Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Drug and Alcohol Abuse is Now One of Top American Health Problems

If there was a disease suffered by one out of every ten Americans over twelve years of age, wouldn’t you agree that this disease was raging out of control? That’s exactly the situation that exists with drug abuse and dependence.

The government agency that monitors the statistics on drug abuse and dependence is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA). In 2006, SAMHSA estimated that more than twenty-two million Americans were suffering from drug or alcohol abuse or drug or alcohol dependence. This compares to the Centers for Disease Control’s estimate of 1.1 million Americans who are HIV positive and it’s twice the number of people who suffered from all types of cancer combined.

SAMHSA classifies a person as suffering from abuse or dependence when that person has health or emotional problems associated with substance use, unsuccessful attempts to cut down on usage, they have developed a tolerance (meaning more drugs must be taken to get the same effect), they experience withdrawal symptoms if they try to cut down or stop, or they have experienced one of a number of negative changes in their lives as a result of using the substance, such as damage to job, school or family. These are the people who need drug or alcohol rehabilitation treatment to be able to resume a productive, enjoyable life.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of these people did not receive treatment because they didn’t feel they needed it. According to SAMHSA, a full 95.5 percent of those who needed treatment did not feel it was needed.

“This is what we hear from families every day,” said Ryan Thorpe, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead, one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. “And it’s one of the most tragic aspects of addiction. Drug and alcohol abuse lowers a person’s awareness, including their awareness of needing to get help. We work with families every day who must convince their addicted loved one to get the help they so badly need.”
_____
source: PR Urgent

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Recognizing the Need for Alcohol Addiction Treatment

It’s never too late to seek help for an addiction to alcohol but there are some ways that we can learn to recognize the need for alcohol addiction treatment long before the severe consequences and physical illness begin to fully set in. If you or someone you love drinks alcohol regularly, there’s a chance that….

Mistakes to Avoid Post Drug Treatment

Once you have completed drug treatment it’s easy to think that you are out of the danger zone and fully recovered from addiction. Unfortunately, the reality is that you are not ever in the clear and out of the danger zone when it comes to addiction. Recovery from addiction is a long term (lifelong) effort….

Tennent’s backs minimum alcohol pricing

Tennent’s, Scotland’s largest brewer, has heaped pressure on Holyrood’s opposition parties by backing the SNP’s plans for minimum alcohol pricing. Mike Lees, the company’s managing director, said the proposals were “a sensible move” and “part of the solution” to the country’s chronic binge drinking problem. But his surprise intervention failed to sway the other three….

Anti-drinking ads boost boozing for some

Health campaigns aimed at keeping teens and others from drinking and driving, smoking and other risky behaviors often use shame and guilt to get their messages across. But a new study finds anti-drinking ads can actually spur increased binge drinking for some audiences. “The situation is worse than wasted money or effort,” said study researcher….

Hallucinogen’s Popularity May Thwart Medical Use

With a friend videotaping, 27-year-old Christopher Lenzini of Dallas took a hit of Salvia divinorum, regarded as the world’s most potent hallucinogenic herb, and soon began to imagine, he said, that he was in a boat with little green men. Mr. Lenzini quickly collapsed to the floor and dissolved into convulsive laughter. When he posted….