You probably don’t think of Nebraska as prone to drug problems, but no state is immune. Nebraska’s wide open spaces host some home-grown marijuana operations, while even in the most rural parts of the state, meth, club drugs, alcohol, and marijuana are all widely available to bored young people looking for thrills. The family medicine cabinet is the source of one of the fastest growing problems in Nebraska—prescription drug abuse. All of this means that Nebraska families who thought themselves immune to the big-city problems of drug abuse may find themselves having to find and evaluate drug and alcohol rehabilitation and treatment centers in Nebraska, or even somewhere else.

Most Nebraska communities have some type of qualified drug or alcohol treatment program or rehabilitation center. Publicly-funded programs are limited because Nebraska’s drug laws focus on enforcement, not on treatment. Families should seek help for any suspected substance abuse before it is compounded by legal difficulties.

Because of the bewildering array of programs and services associated with drug and alcohol abuse, just getting started on treatment can be intimidating. However, some basic things that any program should offer are:

Holistic approach: No program can be effective if it focuses on any single aspect of addiction. Detox centers may put priority on healing the body, not the mind. Mental health counseling may address only emotional issues. Methadone programs don’t generally include behavior modification. “Mind-body-spirit” should be the focus of a comprehensive program.

Experience: The vast array of modern drugs, each with varying effects on mind and body, means that a shotgun approach will be ineffective. Meth addiction is much more difficult to treat than other addictions. Make sure the clinic you choose understands and is equipped to deal with your particular problem.

Long-term focus: Detoxification, the removal of drug residue from the addict’s body, may eliminate physical cravings but cannot guarantee the emotional need for drugs will go away. “Getting clean” is only the first step toward “living clean.” Learning to live without the crutch of drugs and alcohol should be the focus of any rehabilitation program, in Nebraska or New York or anywhere else.

Inpatient care: Management of the often dangerous symptoms and side effects of withdrawal is essential to success. This can require inpatient monitoring, but inpatient care often entails much more. A facility offering residential recovery programs offers distinct advantages over outpatient programs.

“But I want to use a drug and alcohol treatment rehab center in Nebraska,” you might say. That often makes sense from a cost and convenience standpoint; from a treatment perspective, it might be counterproductive to stick to the local community. Addicts often need to be removed from the environment that enabled or drove their addiction, including the stresses and distractions of family life and career. The local Nebraska rehab facility may be just a little too close to home and all its temptations.

Drug and alcohol rehab centers in Nebraska are found in most larger communities. Getting help is just a matter of getting started.