So, I did a little digging because I promised to back up my blog from yesterday. There is not much up to date, which is another problem with tracking addictions, no body process the data regularly. Even so I think the snippets from 2 articles below will give you the idea of what we are up against in America and the stigma of addiction.
The Treatment Episode Date Set (TEDS) is a system that compiles information provided by rehab and treatment centers around the country. The most recent report highlights admissions for the years 1997 through 2007 for various drugs and alcohol abuse treatments. The total number of admissions for drug treatment reported in the United States in 2007 was approximately 1.8 million.
Another study, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, indicated that 23.5 million individuals suffered from an illicit drug abuse or alcohol problem in the year 2009. A mere 11.2 percent, or 2.1 million people, obtained help from a specialized facility.
…an admission to one facility by John Q. Public in January is counted, and if John enters another rehab in November, he is counted again. When John finishes his inpatient treatment, he may enter an outpatient program for further care. That admission would also be counted for purposes of the SAMSHA report. (Unknown, n.d.)
And then there is the National Coalition for the Homeless giving this info:
POLICY ISSUES
Homeless people typically do not have health insurance, including Medicaid. This means that few homeless people with addictive disorder are able to find the resources necessary to pay for their own treatment or health care. In addition, there are extensive waiting lists for addiction treatment in most states. The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors estimated that in 2005, over 19.3 million people needed, but did not receive addiction treatment services. The number one reason for which people did not receive treatment was the high cost and insurance barriers (NASADAD, 2007). Moreover, people who are not easy to contact, such as homeless people, are often dropped from the lists. (National Coalition for the Homeless, n.d.)
So, not for nothing, this raises many questions. Are we dealing with the same population of addicts over and over until their means of insurable credibility burns out? From what is stated above, we are getting false numbers. The ones that are even making it into treatment may be counted many times within the same year. It is not uncommon to have someone leave a rehab with the best of intentions, only to return a week later. That is still one person and for every one addict coming in, more are going out at phenomenal ratios.
To sum it up, we have thousands and thousands more people needing treatment with no means to get, all the while millions more are getting treatment repeatedly. So yesterday I also promised a solution. Here it is, share this. If your you find issue with my blog, Google the topic and share someone else’s, but we must, we must get the word out to EVERYONE. Secondly, get over the idea that this does not affect you. You are paying taxes, in essence, to keep those poor souls away from your doorstep. It affects you, trust me. Thirdly repeat number one because the major problem we have in America is that we are not the least bit United in providing defenses against the number one killer, bar none, in America. Finally, Pray!
References
National Coalition for the Homeless. (n.d.). Addiction Disorders and Homelessness. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/weber/AppData/Local/Temp/addiction.pdf
Unknown. (n.d.). Drug rehab statistics, rehabilitation stats. Retrieved from https://luxury.rehabs.com/drug-rehab/statistics/
