I wrote a post a couple of days ago, Drug Abuse Treatment Programs: 10 Things To Look For In Selecting The Right One and a reader wrote a great comment I wanted to share. He makes some great points and I will address a couple at the end. Here goes:
J. Heller
http://addictionnewsnetwork.com/
Brian, (sic, Bill)
Your list is a great start, but after 15 years on both sides of treatment I think even more is needed. As corporations continue to buy up (or simply put out of business) the single owner/operator facilities that were based on helping a fellow addict first and then making a few bucks, what is needed badly is transparency.
I’ve been inpatient several times, and I’ve also done everything from intake to creating (at the time) the biggest recovery site on the net. Trust me when I say that the directors of these corporations currently on a buying spree are not in recovery themselves, and they view rehabs as a very lucrative, consistent cash flow business.
As it is usually a spouse or parents who make the initial contact with a TX center, they have no idea that an “intake specialist” is in actuality a “closer”- a salesperson whose job it is to close the deal. And as far as methodology, years ago when a Judge first sentenced someone to AA, it began a cycle in which AA became the governments defacto (and free) treatment provider. As a person who originally got sober in AA, it pains me to see parents putting out 10, 20, 30,000 for what is often a 12 step program with a few counselors. No aftercare, here’s your Big Book, go to meetings…that’s the discharge plan.
There are still a few great programs out there, but it has come down to buyer beware-if a client leaves a facility early, many programs (it’s in the fine print) have a no refund policy. Should a client not agree with the treatment provided and leave, even after just a few days, the financial effects and the relationship issues could be devastating.
Like an earlier post, I believe there should be some form of guarantee-not that a person would stay sober, as that’s just not possible to guarantee. But programs advertising 80%+ success rates is also impossible. When we’re talking the price of a new car, there should at least be some care after discharge.
More transparency, more options, and an acceptance that science has in fact finally caught up with addiction treatment. There are many. many more options today for someone seeking help-from medications to therapy to brain scans and behavior modification, as well as non-12 step support groups.
In closing, the number one way that the majority of people stop using or drinking? Most never enter the rooms of AA or a Treatment Center. They experience some type of event that causes a serious change in lifestyle-and they simply stop. A former junkie like me used to have a hard time with that one-but the vast majority of studies done on the subject backs it up.
My apologizes for the ramble Brian-and keep up the good work.
Respectfully,
JJH
JJH is addressing a trend in the industry that few on the outside know about, that is treatment centers are being acquired by large corporations. When profit is the motive, some things can happen, helping becomes a product, an appropriate referral becomes salesmanship. I work at a nationally recognized top tier facility and never heard of having to pay for a whole program if you leave early. Does it exsist? I have no doubts.
One of the fascinating things about addiction recovery is that there is no ‘right or better’ way. This opens the doors for some questionable programs and downright fraud: like the fellow on TV aassociated with a treatment center offering a cure when you buy his book. Unethical at best.
I am sorry… there never will be a guarentee in recovery because so much more depends on the individual than the program. That is why I find all statistics a load of hooey. One’s success or failure depends on their own action ( or lack thereof), this is a dependent variable, not a random event. Do the work, focus and follow mainstream addiction recovery principles, and you can succeed.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks, JJH, for this important information, and thanks, Bill, for sharing his comment. I also think that if all concerned — family and alcoholics/drug addicts — understand the new brain research on addiction (check out http://www.hbo.com/addiction, produced by HBO, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NIDA and NIAAA), they can better assess and select the appropriate recovery treatment.
I have to agree to the statement that it all depends on the individual, how keen the person is to get treated and have a normal life. Magic can strike only if the person is inclined to get rid of the addiction. No treatment center can assure 100% guarantee.
Coleman air mattress
Excellent debate! I want to read more, did it continue on e-mail? This is one discussion that’s bound to not end in just two replies, so come on guys, share more.
I’ve been in AA, and that was all that was needed. I know how to stay away from scams, but most people, unfortunately, don’t. So what can you do then? Not much, I’m afraid. Just try to talk to everyone you know, make them aware of the facts, make them read the fine print and so on. Good luck.
Thanks for the post.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a guarantee stating you will never drink or drug again if you come to our treatment center. The best anyone can do is hope the addict is willing to do anything to stay sober.
The guarantee, if you will, is inside the addict trying to recover