Drug Treatment

By: Marlene Mulligan

Drug addictions and alcoholism afflict millions of people around the world, costing hundreds of thousands of lives annually in the United States alone.  While it’s the abuse of controlled substances like cocaine, heroine, prescription sedatives and painkillers, marijuana, and amphetamines that gets the most attention in the media, it is the legal drugs, alcohol and nicotine, that are the most widely abused.  Addictions and abuse of the legal drugs alone cause over 400,000 deaths every year in the United States.  While the numbers of deaths caused by controlled drugs are much lower, addiction to these chemicals is often even more dangerous, depending on the chemical.  Drug treatment is highly recommended for anyone having problems associated with substance use.  

Drug treatment options today include a variety of services, many of which are entirely free.  There are a number of support groups that operate with the sole function of helping people overcome addictions to chemicals.  Some examples include Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, and Life Ring.  These groups have become so large and widespread that no matter where you live there is very likely several meetings that meet every day in a location near you.  

There are also a number of support groups, such as Ala-non, and Narcanon, that are designed to help people cope with loved ones suffering from addictions.  Being close to someone with a chemical dependence can be an extremely stressful, frustrating, and emotionally taxing experience, and these meetings can be a very effective resource to help you manage it.

While some people find eventual success just by utilizing local support groups, most people should seek additional drug treatment to help get started on the road to recovery.  There are many drug treatment centers around the United States that offer both residential inpatient, and intensive outpatient services.  Most of these programs have intake specialists that are trained to help you determine what kind of treatment options would work best for you.  Often, health insurance plans will cover some or even all of the expenses associated with drug treatment.

Once started, drug addictions only get worse with time, and are nearly impossible to recover from without help, so drug treatment should be sought sooner rather than later.  Although the likelihood of success from treatment is low, some amount of progress is very likely to occur, and repeated attempts at drug treatment are eventually effective for most people.  The greats impediment to drug treatment is the willingness of the sufferer to seek help.  Once help is desired and actively sought after, the chances of finding recovery are good.