Getting access to drugs in Indiana is easy: the state is rife with drug smuggling, thanks to its long shoreline on Lake Michigan and its network of freeways. However, Indiana is one of the most progressive of all states in its approach to drug abuse and treatment. It uses money seized from drug operations to fund a network of drug rehabilitation and treatment centers used for early treatment of minor drug offenders. This approach has been proven to dramatically reduce the jail population and prevent minor drug habits from becoming full-blown addiction.

Publicly-funded drug and alcohol rehabilitation and treatment centers in Indiana are not the only options available to families seeking help for substance abuse. There are hundreds of detox centers and rehab facilities, both public and private, which should be carefully evaluated before committing yourself or a loved one to treatment. Investigate the level of staffing and funding, the number of people the center is attempting to treat, and above all its approach to treatment. Harried public facilities may not offer the long-term, individual approach so necessary to permanent recovery.

When attempting to choose between a mental health center or a rehab facility, a drug counseling program or a residential care facility, ask questions to determine whether their programs address the particular type of problem you are facing and whether the facility can handle all phases of recovery. Detox centers may focus solely on helping an addict through withdrawal and offer no counseling. Mental health clinics may not be equipped to deal with the physical needs of an alcoholic or drug addict. A well-rounded facility that can offer both inpatient and outpatient care should head your list of “possibles.”

Most of the larger communities in Indiana have at least one local drug treatment facility or alcohol recovery center. These may or may not offer the type and depth of programs you will need. While seeking help from a rehab facility in Indiana is the first, instinctive choice of most Indiana families, often a local facility simply cannot handle the problem, and it is usually impossible for a recovering addict to try to juggle home, work, family, and recovery all at once. Loved ones often enable a drug or alcohol habit without realizing it. In addition, the sources of the alcohol or drug are well-known to the outpatient and still available. Temptation lurks for the recovering addict, so why make it harder for him?

Inpatient care at a drug or alcohol treatment facility is often the wise choice for addiction of all types. Private facilities can offer a quiet, safe environment completely removed from the stresses and distractions that may have fueled the addict’s quest for peace inside the bottle. Exposed to a daily routine of counseling designed to help him confront his addiction and alter his behavior, the addict can make a clean break from the old life and begin the new.

There are many centers for drug and alcohol treatment in Indiana. Help is, literally, just a phone call away.