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Alcohol and drug addiction in the United States is increasing at the rate of one percent each year and this meant that there are about 25,000 more drug users each year or about 150,000 more during the last six years combined. There is requirement of more inpatient alcohol and drug rehab centers in the United States. However, to successfully implement the national prevention and drug rehab strategies, there must be an awareness needed to be created about some rumors and assumptions about alcohol and drug addiction. It is observed that even though doctors and health experts along with scientists have found evidences that alcohol and drug addiction is a heritable disease requiring some form of addiction and alcoholism treatment. Studies have compared the incidence of alcoholism in identical twins with the incidence of alcoholism in fraternal twins. Fraternal twins who are generally different individuals born at the same time would be more likely to differ in their tendencies to develop alcoholism. In general, researchers using the twin method have found the expectations to be true. Alcoholism (alcohol dependence) and alcohol abuse are two different forms of drinking problems. Alcoholism can be defined when a person has signs of physical addiction to alcohol and continues to drink in spite of the problems with physical health, mental health, social and family or job responsibilities. Alcohol abuse on the other hand results in the problems due to drinking but not physical addiction. There are two common basic assumptions over the causes of substance or drug abuse and these are: (1) People either abuse drugs and alcohol out of sheer pleasure seeking drives that run amok (2) To escape or assuage aversive states of co morbid anxiety or depression. There are different models of addiction that include moral, psychological (cognitive-behavioral, learning, psychodynamic and personality), biological and socio-cultural. Each of these different models operates on different set of assumptions. Substance abuse counselors generally adopt 12-step approach to the disease model as they themselves have experienced and experimented with the approach. The disease model of addiction lays stress on three primary assumptions and these are: (I) a predisposition to use a drug (II) Loss of control over use and (III) Progression. For success of alcohol and drug rehab treatment being provided in various alcohol and drug rehab centers, there is a necessity to replace inaccurate assumptions with better alternatives that include the following ones: 1. Differentiating between problem users and non-problem users, 2. Shifting from the policy of punishing and marginalizing problem users to one of harm reduction and attempting to reintegrate them into society, 3. Shifting from a policy of compulsory treatment to one of voluntary treatment, 4. Shifting from a near exclusive treatment focus on the substance itself to building on positive aspects of people’s live such as family, friends, voluntary activities and interests. Back2Basics is a professionally operated, community-wide supported drug and alcohol treatment program for adults ages 18 and up. Back2Basics promotes health and wellness through daily living of the 12 Steps, in-depth study of Kung Fu and the Internal Arts, Outdoor Adventure and Therapeutic Modalities that deal specifically with those in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.
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