When Addiction Treatment Fails

JACKSON, Mississippi. Overprescribing of painkillers is one of the major causes of America’s current opioid crisis. The opioid crisis can be seen as a series of failures of the medical system. Primary care physicians sometimes fail their patients by overprescribing pain medication. When these same patients become addicted to opioids and seek medical treatment, they sometimes face failures of the addiction treatment programs they seek out.

According to , one social worker calls addiction treatment the “hamster wheel” of rehab. Victims of addiction often face an ongoing struggle even after they have been clean for some time. They might face stigma from the general community and also may struggle when family and friends fail to understand that addiction is a lifelong disease. To make matters worse, all treatment facilities are not always created equal. Many use treatment modalities that have not been verified with research. According to Vice, one social worker noted that some treatment facility owners are in the business of recovery for the money that they can make.

So, what can families do if they have a loved one who is struggling with addiction? Before sending your loved one to a treatment facility, look beyond the marketing material, and ask questions. For example, family should ask about the ratio of therapists to patients. Families should also ask how often their loved one can expect to see a therapist. In many cases, when families are involved in treatment, patients do better. Families should ask whether a facility involves the patient’s family.

There remains a great deal of misinformation about opioid addiction, opioid drugs, and abuse. According to the Atlantic, the surgeon general recently created a digital postcard offering education to the general public about the benefits of Naxalone.

Naxalone can reverse an opioid overdose after it happens. The results for patients who are at death’s door can be remarkable, but the drug is useless if hospitals, doctor’s offices, and ambulances don’t stock it. Thanks to a robust campaign, the Atlantic reports that dispensing of Naxalone has increased by 70%.

If your loved one is seeking drug addiction treatment, he or she deserves the best standard of care. Unfortunately, research on appropriate addiction protocols is still being developed. There are as many ways to treat addiction as there are people. However, patients have a right to qualified medical personnel and have a right to have their needs met when they seek help. Unfortunately, for some patients, addiction treatment facilities fail to meet their needs.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury at an addiction treatment facility, you may have certain rights under the law. The Bowling Law Firm are Jackson, Mississippi personal injury lawyers who work closely with patients who have suffered as a result of medical malpractice and pharmacy errors. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a nursing or medical setting, you may have certain rights under the law. Visit us at http://www.lawbowling.com/ to learn more about your options and rights.

The Bowling Law Firm, A Professional Law Corporation

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New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112

Phone: (504) 586-5200

Toll Free: (504) 586-5200