Drug Rehab: Information on Drugs and Treatment Clinics
What you need to know about drug treatment and addiction
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Hundreds of thousands of people across the United States suffer from some form of drug or alcohol addiction, and require drug rehab. Chronic Chemical Dependency is becoming a major problem in the U.S. According to a 2004 study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse around 8.4% of eight-grade school children have used an illicit drug once in the last 30 days. These drugs range from the "gateway drug", marijuana, to more serious drugs like Ecstasy, Meth (Methamphetamine), LSD (also known as acid), Heroin, Cocaine, and the "date-rape drug" GHB or Rohypnol. Prescription drugs like Oxycontin have also erupted onto the scene.
However, the mostly widely misused drug is still Alcohol (commonly known as Alcohol Abuse). Even young people today are joining 12-Step programs to detoxify their bodies and going into recovery from chemical dependencies and substance abuse. Besides Twelve Step Programs, employee health and wellness programs stress weight loss, better nutrition and drug education looking for a 70% success rate or better. Many companies use drug screening to determine fitness of their employees and increase employee self-esteem and prevent relapse.
Drug Rehabilitation Centers.
There are various drug treatment centers found throughout the country. Here is a list of a few top clinics and organizations:
- Pacific Hills Treatment Centers provides a unique, cost-effective alternative to the traditional treatment of substance abuse, featuring separate men and women programs.
- Summit Centers offers individual alcohol rehab and drug rehab for those suffering from substance abuse addiction
- Premier Recovery Center - Bayside Marin, the premier recovery center, provides residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment in beautiful northern California, providing respectful, individualized, and confidential treatment to their clients.
- The Carter Center is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering; it seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.
- Betty Ford Center offers alcohol and drug rehabilitation from families suffering from chemical dependency and addiction to alcohol and other drugs
- Heritage Home is dedicated to providing affordable, confidential, and quality residential treatment to those suffering from drug, alcohol and gambling addiction problems.
- AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) which can be found in almost any city in the United States.
- Narconon is a non-profit public benefit organization dedicated to eliminating drug abuse and drug addiction through prevention, education and rehabilitation in Florida.
The "Gateway Drug"
Marijuana is considered to be the most used drug in America. According to the the NIDA, of the 12th graders surveyed around 21.5% used Marijuana. Marijuana can seriously affect your body. It can increase your heart rate by as much as 50%, depending on the amount of THC, as well as, cause emphysema and cancer (it contains many of the same harmful ingredients as tobacco). Marijuana is also believed to be cause "burn-out" where the user is often disoriented, unaware of their surroundings and slower than usual.
Types of Treatment
There is wide array of drug rehab programs that range from outpatient care, to in-hospital stays. The treatment you receive depends entirely on the center that you choose. Some centers focus primarily on rehabilitation without medication, while others do use some physician prescribed drugs. Narconon's program focuses on rehabilitation with no medication (they do however use nutritional substitutes), while Choice Recovery Center's inpatient program uses a long list of methods (one is medication management) to rehabilitate. Some ceneters are even uring experimental drugs like Ibogaine for treatment
Drug use should be taken extremely seriously. If you or a loved one are addicted or abusing any legal or illegal substance please seek help immediately.