The Problem with Outpatient Drug Rehabilitation Programs in Canada's Rural Areas

The number of drug addictions in Canada is not nearly as high as they are in the United States. The main reason for this has to do with the fact that many areas of Canada are so sparsely populated that illicit drugs simply aren't available to most residents.

While rural areas make it harder for Canadian citizens to gain access to illicit drugs and therefore become addicted, the remoteness of some area makes it harder for the people who are struggling with drug addictions to get the help that they need. The resources simply aren't available. This is most obvious when a person is in need of outpatient drug rehabilitation counseling.

The best way to help a person through a drug addiction is by getting the detoxified and then straight into one of the residential treatment programs that Canada has set up. While the person is in the residential program they are not allowed to leave. They are carefully monitored and even the people who are allowed to come see them are restricted. While the addict is enrolled in the residential program, they receive intensive counseling.

The problems start when the addict is released from the residential program. Most of the residential drug treatment programs in Canada are run by the government and are a mere twenty-eight days long. Since there is usually a waiting list, as soon as an addict has been in the program for twenty-eight days they are released. Most of the experts think that this is a mistake. They feel that twenty eight days is barely long enough for the effects of a long term addiction to wear off the person’s body.

Ideally the person should leave the residential program and immediately enroll in an outpatient program, where they will receive additional counseling and learn the skills they need to avoid being tempted by drugs and lead a productive and clean life. If an addict lives in one of Canada's more densely populated areas, this is not a problem; there are usually several different outpatient drug rehabilitation programs that they can choose from. However if the addict resides in a rural area the nearest program could be thousands of miles away, too far for the addict to actively participate in the program.

There are several things that the government can do to help these rural dwelling citizens get the help that they need so that they can overcome their drug addiction The first solution would be to create larger residential programs that can be set up to allow the rural dwelling addicts to stay longer, giving them a better chance of overcoming their addiction.

Another solution would be to make sure that every single hospital in the country has a trained social worker on staff that has experience dealing with drug addictions. Having a social worker on staff means that the addict can at least get some type of counseling after they have been released from the residential program.

The worse thing the Canadian government can do is ignore the drug addicts who reside in rural areas. When a drug problem is left unchecked, the country will experience an increase in unemployment, poverty, drug related crimes, homelessness, and suicide. It is in the government’s best interest to step up and make sure that everyone has access to the help they need.

Drug rehab centers outpatient

Outpatient drug rehab centers are non-residential facilities that a person goes to on a drop in basis. When the courses, meetings or counseling are over, the person can go back home.

As opposed to residential facilities, outpatient drug rehab centers are recommended for drug addicts or alcoholics that do not have a severe addiction. However, an outpatient facility is always a risk as the addict will go back to his normal environment after his courses, meetings or counseling. This can lead to further drug use.

Drug rehab centers Canada has done some research of different outpatient facilities. We did not find any notable success rates as far as outpatient treatments are concerned. From our investigation, one of the common reasons for this is that aftercare is substandard or non-existent in most cases. Also, the number of patients that finish outpatient drug rehab programs is low. Many circumstances can happen on a daily basis to cause the addict to decide not to return to the program.

When an alcoholic or a drug addict has a craving, they need to have someone to help them through it. If an addict can go back to his/her environment (that triggers his addiction) on a daily basis, the chances of relapse are very high. If an addict uses drugs while in treatment, he/she may feel failed in their attempt to get clean and can fall into further recidivism.

Outpatient drug addiction treatment

Outpatient drug addiction treatment is as diverse as the addicted persons who seek it. Viable drug addiction treatment has only been available since the early 70’s and there are many programs that are still changing their approaches to treatment because they have not yet established a codified technology that guarantees a high rate of success. Certainly, stopping the devastating use of drugs is an important step, but research on the outcomes of treatment demonstrates that most people who have totally recovered from drug addiction have attended multiple programs before they were finally able to live a drug-free life. There is ample research to document that outpatient drug addiction treatment is half or even less than half as effective as inpatient programs. Naturally, the most problematic element of outpatient care is the inability of the program to control the access of drug use while the person is in treatment.

Drug addiction is a severe affliction and should be taken very seriously when one finally wants to find effective drug addiction treatment. In 1992, alcohol addiction and abuse cost our country $148 billion, with 50% of the costs due to illness, over 20% were attributable to premature death, and the remaining cost were due to health care, crime, and other factors. All other drug abuse cases cost the country $98 billion, with 60% of the costs related to crime. Illness, premature death and health care costs accounting for nearly all of the remainder. The important point from these figures is not just the tremendous cost of drug addiction, but that the number one cost to our country from drug addiction is crime related.

This demonstrates how many people addicted to drugs compromise their ethics and do whatever it takes to secure their next high. In drug addiction treatment, some programs believe that if you can stop the cravings for drugs, you have handled the addiction. However, research has shown that this is not the case. A person must also confront his past behaviors and take responsibility for changing their attitudes towards society and others around them. The most common outpatient drug addiction treatment is pharmaceutical replacement therapy, with Methadone maintenance being the most widely known and used. These programs replace illicit drugs with legal drugs that have less euphoria or other types of “highs”, but are many times harder to withdrawal from than the illicit drugs they attempt to cure a person of. In the case of Methadone, it is more addictive than Heroin, harder to withdrawal from, and over 50% of Methadone users “chip”, which means they continue to use drugs (Heroin or Cocaine) while on the Methadone. They have effectively added another addictive substance to their daily consumptions without arresting the use of the original chemical.

An outpatient drug rehab is a program designed to provide long-term abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Outpatient drug rehab programs use a broad variety of techniques to attempt this. These techniques include a wide range of approaches including problem-solving groups, specialized therapies such as insight-oriented psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and 12-step based programs. Similar to other drug rehabs, the individual may stay in the program for several months or longer. Those who attend an outpatient drug rehab do not live at the drug rehab as they would at an inpatient drug rehab.

Outpatient drug rehab programs vary in the types and intensity of services offered. Low-intensity outpatient drug rehab programs may offer little more than drug education and counseling. Other outpatient drug rehab models, such as intensive day treatment, can be comparable to residential programs in services and effectiveness, depending on the individual's characteristics and needs. All in all, the ultimate goal of an outpatient drug rehab is to help the individual recover from drug addiction so that they may re-enter society and lead responsible, successful drug and alcohol free lives.

^{Source: http://hc-sc.gc.ca/hc-ps/drugs-drogues/learn-renseigne/index-eng.php}