Ever since the term ‘war on drugs’ was first uttered in 1971 by then U.S. president Richard Nixon, battle lines have been drawn on American soil. Santa Cruz is on the outside a picturesque coastal tourist town in California. But scratch beneath the surface and you’ll see a town dependent on its alcohol and drug treatment facilities. Santa Cruz is above the national averages for violent crimes, crimes involving property damage, and theft. Many of those statistics are due to crimes committed under the influence of illegal substances or alcohol. Fortunately, internet sites such as Drug-Rehab.org can at least steer people in the right direction to find help through counseling and addiction centers not only in California, but across the entire country.

August 17, 2010 -- The war on drugs should also include a provision for alcohol rehab. San Diego and other cities continue to battle DUIs and other alcohol related offenses, while drug treatment Santa Cruz residents desperately need has often remained inaccessible. Drug-rehab.org, a non-profit placement agency works with addicts, their families and alcohol and drug treatment facilities to ensure those who need help are directed to the right facility.

Perhaps the most difficult obstacle to overcome in beating an addiction is convincing someone they need alcohol treatment or drug rehab. When such services are in place, the benefits are far reaching. San Francisco has implemented statewide recovery programs that focus on the individual suffering from the addiction as well as their families, since family involvement is often key in alcohol rehab. San Diego has even seen a rise in alcohol and drug treatment centers that offer holistic treatments specifically tailored to an individual’s needs. Many of these programs can be performed on an outpatient basis, although there are a large number of facilities that offer stay over treatments as well. Drug-rehab.org puts people in touch with the programs that could save their lives.

Even with drug and alcohol treatment readily available, the war on drugs will continue to be an ongoing fight. Every month, 12.8 million Americans use an illegal drug of some sort, whether it’s marijuana or cocaine. Considering that in 1979 that number was almost 50 million, it looks like efforts to curb drug use and the resulting addictions may indeed be working. In California, there are positive signs that addiction programs and counseling are on the right track. Since 2006, fatalities involving either drugs or alcohol have decreased yearly. Based on these statistics, the state continues to pump billions of dollars into prevention and Drug Treatment Santa Cruz hopes to take advantage of these dollars and continue to expand the services the city currently offers, as well as give tax incentives to private clinics currently operating there with the hopes of more clinics opening in the future.

About the Author: Michael Leland is an addictions and lifestyles counselor with over 20 years experience specializing in dual disorders recovery counseling (DDRC). He is a member of the CAADAC (California Association of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors) and was recently a featured speaker at a CAADAC sponsored conference in Los Angeles, where he lectured on new approaches to Alcohol Treatment San Francisco, San Diego, Oakland, and Anaheim are some of the cities Michael has counseled in, dealing primarily with drug and Alcohol Rehab San Diego, a drug import gateway to Mexico, was also the focus of a recently published article by Michael. He urges anyone who is fighting an addiction themselves or has a friend or loved one who needs help to contact the following:

Contact Information:
Drug-Rehab.Org
Addiction Counselor
San Francisco, CA
info@drug-rehab.org
800-722-5570