Drug Rehab Programs: Variety and Effectiveness

There are thousands of drug rehab or drug treatment programs available throughout the United States. They term themselves drug rehab, drug treatment, addiction treatment facility, free standing addiction treatment, detox and a host of other names. I wanted to take a moment and explain the differences to you.

In many cases, your choice of a drug treatment or alcohol treatment facility will hinge on several factors: medical and psychiatric care, comprehensiveness of the program, licensure of program and staff, family program, relapse prevention program and aftercare program. In addition, there is of course a person's ability to pay for their drug or alcohol rehab facility.

Drug Rehab Center

Listed below will be a list of the various types of programs you may encounter on your search for a drug rehab, alcoholism or addiction treatment program:

Drug Rehab (free standing facility ) this is a stand alone facility, specializing in the treatment of drug addiction or alcoholism. It is not part of a general hospital. Drug Addiction (free standing facility) same as above Alcoholism Treatment (free standing facility) same as above Drug Rehab (hospital based) this is a program that is usually located on a private wing within a general hospital. The addict or alcoholic who has developed complicated medical or psychiatric problems might be better off detoxing within the confines of a hospital. Allow an addiction specialist or physician to make that decision for you. Addiction Treatment (hospital based) same as above Alcoholism Treatment (hospital based) same as above Detox Program (hospital based or free standing) is a level of care in which a person is medically monitored in an effort to assist them with the withdrawal symptoms associated with drug addiction or alcoholism. The greater the medical needs of an individual, the better the chances of their need for a hospital based detox. Long Term Residential Addiction Treatment Programs are generally free standing facilities, designed for the addict or alcoholic whose recovery needs warrant a longer period of time than a typical 30 day addiction treatment program can provide.

As you can see there are many different types of centers available for drug rehab. Don't be fooled by promises of success rates or that one is less expensive than another, when you are trying to find an alcohol and drug rehab facility. Base your decision on where to go on your specific needs and the services the drug rehab provides.

Drug Rehab Programs: Variety and Effectiveness

Is Drug Rehab the Ultimate Consequence of Marijuana Use?

Pot, herb, weed, grass, widow, reefer, ganja, cannabis, hash, Bubble Gum, Northern Lights, Fruity Juice, Afghani #1, Skunk, and dozens of other nicknames - call it what you will, marijuana is still the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. And the decades-long debate about whether it's good or bad for you continues at all levels of society, from research scientists down to the pot-smoking stoner in the street. Whatever the answer is, the latest government treatment figures reveal marijuana as the primary drug of abuse in 15 percent of all admissions to treatment clinics and drug rehab programs in the United States - more than a quarter of a million people.

Let's take a quick, brief look at the history of the pros and cons of marijuana.

Drug Rehab Center

Back in 1936, an anti-marijuana documentary-style propaganda film called Reefer Madness was shown in b-rated theaters across the US. It begins with a teacher warning pupils and their parents against the dangers of marijuana. But a group of students fall prey to pushers, and descend into madness and murder after they smoke "reefers". Treatment in a proper drug detox or drug rehab environment is never suggested as a solution. In those days, reefers were the end of life as we know it. So that was one early, and we admit, extreme view.

Incidentally, a year later new anti-cannabis laws were introduced by Commissioner of Narcotics Harry J. Anslinger, widely considered to be the country's first "drug czar", who told Congress: "If the hideous monster Frankenstein came face to face with the monster marijuana, he would drop dead of fright."

Now let's jump forward a couple of generations. By the 1960s, any questions about negative effects, addiction problems, or the need for marijuana abuse drug rehab has little relevance. Millions of Americans now view pot as a benign and helpful herb - peace and love, brother! But the government continues to battle marijuana with harsh penalties for possession and distribution, and pushers are still called "drug peddlers" - as if the word "peddler" carries some negative, evil connotation.

Meanwhile, scientists have not been idle. On the one hand, marijuana has proven to be helpful for a host of medical problems. It dramatically reduces the side effects of chemotherapy and improves the appetites for cancer and AIDS patients. It reverses some of the effects of glaucoma. And most recently, at Harvard, marijuana smoke was discovered to reduce lung cancer tumors by 50% while reducing metastasis, or spreading of the disease. There's no question that it is helping patients in some medical areas, but the question remains as to whether marijuana's side-effects - problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, and others - might lead to the need for drug detox or drug rehab even among medical patients.

On the flip side, other studies show that marijuana is the easily-available and most common stepping-stone to "hard" drugs, adding not only to the numbers of people committing drug-related crime, but also of addicts requiring drug rehab. A UK study points to an increase in psychoses by as much as 40% among long-term users, while an Australian study warns that teenagers with a certain genetic vulnerability are at risk of psychosis just by smoking pot once a week.

Whether marijuana is a benign and misunderstood substance bestowed on mankind by a benevolent Mother Nature or an evil scourge that drives people crazy isn't the real issue. The issue is that, like it or not, marijuana is not the benevolent bringer of peace to man, but a continuing source of problems in our society. And the evidence for this is the hundreds of thousands of people needing treatment and drug rehab every year because of their involvement with marijuana.

Is Drug Rehab the Ultimate Consequence of Marijuana Use?

Gay Drug Rehab Programs in Illinois

Drug Rehab programs and alcohol rehab programs have been available for the heterosexual community in Illinois for the last 25 years. The drug rehabs in Illinois have been of high quality and both inpatient and outpatient drug addiction treatment. There has been drug rehab programs for almost any kind of drug addiction or alcohol addiction. You can find drug rehab programs for the elderly, adolescent, men or women, but the GLBT population (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) seems to have been forgotten. Where do the GLBT go where they can receive drug rehab treatment without being judged?

Gay Addiction Treatment History Historically, the GLBT community suffering from drug addiction or alcoholism, were expected to fit into primarily heterosexual drug rehab or alcohol rehab programs. Can you imagine being heterosexual and being asked to fit into a gay drug rehab program or gay alcohol rehab program. What do you think your drug rehab experience would be like?

Drug Rehab Center

Today, the approach to treating the GLBT population has changed greatly. You can find drug rehab or alcohol rehab programs such as Lakeview Freedom Rings that has designed drug rehab for the GLBT population within the structure of a state of the art addiciton treatment program. Drug rehab programs such as this, have begun to emerge, but on a limited basis.

What is the Clinical Structure Within the Drug Rehab Program The gay drug rehab component is almost a program within a program. While the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender certainly have their own set of specific issues, people are people and addicts are addicts. Any quality gay addiction treatment component will have its own addiction therapist trained in meeting the recovery needs of the GLBT population, the staff at the drug rehab center will receive sensitivity training and education to reduce and sometimes eliminate any homophobic attitudes and the GLBT patients will participate in clinical services with the rest of the population outside of their component.

Illinois Gay Drug Rehab Services

Unfortunately there are not many drug rehab centers in Illinois with "true" gay addiction treatment or gay alcohol treatment components within the confines of the drug rehab or alcohol rehab. When looking for a Illinois Gay Drug Rehab or Illinois Gay Alcohol Rehab you might want to call 1-800-511-9225, a gay friendly addiction treatment helpline or go to ................................... www.gay-rehab.com.

Gay Drug Rehab Programs in Illinois

Free Alcohol Rehab

Drug And Alcohol Rehab Services offers centers and treatment programs throughout the country to help alcoholics and their families find effective ways to deal with alcohol and addiction.

The Drug and Alcohol Rehab Services will work with you to find a center that can best serve your (or your loved one's) needs. There is no consultation fee for the services they provide.

Drug Rehab Center

They offer a website that will direct you to centers throughout the United States that offer alcohol rehabilitation treatment problems at little or no cost. These centers provide a safe place for an alcoholic to receive treatment for chemical dependency. They will work with you to find out which program or center will best serve your needs.

They maintain relationships with treatment programs and organizations throughout the country, and if money is an issue, they will find the best rehab and alcohol rehabilitation programs available that are free of charge. They will help a client find appropriate referrals to a number of community resources that are also free of charge, and they will provide a client with in-depth drug and alcohol education regarding their options for intervention, drug treatment and continuing care. There website is http://www.drugandalcoholrehab.net.

Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women addicted to alcohol who share their experiences at meetings held throughout local communities. Although donations are accepted, the only requirement to join AA is the desire to stop drinking. There is an AA chapter available in the UK and there is also an online intergroup of AA online.

Free Alcohol Rehab