Substance Abuse and Communities

When you work as part of a team dealing with identifying and fighting drug addiction in your community, it can be a challenge. In addition to the resistance you will have from the members of the community that are currently addicted to drugs and alcohol, you will find that the mere act of creating one of the different types of Drug Rehabilitation Programs can itself be a minefield.

Some people in the community will be in denial. There will be others that choose to act as if while there may be a problem, it just is not in “my Neighborhood.” And still others will gravely admit the good goals that you and your group have but then choose to not throw their full support behind your efforts.

Take heart. There is assistance and materials that you can use in your quest. One is a guide that is been published called “Lessons From the Field- Profiling City Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Problems. It’s a guide that takes the reader step by step through the process.

Other materials available include a number of books and reference materials. “Cracks Decline- Some Surprises Across U.S. Cities,” is a book published by the National Institute of Justice in Washington, D.C. and it details a number of different surprising issues that are currently effecting cities across North America. It talks about the different types of Drug Rehabilitation Programs that are beginning to have an effect on cities in the United States.

Another book is “How do We Know We Are Making A Difference? – A Community Substance Abuse Indicators Handbook,” published by Brandeis University for Health Policy and Join Together, Inc. This is a good book that talks about different ways of assessing how you are doing, looking at different indicators in the community to judge the success of Drug Rehabilitation Programs that you are supporting, creating and establishing.

“Beyond Anecdote – Using Local Indicators to Guide your Community Strategy to Reduce Substance Abuse,” published in Boston by Join Together, Inc. It is another good book that takes the reader step by step through the process to decide for themselves how well their efforts are at dealing with community drug addiction and abuse. It’s a good book to have if you are trying to create different Drug Rehabilitation Programs in your own community.

One publication is “Assessing Drug Abuse Within and Across Communities: Community Epidemiology Surveillance Networks on Drug Abuse,” published in Rockville Maryland by the National Institute on Drug Abuse is another helpful tome. It gives statistics and details different ways communities across the United States are dealing with Drug addiction and working to create their own Drug Rehabilitation Programs in their own area.

“National Household Survey on Drug Abuse to increase Fivefold in 1999,” published by Hypotenuse is a snapshot of public option, and valuable to assess how the typical American views and deals with drug addiction.

Each of these books and reports gives a slice of the problem, and can be very effective in creating a broad and comprehensive drug addiction treatment policy. Each community dealing with drug addiction in America should have access to a quality empathetic and successful Drug Rehabilitation Program of their own.