Backed up against Canada, with a bustling port system and a trendy metropolitan corridor, Washington State is a major transshipment area for drugs as well as a major consumer. The apple-growing Yakima Valley is becoming known for its large-scale drug trafficking operations hiding among the large migrant community there, while the state’s huge parks and National Forests are used by any number of marijuana growers. Add in club drugs and prescription drugs of all types diverted from medical use for thrill-seekers looking to get high, and Washington families in every part of the state are exposed to the possibility of one day having to evaluate drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers to treat a problem they never expected.

While Washington drug laws send low-level offenders into treatment programs, public treatment programs are not the only ones available. Most larger communities across the state have at least one drug and alcohol treatment facility, either private or public, offering a variety of services. Individuals seeking help for substance abuse will need to educate themselves on the various types of available programs to determine which is best for their particular problem. “Detox Center” mounted above the door does guarantee that a facility is either qualified, funded, or staffed to provided the type of holistic treatment needed to really beat a drug or alcohol addiction.

What is meant by holistic treatment? There are distinct stages of drug and alcohol recovery: identification, detoxification, and self-transformation are all necessary steps. End-to-end care throughout the process is best, for continuity in care and to keep the addict on track. While management of withdrawal symptoms is very important, simple detox alone is not enough. Counseling is essential along with long-term behavior modification in order to prevent relapse. It may not be possible to find a center that offers all of these essential programs in the local community. Washington drug and alcohol rehabilitation and treatment centers are therefore just one option. You may want to consider expanding your search if the local programs require a lot of shuffling between facilities.

Self-transformation is a term used to describe the process of learning to live without drugs and rebuilding a life devastated by abuse. This includes accepting the fact of addiction, which may take outside, professional intervention. It will require counseling alongside detoxification, to understand the emotional dependency and why the person still has cravings after detox. It provides behavioral therapy to help addicts learn how to say no to temptation and stand up to life’s stresses without a chemical crutch. It rebuilds debilitated bodies and restores shattered self-esteem. It removes the excuses and denial and reforms old habits and patterns of behavior. Without a managed program to effect this long-term overhaul, no rehabilitation facility can hope to produce a long-term cure.

For citizens of Washington, drug and alcohol treatment centers are usually easily accessible, even in the eastern half of the state. There is no excuse, therefore, to go on struggling alone.