Effective Drug Rehab for Rhode Island
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You might not look at Rhode Island and think that this state would sit near the top of the list for drug overdose deaths. But it does. It is in fifth place after West Virginia, New Hampshire, Kentucky, and Ohio. Every year, Rhode Island loses 28.2 people per 100,000 population. Perhaps the fact that Rhode Island has a smaller population than 42 other American states is why its overdose numbers don’t seem as high or intolerable as the those in other states. And why Rhode Island seldom makes headlines outside of its own boundaries.
In 2015, 310 Rhode Islanders were lost to drug overdoses. That doesn’t seem to compare to Ohio’s 3,310 lost lives or Pennsylvania’s 3,264 for sheer volume. But in a small state like Rhode Island, the loss of life and the damage to families is just as immeasurable as Ohio’s larger volume.
Rhode Island also ranked at the very top of the list for marijuana use. In 2014, 13% of Rhode Islanders were users of cannabis products. This puts Rhode Island higher than Alaska, Vermont, Colorado and Washington State.
Rhode Island’s Profile of Drug Use
Like other Eastern urban areas, Rhode Island has been hit hard by opioids, including illicitly-manufactured fentanyl which is now added to the supplies of heroin, cocaine and even marijuana. At one time, it was mostly prescription drugs taking these lives. From 2009 through 2012, for example, the top category of drugs resulting in accidental overdose deaths was prescription drugs.
After 2013, illicit drugs became the bigger killer. That’s the year that heroin emerged as a deadly alternative to the painkillers that were being abused. Then illicitly-manufactured fentanyl crept quietly into the marketplace and began to claim lives.
Another surprise for Rhode Islanders is that alcohol has been sending considerably more people to rehab than any other drug, except for 2004 and 2014. The state began to ramp up their approaches to fighting the addiction problem in 2014. Along with other Eastern urban areas, that was the year Rhode Island noticed a surge in overdose incidents, survivable and not survivable. That was the year that these new synthetic opioids, including acetyl fentanyl, hit the market.
From an average of 20 overdose deaths per month in 2013, the monthly number has grown to approximately 30 per month. The rate of loss is even higher in Warren and Central Falls than other cities like Providence.
Further Reliance on Drugs?
The plans announced by the Governor’s Task Force on preventing addiction and overdoses recommends the use of medication-assisted treatment as one of the main tools to prevent harm and death. While there is evidence that shows that people using methadone and Suboxone do not overdose as often, patients on these medications are still drugged every day with a synthetic opioid. These drugs have more effects than simply filling in for the addictive drug so a person will not become sick with withdrawal symptoms. Those using these medications remain chained to an addictive substance and their eventual withdrawal period is often quite long and filled with negative experiences.
The Narconon drug rehab program has been 100% drug-free for its entire history. Since 1966, this program has been helping individuals come off all drugs they were using, including methadone, buprenorphine, alcohol or marijuana. The life skills component of this course enriches the experience people have at Narconon by teaching them how to retain their sobriety after going home. There’s no reliance on an addictive substance here – only a reliance on one’s own abilities and skills.
The Unique Detoxification Step of Narconon
The first action of the Narconon drug rehabilitation program is a drug-free withdrawal, which includes nutritional supplements and physical techniques to help relieve the pain and discomfort of withdrawal symptoms. Where a step down is medically required, where a person is using drugs such as benzodiazepines or heavy alcohol use, we also work with medical detox services so they can be weaned down before starting the Narconon program. This puts them safely on the road to living a truly drug-free life.
Next the individual goes through a deep, sauna-based detox that is unique to Narconon centers around the world. Combining moderate daily exercise to get the blood moving, strictly monitored nutritional supplements and time in a low-heat sauna results in the body being able to flush out old, stored drug toxins that are normally unreachable. Those toxins left over from past drug or alcohol use may have been lodged for years, even if the person stopped using drugs. This means that these residues are capable of affecting one’s mood and outlook.
As the toxins are washed away in the sweat generated by sitting in the sauna, a person’s outlook becomes brighter and he (or she) is able to think more clearly. This is an essential enhancement if a person is to learn sober living skills. Many people say that their cravings are also reduced and some even say they are gone.
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Refreshing One’s Perceptions
The next step is the objectives. This consists of a series of actions that gradually brighten one’s ability to perceive the current environment. The pain, loss, and fear of addiction is in one’s past and can restrict one’s choices and decisions. When the current environment becomes brighter and more vivid, it is easier to make one’s choices based on factors in the present, not in the past. Each person gradually regains control over his own emotions, choices, and actions as well.
Building Life Skills
What is needed now is a new set of life skills based on a new and improved understanding of the parts of life on which one’s sobriety depends. Leaning about antisocial personalities is a vital step. Being able to identify and deal with these people helps one preserve sobriety as one is much less able to be harmed by those with bad intentions at heart.
Each person then learns basic principles concerning integrity, self-esteem, and honesty. A simple procedure for recovering one’s integrity and finding relief from the deep guilt each addicted person has suffered is taught. The relief each person feels when this procedure is put to use is remarkable. As the weight of past guilt lifts, it’s possible for each person to envision a happy, sober future, probably for the first time in years.
Finally, it’s important to teach each person how relationships can be restored at home, work or in the community, they will return to. Knowing how to overcome obstacles and solve problems keeps a person from being tempted with a return to drug abuse to enable them to hide from life again. Sobriety is therefore preserved.
Helping Rhode Island Heal
The doors of Narconon centers across the United States are open to those residents of Rhode Island who are seeking drug-free recovery. A person in Rhode Island might choose the Michigan Narconon center for recovery or the one in Florida or Louisiana. A short flight west would take one to the Oklahoma center. There are also centers in Nevada, Texas, Colorado, and California. The choice is yours. Call Narconon International today to learn more about this drug-free, holistic program.
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