Narconon rehab remains resolute as state reports on costs of drug and alcohol rehabilitation in Oklahoma
Anyone who has ever experienced a loved one becoming addicted knows that the story of addiction is not told in dollars and cents. It’s told in the heartbreak of the parents, spouses and children of the addicted and the pain of the addict himself or herself.
But while this is where the primary story of addiction lies, the impact on government budgets as they try to deal with the wreckage and the destructive effects on businesses are also part of the tale.
A report in the Tulsa World from March10, 2012, reveals just how hard addiction is hitting this state. According to this report, the total costs of addiction exceed the entire state budget. Addiction costs total more than $7 billion and the state’s budget is only $6.7 billion.
Some of these are direct costs, such as law enforcement, treatment, child protective services and drug site cleanup. Indirect costs include lost productivity for business, work and goods never produced and employees’ injuries and deaths.
As noted on the website for Partnership at Drugfree.org, Oklahoma lacks an adequate number of beds to treat just the methamphetamine problem in the state.
Narconon Arrowhead has Provided Rehab Services to Oklahoma for Two Decades
Starting in the early 1990s at a facility near the original Oklahoma land rush, Narconon of Oklahoma has been saving the lives of those who had become addicted. In those days, the drugs more likely to send people to rehab were alcohol, marijuana and heroin. Methamphetamine and prescription drugs came later. In 2001, the Arrowhead facility was opened near Canadian, permitting the treatment of as many as 200 people in recovery at any one time.
The Narconon Arrowhead program is called “alternative” by some people because it does not rely on medications such as methadone or Suboxone for treatment and it does not follow a Twelve Step model. Instead, practical and healthy methods of helping a person detoxify after years or even decades of substance abuse are followed by a comprehensive program of like skills training. The result is that seven out of ten graduates stay sober after they go home.
“We are extremely proud to be returning Oklahomans to their homes, free from their addictions,” stated Gary Smith, the facility’s Executive Director. “We’re also proud of our contributions to the communities that in turn, support us with services, supplies and personnel. This has turned out to be the perfect location for us to provide help for the many thousands of people who have come to us for recovery.”
While helping addicts recover, return home sober and stay sober is enough, this is not all that Narconon Arrowhead helps with. The facility is also one of the top employers in Pittsburg and McIntosh counties, employing more than 185 people. And since people come to Narconon Arrowhead from all over the country, this influx brings revenue into this area that is then spent with vendors and businesses all over the region.
Narconon Arrowhead staff has also traveled to hundreds of Oklahoma classrooms to provide drug education and prevention lectures to students over the last several years.
“We look forward to many more years of cooperative effort with those in our communities,” said Mr. Smith. “We are determined to fight back against those who would addict Oklahoma’s citizens, especially the children.”
For more information on Narconon Arrowhead, call 1-800-468-6933.
