Inside Rehab: The Surprising Truth About Addiction Treatment-and How to Get Help That Works - Hardcover

Fletcher, Anne M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670025224 ISBN 13: 9780670025220

Publisher: Viking, 2013

Synopsis

An eye-opening tour of the addiction treatment industry explores the gap between what should happen and what does

What happens inside drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and how rehab works are a mystery to those outside the industry – and sometimes even to those inside it.

Anne M. Fletcher is a trusted New York Times bestselling health and medical writer who visited 15 addiction treatment centers—from outpatient programs for the indigent to famous celebrity rehabs; from the sites of renowned Twelve-Step centers to several unconventional programs—to find out what really happens. What she reveals ranges from inspirational to irresponsible, and, in some cases, potentially dangerous.
Real Stories: As always with her books, Fletcher gets the inside story by turning to real people who “have been there,” interviewing more than 100 individuals whose compelling stories illustrate serious issues facing people in rehab and endemic in the rehab industry today.
Connected Writer and Researcher who has earned the respect (and cooperation) of experts throughout the fields she’s taken on. Inside Rehab is no exception—Fletcher has interviewed more than 100 professionals working in the field, including a mix of rehab staffers and administrators as well as leading academics.
Rehab is constantly covered in the media, as celebrities battle their drug and alcohol issues in the spotlight and reality TV puts recovery in prime time. Addiction is no longer only a personal struggle—it’s a pop culture phenomenon.
Myth Busting: Fletcher exposes twelve supposed facts for the falsehoods they are, including “rehab is necessary for most people to recover from addictions;” “highly trained professionals provide most of the treatment in addiction programs;” and “drugs should not be used to treat a drug addict.” Fletcher’s most important finding is the alarming discrepancy between the treatments being employed at many rehab centers and the treatments recommended by leading experts and supported by scientific research.
Guidance and Practical Solutions: Inside Rehab also highlights what is working, spotlights state-of-the-art programs and practices, and offers advice and guidance for people seeking quality care and treatment for themselves or those they care about.
Inside Rehab is the first book to give readers a thoughtful, sensitive, and bracingly honest insider’s view of the drug and alcohol rehab industry in America. For people seeking quality care for themselves or a loved one, Inside Rehab is essential reading, offering a wealth of accurate information and wise guidance.

About this title

About the Author

Anne M. Fletcher is a nationally known health and medical writer and the author of seven books, including the national bestsellers Thin for Life, Eating Thin for Life, and Sober for Good. Her articles have appeared in Vogue, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Better Homes and Gardens, Readers Digest, and many other publications. Among her many prestigious awards, she has received numerous National Health Information Awards. She lives in Minnesota. Visit www.AnneMFletcher.com.

Reviews

Starred Review. Some things never change. And as Fletcher (Sober for Good) finds in this bold report on 15 rehab facilities—from high-end, celebrity-friendly outposts to those treating people on welfare—that fact especially pertains to addiction treatment. Collecting stories from more than 100 interviews, Fletcher methodically dissects the myths about the programs that treat 2.5 million people every year. She finds, for example, that rehab isn't necessary for recovery—some heal on their own, attend self-help groups, or see therapists; that most of the treatment in rehab programs is handled not by highly trained pros but by counselors with varying levels of education and training. She debunks myths, such as that the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are essential for recovery. Fletcher concludes that traditional programs, such as group treatment, 12 step programs, and counseling, work for some but not for all. Dimitri, for instance, began abusing drugs at 15 and cycled in and out of programs that failed to help him. Fletcher also highlights the exorbitant cost of rehab: one young woman's treatment drained her parents of ,000. Fletcher presents what works, why, where to find it, and how much it costs. It's startling, difficult, and important information for those traveling toward recovery, and anyone who wants to help. (Feb.)

*Starred Review* Health writer Fletcher adopts a cautious, even skeptical approach in her exploration of current treatments of substance abuse. She warns that her book “is filled with disturbing accounts of seriously addicted people getting very limited care at exhaustive costs and with uncertain results.” Indeed, her portrait of contemporary addiction treatment incorporates numerous stories of individuals who’ve undergone treatment, opinions and commentary from experts in the field, and her own visits to 15 different rehab programs. More than 13,000 addiction treatment programs—outpatient, residential, and hospital inpatient—operate in the U.S. Dropout rates and the frequency of one-year relapses are high. One expert laments, “When it comes to picking a rehab, most people ask more questions before buying a vacuum.” Fletcher has no such bashfulness and provides answers to fundamental questions: How much does it cost? How long does it last? What do people actually do there? She concludes that no particular treatment of substance abuse is superior to others for most individuals. Flexibility—as opposed to a “one-size-fits-all” approach—matters most. One authority on addiction agrees: “There are as many roads to recovery as there are individuals.” Inside Rehab is a valuable road map for navigating the multiple pathways and programs dealing with the problem of substance abuse. --Tony Miksanek

Edition details

• Publisher: Viking
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0670025224
• ISBN 13: 9780670025220
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 448