If people had a place to live and other people would allow them to stay there throughout very early recovery, would they go to residential treatment for substance use disorders?
Perhaps some- but I believe that the vast majority of people who go into residential treatment are sent because no one will let them live with them (until they are done w a residential program) Or- because the legal system ordered the to either to treatment, or do time. There are numerous dilemmas and problems with this model and I believe this time has come to for a new approach.
I believe treatment can be very different than this. I saw a glimmer of this in an article in LA Time about the merger of the Betty Ford Center an Hazeldon. The new organization, under the name Betty Ford Center, will open 3 outpatient treatment centers. I am fortunate to work for a health care organization that provides the complete outpatient continuum of care for substance use disorders. It is a more expensive approach than the much more common residential treatment approach. And, the staff of professionals all possess a with minimum of graduate degrees in a behavioral health. It is a staff heavy model of care. It is more compassionate and more effective. Studies bare this out. And being more effective, it is much more cost effective. Costs are just saved down the line; something share holders and investors do not like. Of course, cost effective in health care a tricky thing, and I will leave this issue to others.
The initial foundation of one's treatment is extremely important. I break it down like this:
pre recovery; detox/initial treatment; early recovery. These three phases cover usually about the first 9- 12 months. I have found that the maintenance phase really begins closer around one year. For what its worth, most models of care would say maintenance begins after 2-3 months.
For the next few weeks or so I will be writing on the pre recovery stage. For those of you in recovery- that would be the last period before you stopped. How you were feeling, what you were thinking, and how your body was responding to the chemicals. We will pass on the drama of the BEHAVIOR before the stop.
Please share your stories.
