The Drug and Alcohol Abuse Problem

Drug and alcohol abuse ruins lives and destroys families. It wrecks health, careers and finances. Alcohol and drug abuse causes more damage than any other single problem in America today. It is an enormous issue. These and other drug alcohol abuse statistics help illustrate the vast extent of the drug alcohol abuse concerns.

• approximately 19 million adults drink alcohol every day in the Unites States


• over 22 million Americans use illicit drugs or abuse prescription medications each month


• 6 people die and 700 are injured in accidents involving an alcohol-impaired driver every day


• the estimated cost of drug and alcohol abuse is 524 billion dollars a year


• one person dies every 14 minutes as a result of drug abuse

Rehab and Recovery is the Solution

Today, there are over 20 million Americans in recovery from drug and or alcohol abuse. For those who may be unfamiliar with these terms, rehab is going through a therapeutic, educational treatment process. Rehab is generally considered the initial step in someone stopping drug and or alcohol abuse. Recovery is the ongoing continuum of an individual working a program which maintains abstinence from using drugs and or alcohol.

More About Rehab

The terms rehab and treatment are often used synonymously. Rehab, however, is the term for the entire drug alcohol rehabilitation process. Treatment is all the various components that transpire during rehabilitation. Treatment usually includes detox, stabilization, evaluation and assessment as well as the various forms of education and therapeutic treatment itself. There are various levels of rehab, such as Intensive Outpatient Therapy (IOP), Partial Hospitalization (PHP), Inpatient and Residential. There are many different types of drug alcohol rehab centers such as gender specific rehab centers for men or women only, as well as wilderness centers, Christian based programs and many others.

More About Recovery

Although it is not mandatory to go through some form of drug alcohol rehab before getting into recovery, it is generally considered to be a good idea. Drug alcohol recovery is a form of self-help usually accompanied by some form of well-orchestrated, group support. Not everyone who is in recovery from drug or alcohol abuse is an active member of a specific recovery organization. Some can simply quit and never go back. With over 2.5 million members worldwide, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is by far the most well-known and widely accepted recovery organization in the world. Since AA started their 12-step recovery program in 1935, many other organizations have sprung up addressing other personal issues, while using a similar 12 step format.

Finding the Right Rehab Treatment Center

Attending the right treatment center is extremely important. It can actually make the difference between being successful in long term recovery, or not. Finding the right drug alcohol rehab treatment center can be difficult. There are many variables to be considered, such as location, insurance and the type of program they offer. No two treatment centers are the same. Finding the right match is a matter of being very familiar with the person as well as knowing something about treatment and the right questions to ask.

References

- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

- Faces and Voices of Recovery