In an ideal world there would be no drug abuse, no alcohol abuse and no one would ruin their lives. Unfortunately the real world is far from ideal. I've chosen to cover the topic of drug and alcohol abuse from a very different angle than it is normally looked at. Like many problems in life, most of us neglect to concern ourselves unless we are directly affected by the problem itself. It's easy to ignore the drug addicts who are ruining their lives and sometimes the lives of those around them. But what about when that drug addict is your mother, your brother, your best friend or your soulmate? If it was your loved one who needed medical care and treatment for addiction wouldn't you want them to get the help they need? The good news is that attention is being drawn to the issue of substance abuse in New England. In 2014 national health care law will require that insurers begin covering addiction treatment. A growing number of addiction clinics in and around Massachusetts are putting their efforts towards better care and treatment for substance abusers. Instead of simply using methadone to treat addiction, clinics in and around Massachusetts are now including additional treatments to patients.

For years treatment clinics simply prescribed a patient methadone and sent them home. It has long been used as an anti-addictive used for patients suffering from an opioid dependency. But there seems to be something wrong with the concept of treating a drug addict with another addictive substance to ween him or her off from the original narcotic. According to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics 3,849 deaths were linked to methadone in 2004. So clearly there is more that needs to be done than just sending the drug addict home with a new drug. The Dorchester clinic has added a primary care doctor to its staff on Friday mornings. Now patients at this clinic can be treated for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and many other common health problems. When you think about it, most of these addicts haven't seen a doctor in years. Their lives have been in a downward spiral due to their drug addiction. It's not just the addiction that they need to overcome and get a hold of, they need to regain hold of their own health and bodies.