Cutting Addiction TreatmentCutbacks Threaten Addiction Treatment Most everything in America is driven by celebrity or popularity, and to be sure healthcare is not any different.
When people think of healthcare it’s usually in association with getting the proper coverage when you need an operation, or taking care of the endless litany of ailments that accompany old age. When we donate to charitable organizations, a favorable nod is given to the disease du jour, especially when that disease has a celebrity spokesperson. It’s a good investment because the search for cures and the discovery of causes is noble work. The idea of universal healthcare is so appealing to many, but will healthcare under a universal mandate cover all critical areas? Alcoholism and drug addiction are easy targets for cuts in today’s strapped economy. Drug treatment centers may outsource their detoxification program in the name of saving money, but will patients who otherwise would begin treatment after detox even be in treatment. There are some who believe detox IS treatment, and likewise there are those who believe that once one is treated he/she has recovered. When selecting coverage areas, there will be the age-old argument over whether or not alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases, or just forms of behavioral problems. But currently, some healthcare providers are seriously cutting back their intake of addiction patients, preferring instead to send them through detoxification and not making the referral to treatment and recovery programs, which are the very heart of bringing people back to wholeness. Drug and alcohol treatment does not bring in the big bucks, yet substance abuse is ever increasing. Recently there was some interesting data shared on a radio program. It suggested that young people don’t get involved with drugs because they think they are invincible. No, according to the story, they get involved with drugs because they know they are NOT invincible and in many cases, feel they are going to die young anyway. In southeastern Wisconsin, where I live, we have had a rash of heroin overdoses by teens and in the last year there have been dozens of stories about drug abuse in the papers. When I heard the new data, it made sense to me. The thinking is very destructive and extremely narrow. In healthcare we kick around the idea of treating the whole person and the people I work with take this very seriously. Holistic medicine is embraced and we are always talking about “patient experience” and making the hospital a friendlier place. Of course, those who work in alcohol and drug treatment and recovery are constantly mindful of the fact that we are all body, mind and spirit. However, when the financial push comes to shove, mind and spirit are all too soon forgotten, so we treat the body. Meanwhile, our politicians, under pressure from the community, are not interested at all in body, mind and spirit. They are busy drafting new laws to deal with drug and alcohol offenders. Tougher sentencing laws will ensure that impaired drivers are taken off the streets, or students that violate school rules are banished from the classroom as the edict of the “zero tolerance” policy. What is less expensive in the long run, incarcerating drug and alcohol abusers, or treating their disease? What is more advantageous for the community, kicking kids out of school, or getting to the bottom of their issues and offering a constructive and healthy alternative? Is alcoholism and drug addiction going to vanish in tight economic times? Will healthcare be able to bend with the demand and recognize that treatment is not only the better solution, but ultimately a responsibility? It’s not only the healthcare providers that need to step up, but the private community as well, especially the faith community. Jesus of Nazareth taught to “love your neighbor as yourself” and reaching out to help those who struggle with the disease of alcoholism or drug addiction meets that criteria. Universal healthcare does not mean just that everybody is covered; it also demands personal responsibility to be a part of the solution. Insurance companies don’t like drug and alcohol treatment, so many people go without because there is no coverage. It’s the first thing they are asked when they seek help. Does your insurance cover this? I often tell recovery groups that I really don’t see the need to treat addiction any differently than I see the need to treat a heart condition. The only difference is that one disease has a stigma and the other one doesn’t. Both diseases are chronic; both require lifestyle-changing interventions and both necessitate measures to manage the disease knowing that it cannot be cured. There’s nothing “sexy” about drug and alcohol treatment. But in the years ahead, it just might be the necessary focus rather than new laws. If universal healthcare does not include treatment, an enormous segment of Americans in need will be left out. If insurance is continued to be allowed to pick and chose who gets treatment and who doesn’t, healthcare, universal or otherwise, will only be for a selected few. For more Addiction Treatment go to books Addiction Treatment Addiction Treatment Addiction Treatment Addiction Treatment Addiction Treatment Addiction Treatment HOW TO USE THIS SITE:This site contains five MAIN pages that EVERYONE should read: RECOVERY… Yourself... Your Family... Your Friends... Your Community... The rest of the pages are there for your reference to explain important topics in more detail.  You Can Be ADDICTION FREE FOREVER!Are you or your loved one struggling with addiction?YOU MUST TAKE ACTION NOW! Use this at-home guide to End Addiction Forever:Click here for details!  "Getting Them Sober" the million-selling book---------Now for the first time as an E-BOOK and available for IMMEDIATE download anywhere in the world! PLUS: 24 additional chapters in 5 BONUS BOOKLETS : The 350 Secondary Diseases / Disorders from Alcoholism The Hidden Problems After Separating//Divorced from, an Alcoholic What Keeps us SO emotionally attached to alcoholics??!! Sex and Trust Issues When With an Alcoholic Your Child ------- Alcoholism ... ?? $60 VALUE Special $9.95First time as an e-BOOK and available for immediate download. Click Here for more information about e-book Click Here To Speak to a Counselor Right Now!Copyright 2012 by Mission Enabled All Rights Reserved |
