Just because North Dakota ranks last in the United States in violent drug crimes does not mean there is no drug problem here. The incidence of drug abuse, while low, is dominated by meth, one of the hardest of all addictions to treat.

North Dakota families seeking help for a drug or alcohol addiction may have to look farther afield than in some other states. Most larger communities support some type of rehabilitation facility; smaller ones may be forced to combine efforts through hospitals and private or public clinics. You should carefully evaluate any treatment program before committing to care to ensure it offers the best solution for your particular type and level of problem. Addiction has no magic bullet cure; drug and alcohol treatment centers that promise a fast, easy road to recovery are lying to you.

Because drug addiction is so low in North Dakota, drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation centers in this state may or may not be uniformly experienced in treating the modern drug addictions that seem to proliferate daily. Make sure that the rehab center you choose has experience with your type of problem, for a uniform approach to drug addiction is a guarantee of failure. Meth is so addictive it can hook on the first use, and its long-term effects are terrible. Find a rehab center that understands the long and difficult process of breaking the hold of drugs like this and their various effects on the human body.

If the drug and alcohol treatment center in your North Dakota community cannot offer end-to-end care, you should consider looking farther afield. Continuity in care is important, from intervention to convince an addict to get help, through detoxification and withdrawal, to counseling and long-term behavior modification. A facility dedicated to drug and alcohol rehabilitation, rather than a general medical practice, is preferred, for the level of expertise and dedicated staff.

In addition, the 24/7 supervision and medical care offered by an inpatient treatment program is often the best choice for jump starting recovery. While families may prefer to keep their loved one close during treatment, it may not always be possible in the smaller towns in North Dakota. Even in larger ones, keeping the addict close to the stresses and enablers that fed and allowed the drug or alcohol abuse is not a good idea. There are simply too many distractions, too many temptations, and too much stress for an addict attempting to juggle recovery and a “normal” life, no matter how determined he is to kick the habit. Removal to a rehab center with an inpatient living program can remove that stress and allow a total focus on recovery through the first rocky phases of the program.

While North Dakota drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers may be less widely available than elsewhere, there are hundreds of clinics and treatment centers located around the United States. Don’t give up the search, because failure to begin means that nothing will ever change.