finish. According to research statistics, drug recovery patients will reach a milestone in their recovery after three months, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the treatment program is finished, or that additional treatment will not be helpful. When people leave their treatment programs early, and do not hit that all important stage in their recovery, their chances for full recovery drop. Even with full completion of the program, patients can fail and need to return to treatment. It’s important to stay with it. While in Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers patients need to stay off drugs. This is a minimum expectation, but centers will inspect wheat they expect, and drug testing is routine. If a patient relapses and uses during treatment, the program will require modification to meet the needs of the patient. Even if a patient makes it through the program, there is a change they may fail sometime in the future, and therefore, some people need to go back into treatment to completely manage the addiction problem. People fail. But it’s important to remember that the person’s health is most important, so if it takes two or three attempts, or more, so be it. Whether in-patient or out-patient, Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers can vary in intensity and length, and so careful examination of each program is necessary to make the best choice of treatment.We end this section where we began, by noting that no two Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers are alike nor should they be. The important thing to keep in mind is that other than denying a person access to drugs, successful treatment hinges on an individual’s willingness to be treated. It’s all about management of the problem.Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers Drug Alcohol Treatment Centers Drug Alcohol Treatment CentersThis site contains five MAIN pages that EVERYONE should read: