Below are two nonfiction books regarding inappropriate and ineffective practices found in too many rehab centers: a recent investigative report on opioid care and an older, but still relevant, exposé on other types of addiction treatment centers.
Rehab‘s publisher: “We’ve heard a great deal about the opioid crisis foisted on America by Big Pharma, but we’ve heard too little about the other half of this epidemic—the reason why so many remain mired in addiction.” Hint: it involves problems with our treatment facilities.
Publishers Weekly: “On-site overdoses, abusive disciplinary methods, and patients outsourced as unpaid labor are some of the shocking revelations levied against the U.S. addiction treatment industry…Particularly galling is that seemingly positive policy changes—like the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid’s coverage for rehab and new rules for sentencing low-level drug offenders to treatment rather than prison—have rendered the industry more lucrative and rife for exploitation.”
Furthermore, while many of us are aware of the strangleholds perpetrated by insurance that block accessibility to treatment, who knew doctors are limited from prescribing Suboxone, a drug that can actually help opioid addicts?
The author focuses on four true stories of individuals seeking recovery. Kirkus Reviews: “The book’s chapters rotate among the four narratives, walking the reader through the harrowing and the hopeful. Their stories are as compelling as they are hard to read, because Walter scrutinizes a largely hidden world that over-promises and under-delivers. The book is well written and strikes a good balance between the personal narratives and the broader racial and political contexts in which they play out.”
And what about post-rehab? Meghan Rosen, Science News: “In reality, recovery requires continued support, which means access to food, housing, jobs and medication. Lacking any one of these can impede recovery.”
II. Inside Rehab: The Surprising Truth About Addiction Treatment–and How to Get Help That Works by Anne Fletcher (2013)
One of the worst problems Fletcher found was the lack of addiction expertise offered in many rehab programs (Psychology Today). “…(M)any states don’t even require a bachelor’s degree to become a certified or licensed addiction counselor.”
Individual counseling, moreover, often isn’t even provided.
In addition, it’s common for clients to be taught their rehab won’t work without 12-step groups.
When patients relapse—and they often do—it’s not unusual for them to wind up returning to the same treatment model that didn’t work before. If it fails again—and again and again—who’s blamed? Often the patient—who may be shelling out thousands of dollars in the process.
What can an addict do to find more effective help? Fletcher recommends getting an independent evaluation if possible. Also, barring a severe addiction problem, one might start off with an individual counselor with special expertise as opposed to a residential or inpatient program.
