Arkansas, with its strategic location and network of interstate highways, is a major corridor for smugglers moving drugs from the Caribbean and Mexico. The full range of illicit drugs is widely available here: methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and every sort of prescription drug is peddled on Arkansas streets. Crack and powder cocaine and the proliferation of meth labs statewide are special problems. Recognizing the danger, especially to the most vulnerable of its citizens, like the high school and college students who encounter a pharmacy’s worth of drugs at raves and clubs and parties, Arkansas is reforming its drug laws. The state now diverts money from drug seizures to alcohol treatment and drug rehabilitation facilities located across the state.

Arkansas drug reform is aimed at preventing the escalation of mild drug habits into major drug problems requiring expensive treatment at private or public drug treatment centers. The goal is to provide drug rehabilitation at an early stage to help curb the spread of drug addiction. However, for full-blown alcohol and drug abuse, more intensive treatment will be required than simple detox, counseling, or an AA-type support program.

If you are looking for a drug or alcohol rehabilitation program in Arkansas for yourself or a loved one, don’t be intimidate by the number of programs. Evaluate them instead by the type and level of services they offer. Avoid those that offer a cookie-cutter approach to addiction; meth cannot be treated in the same manner as a marijuana addiction, and alcohol has different effects on the body than Ambien abuse. Make sure the rehab center you choose has experience with your particular problem.

Three elements of any good drug or alcohol treatment program are detoxification, counseling, and long-term behavior modification, coupled with nutrition and fitness programs to rebuild bodies debilitated by drugs or alcohol. Often, this comprehensive program can only be found in a private facility which offers inpatient or residential care. While this may seem like overkill, there are a number of distinct advantages to sending your loved one to a facility away from home.

Inpatient care, especially during detox, is often necessary to manage, under close medical supervision, the often dangerous effects of withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. Instant response from trained medical staff is available, and once the physical dependency has been broken, the real recovery program can begin. At this point the addict will require intensive counseling, and the quiet, supportive environment of a rehab facility offers the best option for concentrating on recovery rather than on the stress of work and family life. Often, families, co-workers, and friends have quietly enabled the drug habit without realizing it, by ignoring it or hoping the addict will come to his senses on his own. The staff of a drug treatment facility understands that addicts need help understanding their problem and how to beat it.

There is no shortage of good drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers in Arkansas. Why continue struggling with addiction, when a phone call can help launch a new, drug-free life?