California Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center

California was home to the counter-culture long before the rest of the country really woke up to the fact of drug abuse at its doorstep. It is famous for its out-of-control celebrities and wild parties splashed across tabloid pages. These are only a splashy front, however, for a much more widespread and insidious drug problem that echoes the war on drugs across America. California has the highest rate of drug abuse deaths in the country, and over 60% of opiate –addicted Federal detainees in the state end up back in jail within six months after their release. Drug smuggling across its border with Mexico is rampant and difficult to control, but Californians are certainly not alone in their battle against street drugs, abuse of prescription drugs, club drugs, and alcoholism.

Addiction Recovery

California’s drug laws and penalties are among the harshest in the nation, but studies have shown that they have not been effective at reducing drug-related crime. The state is slowly shifting toward reform, including treatment for first-time offenders instead of jail to keep drug habits from escalating. Drug treatment centers for alcohol and drug abuse are therefore an integral part of the overall fight against drugs in the Golden State. Other studies indicate that even hardened drug abusers benefit, so it is never too late to seek treatment for a drug addiction or alcohol abuse problem.

There are, literally, hundreds of drug treatment centers and alcohol recovery programs in California. A simple internet search will likely turn up a wide and bewildering array of such programs in your area. How to choose?

Be careful of a program focused on drug or alcohol detox alone. “Sober for life” should be the goal of any treatment center for either drug addiction or alcohol abuse. While managed detoxification is crucial to the overall recovery process, it cannot achieve permanent recovery by itself. Helping the addict through this stage involves inpatient or outpatient care at a qualified treatment facility specializing in the particular abuse problem facing the addict, along with intensive counseling to help the addict understand the roots of his or her problem.

The laid-back California lifestyle and the easy availability of drugs makes the chances of relapse unusually high. To be truly effective, a drug treatment program must focus on behavior modification as the next step after detox, to help the addict understand the triggers for his or her self-destructive behavior and to teach recovering alcoholics and drug addicts to manage the temptation to return to the abuse. Without these three essentials: detox, counseling, and behavior modification, no drug or alcohol treatment program is likely to produce satisfactory results.

24 Hour Addiction Treatment & Intervention Assistance

800-559-9503

Hunting for a drug treatment center in California is a matter of picking up the phone book or searching the internet. There are not too few; rather so many that finding the right one is a matter of research and asking good questions. Do not delay, and don’t give up hope, no matter how far advanced the habit. Professionally managed care at a qualified drug or alcohol rehabilitation center could, literally, change your life.