Why Drug Rehab Is Outdated, Expensive, and Deadly
- By Christopher Moraff | The Daily Beast
- May 9, 2016
- 1 min read
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The U.S. will spend $40 billion this decade fighting addiction, yet little of it will be used based on science. We wouldn’t deny medicine for cancer or depression, so why do we deny it for addiction?
Prince wanted the best medical treatment money could buy when he decided to tackle his addiction to opioid painkillers. So he was planning to go to a rehab clinic known for using evidence-based practices—including medication—to treat his painkiller habit, according to local press reports.
The star died too soon for this approach to save him, but it could save millions of Americans. Unfortunately, for years opioid addicts seeking treatment in rehab have largely been denied this same level of care. And that’s led to deadly consequences.
“People who die of overdoses, if you look at their history, they were most likely recently in rehab or jail,” said addiction counselor Dave Malloy, shaking his head in frustration over lunch recently near the drug treatment facility where he works.
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