Ohio Police Seek More Ways to Help Drug Addicts Instead of Locking Them Up
A recent interview with the Deputy of Ohio’s Lucas County Drug Abuse Response Team (DART) has revealed a department determined to find positive ways to help drug addicts, instead of locking them up. The eight officers of DART focus their attention on helping drug addicts obtain the treatment they need. It’s estimated that around 80% of the people DART officers deal with end up enrolled in drug treatment programs.
Ohio Police Are Looking for Ways to Help Drug Addicts Instead of Sending them to Jail
It’s important to recognize that addiction in itself is not a crime. Rather, it’s a disease that requires treatment and ongoing management to achieve long-term sobriety.
Unfortunately, it’s common for many people to assume that the majority of drug addicts are criminals. The result often means addicts are arrested and locked up instead of being sent into the drug treatment programs they really need.
Other Ways to Help Drug Addicts
Traditional drug treatment programs focus strongly on the detox process, along with encouraging regular attendance at 12-step group meetings. Yet staggeringly high relapse rates proved that traditional programs on their own often aren’t enough to achieve long-term sobriety.
The key to providing the right options and ways to help drug addicts is to take into account that the triggers behind each person’s addiction are unique to them. IN order to address each person’s individual triggers, the combination of treatments, therapies and programs needed may also need to be tailored to suit.
Many people caught in a cycle of drug or alcohol addiction often struggle with low self-esteem and poor self-image. They often have financial problems, may be unemployed or unable to hold down a stable job, and many also have legal problems to deal with, all of which can emphasize feelings of hopelessness that can be a trigger for ongoing substance use.
Alternative Drug Addiction Help Options
When seeking positive ways to help drug addicts, specialists in rehab centers recognized the importance of improving self-esteem. Many drug treatment programs provide holistic therapies aimed at improving confidence and self-image in recovering people.
Drug addiction help programs also provide job skills training for those who don’t have the necessary skills needed to gain employment. Enrolment in study programs is also a viable option for many recovering people.
There are also plenty of natural or alternative ways to help drug addicts manage symptoms throughout the recovery process. Recovering people often experience symptoms of stress, which is known to be a strong trigger for substance use in many people.
Symptoms of anxiety, panic attacks or depression are also recognized as being a part of recovery from addiction. It is possible to relieve symptoms of anxiety and reduce symptoms of depression by integrating a range of natural therapies into a recovery program.
Some of the more common alternative therapies include:
- Exercise programs
- Job skills training
- Study programs
- Nutritional therapy
- Creative therapies (art, music, dancing, writing, painting)
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Acupuncture
- Equine or pet therapy
- Horticulture therapy
Different drug treatment programs provide a range of ways to help drug addicts, so it’s important to do a bit of research before choosing the right rehab facility. The team at Better Addiction Care has access to a broad database of different addiction rehab treatment centers. Our goal is to help you find the right drug addiction help with the best possible combination of treatments and therapies to help you get clean and stay clean for the long term.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, get help right away. Make a phone call that will connect you to a professional drug treatment center. The call you make may save your life or the life of someone you love. Call us today at (800) 429-7690.