Fort Smith Treatment Centers

Your health and happiness should be the driving force behind what you do on a day to day basis. Unfortunately, if you have developed an addiction to drugs or alcohol, it seems that good health and happiness have become elusive and impossible to grasp. Nobody chooses to become addicted and once you are in the grips of it, you must get help as soon as possible before things truly spiral out of control. Luckily, if you live in Fort Smith, AR, help is out there.

Statistics on Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Fort Smith, AR

One of the biggest areas of concern in Fort Smith is that of prescription drug abuse. To combat this, the TakeBack coalition was formed in 2010. They have created an educational program called Monitor, Secure, Dispose, which is part of a wider national initiative. Since September 2010, five take-back actions have been taken, in which over 23 1/2 tons of prescription drugs, equating around 66 million tablets, were collected.

And it seems that the initiative is paying off, because prescription drug abuse among young people has been reduced. According to the latest statistics, only 7.9% of students in 2012 used prescription medication. In 2010, this stood at 10.4%. Furthermore, in 2010, 4.4% of young people admitted to prescription medication abuse in the past 30 days, which dropped to 3.5% in 2012.

Nevertheless, the substance abuse problem remains. If you are looking for treatment in Fort Smith, there is a lot of help out there for you. Some of the options include:

• Harbor House, Inc.
• Gateway House
• Horizon Adolescent Treatment

Help for Substance Abuse in Fort Smith

Usually, the last person to admit that help is needed is the addicted person. Hence, an intervention usually has to be staged. There are numerous ways to do this, and many different individuals who can do it. Either way, the goal is to make sure that people go from the intervention straight into treatment. Treatment, meanwhile, must start with detox. This means that you cease to use your chosen substance, and your body gets to work on ridding itself of any of the remaining chemicals. Detox is hard and it comes with strong withdrawal symptoms. It is vital that this is completed under medical supervision, therefore, so that users don't go back to their substance at which point they are at the highest risk of overdose as well.

After detox, it is then that rehab treatment commences. This can be offered either on an inpatient or an outpatient basis. Either way, you should receive at least individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy. It is important that you research the different facilities so that you find out what they offer and whether you feel that is what you need.

Finally, you will have to go to aftercare. This will be your continuing support network that you can fall back on when you're ready to face the world again. Aftercare includes further therapy, 12 step programs and other support group, sober living facilities, and more. Put together, you will have all the skills to get your life back on track.