Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Top 3 Reasons A Person Doesn't Enter Rehab


Many families struggle with the idea of their loved one needing help but never accepting it. Some families who have a loved one addicted to drugs or alcohol simply sweep it under the carpet and pretend that it’s not actually happening. Some families feel all alone. In this blog, we are going to discuss the three main reasons a person struggling with alcohol or drug addiction refuses to enter into a drug rehab facility.

3) The 3rd reason a person never goes to rehab for a substance abuse is they don’t want their family to spend money. The cost of drug rehab is one of main excuses an addict or alcoholic will use to not go to treatment. The solution to this problem is already have the cost handled and when the addict or alcoholic asks, just let them know you have worked out arrangements for rehab and for them to not worry about it.

2) The 2nd reason why a person will not enter a substance abuse center, is they don’t think they have a problem.  This is the classic denial. In a situation like this you want to hire a professional intervention. An interventionist will bring the family together and educate everyone about enabling, addiction and treatment. This process is crucial so that everyone is on the same page when you do the actual intervention with the addict or alcoholic.

3) The number one reason why a person never goes to rehab is that they do not want to leave home or their family. This is the most common excuse. Many times they will agree to try outpatient counseling but you and I know this is not a real solution to an addiction problem that has been going on for years. The only type of treatment that is effective for drug or alcohol addiction is an inpatient treatment facility. The only thing you need to know in this situation is to just get the person there. Don’t have them commit to certain amount of time, instead just get the addicted individual to agree to checking out the facility and giving it a shot. Hopefully this helps and if you need further assistance feel free to contact our counselors today.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Rehab Coverage for Substance Abuse a Badly Needed Insurance Reform

Although shopping to find cheap health insurance is considered one of the major ways for virtually everyone to pay less for their coverage, that's not true if you have pre-existing conditions. And it's especially not the case if the condition is substance abuse. By law, many group policies must include benefits for treatment options for addicts including rehab, but people who are forced to shop the private insurance market are either denied or quoted exorbitant rates beyond all reason.

The Law Regarding Addiction and Insurance

In 2008, Congress passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act which compels insurers to include coverage for a range of treatment options for addiction in some group plans. This extends rehab benefits to roughly 100 million workers. The real hope for comprehensive help for addicts, however, is the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act currently undergoing judicial review by the United States Supreme Court.

The basis for the review is the questioned constitutionality of the individual mandate clause of the law, which would require all Americans to carry health insurance by 2014 or be forced to pay a federal fine. The justices, however, have the option to throw out the entire legislative package. If that happens, many benefits of the reform law that would become active over the next two year will disappear.

One of those is the stipulation that by 2014, no insurer may exclude an applicant on the basis of a pre-existing condition. This would open the door for thousands of addicts to seek coverage they've been previously denied, and something the insurance industry does not want to see happen because those benefits will represent a profit loss. It is estimated that on an annual basis, the families of alcoholics alone spend $94 billion caring for their addicted loved ones.

Rehab Coverage as an Aspect of Preventive Care

Health reform advocates are increasingly calling for an overhaul not just of the American medical system, but rather the national medical philosophy. Currently, the norm is to seek treatment when an illness appears. This reactive model is extremely expensive, and creates a situation in which severe long-term disease is often present before intervention takes place.

This pattern can be particularly serious with long-term addiction. The presence of the offending substance and the behaviors that accompany its use lead to ancillary conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease to liver failure and respiratory damage. Even obesity is a concern, as one addiction quite typically leads to another.

Addicts need help before their disease reaches those levels, and in doing so, millions of dollars would be saved. Each year, the American economy loses approximately $223.5 billion to healthcare costs related to alcoholism, much of which is passed on to taxpayers through various public programs. In addition, more than 60 percent of all personal bankruptcies in the U.S. list medical debt as a primary cause of the action.

Rehab and treatment programs typically cost $7000 per month with a three-month stay being the norm. Since addicts frequently fall into a pattern of relapse, it's not unusual for the total expense to exceed $75,000. Some examples of exclusive treatment programs. Filling this massive gap in available insurance benefit options is a badly overdue reform. Providing rehab coverage for substance abuse patients would not only save the healthcare system literally millions of dollars, but it would help to alleviate the suffering of both the addicts and their families.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Dr. Feelgood and Legal Drug Dealers

“Dr. Feelgood” was arrested this month in California, charged with murder for allegedly writing prescriptions to tens of thousands of patients who didn’t need them after three young med overdosed and passed away. After a long investigation by the DEA involving undercover work where agents acted like patients and tried to get prescriptions for various prescription pain medication and anti-anxiety medication.

Dr. “Lisa” Hsui-Ying Tseng is charged with overprescribing amongst other drugs, “Xanax” and oxycodone. Reports on file stated that young men went to the physician’s office complaining of back and neck pain, were given brief exams and given drugs.

Her medical office has been open since 2005 and in 2008 was reported by a pharmacy for having problems with the doctor’s scripts. Over a three-year period Dr. Tseng wrote an average of 25 prescriptions a day with three patients dying as a result of overdose and 14 others who survived, all men. Besides the three murder charges, Dr. Tseng was charged with 21 felony counts for prescribing addictive substances without legitimate medical purposes and using fraud. Four of these were for prescriptions written to undercover DEA agents. Locating an effective prescription drug abuse rehab is essential for someone struggling with this type of addiction.

Her prescription writing privileges were suspended in 2010 and she voluntarily gave up her medical license. Her husband, also a doctor, has continued to run the practice.

Dr. “Lisa” Tseng claims she did nothing wrong stating she followed all guidelines and she was strict with her patients. In a statement to the Los Angeles Times she said “If my patient decides to take a month’s supply in a day, then there’s nothing I can do about that.”

The Good Doctor is facing a maximum term of 45 years to life in prison.

This “Dr. Feelgood” is a primary example of the serious substance abuse problem in America where physicians are over-prescribing addictive medications unnecessarily and without cause. These Doctors are paid tremendous amounts of money to write prescriptions with no legitimate medical situations. “Those victims die while the doctor gets rich,” Cooley (the District Attorney for Los Angeles County) said in a written statement.

Murder charges are hard to prove in court, doctors are not necessarily able to “control” what patients do with the prescriptions and this offers these physicians some deniability. Although most doctors are not held liable for their actions, the doctor of Michael Jackson was convicted for involuntary manslaughter for the king of pops death.

Substance Abuse is a nationwide problem and continues to have the attention of the US Government and the President. There are many treatment options available for those who lose themselves to this terrible addiction.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Heroin Drug Addiction Rehabilitation

Before going to substance abuse treatment I was using heroin everyday. I couldn’t keep a job, I was in serious legal trouble and my family wouldn’t speak to me. I didn’t care about my friends, my family or even myself. All I cared about was getting high and getting my next fix. It was my entire life and I was miserable.

Even though I knew I needed help I couldn’t imagine the pain of coming off of everything and I didn’t want to admit to my family or friends that I couldn’t do it by myself and needed treatment for substance abuse.

When my mom presented me with the chance to go to substance abuse treatment the first time I told her no. I told her no over and over and over again. She would ask me when I would see that I had hit rock bottom and I honestly didn’t know the answer.

Eventually I was homeless, I didn’t have anything and was out of ways to get money. I had burnt every bridge I had and did not know what to do. I knew I needed help or I was literally going to die, out of pure desperation I called my mom, she dropped everything to help me get into substance abuse treatment and I will always be so thankful for that.

I was so scared when I entered treatment, the counselors at the facility made me feel so welcome and comfortable. Going through the process was so hard, it was difficult for me to have to take a look at different actions that I had done to estrange my family and friends. It was hard to face all of the horrible things that I had done and what led me into a life of addiction. Although I experienced good days and bad days I know that going to substance abuse treatment saved my life. Apparently, some of the best drug rehabs are listed on drugrehab.org so if you are looking for a center we would recommend locating one here.

At a certain point in treatment I knew that I didn’t need drugs and not only that but I didn’t want them anymore. I realized I didn’t need people’s approval of me and I got my self-confidence back and more.

Now that I have completed treatment for substance abuse I know I will be clean and sober for the rest of my life. My relationships with my friends and family are better than they have been since I was a little girl. My legal problems are better and I am focused on the future and happier than I have been in a long time. I have hope and I can’t remember the last time I could say that and I am excited to live my life.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

What Makes Narconon A Good Rehab

Founded in 1964 by a habitual criminal and heroin addict named William Benitez, from the writings and works of humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, the Narconon drug treatment program has been considered controversial in some circles. Whether it is from sensationalized information from the media or special interest groups with their own ideals and protocol for how to treat drug addicts, Narconon has been a program that has received much attention. There is one thing, however that cannot be argued about the non-traditional program; it gets results.

With a closely watched and monitored 76% success rate Narconon is among one of the top drug and alcohol treatment programs in the country. The organization now runs over 150 centers in 50 different countries and is one of the largest non-profit groups in the world in regards to drug treatment. They are one of the facilities that use a biophysical treatment.

So, what is the recipe that makes Narconon a good rehab? Some of the following will explain:

1. The Narconon program is 100% drug free. It does not handle addiction with replacement drugs, nor does it give clients drugs during the detox process. This eliminates the dangerous replacement drug side effects as well as the potential for addiction to these drugs.

2. Narconon uses a process called The New Life Detoxification Program that is used only through their program that removes drug toxins from the body that cause physical cravings. The program is described in full on the but uses specific doses of fast release Niacin or B3, exercise, a specific vitamin and mineral regimen, plenty of water and intermittent sweating in a dry heat sauna. The outcome is drastic reductions in physical drug cravings and a new sense of energy and vigor for life for those formerly addicted.

3. Processes to help get the individual into the present time environment and out of the past drug-using memories call Objectives are used as well as tools to cope using confront, control and communication through drills called Training Routines.

4. The second half of the Narconon program deals with all the underlying issues and problems that lead to the drug use in the first place and the facility uses Life Skills Therapy to allow each individual to specifically address and handle these issues. Clients are able to let go of past misdeeds and make up the damage for the negative effects they have created for themselves and others because of their addictions.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Insurance Coverage For Drug And Alcohol Rehab Programs

Are you looking for a drug rehab that insurance will cover or an affordable treatment center that can help your loved one overcome their addiction to drugs or alcohol? This is a common question that can be extremely confusing to find information from especially from the insurance providers themselves. This blog is here to help you better understand insurance coverage when it comes to drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and what to expect in your out of pocket expenses.

The first thing you should realize when trying to figure out if your drug treatment program is covered is whether or not the actual facility works with insurance companies. Many treatment centers bill for insurance and are cash pay only. If you are specifically looking for information regarding your insurance coverage for drug rehab then you need to have the actual treatment center get your insurance information and they will find out the exact coverage.

Remember don’t discouraged if it looks like your insurance for alcohol treatment does not look good. There are rehabilitation programs that can assist you in finding some sort of coverage or financing as well. Most of the drug rehab programs available have staff that are allocated to solely bill insurance and figure out ways for families to afford to pay for their treatment center. We certainly understand how frustrating it can be in this desperate time of need which is why we have written this blog. We hope this information regarding financing for drug rehab, and insurance for addiction treatment programs can help you find the right program.