Do Drug Addiction Treatment Centers Know What They’re Doing?

Do drug addiction centers know what they’re doing?

This is always a good question to ask when seeking treatment for any problem, including drug addiction. If you or a loved one has finally made the choice to seek treatment, then they have just made one of the most important decisions of their lives, and it just might save their lives. Now comes the more difficult part, are all addiction centers the real deal?

First, let’s look at how treatment centers got started, so as to inform our answer. Addiction treatment actually started with the treatment of alcoholism in the mid-eighteenth century among First Nations, although it is unclear as to specifically which ones it began with.

It was not long after, that Benjamin Rush defined alcoholism as a disease that required treatment. The beginning of the first, true addiction centers, however, didn’t begin until the early nineteenth century.  It was the early twentieth century that actually saw a shift from alcoholism to a more pronounced dependence on drugs in society. This was in part because some alcoholics were being treated for their addiction to cocaine! This shift eventually resulted in many people with drug addiction being committed to asylums, which were eventually closed for unethical practices.L

Thankfully, modern times means modern treatment and, with centers like the Betty Ford Clinic, opened in 1982, a person can now receive proper, compassionate care.

The question here is not should a person seeking treatment receive good care, but will they receive proper care? A great deal of the answer lies in the country you reside in and the country you’re seeking treatment from for the answer. Many countries like Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom have regulations and legislation put in place to ensure that a person can’t simply set up shop and call themselves a rehab clinic. They do have to be licensed.

If you’re looking into getting treatment from other countries, then ask yourself about the motivations for why you’re making that choice. If it’s to get away to a tropical destination to get better, then all the more power to you! If, however, your decision is mainly motivated by price, then you might want to take a closer look at the treatment center you’re considering.

Different countries have different rules, and it’s important to consider what the laws, regulations, and licensing requirements are in each one before you make a decision. So, always make sure to do your research on a prospective place of treatment, and not just on the clinic itself.

So, do drug addiction treatment centers know what they’re doing? For the most part, the answer is yes. Just do your homework first!