Diane didn’t even consider herself an “addict” when her family helped her realize her dependency upon alcohol. She liked to drink to relax after work each day. She “needed” a drink to feel comfortable at social gatherings. She didn’t mind a third or fourth (or fifth) drink when offered. After the second, she often lost count anyway. After years of this behavior, a failed marriage and another broken-off engagement, her sister helped her see it was time to get help.
Diane was one of more than 16 million Americans with adult Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD), according to 2013 numbers reported by The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Diane first sought out-patient treatment, but after relapsed dependence on alcohol, she got treatment at inpatient program at a drug rehabilitation Elgin.
Benefits of inpatient care
Outpatient clinics do not require residency at the program. Therefore, patients may continue regular employment and family obligations. While certainly effective for some, the disadvantages of spending of encountering the same stressors and life-triggers, day in and day out, often proves unworkable. Inpatient care provides a complete change of environment, round-the-clock support, and full-time interactions with others seeking recovery. Individuals usually prefer to be an inpatient at a drug rehab Elgin since their recovery will be shorter and they’ll be less likely to relapse.
Decreased funding
The Illinois budget impasse and budget cuts have forced facilities like the Lutheran Family Services run Elgin Residential Rehab. The facility, in operation since 1970, provided inpatient care for recovering drug and alcohol addicts like Diane. Altogether, Lutheran Family Services of Illinois had to cut 750 jobs, more than 30 programs, and $20 million dollars. This comes at a time where addict care in the state is already much lower than demand.
For those individuals with inadequate insurance and familial support, in particular, state funded and subsidized beds are crucial to recovery. The other salt in the wound is that poverty and familial troubles are already risk factors for drug abuse, with a growing number of poor facing bleaker odds and more frequent death from drug use in America. Unfortunately, as drug use continues to shift to less affluent areas, policymakers are also less likely to support public funding for treatment, even though such groups need the public funded facilities the most.
What you can do
If someone in your life needs alcohol or drug addiction support, don’t assume that such resources are immediately available. You can contact local lawmakers to encourage funding for state programs. If you have the means or connections, you can assist directly in private care or set yourself or a loved one up at a substance addiction Elgin center. Drug and alcohol dependency affects the public safety and financial health of our entire community.
