With Addiction on the Rise, Harbor Village Detox Makes Substance Abuse …
As more and more Americans become addicted to drugs and alcohol the need for access to detox treatment facilities grows. A report released by the White House acknowledged the drug abuse epidemic and lack of access to treatment, declaring, “expanding …
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Above It All Treatment Center Helps Drug Addicts who are Type I and Type II …
Fighting addiction is hard enough for a person without extra health complications, but for diabetics, treatment is more difficult and complicated. Drug and alcohol rehab for diabetics involves additional medical care to monitor blood sugar levels and …
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Letter pilfering Peninsula letter carrier to get drug treatment, attorney says
But 39-year-old Romeo Maniulit Natan, who took the mail to feed his methamphetamine habit, will likely serve the rest of his sentence in a residential drug treatment program, attorneys said. The San Bruno man has credit for about 10 months in jail and …
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Young Adult Substance Abuse Treatment the Focus of Summer CEU Event …
Mr. Seidlitz has more than 10 years of experience in substance abuse and mental health treatment, including clinical and managerial roles at an adolescent psychiatric hospital, a drug and alcohol treatment unit in an adolescent prison and a residential …
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Lohan's new rehab center has no drug or alcohol treatment license
She said the Newport Beach facilities are “unlicensed” and can only operate as sober living facilities but cannot offer treatment. “It is a violation of California law to operate a residential drug treatment facility without a license,” she explained …
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Cocaine blues: Are you rewarding a corporate drug addiction?
If a client comes over, they do drugs. They have wine with dinner and then a few lines of coke. It is a whole other life.” Freeman says addiction and substance abuse are a “huge” problem in business – and the stresses of the long years of financial …
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With Addiction on the Rise, Harbor Village Detox Makes Substance Abuse …
While pop culture has turned drug and alcohol rehabilitation into entertainment with celebrity reality shows such as Dr. Drew, treatment for substance abuse is serious business. With the addiction epidemic on the rise experts agree that the only …
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Pain pill shortage drives Fla. drug addicts to heroin
A drug user cooks a dose of heroin in this file photo. Addicts in Florida are turning more to heroin as pain pills become scarce, an unintended consequence of the state's war on prescription pills. / FLORIDA TODAY file …
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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!!!

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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

Question by nunya: Does anyone know at least 4 to 7 places where someone can get long term treatment for drug addiction?
This is for D.A.R.E

Best answer:

Answer by cintchick
The link I included below will take you to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) treatment center locator. SAMHSA is a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services

Enter a city and state, then select “Continue”. You will then be offered options to target your search. In your case, under “Services Provided” you would select “Substance Abuse” and under “Type of Care” you would select “Residential Long-Term Treatment” and/or “Hospital Inpatient”. Again, select “Continue”. You will then see a list of centers with their contact information, as well as a summary of the services they offer and forms of payment accepted.

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