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A second best option is a statement like the one De Paul Treatment Centers in Portland Oregon has that reads:

De Paul is a private non-profit agency governed by a volunteer board of directors. Support comes from Federal, State and county governments, public and private insurance and contributions from foundations, corporations and private individuals. Methods of payment for services include a sliding fee scale for all services, Oregon Health Plan and many private insurance plans, and Multnomah and Washington County-funded residential and outpatient slots.

At least from this I know they don’t have a one size fits all cost structure. I also have a pretty good idea that they are an affordable program for the less than wealthy.

If budget is a consideration in your decision for choosing a treatment program look for such statements on the websites of treatment centers your screening. However, know that most don’t do this and don’t rule them out for it, but do encourage them to add their cost structures to their sites.

Once you do find a center site with a privacy policy look for language like the following:
1. This website does not collect personal information from your computer when you view this site.
2. “Cookies” are strings of text that a Web site stores on a user’s computer to facilitate their visit. This website creates a temporary cookie – one that expires when you turn off your browser.
3. When we ask you for personal data in any of our forms the information is transferred over a Secured Sockets Layer (SSL) line provided you are using an SSL enabled browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. (Note: I still suggest you call the center rather than providing personal information online).
4.Patient and Alumni information is protected by the Code of Federal Regulations , Title 42 Part 2 and HIPA.

Not having an online privacy policy doesn’t mean the treatment center isn’t qualified, but it is worth noting and adding to your pile of information for evaluation.

It’s not good enough that the drug or alcohol treatment center comes up at the top of a search saying “Nevada Drug Rehab…” that doesn’t mean that they have treatment in Nevada or whatever state, it only means they understand how Google, MSN, or Yahoo! machines work for indexing web pages. In fact, if you’re reading this post on the day I write it and you go out to and Google “drug rehab Tennesee” or “Drug Rehab Nevada” you’ll find the number one site for both of these (and I bet many more states) doesn’t tell you if they have a treatment center in the state only that you should call to find out. In this case they are a national outfit that I won’t name here, but they don’t have treatment centers in all the states they show up for. And believe it or not this is true for several treatment sites that show up at the top of such searches.

So what’s my problem with this? Simple, it’s less than transparent and that is not a good basis for a relationship that your health and ultimately your life could depend on. What other things aren’t they telling you? There is absolutely no reason, even if it’s a national treatment chain, that they can’t give you a list of the states and cities they are operating in.

Want to see a list of what addiction treatment centers exist in your city or state – simply pop over to this addiction treatment center directory and click on your state or any other state. Ignore the listings immediately under the “ads by google” text, go down to the table, find your city and those are the treatment centers in your state.

Of course, not all websites need to give a physical address / location, but I think it is a must when it comes to treatment center websites.

Okay, more tomorrow.

But why do we call it rehab. Lets think for a second about the term rehab. It’s derived from the term rehabilitate, which means what? Well, according to what is no doubt the most authoritative source on the English language Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, it means “1 a : to restore to a former capacity : REINSTATE b : to restore to good repute : reestablish the good name of.”

Is that really what it is all about. Restoring someone’s reputation, or reestablishing their good name? I am not even sure that it is about restoring someone to a former capacity, because let’s face it. In that former capacity are many of the factors that lead to the spiral of addiction.

Now I am not saying that there is a cure for alcoholism and drug addiction. Clearly at this time, there’s not. But, it is a disease and it may be the only disease that one goes off to rehab for. We don’t rehab cancer, diabetes, or coronary diseases. Why not, well because they are diseases. And we don’t rehab disease we “treat” them.

Imagine a news anchor saying “Today, actor (insert famous actors name here) was admitted to rehab for lung cancer.” You would never hear it.

When someone goes to alcohol and drug treatment the primary goal is to get treatment for a disease. A disease that is chronic and persistent and often deadly, in the way that many other disease are.

In the wake of addiction and alcoholism one often ends up trashing their good name and positive reputation, which need rehablitating, but before that process can start one needs treatment. Rehabilitation is another process alltogether.

Of course, not any accreditation will do, JCAHO and CARF Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities are both reputable and there are others as well. In addition, you can check with your single state agency contact though they may go by different names in different states these are the agencies that oversee alcohol and drug treatment liscensing in individual states.

Business Executive and Recovering Addict, Mike Sanders is using Recovery Month to promote his ExecuCare Addiction Recovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Calling it a “revolutionary approach to treating addiction” and “A first of its kind in the state of Georgia”

According to the ExecuCare website, “Most traditional addiction recovery treatments can be lengthy and disruptive, but ExecuCare ARC’s discreet, outpatient treatment lasts only 10 days and allows clients to return home or to their hotel at night.” And how do they accomplish this?

We administer an all natural Neurotransmitter Restoration (NTR) treatment that utilizes a special formula of amino acids, which are administered intravenously over a 10-day period by a registered nurse under doctor’s orders. The NTR treatment addresses all prescription and non-prescription drug addictions as well as alcohol and nicotine addictions.

That’s it apparently folks, all there is to treating addiction is brining into balance an imbalance of amino acids. Never mind the links to physical and emotional trauma, never mind unlearning years of addiction seeking behavior, never mind identifying triggers if Sanders is right all you need is 10 days of amino acids.

Unfortunately, programs like this are likely to give a bad rap to the nutritional importance of treating addiction. There’s no getting around it, years of taking drugs and or drinking depletes the body of many minerals and nutrients and these need to be built back up. It is even possible that some relapses occur, at least in part, because of not getting the necessary supplements. Many traditional drug treatment programs do miss the mark in terms of providing nutritional information to addicts and alcoholics. Inpatient treatment programs don’t always pay attention to the nutritional needs of the alcoholic.

If you’re considering treatment for yourself or someone else it’s completely reasonable to ask a treatment program how they address the nutritional aspects of recovery, and if they don’t maybe you don’t want to consider them.

Inconvenience e.g. lengthy treatment programs is an easy excuse to avoid treatment. Easy answers like a 10 day spin dry are a great way to say you’ve been in treatment and it just didn’t work for you. Sooner or later though – maybe after you loose your career, home and family – the inconvenience of a program that takes time and addresses all the physical, mental and emotional needs you have for addressing your addiction won’t seem like such a sacrifice.

Overview

Program Name: Lee Street Recovery Residence

Location: Statesboro, GA

Serves: Women 18 years of age and older

Accreditation:

Licensed by the state of Georgia

Memberships:

Payment Options:
Self-payment accepted

Detailed Provider Information

The Lee Street Recovery Residence is a long-term residential facility designed for women ages 18 and over who are struggling with addiction and dependency on drugs and alcohol. Although each program is individualized to each resident, the average length of stay ranges from 12 to 24 months.

The program is based on the 12-step philosophy, and includes workshops, meetings, therapy, counseling, and peer support. Most residents are encouraged to abstain from outside employment during the first few months of treatment in order to fully integrate into the program. After that, residents are welcome to seek employment if such work can be successfully included into that woman’s life and recovery plan.

The treatment program includes all meals, necessary transportation, daily in-house meetings, weekly counseling sessions, and equine therapy. The home is within walking distance to a popular shopping area, and home visits are permitted as each client progresses through the program.

Special Interest: Lee Street Recovery Residence is a long-term living facility designed specifically for women. Each woman at the center will live in the Lee Street home that is located in an exclusive neighborhood, and will follow an individualized meeting and therapy schedule during residency in the home.

Contact info: 1-912-536-2141

AddictionsResources.com is not affiliated with the programs and services found on this site. The goal of AddictionsResources is to increase awareness and educate around issues and services for those suffering from addiction.

The first thing you come to after the header graphic is a doctor locater so that you can find treatment if you’re having a problem. Fill in the zip code and a radius you want to search and you are taken to a Google mashup like this one on their TurntoHelp site. What isn’t at all apparent, if you have just arrived here from their MySpace page, is that the list of doctors you are bing shown are only those doctors who have agreed to and are trained to prescribe bupernorphine.

You then come to their supposed “prevention” effort which is weak at best and harmful at worst. Telling teens that there has been a 343% increase in the use of painkillers is not prevention. In fact, from a social norming perspective it could easily be seen as an effort to normalize the abuse of pain prescription meds.

Click on the Help page and you learn that “The good news is that people can be treated for addiction to prescription pain killers or heroin in the privacy of a physician’s office.” While perhaps technically true it is generally false that addiction treatment is going to occur in this manner. True a physician can prescribe medications like Suboxone but that is not treatment. Physicians are not trained and do not have the time required to help the addicts re-pattern their thinking, or change their behavior. These are the things (sometimes along with medication) that make addiction treatment work. The fact that Reckitt Benckiser leaves this information out just makes their true aim all the more transparent.

What else is on their MySpace Page? Well, you can join a “support program.” This program consists of emails which are, again, little more than another effort to market their product. Their example email reads

Dear ((Name)),

You’ve taken an important first step in choosing treatment that includes SUBOXONE®. Over the next few months, we will continue to send you e-mails that explain what you can expect as your treatment progresses.

Interestingly enough, not once on the MySpace Addiction411 page is there a disclaimer that the page is by a pharmaceutical company with a vested interest in promoting their own product, or a certain method of treatment.
It is unfortunate that Reckitt Benkiser did not more closely examine their own motives and how those could best be served before they embarked on this effort. The truth is, the medication they have have to offer can be helpful to those with an opiate/opioid dependency issue, however, their MySpace tactic should be seen not as prevention, but rather a push for Suboxone.

If you’re concerned by Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc., MySpace page contact MySpace to register your complaint. You can also write the FDA which is supposed to oversee drug company advertising.