Refusing Rehabilitation: Alcohol Statistics

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The pattern is familiar: each evening offers an excuse for wine. Countless sips mark the hours, with you enjoying them all. It’s a way to battle the tedium of the day, to offer pleasure (however fleeting). A career demands so much; obligations forever accumulate. Alcohol allows you to simply… relax.

And you eventually become dependent upon that sensation — requiring more and more swallows to achieve it. Earning even a pleasant aftermath demands entire bottles.

You think nothing is wrong with this. You think there is no problem.

There is, however — and you are one of the many individuals who refuse to seek the necessary treatment.

Alcoholism (which is a reliance on excessive amounts of any form of liquor to sustain normal functions) is a common disease. As of 2011, it’s estimated that 25 million Americans suffer from it — with the majority of these individuals being age 40 or older. The effects of this illness are wide-spread and well charted: costing millions of dollars in health-care demands and unemployment.

These concerns are often dismissed, however — and that is proven in the startling low statistics of those who try to seek aid for their disease. Only an estimated five percent of alcoholics will enter rehabilitation centers; and just half of these patients will maintain their programs, continuing with counseling and detox treatments.

These numbers disturb, representing a disregard for alcoholism and its effects. The majority deem themselves free of all symptoms, and this is a mistake that must be corrected — now.

 

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The Importance of Motivation During Drug and Alcohol Treatment

Drug and alcohol treatment can only work as long as the individual is motivated and excited to be in the program. Once an addict’s motivation for staying in a program drops it can often times lead to them making the decision to quit or leave the treatment program. When an addict leaves a drug or alcohol treatment program they must start all over again when they choose to re-enter the treatment facility. To avoid this problem many drug and alcohol treatment centers focus on ways of keeping their patients focused on the program.

The first way that drug and alcohol treatment centers focus on keeping their patients focused on the treatment is through motivational techniques. While the addict is still learning about their addiction and making progress it is important to also give them motivation for doing good. Many treatment facilities will have a reward day where the patients can engage in games or sports. Other motivational elements can include motivational speakers, progress reports and the ability to see friends and family during the course of the treatment. This keeps them motivated and focused on the program at hand.

The second way that drug and alcohol treatment centers focus on keeping patients in treatment is to emphasis that drug and alcohol addictions are chronic diseases. These diseases will not go away without treatment. This will make the addict realize just how important seeking treatment and seeing it through to the end is. By emphasizing this point to the addicts they will realize the importance of treatment and hopefully stay in the treatment facility.

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How Long Does Drug or Alcohol Treatment Last?

One of the most commonly asked questions that people have when they enter drug or alcohol treatment centers is how long will my stay be. This can often be a difficult question to answer because the answer will vary greatly. However, there are a few things that people can take into consideration when they try to figure out how long their drug or alcohol treatment stay will be.

The first factor that can be taken into account is the type of addiction that a person has. Each addiction is different and therefore the length of stay in a treatment center will vary greatly on that. Some of the common stays based of off specific drugs includes methadone which has at least a minimum stay of 12 months in order for the treatment to be effective and there are always opioid addict individuals who will have to seek treatment or maintenance for the rest of their lives.

Another factor that is considered with the stay of treatment in a drug and alcohol treatment center is whether you are considering treatment to be just inpatient or outpatient. Most inpatient programs will be a minimum of 90 days. Research shows that anything less than 90 days is ineffective and does not treat the addiction. However, outpatient treatment can take longer due to the fact that there is not enough time to devote to the addiction and addicts can come and go throughout the day. Some outpatient treatment can last as long as a year to two years in order to be effective in treating the addiction.

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Financial Benefits of Seeking Drug and Alcohol Treatment

When looking around at local drug and alcohol treatment centers it might make many people wonder if attending a drug addiction treatment center is really worth it. Most drug and alcohol treatment centers will cost anywhere from $2,000 to $45,000 for a stay. The longer and more complex the treatment the higher the cost of the treatment will be. This high cost makes many people wonder if drug treatment is worth the cost. Here is a look at some of the cost benefits of entering treatment.

The first cost benefit of entering treatment is the reduced amount of medical costs that the drug addict will have. Many drug addicts will experience adverse health effects and even medical problems from their prolonged drug use. In fact, it is estimated that drug and alcohol abuse can cost the United States over a half trillion dollars every year. By seeking treatment for the addiction it could reduce the cost of health care because the addict is taking better care of themselves.

The second cost benefit of entering treatment is the reduced amount of legal fees. Many drug and alcohol addicts face many legal problems. Legal problems can result in the addict having to seek a lawyer, pay for bail or even pay fees. These legal problems can be very costly over a long period of time. By seeking treatment an addict will face the burden of having to pay for the legal fees and problems that follow a lot of drug and alcohol addicts.

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