From the early 50’s when the first Alcoholics Anonymous book was release until today with more than 10,000 drug and alcohol treatment centers in the United States, the question of what treatment center is right is on the minds of everyone affected by addiction. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is a major public health concert that impacts the American public on many levels costing society over $484 billion annually. It is currently the number one health problem in the United States.

A treatment center is the only solution for this problem, however so many who go to treatment fail and end up back on drugs. So, what components make a successful program? And what type of center should a person completely stay away from when it comes to handling substance abuse and addiction?

Drug Treatment Center Information

There is a vast history regarding drug and alcohol abuse in America. A government web-site reports that it started as early as 1949 although some reports indicate otherwise with the medical use of cocaine and opium in the early 1900’s. This was the real beginning of addiction and was when these substances came into the country as legal prescriptions for many ailments and illnesses. As society started to abuse these substances they were quickly made illegal. However, more and more drugs infiltrated the country and with the release of prescription painkillers, depressants and stimulants the United States soon had an epidemic on its hands.

Years ago the epidemic was the abuse of illicit substances like methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. Today it’s with the abuse of prescription drugs.

According to a Prescription Drug Abuse, Topics in Brief Document by the National Institute on Drug abuse, there are 7 million people who are current users of prescription drugs. Of those over 5 million are abusers of painkillers, 2 million abusers of tranquilizers and over a million abusers of stimulants. Nearly 1 out of every 12 high school students are abusing prescriptions and many school aged kids are passing out the drugs to others.

The problem of drug abuse is obvious and the history of treatment centers is an interesting one. Some of the first treatment centers were those established through the Alcoholics Anonymous programs. What started out with meetings with anonymous peers ended up with inpatient and outpatient treatment. These programs were put together with a time limit mostly because of health insurance modifications and lasted an average of 28 days. This standard model was used for years; however studies on the Alcoholics Anonymous success rate show that the percentage for complete abstinence after this treatment is low.

In the late mid-1960’s many other types of treatment approaches were born including faith based rehabilitation, dual diagnosis programs and holistic bio-physical treatment options. The time in treatment was also extended with most newer programs lasting a minimum of 90 days and some providing a year of treatment. The effectiveness of some of these programs was clear and even a government publication called Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment reported that “individuals with severe drug problems and co-occurring disorders typically need longer treatment (e.g., a minimum of 3 months).”

Treatment Center For Addiction Components

There are several components that are included in the most successful type of treatment center available. For those who have not had experience with addiction these can be unknown and cause the individual to choose the wrong type of program. The primary components for successful treatment are:

1.    As noted above, that the treatment is long enough to get a result.

2.    That the program does not prescribe drugs to get an already addicted person to stop using drugs. Many dual-diagnosis programs feel that the root of addiction is mental disease. Addiction is what causes this in many people. Removed from all drugs, in a safe environment that allows the person to take a look at all the mental components of the problems, they are able to successfully recover from the problem.

3.    The program should provide real and true testimonials from former clients and families and a list of references for a third-party endorsement of the facility.

4.    Accreditation by the Department of Mental Health or other approve independent accreditation source must also be provided to ensure that safety and health standards are followed and an approved treatment and administrative protocol is used.

5.    The program must provide the Therapy in a safe, non-drug using environment. Usually the best way to ensure that this is being given is by enrolling in residential treatment. Looking at the location of the center and making sure that it is not located in a drug using environment is also key to remove all possible environment triggers.

Getting Treatment Center Help

Asking for help for a drug or alcohol addiction can seem like a very difficult talk. Our certified counselors are available 7 days per week to meet your needs and provide guidance in finding the right treatment center.
Call now for a free and confidential assessment.