She spent more than $110,000 on drug rehab. Her son still died.
Vox is investigating addiction treatment in America. Heres our first story.
By German Lopez
Sep 3, 2019, 7:00am EDT
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vermont Kim Blake keeps a folder in her house, swollen with papers. Each document represents yet another try at helping her son Sean recover from a decade of drug addiction.
Some papers are certificates of graduation from rehab, one telling Sean that you are no longer alone. Some are letters by Sean marking his progress, going back to his late teens, writing about getting better.
And there are many, many bills. I verified the bills and that the Blakes paid for them. The total cost: $110,000.
Thats the minimum that Kim and her husband Tim, Seans dad, estimated they spent on addiction treatment. The Blakes said they also spent thousands on other treatments that they no longer have bills or receipts for. (Their insurance provider made additional payments, as well.)
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/9/3/20750587/rehab-drug-addiction-treatment-sean-blake-opioid-epidemic
The Mouth
(3,143 posts)Two kids I grew up with, one of them a close friend. Parents spent big bucks on everything; both are dead.
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)The Mouth
(3,143 posts)But in my limited direct observation, without a real desire to get clean AND an effective program, all the money in the world does no good. I don't know, or claim to, anything more than that. Both kids were loved, both parents spent well into the 5 figures, neither made it much past 20.
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)But we need to do much better. What a terrible loss.
If either of us had the answers to that we'd be able to do some real good in the world.
My guess -and that's all it is - is that different types of rehab work for different people. Some folks are motivated, some aren't, or are just overwhelmed with despair.
Sadly, I've known some people who just didn't give a damn, be it about addiction or other health issues (especially obesity/diabetes as in the case of several close friends who I'm sure I'm going to lose sooner rather than later).
Some others 'just' needed some time in AA, or the techniques to apply to their lives.
My only direct experience with addiction/recovery was quitting smoking, and for *ME* what I needed was an understanding of the mechanisms and a menu of techniques and tools, but I was scared having had several family members die slowly and painfully, ad was 35 when I quit; an 'immortal' 19 year old isn't going to have the same motivations. And I doubt smoking saps the very psyche and causes the deeper psychological changes that opioids do.
Serial Mom
(2,256 posts)This is so sad... he wanted help but yet, most the "help" programs were not what was needed. My grandson has been spiraling downwards past 2 yrs after more than 10 yrs of alcohol addiction with mental health issues. Not a single counselor or gov't agency will try to get him the help he needs, which a psychotherapist said he needs long term (at least 6 months) in house treatment for him to recover. Nobody can afford to get him that - I wonder if he had received REAL help 5, 6 7 yrs ago, instead of these band-aid programs, would he have truly recovered? He is the best young man, when sober, but I love him all the time.
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)Arthur_Frain
(1,836 posts)From the outset probably. By some republican. Im very sorry for all of those who have lost loved ones to addiction, but this was inevitable from the moment substance abuse began being covered by major health plans. Its a cash cow. Now, just as they do with all of the addictive substances that big pharma wants to sell you, they promise you the moon, none of which they can actually deliver of course, and charge you as much as your love for your son or daughter will bear.
The truth hurts, but none of these therapies work. Or all of them do. What that depends on is the addict, and its different for each one. But no amount of money will change that.