›› Drug Rehab
Drug rehabs provide
a critically important function for our society. As
Americans, we live in a world that all but worships medication, and
almost encourage the use of chemicals to solve everyday
problems. Though I am not against the use of medication when
appropriate, the work focused, high stress environment that America
encourages doesn’t mix well with the heavy use of
drugs. The combination sets the stage for rampant drug abuse
and addiction. Is it any wonder that as a nation
America consumes 70% of the world’s drugs, both legal and
illegal, even though we only represent around 5% of the
world’s total population?
It is clear that America is the biggest market for drugs in the world,
and is no small wonder that so many drug companies and illicit drug
lords do everything in their power to get their product into our
country. Although its extremely hard to accurately gauge the
depth of the issue, most estimates suggest that at least 20% of the
population of the United States will be addicted to some form of drug
in their life. Yet drug rehabs are still few in number, and
are often packed with waiting lists that extend outward for weeks and
even months.
So why are drug rehabs so scarce? Are we as a nation in some
kind of denial about our drug abuse issues? When it is clear
that we have declared ‘war’ on drugs, why is it
that the treatment approach seems to be so utterly lacking?
Most of the rest of the world will put a person caught using a
controlled substance into a drug rehab, while in America we are more
likely to put such a person in prison. Are we trying to send
the message that jail is a more appropriate treatment for drug
addiction than a drug rehab?
Unfortunately, there is still a strong stigma associated with drug use
that makes drug addiction a moral issue, when it is really a medical
one. On one hand we applaud medication and practically shove
it down people’s throats with wall-to-wall television and
radio commercials, magazine ads, and more. Then on the other
hand we view illicit drug abusers as weak willed, immoral people that
should be punished. All the while, it is the two legal drugs
alcohol and nicotine are causing the most actual mayhem and quality
drug rehabs are reserved for only a select few.
The statistics are clearly showing that our war on drugs is a losing
battle, and needs to be approached differently. We
can’t pump billions of dollars into law enforcement and spend
next to nothing on education and treatment. Most drug addicts
only get worse in prison, not better. A drug addict needs a
drug rehab, not a jail cell.
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A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
