Drug Addiction Treatment – What Does it Take to Make it Successful?

Many people are frustrated when a family member gets into a drug addiction treatment center only to gets back on drugs afterwards. Every day we read news articles about drug overdoses with stories of parents who did everything they could, including drug addiction treatment, to help their kid. Having lost their own loved one, they network to help prevent further deaths. However, with all the good they do, one thing they often overlook is improving the quality of drug addiction treatment And other than prevention, it’s the one thing that could have made the difference.

Parents and loved ones who haven’t been involved with drugs – or maybe they tried drugs and used them occasionally but never became addicted – don’t understand what to look for in a drug addiction treatment center. Even if they choose residential treatment, they’re often lured by the 30-day solution. But they rarely work. Here’s why.

It takes a week or two to just get through withdrawal. That doesn’t mean the drug is no longer in the system, but the sometimes intensely painful period is over. However, often the drugs left in the system are still urging the person to take them, even if they don’t want to. So, a good drug addiction treatment center will help clean the drugs out of the system, and then build up the body so it’s healthy and no longer experiencing physical cravings.

The addicted person has reasons why they chose to try the drug and why they kept taking it. These are often deep-seated. They had personal problems that living somewhere other than in the real world helped them escape. They’d rather feel the way they feel on the drug than the way they feel without it. This is understandable. Life can be pretty hard. So, to stay off drugs, the person has to have a solution – another way to successfully cope with the problems of life and be happy. A good drug addiction treatment center will also address that.

Next, who are they hanging out with? Are they surrounded by people who take drugs or drink? If so, the chances of staying sober are next to none. And, truthfully, if they are really cleaned up themselves, they’ll want to hang out with people who don’t drink or take drugs – they’ll want to spend their time with others who have a similar mindset. A good drug addiction treatment center wouldn’t consider treatment complete if the person wants to go back into a drug or alcohol-laden environment. And they’ll help them figure out alternatives.

Under the ‘who are they hanging out with’ category is also this question – Are they around people who belittle them or blunt their sense of purpose, self-esteem and value? Or someone whose expectations they’re constantly trying to live up to? Parents or a spouse who is ‘disappointed’ in them, their lives or even their career choice? This can come in many forms. The person could even be overwhelmed by societal conditions they feel they can’t do anything about. A good drug addiction treatment center will also look into this.

Without all of these factors being addressed, the person doesn’t really have their lives sorted out and, consequently, they’re still at risk.

Whether the problem is with street drugs, alcohol or prescription drug addiction a successful drug addiction treatment program will address all these issues -and it can rarely be done in 30 days. Be realistic in your choice of drug addiction treatment and your chances of success will be greatly improved.

Drug Addiction Statistics

Some people dont like being quoted statistics. But when we speak of statistics on drug addiction, the numbers are actually important. These numbers can help us identify problem areas with drug addictions and help us better understand what exactly is going on with drug addiction in the country.

For example, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States according to a 2005 survey. Over seventy-six percent of the population reported using marijuana in that years time.

An estimated 15.9 million Americans aged twelve or older reported using illicit drug in the month prior to the 2005 survey. That statistic represents 7.1 percent of the population 12 or older. This is an increase of almost 8 percent from the previous year.

Drug addiction statistics can be a little bit scary as well. Consider that in 2003, there were nearly 20,000 deaths directly attributed to drug use both legal and illegal. Of those deaths, about 3 percent were to people 21 years of age and under.

In the year 2001 alone, use of the club drug Ecstasy increased by 58 percent from the previous year. This statistic was calculated by the amount of people who were admitted to a hospital emergency room with Ecstasy overdoses.

Statistics on rehabilitation center admissions also paint a sad picture of drug addiction. In 2006, there were over 175,000 people who checked themselves into a rehab facility. It is estimated that 5 percent of those people returned to using drugs after they were released.

Methamphetamine use is on the rise as well. In 2006, a whopping 15 percent of the population reported using meth as their primary illicit drug. This can be attributed to the fact that meth is easy to make with common household items and produces a significant high for the user that cannot be obtained by using any other drug.

Perhaps the scariest statistics on drug addiction are the ones that involve our youth. A significant percentage of young people report having been introduced to one type of drug or another on a regular basis by the age of 13. Nearly fifty percent of those children will try drugs by that age, and 20 percent will become addicted before graduating from high school.

It can be a big, bad world out there for adults and children alike. We may sincerely want to bury our heads in the sand when it comes to drug abuse and addiction, but we cant. When presented with statistics on drug addiction, theres really no way we can ignore the fact that theres a problem in this country a serious problem with drugs.