Primary Treatment is Broken and here is Why.

Recovery, at its core, thrives on a simple yet profound principle: one addict helping another. This isn’t just anecdotal wisdom; it’s the bedrock of most successful recovery movements. However, step into most treatment centers, and you’ll find a startling reality. These facilities are rarely run by individuals who have walked the path of addiction and recovery themselves.

In my experience, this lack of personal experience manifests in a disconnect. Counselors, often well-trained in theory (sometimes not though), might not resonate with the visceral, lived experience of addiction. Here’s where it gets even more convoluted: treatment centers often sideline those employees they do have that are in long-term recovery from advising or mentoring newer clients, under the guise that only certified professionals should handle treatment. This approach, to me, feels counterintuitive. If recovery is about sharing experience, strength, and hope, why sideline those who embody it?

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: money. The chemical dependency field has, unfortunately, turned into a lucrative business. Families desperate for solutions, insurance companies, and public funding like Medicaid become the fuel for this machine. Treatment centers, with their high costs and often revolving door of clients, operate in a system where financial gain can sometimes overshadow genuine recovery efforts.

Harm reduction and evidence-based treatment are buzzwords that sound progressive, but let’s unpack them. Methadone and now Suboxone have been heralded as miracles, but they’re essentially trading one form of dependency for another. While these medications can be lifesavers for some, the broader narrative pushes the idea that substituting one drug for another is treatment. It’s a band-aid approach that doesn’t always address the root of addiction.

Imagine this: you enter a place voluntarily to get help, only to find yourself in an environment that feels more like confinement than care. Treatment centers often strip away personal freedoms under the guise of creating a safe environment for recovery. It’s a paradox where you’re free to choose treatment, but once inside, your autonomy is significantly reduced. This institutional setup can sometimes mirror the punitive nature of incarceration rather than the nurturing environment needed for healing.

Lastly, the treatment system has inadvertently created a cycle where individuals, especially those with nowhere else to go, can bounce from center to center. With insurance or Medicaid footing the bill, these centers might not always push for real recovery but rather for occupancy. It’s a system where some clients might not even aim for recovery but use the facilities as a temporary refuge from the outside world, only to cycle back through when the next bout of chaos hits.

The current framework for primary drug and alcohol treatment needs a deep, critical look. It’s not to say there aren’t gems out there, places and people truly dedicated to healing. However, the industry as a whole often misses the mark due to these systemic issues.

Recovery should be about community, understanding, and genuine healing, not just about clinical management or financial transactions. It’s high time we reevaluate what we mean by treatment, who should be leading it, and how we can foster environments that truly aid in recovery rather than perpetuate dependency in different forms.

Let’s advocate for a system where recovery isn’t just about sobriety, but about restoring lives, where every person who enters treatment feels seen, understood, and genuinely supported on their journey back to self.