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Teens Are Being Trapped in Abusive 'Drug Rehab Centers'
The methods used at these facilities are arguably traceable to an anti-drug cult in the 60s called the Church of Synanon. Their method was to abduct addicts and then “rehabilitate” them through beatings and humiliation. “I found that virtually all of …
Read more on VICE

Luxury drug–rehab center in Umatilla to offer recovery in style
Troubled celebs struggling to overcome addictions might start pointing their limos in an unlikely direction: the remote Lake County town of Umatilla. The former Florida Elks Children's Hospital in Umatilla is being reborn as a luxury drug-rehab center …
Read more on Orlando Sentinel

Codeine Addiction Treatment and Prescription Drug Rehab Center Announced …
Recovery Associates is a drug and alcohol treatment center that provides a variety of programs and services for men, women and teens struggling with codeine addiction issues. At the core of their philosophy is the belief that addiction is a treatable …
Read more on Seattle Post Intelligencer

Common-sense drug addiction treatment needed
An investigation of Medicaid drug addiction programs found that it can cost taxpayers hundreds of dollars a day not to treat an addict – but merely to transport him to a clinic. It seems … Ohio has it half right in that respect – but needs to finish …
Read more on SalemNews.net

Cocaine blues: Are you rewarding a corporate drug addiction?
“But she said 'I didn't go to university for six years just to change jobs'. She was working in high finance.” Drug use in the department she worked in was a 24-hour habit, with people heading off to the bathrooms during the day to get the buzz back …
Read more on BRW (subscription)

Forever 21 Worker Fired After She Tells Her Traumatic Story
But a San Diego worker at Forever 21, the retail chain, didn't expect to lose her job when she told a local weekly her story of overcoming a life of drug addiction and childhood abuse. In April, Cassie Briscoe appeared on the cover of the San Diego …
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Question by Danyel: What type of education would I need to become an RN at a substance abuse detox facility?
I am currently going to school for pre-health with a nursing concentration, until I have the requirements to apply for nursing. I would like to be able to work as an RN in a substance abuse facility. I was wondering if anyone could give me any advise as to how to go about doing this? I do not know if I will need to specialize in a certain area in order to do so or not? If anyone could help me out in regards to what to do education wise I would really appreciate it! Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by MeMeMe
Hi,

First off, good for you for wanting to work in addiction treatment! I’m an addictions counselor and have been working in mental health (mostly suicide prevention) for 7 years and we certainly need more qualified RNs in the field. So I think you will have an easy time finding work once you’re finished with school.

As for your question… To become an RN, you need to go to nursing school. Although I’m sure you already know this. As for specializing in addiction treatment, I don’t believe there are any additional requirements, but it would be good if you have experience working with addicts or at least a greater knowledge of treating clients with addiction. So I would suggest trying to get an internship of some sort with a treatment center in your area. They may not let you do much while you’re in school, but you will be able to put it on your resume. You can learn a lot from observing how things work in treatment. The other suggestion I have would be to take some extra classes that focus on substance abuse. Drug addicts and alcoholics face a variety of special issues separate from the “normal” population you would be working with in a hospital. Most community colleges and some universities now offer programs where you can learn more about these issues. I don’t know where you live, but you may want to start looking for college programs titled “Addictions Counseling” or “Addictions Studies.” Classes you may want to take would be any type of pharmacology, a bloodborne pathogens/infectious disease class, and even alternative treatments to addiction classes. It could also help to take a few classes for addictions counselors like group therapy, individual therapy, or something similar. These will definitely help you in the future in terms of communicating with your clients.

The most important thing I would think an RN working in addiction should have to be educated about is prescription drugs of abuse. Normally when I do an intake on a client coming into treatment, they have been medically prescribed multiple addictive drugs that only contribute to and exacerbate their disease (addiction). Usually these include opiate painkillers, benzodiazepines, and other sedatives and tranquilizers. I had a client once who was on NINE different benzos which she had been on for years, all prescribed by doctors for things like insomnia, anxiety, and even hypothyroidism. This is so egregious and disgusting to me! They were killing her. She obviously had to be medically detoxed for risk of seizures and death from her meds. And needless to say, after being evaluated by our MD, she didn’t NEED any of the pills.

Anyway, I’m rambling. Just excited to see someone wanting to help in the field of addiction treatment. It is rare these days, it seems. But what a satisfying and rewarding job. Good luck to you!!!

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Prescription drugs: 'No single solution' to resolve addiction
Mr. Marconi added that the community is doing everything in its power to combat the growing crisis of drug abuse and addiction. But there is no single solution to the problem. “I don't know what exactly the answer is here and that's the frustrating …
Read more on The Ridgefield Press

The Startling Rise Of Baby Boomer Drug Abuse
Baby boomers have become addicted to drugs at an alarming rate. The most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released in 2012, found illicit drug use among people between the ages of 55 and 59 had increased more than any other group.
Read more on WJCT NEWS

Spice Addiction Treatment and Synthetic Marijuana Drug Rehab Announced by …
Recovery Associates is helping to curb this drug epidemic with a new treatment program for those addicted to spice and synthetic marijuana. According to research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, synthetic marijuana has become the second-most …
Read more on PR Web (press release)

Nonprofit dispersing money to fight substance abuse and addiction
A nonprofit group that was formed to tackle substance abuse and addiction among young people in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle is dissolving, said Berkeley County Councilman Douglas E. Copenhaver Jr., who led the organization. Helping Hands …
Read more on The Herald-Mail

detox facility in question over man's death
He needed nearly $ 2,500 to enter West Coast Detox Services, an alcohol and drug addiction treatment facility in Huntington Beach. "He was texting me on the way up there and he's like, 'I'm tired of dying. I want to start living,'" said Jason's brother …
Read more on abc7.com

Drug Court sending addicts to jail after detox centres reach capacity
With government detox facilities at capacity the Drug Court is sending addicts to jail in the interim, prompting the Maldives' National Drug Agency to call on private businesses and NGOs to fill the gap. Twenty-four men have been sent to prison for 90 …
Read more on Minivan News

Common-sense drug addiction treatment needed
An investigation of Medicaid drug addiction programs found that it can cost taxpayers hundreds of dollars a day not to treat an addict – but merely to transport him to a clinic. It seems … Ohio has it half right in that respect – but needs to finish …
Read more on SalemNews.net

Drug Addiction in Teens
According to Okuku, out of every five smokers, one will develop cancer. Drug abuse can also lead to mental illness, loss of jobs or dropping out of school. In most cases, addicts commit crimes under the influence of drugs, although this may not save …
Read more on AllAfrica.com