The Difficulties in Finding Substance Abuse Treatment
The latest estimates hold that there are roughly 20 million people across the United States whose drinking or drug use is serious enough that they meet the criteria for having a substance abuse disorder. These people, men, and women from all social strata and all walks of life, share one thing in common: Their struggles with substance abuse are out of control and they are losing a battle with addiction. Of these, around 1 in 10, or 2 million people, make it into treatment for their addiction in a given year.
This leaves another 18 million Americans, nearly as many as the population of New York or Florida, in the grips of addiction, living their lives to get high or drunk and letting everything else slide to some degree or another. Multiply the 18 million by however many others have their own lives ruined by the fact that a family member or loved one is an addict, and it is easy to see just how truly staggering is the scale of the addiction epidemic in the United States. Why don’t the 18 million get into treatment? Why do they leave themselves and their loved ones in a lurch, suffering from all the misery caused by drugs and alcohol?
Recognizing the Problem
In some cases, of course, addicts stay out of treatment for the simple reason that they are trapped in the jaws of their addiction and are not yet ready to make a change. They haven’t hit rock bottom or have not had an experience that convinced them it was time to get sober. But this is not the only reason. Others don’t get treatment for the simple reason that they can’t. A recent article in USA Today highlighted this issue, “Substance abuse treatment often impossible to find.” In it, we read about the example of a woman whose experience suffering sexual abuse at the hands of a family member drove her to use drugs and alcohol as a teenager. By the time she was in her late 20s, she was addicted to cocaine and methamphetamine, drugs she used simply to try to feel normal and get along with others. She had trouble getting treatment over the course of several decades, due in part to the fact that healthcare providers were unsure how to approach her problem; in addition to her drug addiction, she also suffered from the mental and emotional trauma caused by her abuse, and the route to recovery seemed unclear for her. This is only one example of the complexities that can present themselves for a person who wants to get sober but falls into the many categories which comprise the 18 million.
Is rehab covered by my insurance?
Another major issue which often stands in the way of a person who needs addiction treatment is the question of whether or not it will even be available when the person decides to make the move. Patrick Kennedy, a former U.S. Representative and also a former addict, is quoted in the USA Today article as saying that, as an addict “you can only get care at the very end stage of your illness.” In many cases, a person who will be receiving rehab treatment will be doing so with the help of an insurance policy which covers much or most of the often considerable fees involved. Not all insurance companies pay like they should for addiction treatment, and in many cases, they will not cover the treatment until it is too late or nearly so. “The way we pay for treatment of addiction and mental illness,” Kennedy goes on to explain, “you would be waiting until you have Stage IV cancer before you began chemotherapy. But that is often how we reimburse for mental health and addiction treatment.” Shockingly, many insurance companies don’t pay for rehab treatment until the person has reached a point where in all likelihood his or her life is in shambles, whereas a far more effective approach would be to offer treatment on a more proactive and even preventative basis, so that the person can recover before falling into the depths of addiction. The result is that a large number of the 18 million are simply people who want to get sober but are having to wait because their insurance won’t pay yet.
Can I really afford rehab?
In a related vein, there are the ones who haven’t gotten into rehab because they are unwilling – or unable – to pay or to get the support of a family member who might otherwise help cover the costs. They may have entirely understandable considerations about the costs of treatment, which can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Similarly, they might not be able to reckon the time spent away at an in-patient rehab against their obligations and commitments with family and work. These worries, however well-founded they may appear to be, are not entirely valid when compared against what is at stake.
The costs of addiction treatment might be great, but they are nothing when valued against the costs of not getting help. How much greater might a person’s earning power be, free from drugs and alcohol? How much money might they save in legal and healthcare costs associated with substance abuse? And what value could you place on the happiness and stability of the addict and his or her family? Finally, it must be remembered that the difference between getting treatment and not could be a life-or-death question, something that no rational person would put a price tag on knowing the stakes.
Finding the Right Program for You
The difficulties which face a person who needs to get into rehab are not, however, all about the money. An even more fundamental problem for many people is the question of how to know which program is the right one. The most recent figures from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) indicate that there are more than 14,500 specialized drug treatment facilities in the United States. Among these, there is a rich and often bewildering variety of options from which to choose for the type of program that one will use to pursue a recovery. Will you choose a program that uses a strong faith-based approach, with a heavy emphasis on religion and God as a foundation for sobriety? Do you want to attend a rehab center which offers a resort spa atmosphere where you can kick back, relax and be pampered like the stars? Should you enroll in one of the many drug-replacement therapy programs, which use medically supervised dosages of certain drugs such as methadone or buprenorphine to essentially wean the addict off drugs or alcohol? How do you know which one is the best?
Another statistic from NIDA about addiction treatment in the United States is that between 40% and 60% of patients relapse following rehab. Of course, some rehab programs are more effective than others, and some contribute more to these figures than others. But the general picture we can clearly see is that you cannot safely assume that any old program will get the job done, and in fact, there is a very great risk of failure if you blindly choose your route for addiction treatment.
Narconon Makes Finding Help Easy
The good news is that recovery from addiction is very much a possibility. The Narconon program alone has helped tens of thousands of people to get sober through rehab over the years and is highly effective in doing so. People from all walks of life, those from wealthy and impoverished backgrounds alike, come to Narconon to get sober, and they can do so at any one of the many Narconon centers located throughout the U.S. and indeed worldwide.
Substance abuse treatment may not be easy to find or access for everyone, but it is out there and solutions and help are available. Anyone who is worried that they might fall into the category of 18 million Americans who need rehab but don’t get it just needs to contact Narconon to reach out for help. That will be their first step on the road to recovery and happiness.
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