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SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT BARRIERS
While substance abuse clearly has a profound, negative impact on our community, it is not an insurmountable problem. There are a number of strategies that can be utilized to address substance abuse, both at the individual and the broader community level. However, numerous barriers have been identified that prevent both the full implementation of proven approaches and the development of new and potentially effective approaches. These barriers are found in multiple areas: knowledge and awareness, resources and policies, and have impact at both the individual and community levels.
| Knowledge and Awareness |
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Individual:
- Individuals and families are frequently unaware, or in denial, of their own substance abuse problems.
- Even when individuals recognize that they have a problem, they frequently do not know how and where to access services.
- The stigma attached can discourage individuals from seeking treatment out of fear of being branded a substance abuser.
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Community:
- There is a lack of awareness of the cost of substance abuse to our community.
- There is a lack of awareness of how effective programs and services can be in preventing and treating substance abuse.
- The stigma attached limits the attention and resources dedicated to dealing with substance abuse.
- There is a lack of emphasis on healthy lifestyles.
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| Resources |
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Individual:
- Individuals frequently lack the financial resources to pay for substance abuse services.
- In many cases, such basic needs as transportation and childcare are unavailable and prevent individuals from accessing services.
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Community:
- There are insufficient resources dedicated to substance abuse prevention, intervention and treatment to meet the needs in our community. In particular, prevention services are lacking, as are treatment services for women and homeless people.
- There is less money appropriated for research and treatment of substance use disorders than for other health issues.
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| Public Policy |
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Individual:
- There is a prevailing conflict between treatment and punishment approaches to dealing with substance abuse that lead many individuals to face incarceration rather than treatment.
- Services are not tailored to the unique needs of individuals.
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Community:
- The same conflict between treatment and punishment that leads many individuals into incarceration also leads to public policy and public investments that emphasize punishment and incarceration over treatment, despite the demonstrated effectiveness of most treatment approaches
- TCADA, the state agency responsible for planning and administrating federal and state substance abuse funds, has experienced major management challenges, which have affected the agency's ability to advocate for increases in resources to address substance use disorders.
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Forum on Mind and Body Health
In addition to the general barriers listed above, the "Regional Communities Forum on Mind and Body Health" (held May 15, 2000) identified a number of additional, more specific barriers that serve to exacerbate the substance abuse problem in our community:
- Not enough substance abuse treatment services for women;
- Insufficient funding for prevention and treatment services;
- State resources are being cut; Decentralization of medical support services;
- Lack of information about prevention programs;
- Lack of promotion of healthy lifestyles;
- Need to integrate prevention services with public school education;
- Need to involve the community in implementation and education;
- The lack of education of how and to what extent substance abuse impacts other health issues;
- Erosion of the family structure;
- Parental support of underage drinking;
- Public policy and lack of concern;
- Public access to treatment; and
- Integration of services - disconnection of families.
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Substance Abuse Home Page
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