Early this summer, after yet another celeb exited rehab, I posted The "Lohan" Phenomenon - Do Celebs in Rehab Diminish the Recovery Process? With last week's rehab-release fiasco, I felt the need to reiterate some important points about serious people who seriously want to kick addiction. There seems to be a general outcry/backlash occurring all over the media - from celebrity-focused TV shows, court television, newspapers, etc. Everyone has an opinion.
But what do experts in addiction treatment have to say? WebMD has two excellent pieces, the first - Rehab's Role in Treating Addiction, gives a very clear description of the addiction treatment process. Family Poll: Half of Addicts Seek Help - Survey Shows that Most Who Go for Treatment Get Better, which discusses a recent Gallup poll showing that although only half of family members seek treatment, 82% of those who seek help get better.
Although not an addiction professional, the alcoholism and drug abuse "guide" at About.com has a helpful post, Components of Effective Treatment Programs that includes a key component to successful treatment and recovery: Strong Patient Motivation, "All approaches to (alcoholism) recovery depend on the desire of the person to get and remain sober."
So, although most media stories on this topic have entertainment value, to really understand the treatment and rehab process, read what the experts in the addictions field have to say.
Addictions expert Dr. Marc F. Kern says the treatment approach may be part of their problem in gaining health - he thinks the disease model is killing people, because it is stopping many people from getting the alcohol and drug help they need, that would really work for them. He says the disease model of addiction - embraced by most of the medical community - scares people, and ignores effective alternatives.
ReplyDelete"We have a time warp in the practice of addiction medicine in this county," Dr. Kern says. "The root of why people aren't getting help is the shame, blame, uniformity, and religious overtones of the standard treatment, and physicians 'diseasing' the problem."
Continued in article: Why Hasn't Alcohol Rehab Worked for Lindsay Lohan and 93% of Problem Drinkers in U.S.?
Hi Douglas:
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to comment.
I agree with the point in the article you cited that a one-size-fits-all approach to any type of treatment can be problematic.
But treatment protocls for a disease/condition/issue have to be followed to reach any degree of success. It appears to me that drinking and drugging immediately after release from rehab is blatantly disregarding any prescribed treatment that I'm aware of.
The old AA chestnut, "stay away from people, places and things" is a very effective strategy.
Nancy