Which comes first, addiction or rehabilitation? Silly question I know.

The answer is: Addiction then rehab then relapse then addiction then rehab, etc. So it’s more like a vicious circle that never changes. That’s the answer, unfortunately. Im still involved with two rehabs out of state and will reference some residents there and their stories.

One rehab is just for men and the other is just for women. The majority are court ordered. Often they are for people just released from prison. Many were in prison for many years. Most all were drug related offenses that ended with bad consequences like losing their children, stabbings, robberies, sexual offenses and more.

I have never had one person there that chose rehabilitation. If it was not court ordered, then it was family intervention that made them show up. So right from the beginning, it’s an uphill battle for treatment if someone else is making a rumor.

Interesting rumor that has been around for years suggests that, if in court for a drug offense, the judge will give you the option of 28 days in jail or 30 days in rehab. Insurance companies jumped on this and 30-day rehabs became quite popular. There’s no data or any evidence presented on whether this works or not. It’s just a shoot-from-the-hip approach.

However, there is no limit on most insurance companies how many times they will pay for rehabilitation. And without sober living when people are discharged, the relapse rate is high. And even with sober living, if you relapse there you are asked to leave — usually to the street. So the cycle continues.

This is “Jane’s” story. Jane is in her mid-30s. She is addicted to alcohol, meth and whatever else she can find. She is not homeless yet, as she has five children and has supported housing. She was raised by parents who were not addicted. Jane got in with the wrong crowd and started using marijuana at 13. It’s a story I’ve heard so many times. She went on to a variety of hard drugs. As a result, she became disinhibited like anyone else who uses drugs or has alcohol use disorder. In other words, she drinks too much alcohol.

But back to Jane. Jane did not think of or cared about using birth control so here she is with 5 children. She cared about using. That dominated her life.

She was unable unable to care for her children. So she was once again arrested for child neglect. She is now in rehab for the sixth time for the same offense. Usually, she returns pregnant or has another child.

I asked her what was different this time. She replied “I want my children back. They should not have taken them. Wasn’t right.”

I asked her if using drugs was a problem and that’s why her children were taken. She replied a definite “No!” So you can see she has no interest in staying sober.

Her children are in foster care now and its doubtful she will ever get them back. The sad thing is some or all may have alcohol fetal syndrome. That means their life will be impacted both mentally and physically and cannot be “fixed.”

Without mandated sober living, following up and AA (which is free) I don’t see anything changing. Case management, as part of sober living, is even better. There are few sober living facilities in our county.

Nearly every woman in this facility has children, who of course are innocent victims. Jane is just one of many stories but all are so similar. The U.S. spends $532 billion a year and these are the results we get. It’s a vicious circle with no end in sight. Do the same thing and get the same results.

Oregon is a prime example. Every year there are more addicts and overdoses. There is no interest in rehabilitation facilities, at taxpayer expense, that no one wants to go to. It’s time for a change.