Secondary gains for substance abusers (section 8, vouchers, tax)

[debold4215]

I don't know if people are aware of the secondary gains to being a substance abuser. Once substance abuse was classified as a disease it made substance abusers entitled to a number of programs. Now they can receive public assistance ,food stamps, section 8 housing vouchers, medical assistance and so on, all at the tax payers expense.
Substance abuse is a chronic illness and often lasts for a life time.these entitlements should have limitations, for instanceit should be coupled with court ordered urine analysis; you fail you go bright to jail. Drug abuse is also directly related to crime. We have substance abuse treatment centers on just about every corner in baltimore. You have seen their commercials on tv. The one thing that they do not focus on in the advertising is that substace abuse is a choice. Most of us choose not to go down that route. When i was trained to treat bsubstance abusers i was told that most of them were either antisocial or narsisistic . Both personality disorders believe they are entitled to use substances and individuals who tried to stop them were just in their way. This notion that they become adicted to substance in 6 days of use is questionable. Are they just saying they are addicted or do they just want to continue getting high. I took oxycontin for two years for a severe back injury . I stopped taking this medication abruptly and never had a craving to go back to taking them. I think most of the drug treatment centers just want to make money though i am sure that the providers want to help their clients. Treating substance abusers can be very profitable especially if they are treated in groups or are sent to residential treatment centers. Let me give you an idea of the profits these companies make. Ma pays about $80 a sesion if you ghave 6 or eight individuals in a group the company received 6x 80 which is $480 a session. The therapist might get $30 for running the group. The whole thing is a farce especially since the sustance continue using drugs. The bar for sucess for treatment is set very low. If your client does not use a substnce for 30 days then his treatment is considered sucessful.

[Digger 68]

4 big idiots posted in the last 12 hours. Or should I say one? More like two.....