What Should You Look for in a Residential Quality Treatment Program?

 

If you’re an addict, drugs and alcohol aren’t substances that you can just quit one day. It usually requires some form of medical intervention. Although you can certainly get sober in an outpatient program, a 12-step alone, and CBT treatments, a residential quality treatment program offers the highest level of success.

Joe Governara and other addiction advocates often suggest people who are highly addicted  attend a residential treatment program. However, you should always speak with the treating physician who can provide the best recommendations, depending on an individual’s situation.

In truth, treatment must be very individualized. While 12-step will often work for some people, others may be turned off by the religious undertones. Although a higher power certainly doesn’t have to be God, some people do feel uncomfortable with 12-step. They might find themselves more successful in a holistic program that features yoga and meditation as well as therapy sessions.

However, whatever you find is best for you or a family member or friend who might be suffering from addiction, keep in mind that every facility is not the same. Be sure that the facility has up-to-date licensing,  features the amenities that you or your loved one will require for a comfortable residential stay, is affordable or accepts insurance, and provides a variety of treatments, including 12-step and holistic methodologies.

 

Overdoses in New Jersey Are Way Too High. Chris Christie, Joe Governara, and Others Hope to Change That

Earlier this week, Chris Christie delivered his final State of the Union. Although Christie has had a rough year, he spoke about one issue that is dear to his heart. He wanted to make his final year one where he helped tackle an issue that has had a crushing effect on New Jersey: drug overdoses and death with a special focus on heroin.

In the past years, like in many states in the country, heroin overdoses and deaths have skyrocketed. Of the more than 1500 deaths that occurred in New Jersey in 2014, more than half came from heroin overdoses. There were 781 heroin overdose deaths in 2014. To put things in perspective, there were 351 deaths in 2009.

The heroin epidemic has been attributed to opioid abuse and overprescription. If you remember, Chris Christie went viral during his 2016 election bid when he discussed his friend’s struggle with opioids and eventual overdose and death. His story is one of so many in the state of New Jersey. Addiction advocates like Joe Governara along with the governor and public health officials hope to change that.

In his final State of the Union speech, Chris Christie said he plans to create an aggressive awareness program. His comprehensive plan will include putting a five-day limit on initial prescriptions given by doctors and dentists for acute pain. Today, it is 30 days, so that will obviously be a major change.

He also wants to require healthcare coverage for the first six months of a patient’s inpatient or outpatient care on plans regulated at the state level. Finally, he wants to create a hotline and website that helps patients and their families understand how to find a facility, insurance assistance, and access to support groups.

Improved Mental Health Care Up for Congressional Vote

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 43.8 million adult Americans, or 18.5% of the adult population, will experience mental illness in any given year. Additionally, 20.2 million adults experience substance abuse, half of which also have a co-occuring mental illness. A 2008 study, Assessing the Economic Costs of Serious Mental Illness found that serious mental illness can cost the country $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year. Eight years later, in 2016, a new healthcare package is making it’s way through Congress to help those Americans suffering from mental illness.

Last summer, provisions were approved by the House of Representatives and have now been added into the 21^st Century Cures Act, aiming to speed up drug development and increase medical research. Over the next two years, $1 billion would also be used for prevention and treatment of opioid addiction.

Other provisions include pushing federal agencies to fund programs backed by solid research and to collect data on whether or not patients are actually helped, as well as making states provide early intervention for psychosis.

The bill would also create a $5 million grant program which would provide assertive community treatment as well as expand grant programs for assisted outpatient treatment. Although these provisions have been authorized, a future Congress session would have to approve the funding.

If passed, the bill would also enforce eight federal agencies to better coordinate mental health care. Currently, these eight agencies are funding 112 programs, however, the efforts of each agency are rarely coordinated. This would allow structural changes ensuring the agencies all work together.

While there is some opposition to the bill, due to it increasing federal spending, there are many supporters. Joseph Governara, who works in the mental health field, acknowledges the passing of this bill will greatly impact the mental health field and the Americans suffering from mental illness by making mental health a national priority.