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Rhiannon12866

(205,207 posts)
Mon May 21, 2018, 02:38 AM May 2018

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - Rehab



The addiction treatment industry is dangerously unregulated. John Oliver explains why many rehab programs should incorporate more evidence-based care and carefully reconsider their doctor-to-horse ratio.
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Initech

(100,063 posts)
1. Monsters preying on weak and vulnerable people.
Mon May 21, 2018, 02:18 PM
May 2018

It's the same we've seen with just about every John Oliver piece time and time again. So much of this would go away if we were to start re-regulating industry and holding these monsters accountable for their actions. Much of this shit goes unchecked and it's scary what is happening out there.

Rhiannon12866

(205,207 posts)
2. You're right and he's been doing a stellar job pointing this out
Mon May 21, 2018, 11:04 PM
May 2018

Like any industry, there's bound to be corruption, but as John pointed out, these people are vulnerable and desperate and these corrupt practices have cost lives. I agree they need to be held accountable and regulation is long past due. I'm in AA so I've known countless people who have gone to rehab and we know where the reputable places are and they don't make false promises on TV.

Initech

(100,063 posts)
3. Yeah you could take this and apply it to about any industry.
Tue May 22, 2018, 12:20 AM
May 2018

I mean the one on abortion was a total eye opener. The one this week was pretty crazy as well. I have a good friend of mine who has been in and out of rehab multiple times and he's spent a small fortune trying to get clean, and I can only imagine the pressure that he's been through in this crap. We need to start getting our people elected and we need to start reregulating industry pronto.

Rhiannon12866

(205,207 posts)
4. I agree - the one on abortion was brutal, even more so than this one
Tue May 22, 2018, 12:43 AM
May 2018

The best option, of course, is to get advice from people who have been through it. But if you're new at this, it's impossible to know. The ones I hear people with experience making fun of are those which promise a "cure." There is no "cure," it's not a destination, but a journey, and those that make it keep up the connections that they've made.

The rehab place that I've heard the best things about - and seems to have the best success rate - doesn't charge for the stay there and also follows up. They choose who they admit and there's often a wait for "a bed." I know people who are invited back to share what they've learned with others currently going through their program.

And I agree that regulation is badly needed. My heart sinks when I see those commercials on TV that promise "a cure." Like John said, there are people who ended up in these places who have died. I've known people who have died.

Initech

(100,063 posts)
5. Sometimes I feel like there's more money in not having a cure than having a cure.
Tue May 22, 2018, 12:52 AM
May 2018

I mean we have access to information now that we didn't 50, 100 years ago and if humanity wanted to, we could have found cures for the worst diseases known to man. But instead we haven't and let things get in the way, and now I feel like we're actually going backwards at an alarming rate.

Rhiannon12866

(205,207 posts)
6. And the places like John was talking about make profits from recidivism, like your friend
Tue May 22, 2018, 01:16 AM
May 2018

And I also know people who have tried numerous times. One change that I've noticed since I first came to AA in 2008 is that drugs are much more prevalent. The first time I heard someone mention heroin, I was kinda shocked, but now it's frequently a part of the discussion. There are AA meetings 4 days a week at the nearby halfway house, but on the fifth day they now have an HA meeting.

And I agree that diseases we thought were eradicated are now coming back. Not only that, but I read every day about Trump rescinding protections that Obama put in place. These really are scary times and we need to stop him in his tracks before it's too late - but most people aren't paying attention, they just assume that the government agencies have their best interests at heart.

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