California is one of the largest and most populated states in the country. Located on the western part of the United States, against the Pacific Ocean, it borders Oregon on the north and Mexico on the south. It has a diverse population and many parts of the state, such as Los Angeles, are overcrowded. There is heavy use of drugs, as well as alcohol in the state, as a result of which there are over 1000 California Rehab Centers, more than anywhere else in the country, with Orange Country having the majority.
Experience has shown that long term’ treatment is much more effective than ‘short term’ (less than 30 days) with California Rehabilitation programs. Following treatment at the center, there is extended care, followed by weekly checkups and group therapy. It has been found that continued reinforcement is needed for the program, whether drugs or alcohol, if it is to be successful.
This treatment is obtained at a tremendous cost, not only to the government and the individual, but to society as well. Many break-ins, robberies, family abuse’ and other problems of society, are directly attributed to this problem. Federal, state and local governments, alone, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each week with arrests, trials and imprisonment of these people. Records for 2005 show that almost half a trillion dollars was spent on substance abuse and addiction problems in the United States. It is reported that only two percent went toward rehabilitation.
Treatment at the centers can vary, however the majority of long-term programs (30-45 days) have intense, cognitive behavioral therapy, either individually or in a group, working up to life skills and a return to normal life. There are centers that are specifically for a particular gender, such as one for women, in Costa Mesa, California, which is a private pay facility. There are also county-funded programs, with managed care options.
Because of the frequency of the problem of overcrowding, in the prison system, by alcohol and drug abuse people, the legislation introduced Proposition 36, which sends many people with this problem into rehabilitation, rather than prison. This has caused a dramatic increase in the number of rehabilitation centers in the state. In addition, because it is acknowledged that it is difficult for addicts to remain drug or alcohol free, in some cases there is monitoring and inpatient residential programs after treatment.
Among the many rehab centers in California, there are a number that are sponsored by religious organizations. One of the most successful of this type of rehab center has a program is directed toward young teens with alcohol and drug problems. It offers housing, treatment, training and other guidance not only to teens but to children and adults as well.
This program, as well as similar ones, has been very successful and has been copied by other cities throughout the United States. It is felt that, by treating people, the younger the better, lives can be improved by being free of alcohol or drug abuse. When completing a program, reinforcement must be continued for a long time if it is to be successful.
Alcohol and drug abuse affects everyone in the country, and every level of life. In California, alone, it takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight the problem, that could better be used for things such as education. California rehab centers are at the front in treatment of people with this problem but there is still a long way to go.