Obstacles to Addiction Treatment

One of the first obstacles to addiction treatment is stigma. Although society has made great progress accepting addiction as a medical concern that needs treatment, receiving addiction treatment can still cause problems with employers and a person’s social circle. Many employers are aware of Employee Assistance Programs and offer some version of this type of help — they’re the smart ones. But there are employers with antiquated ideas about addiction and they make it hard for employees to ask for help. If an employer is the second type, it might be time to find another job. And if a person’s social circle shames a person with an addiction problem, then that’s not a healthy social circle.

Once a person is past the stigma, then it’s usually the cost of treatment that becomes an obstacle. Inpatient treatment can be as much as 40+ thousand dollars for a month of treatment, but there are government funded facilities that provide treatment on a sliding scale according to ability to pay. Private outpatient will be around 4500-6000 for 8 weeks of treatment. There are also government funded outpatient addiction treatment programs to offset the cost. For someone with a fairly good income, the cost of treatment is a great investment, if the person is serious about treatment. The cost of active, untreated addiction is far greater, and the only return is destruction.

Whether inpatient or outpatient, or a combination of the two, treatment obstacles are easy to overcome once a person has committed. If a person’s willing, they’ll find a way to access addiction treatment. For some people, going directly into AA or NA is enough, although some form of treatment’s usually advised. The keys to addiction treatment and recovery are honesty, openness and willingness. Once a person has committed to treatment, a new world opens up. What seemed impossible is now achievable.

It’s amazing what a person can accomplish when they reach out for help and allow others to help them. When a person has isolated from others and is filled with shame, the sickness gets worse and there doesn’t appear to be a way out, but once the person reaches out it’s a new day and things begin to change. All obstacles to addiction treatment can be overcome with a little help.