This number is so huge that some people may have trouble putting this in perspective. Look at it this way. Suppose you found out that the entire populations of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Dallas and Detroit – every man, woman and child in the cities – were addicted to drugs or alcohol. Or that the populations of Kansas, Georgia, Minnesota and Missouri were hooked.
But we don’t see addiction that way. Addiction is so often concealed behind a seemingly functional face. The stockbroker in a high stress job that snorts cocaine so he can cope with the pressure, the truck driver who pops amphetamines to stay on the road, the father who stops at the bar every night on the way home, the health care worker who sneaks painkillers out of the pharmacy, the young men and women at clubs who swallow Ecstasy so they can get in a party mood at a nightclub, the many people, both young and old, who see no harm in their daily dose of marijuana but who have also lost interest in life, the future or goals.
The addicts are there, in every branch of the armed services, in our service industries, trades, professions, factories, corporations, schools, hospitals and government offices.
In contrast to this dreadful loss of human potential is the small percentage of people who found drug or alcohol rehabilitation services to help them. In 2007, 2.4 million people received care in a facility that specialized in this condition. This leaves 20 million untreated addicts struggling with their problem every day.
“For these millions of addicted people, there are three possible outcomes,” said Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions and Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor at Narconon Arrowhead. Narconon Arrowhead is one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers in Canadian, Oklahoma. “Those outcomes are prison, sobriety or death. For those of us at Narconon, the job is to ensure that as many people as possible achieve lifetime sobriety with our unique eight-phase rehabilitation program. Working on this problem since 1966, we’ve found effective, drug-free methods of eliminating the cravings, guilt and depression that keep people trapped in addiction.
“Added to that is our education program that we take into companies and schools around the country,” Mr. Hallmark added. “We are dedicated to helping build a better future for every American by restoring addicts to an enjoyable, productive life.”
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