The Canadian Drug Use and Monitoring Survey (CADUMS) found that from 2004 to 2012, the number of Canadians misusing illegal substances rose consistently. Other recent polls show that a large number of young people in Canada are becoming exposed to the practice of taking illegal substances. From these statistics, it’s clear that individuals and organizations alike must work together to assist those who are struggling with substance misuse.
One thing most people ask when it comes to drug rehabs is whether they work and how can their success be measured. This question usually arises from the fact that many celebrities and renowned people tend to move from one rehab center to the other begging the question of whether they were suffering from substance abuse or the institution was unable to handle their situation.
The fact is that many people have benefitted from drug rehab centers and the fact that they are not in the limelight may cause people to shed doubt on the efficacy of drug rehab centers.
Not everything is rosy, since the average age at which young people in Canada begin to abuse drugs has gone lower to 15.7. This means that by 16 years, most young people have been exposed to either marijuana or alcohol and the trends seem to be the same even in the United States
Canada’s over-25 population uses drugs at a significantly lower rate than the youth population, and the rate of decline has been steadily increasing. Canadians over the age of 25 use illegal substances less often and at a lower rate than younger Canadians.
Compared to the age group under 25, adult cannabis consumption has dropped from 10% to 7.9% Adults (excluding cannabis users) use only 0.8% of all illegal substances, compared to youths’ 72%. 35.7 percent of Canadians describe themselves as light infrequent drinkers, 32.2 percent as light frequent drinkers, and 4.3 percent as heavy frequent drinkers, according to alcohol usage trends.
These statistics indicate that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to cement the success that substance abuse programs have had in Canada. The private sector has come out to assist the government to provide better access to rehab programs and there is high hope that these measures will eventually bear fruit.
How to Measure the Success of Drug Rehab Centers
So far, the only treatment option for people who are alcoholics or drug addicts is rehabilitation. However, the effectiveness of this strategy is sometimes eclipsed by the expenditures required. A common complaint among those who’ve gone through the procedure is that it’s tough to predict how much material you’ll need in total. The explanation for this is straightforward: the cost of a full rehabilitation session is determined by a variety of factors. As a result, it is critical to have a thorough awareness of all the factors that influence the final cost of rehabilitation.
What does a successful rehabilitation mean? Does it mean the patient will never go back to doing drugs, or does it mean the patient is aware of the negative effects of drug abuse and will strive to stay away from them? The real answer to this question should be in statistics rather than in rhetoric. The success of drug rehab centers should be measured on the number of relapses based on how long and how often patients revert to substance abuse. In Canada, at least 86% of patients who leave drug rehab centers remain sober one month after discharge. This number dips to 76% after 3 months and 70% after 9 months.
To fully measure success, I believe an extra matrix should be added and this is on prevention. Canada has been quite successful in drug prevention measures as compared to the United States. Preventing cases from escalating requires active strategies which the United States has not been able to apply as successfully as Canada. For example, substance abuse treatment in Canada is covered by universal health coverage thereby making it readily available as compared to the US.
Factors That Make Canada Better At Drug Rehabilitation
As discussed, one of the factors that make Canada effective in addressing substance abuse is the fact that its public health system is one of the best in the world. By providing a cover for substance abuse, the Canadian health system removes the aspect of stigma, and this allows many people to trust Canadian health systems to take care of their substance abuse at an early stage.
To address substance abuse at such an early stage, then outpatient centers need to be the first avenue of radically dealing with substance abuse by availing psychiatric and pharmaceutical treatment in a more noninvasive way. The outpatient center has programs that require at least 10 hours per week, where patients can receive the same level of treatment as residential programs but with more flexibility.
Benefits Of A Multi-Pronged Approach
The Canadian health system advocates for a multi-pronged approach to substance abuse and rehabilitation. The multi-pronged approach promotes longer interactions between patients and mental health professionals since there is a direct correlation between the time spent in therapy and the success rate of treatment. Unlike in other jurisdictions where therapy is expansive and patients, therefore, the balance between time and cost, the Canadian system allows for longer therapy sessions combining pharmacological and holistic approaches.
A longer treatment schedule that conforms to the patient’s lifestyle and work leads to better outcomes as compared to shorter treatment cycles that are mostly based on pharmacological approaches.
This approach allows the patient to continue with their normal life while receiving quality treatment combining group therapy, behavioral therapy, and other forms of holistic therapeutic approaches that have worked.
In conclusion, there are myriad factors that make Canada report success in its substance abuse programs. However, drug abuse is still a major issue since it continues to morph in unexpected ways, thereby necessitating a more innovative response by authorities. However, with more concerted efforts by the government, private sectors, and the public, there is a higher chance to reduce deaths, injuries, and debilitating life conditions occasioned by substance abuse.