Posted by azdrugrehabctr on April 23, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs | 
The 2016 race to become the next President of the United States has officially begun with multiple hopefuls announcing their candidacy recently. Hillary Clinton is one of those seeking the office of Commander in Chief. As she began a tour throughout the U.S., she admitted that she was unaware that substance abuse issues were so extreme in the country. She explained that she understood that drug use was a continuing problem throughout the nation, but up until she began meeting with constituents, had no idea that people felt so strongly and that so many people were affected by the drug epidemic in the United States.
“I want to hear from people of New Hampshire what’s on their minds. I have to tell you, before I went to Iowa last week I wasn’t aware of the depth of feeling people had about substance abuse issues, so here again, I heard it in New Hampshire, so I want people to know that I’m listening,” explained Clinton during her stop to New Hampshire. Like other candidates, she will be covering areas that are considered key for primary elections.
Clinton discussed that she wants to see more resources allocated for people to be able to get the treatment they need. There may be more things that can be done to stop the drug problem in our country from escalating to epidemic proportions though. Educating doctors and healthcare providers that prescription narcotics are not the only solution to pain management and helping them understand the signs of drug abuse and drug seeking behavior are all important topics to tackle.
Hillary Clinton went on to say that she wants to make drug abuse and mental health problems a serious focus of her campaign. Will other candidates step up to speak in favor of substance abuse treatment and prevention? They should take some cues from the fact that there are record numbers of overdose-related deaths in our country. Saving lives is way more important than foreign trade or economic issues.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on April 20, 2015 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News |
Public officials and lawmakers in some states are calling attention to the amount of people who are on welfare programs like Medicaid and have substance abuse issues. They say that people are unable to get off of welfare due to drug problems, transportation problems and the lack of a high school diploma. In an effort to address the growing welfare problem and provide services to people that allow them to provide for themselves, it was necessary to take a look at the difficulties that welfare recipients faced that kept them near the poverty level.
“There are a lot of things that have happened in these people’s lives to get them to the situation where they’re so heavily dependent on public assistance programs, and it’s not going to be overnight that they’re suddenly going to get off,” explained Joel Potts, head of one state’s Job and Family Services Directors Association.
There also appears to be a disconnection between employers and potential applicants. A recent survey revealed that many people on welfare claim that there are not enough jobs, while many employers responded that there are not enough applicants who appear committed to working or who can pass the required drug test.
As more and more states take a look at their budgets and realize that more effective programs need to replace those that are not producing, getting people off welfare and more viable on their own becomes more important. Research shows that the best way to achieve this goal is by providing more one on one counseling, at-home visits and more individually-based treatment. This is much different from the current standard of practice, and also requires more time and resources to achieve it.
In order to properly help those that are suffering from an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol with the eventual goal of getting those on welfare into more stable, higher paying jobs, more attention needs to be paid to treatment and counseling programs. If these effective services aren’t implemented to help reverse the trend, many people will either wind up losing the benefits they need or the money will be pulled from other programs. The goal should always to help people become healthy and productive as soon as possible.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on April 18, 2015 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News |
Everyone seems to be in agreement that more effective treatment centers are needed throughout the country. As the drug problem across the nation has become more widely discussed, more people seem to be willing to acknowledge that acceptable care is needed for the millions struggling with addiction.
However, despite the acceptance of treatment centers and the welcomed help, Few people want to live by a treatment center. This poses quite a problem for centers looking to establish facilities that are accessible to addicts and in a location that allows for commuting without a car (something many addicts do not have) and easy access to jobs and support groups. It seems that despite the acceptance, there are still plenty of prejudices that are alive and well.
“Our homes are in jeopardy. Our families are in jeopardy. These people can fall off the wagon. We are all in favor of some form of help for these folks, but not at this risk,” explained one concerned citizen. While this seems to be a common opinion throughout many communities who have been approached by treatment centers in an attempt to open a facility, the statistics do not actually support this.
What is true though is that because there are not enough treatment facilities, those trying to get help are often told that there is not any available beds for them. Instead of being able to receive help when the person is looking for it, they are put on a list and told to wait until a bed opens up. Oftentimes this is just the excuse that addicts need to keep using, or the cravings become so intense that they cannot stop themselves from going back to drugs and/or alcohol before they can enroll.
While many people are nervous to have a treatment center in their city or town, it may be the best solution. The drug problem is continuing to grow, as evidenced by the escalating overdose fatalities, and without adequate treatment facilities many more addicts will never receive the help they need.
