To Overcome Drugs, Perhaps You Should Visit the Haunts

    There's an important element drug rehabilitation centers seem to be missing. The way they are designed even makes them miss on this important element. The centers often do not allow much contact with the outside world. They can shut you off from receiving drugs.

   Yes, that might be a mistake. 

   If a person goes through a drug rehab program, being denied the opportunity for drugs, and comes out clean, that's great. It is not meaningless. It's worthy -- to a point. But, to really overcome drugs, you have to overcome the temptation to take them. If you are simply being taken out of temptation's way while you are in the center, then when you are released and back out in a world where the temptation does exist, you will likely fall flat on your face. No one trained you to face and overcome the temptation. No one prepared you.

   A good treatment center would leave you open to the same temptations you face on the outside world. Or, so it seems to me. At very least, it would teach you how to deal with them. It would say, Jim, when you get back out, you are going to be back with your friends who are on drugs. They are going to be influencing you to take them again. Yes, stay away from these bad influences as much as you can. Keep your friendships with those who won't harmfully influence you. But, you still need to be prepared to deal with the drugs when they do come.

   Rather, than preventing them having the opportunity to even get drugs, I almost wonder if the center should be releasing them each day to visit the haunts where the drugs are available. When person is admitted to the rehab center, he or she pledges honesty. How well he or she does will largely depend on how honest he or she is. He must tell you what happens when he visits those drug haunts. He must tell you honesty if he if was offered drugs, saw people taking drugs, broke down and took them, etc.

  When a person says no to drugs, and has someone to report that to, that is huge. They can glory together in his success. When someone appreciates his (or her) successes in saying no, when someone praises him (or her) for showing the strength to say no, that tremendously lends strength to the ability to overcome drugs.