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Recovering Addicts Looked Down Upon

A new study from the United Kingdom Drug Policy Commission finds that recovering addicts still confront everyday social stigma, which makes their road to recovery a difficult one. The authors of the study discovered that almost half of Britons say they would not want to live next door to a former drug addict. Attitudes about drug addiction are compared to outdated beliefs about mental illness and claims the language used to describe addicts only intensifies the situation.

“Words such as ‘junkie’ ought to be as unacceptable as ‘lunatic’ or ‘psycho’,” said the authors of the report.

The Getting Serous About Stigma report found that recovering addicts faced challenges finding jobs and also struggled to receive health care.

“Reintegration and recovery of drug users will simply not happen unless there are changes made to tackle stigma,” said Roger Howard, the chief executive of the United Kingdom Drug Policy Commission.

The study surveyed 3,000 adults across England. They had mixed feelings towards addicts and those in recovery. Forty three percent said they would be unwilling to live next door to a former addict. More than fifty percent of respondents said they would not trust a recovered addict to babysit their children. It was evident that there is widespread belief that addiction happened because the person lacked self-control and willpower. Eighty one percent of the survey respondents believed it was important for those in recovery to be included in the “normal community.”

The impact of the public’s attitudes make it a continual struggle for addicts to move towards a meaningful recovery. Addicts face widespread prejudice, discrimination and constant discouragement. It is estimated that 330,000 people in England struggle with drug addiction and that only one in three seeks treatment for their addiction.

At The Treatment Center, our passion is, simply, you. Our mission is to restore you and your families hope. We exist because we feel strongly about helping people overcome their drug or alcohol addictions in a safe, medically supervised and supportive environment. Our primary job is to help you get sober – and stay sober – restoring your hope in yourself and your future.

The Treatment Center is different than other substance abuse treatment providers – we’re prepared to stand beside you every step of the way in your recovery process.

That’s why we offer a full range of services – all in one location – to ensure that your healing can proceed without disruption:

• Full medical detoxification program;
• Inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation;
• Treatment of dual diagnosis and co-occurring disorders;
• Partial hospitalization program (PHP);
• Intensive outpatient program (IOP).

For more information about Alcohol & Drug abuse, call 888-598-3342. Free confidential Assessment.

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Highly Paid Lieutenant On Connecticut Valley Hospital Force A highly paid lieutenant on the Connecticut Valley Hospital police force, who was fired in March, reported 528 more overtime hours than he really worked from March 2009 to December 2010 — in an environment of loose supervision and only “cursory” review of his time sheets, according to a state investigative report.
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