When someone you love is addicted to drugs, you would do anything to help them. However, drug addiction treatment can be very expensive in the long run, and the costs are not solely in monetary terms. The emotional and physical toll of the treatment, along with the depression and anxiety suffered by everyone involved, can cause problems that cost far more than drug treatment to repair.
Average Cost
A full year of drug addiction treatment at a methadone clinic costs, on average, around $4,700 per patient. While this may not be as high as it could be, that is still a significant amount of money for many people. However, a full year of imprisonment costs around $24,000 per person, so the alternative is far worse than the treatment.
However, there are full-time rehab clinics that cost far more than that. The average price for a 28 day stay at one of these facilities can cost as much as $25,166. If you attend a facility without detox services, the price drops…to $15,491. In other words, addiction treatment is an immensely expensive procedure that many people simply cannot afford.
These costs come out to equal a daily cost of around $898. According to some studies, this is actually more expensive than a full-time hospital detox – one which would involve closer care and attention than a rehab facility would provide.
Effectiveness
Now, there are a few other factors to consider. If someone beats their addiction at one of these facilities, then the money was worth it. There’s no price on restoring someone to their normal self. However, many drug addicts will relapse at least once, which will then involve another stay at a rehab facility. That’s another $25,000. Can a family really afford to spend $50,000 on treatment costs?
Alternative Methods
There are new methods that, while not approved by the FDA, may offer relief to sufferers of addiction without the crippling financial costs. Holistic medicine has proven effective in treating addiction by offering relief to the underlying symptoms that sparked the addiction. Any mental, physical, or spiritual problems an addict might suffer from would be addressed and treated. The addict would be treated with the love and care they need in order to find the strength within themselves to overcome the addiction.
When holistic programs work, there is a very low relapse rate. Patients leave the program feeling like a new person, rather than someone who needs to turn to drugs or alcohol to fill a void within themselves. As an added bonus, the cost is much less. Activities such as acupuncture, exercise, massage, and tai chi are employed to help the body relieve itself of addiction in a natural and healthy way.
If your family lacks the funds for traditional treatment programs but someone you love needs help overcoming addiction, consider holistic treatment instead.
