Narcotics Anonymous: Treatment Center For Drug Abusers
Compared to several years ago, there are now more treatment options for drug abusers. Community health services and treatment and rehabilitation centers can be found in most cities and towns today. Other outpatient services are also available to provide help.
There are also a number of self-help groups that provide assistance to drug users, and one of these is Narcotics Anonymous. This voluntary organization was created primarily to help drug abusers modify or break their habits. It shouldn't be hard to find a chapter of Narcotics Anonymous in your area. You can check the community pages at the front of your local telephone directory.
It is a big relief that there are such organizations that may be able to help drug abusers live a fairly normal life during treatment. Narcotics Anonymous is a community-based support group patterned on Alcoholics Anonymous, the organization created to help in the quick recovery of alcohol abusers.
Many drug abusers fear the effects of withdrawal; they seek help only when they are ill or have had a brush with the law. Often, too, they seek help when they are unable to get their regular supplies of the drug. This makes them fall into relapse. While their cooperation is important in the success of treatment, adequate counseling and support and rehabilitation mechanisms should also be in place. This is exactly the reason for the creation of Narcotics Anonymous.
While there may be no foolproof set form or method that can help drug abusers, the programs of Narcotics Anonymous are specifically designed to treat those who abuse heroin, marijuana, or other drugs. In fact, many patients prefer to have their treatment in such organizations because the costs here are comparably less than in some hospitals.
The organization's programs include intensive therapy sessions and daily lectures for a number of weeks. However, a week of hospital treatment may be required for chronic and severe drug abusers. This is necessary for both detoxification and treatment of side effects. A further four-week stay in a separate rehabilitation center usually follows the hospital treatment.
After undergoing treatment in either outpatient or inpatient care, patients are strongly advised to participate in the programs set by Narcotics Anonymous on a long-term basis. The reason for this is that getting therapeutic treatment with peers has proved to be the best way of controlling a tendency to return to drug use.
Narcotics Anonymous also has links to several halfway houses in which abusers may take up temporary residence while receiving further therapy. These halfway houses are specifically set up to facilitate the patients' readjustment to private life. While there, they may probably have a part-time job too.