For decades, insurance pays for 30 day stay for addiction recovery. If they don’t boot them out at 3 weeks.
But when it comes to addiction, science has proven it takes 18 months for the brain to rewire itself. And while I understand insurance won’t pay for that long, 4 weeks is just not enough to let anyone suffering from addiction to even get their footing. So why is 30 days still the standard?
Money for one.
Acceptance as addiction as an illness is another.
We’ve been in the war on drugs for over a decade now. The war we launched has not worked and what’s worse, we have not gotten much better about what we offer in terms of recovery despite an epidemic that affects 200,000 people per year. Not all areas have to report overdoses or drug related deaths so the data doesn’t reflect the real numbers.
Add to that, we are not overwhelmed.
As science evolves and reveals what goes on in the brain, we can start to develop more effective treatments. If we use brain scans to diagnose sufferers and understand the misfires that are causing this disorder, we’ll see more support and changes.
Here in Richmond, we have an event focused solely on the science behind addiction. If you’re going, I’ll see you there.
I have said 30 days is not enough, especially when they are dumped back out back to the same environment they came from..18 months is the standard..now we need to find the $$,etc to support that
I know. They released Charles at 3 weeks! Clearly not enough.
I’ve learned so much from you (and Charles.) Thank you!