Drug Treatment
Drug treatment comprises a wide range of services
offered to those who abuse
or are addicted to drugs, alcohol or tobacco. Treatment is
available in many settings, where behavioral
approaches and pharmacological treatment is
used. Both short- and long-term treatment is
available, through residential treatment centers,
outpatient programs and inpatient care. Drug
and alcohol addiction is a major problem worldwide
that impacts nearly everyone at some point,
whether directly or indirectly. Addiction is
taxing for families, communities, law enforcement,
governments and medical personnel. The social
and economic impacts of addiction are far-reaching
and can be devastating. Treatment approaches
vary widely throughout the U.S. Programs and
services provided to treat substance abuse
and addiction include:
- Medical detox
- Counseling and behavioral
therapy
- 12-step approach
- Pharmaceutical therapy
- Education
- Employment services
- Rapid detox
SOME SOBERING STATISTICS
The National Institute
on Drug Abuse (NIDA) said there are more than 11,000 specialized
drug treatment facilities
in the U.S., providing
- rehabilitation
- counseling
- behavioral therapy
- medical services
- case management.
Because abuse and addiction are major health
problems, many treatment facilities are funded
through local, state and federal governments.
In many cases, it is a concerted effort between
governments, law enforcement, counselors, healthcare
providers, social workers and mental health
experts.
The Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) performed a treatment
study between 1996 and 2006, to provide information
on the demographics and characteristics of
substance use and abuse. SAMHSA, a division
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, studied the 1.8
million admissions to treatment for abuse of
alcohol and other drugs by reporting facilities. The agency found
that five substances account
for 96% of those admissions. They are:
- Alcohol (40%)
- Opiates (18%)
- Marijuana (16%)
- Cocaine (14%)
- Stimulants (9%).
For the U.S. as a whole,
SAMHSA found, admission rates for opiates other
than heroin increased 314% between 1996 and
2006.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND ADDICTION
ARE COSTLY PROBLEMS
The long-term goal of drug treatment is to
achieve sustained sobriety. Because relapse
rates are high for many drugs, it may take
several episodes of treatment to get there.
NIDA said the goal for treatment is not only
lasting sobriety, but also to help individuals
function better and become productive members
of society again. According to the institute,
untreated substance abuse and addiction is
costly for society due to factors including:
- violence
- property crimes
- prison expenses
- court and criminal costs
- emergency room
visits
- healthcare costs
- child abuse and
neglect
- lost child support
- foster care
costs
- welfare costs
- reduced productivity
and unemployment.
“The cost to society
of illicit drug abuse alone is $181 billion
annually,”
NIDA
reports, explaining that when combined with
alcohol and tobacco use, that cost rises to
$500 billion a year.
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