Drug and Alcohol Rehabs Blog

Drug Abusing Population Growing in America

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the percentage of people over the age of 12 who used illicit drugs in the previous month has remained steady over the last six years at roughly eight percent. However, the story that is not being told is that due to the average population increase of about one percent each year in the United States, this means that there are about 25,000 more drug users each year, or about 150,000 more in the last six years combined.

While it is clear that more inpatient drug rehabs are needed, these figures make me wonder how many people stop using drugs every year. If it is not more than eight percent, then national drug prevention and drug rehab strategies aren’t working. We do already know that more money needs to be spent for addiction treatment programs, and one possible source is to divert funding from overseas enforcement operations.

Drug Rehab Criticism

If you’re like many people and speak to several different drug rehab centers, you’ll notice that in most cases each one will tell you why they are the best, and in doing so will probably say something negative about other facilities you are considering. This has to be taken only with a grain of salt, because they are essentially in competition with each other so of course will emphasize their own strong points and highlight the others’ weak points.

However, when listening to this, you have to think for yourself if you actually agree with them on your original opinion of the other center(s), or if they can provide facts to back up their remarks rather than just providing some criticism.

If someone is quick to point out negatives in others, that typically isn’t a good characteristic, because that probably means they do that with their own friends and family members as well and most likely aren’t very trustworthy. On the flip side, if they work to educate you on the various types of drug rehab programs available and what each one offers and how they fit into the mix and let you make your own educated decision, then that shows integrity.

If you think you have found the right addiction treatment center for yourself or a loved one, then someone comes along and spreads rumors, don’t let those remarks throw you off what you feel is the right decision. Call the counselors back at the facility, tell them what you heard and allow them a chance to respond or to disprove the rumors if they are false.

If you would like more information about the types of rehabilitation programs available, then using a rehab referral service, such as this one, is a good start.