| The Problem with Outpatient Drug Rehabilitation Programs in Canada's The number of drug addictions in Canada is not nearly as high as they are in the United States. The main reason for this has to do with the fact that many areas of Canada are so sparsely populated that illicit drugs simply aren't available to most residents.
While rural areas make it harder for Canadian citizens to gain access to illicit drugs and therefore become addicted, the remoteness of some area makes it harder for the people who are struggling with drug addictions to get the help that they need. The resources simply aren't available. This is most obvious when a person is in need of outpatient drug rehabilitation counseling.
The best way to help a person through a drug addiction is by getting the detoxified and then straight into one of the residential treatment programs that Canada has set up. While the person is in the residential program they are not allowed to leave. They are carefully monitored and even the people who are allowed to come see them are restricted. While the addict is enrolled in the residential program, they receive intensive counseling.
The problems start when the addict is released from the residential program. Most of the residential drug treatment programs in Canada are run by the government and are a mere twenty-eight days long. Since there is usually a waiting list, as soon as an addict has been in the program for twenty-eight days they are released. Most of the experts think that this is a mistake. They feel that twenty eight days is barely long enough for the effects of a long term addiction to wear off the person’s body.
Ideally the person should leave the residential program and immediately enroll in an outpatient program, where they will receive additional counseling and learn the skills they need to avoid being tempted by drugs and lead a productive and clean life. If an addict lives in one of Canada's more densely populated areas, this is not a problem; there are usually several different outpatient drug rehabilitation programs that they can choose from. However if the addict resides in a rural area the nearest program could be thousands of miles away, too far for the addict to actively participate in the program.
There are several things that the government can do to help these rural dwelling citizens get the help that they need so that they can overcome their drug addiction The first solution would be to create larger residential programs that can be set up to allow the rural dwelling addicts to stay longer, giving them a better chance of overcoming their addiction.
Another solution would be to make sure that every single hospital in the country has a trained social worker on staff that has experience dealing with drug addictions. Having a social worker on staff means that the addict can at least get some type of counseling after they have been released from the residential program.
The worse thing the Canadian government can do is ignore the drug addicts who reside in rural areas. When a drug problem is left unchecked, the country will experience an increase in unemployment, poverty, drug related crimes, homelessness, and suicide. It is in the government’s best interest to step up and make sure that everyone has access to the help they need. |
