Alcohol or drug abuse affects 25 million Americans; only four million get treatment

The need in this country for increased insurance coverage for alcohol and drug addiction treatment is indisputable. Drug rehab and drug detox have little or no recognition among health insurers, yet drug addiction is a major cause of ruined lives, family violence, emergency room visits, and death. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, alcohol and drug addiction also cost America $77 billion each year in lost productivity. Clearly something needs to be done to make it easier for addicts to get alcohol and drug rehab.

John is forty-six years old and served in the military for twenty seven and a half years, and he drank too much during every one of them. But it wasn’t until the last five years of drinking that he recognized he had a serious problem. “In the Army, you are never off duty. The line between your public and private life is very blurry.” Thus, John explains, many men who struggle with drug or alcohol addiction are hesitant to get into drug or alcohol rehab so they can come to terms with their problem for fear of admitting weakness and compromising their place amongst the ranks.

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