The cost of drug and alcohol rehab can be high, and if you opt for a high-end addiction treatment center to ensure that you have access to everything you need during your recovery, you can end up with a hefty bill. Health insurance may cover part of the costs, and you can always get financing to cover the rest, but when it comes to tax time, can you recoup any of the costs?

As of right now, there are ways to claim the cost of drug and alcohol rehab on your tax return – as long as you itemize your deductions on Schedule A. In fact, any medical and dental cost is deductible in the same way, as long as it exceeds more than 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income for the year. For example, if your adjusted gross income is $50,000, you can deduct the expenses that exceed $3750. So if your treatment costs $10,000, then you can deduct $6250.

So which addiction treatment costs are included as acceptable medical expenses that can be deducted? According to §213(d)(1)(A) of the Tax Code, medical costs are defined as “the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.”

Not a lot of guidance. The only other directives point out that illegal treatments or operations are not tax deductible and that a few services are definitely included. Some of the ones that relate to drug addiction treatment include x-rays, hospital and nursing services – pretty much any diagnostic, evaluation, and treatment services. If you are enrolled in a drug detox program or a drug addiction treatment program and incur costs for psychological treatment or medical treatment – even an ambulance ride somewhere in the process of healing and getting better – then your costs are covered under the circumstances described above.

Does drug and alcohol addiction qualify as a medical and/ or psychological disease according to the IRS? Absolutely. Even if the general public is split on the question, the medical establishment and the IRS are not. They agree that costs incurred in the treatment of drug addiction is absolutely a medical expense and as such qualifies as a deduction for those who itemize and whose expenses exceed 7.5 percent of their income.

If you would like assistance filing your taxes in a year that you pay for drug and alcohol rehab, tax accountants can help. If you are seeking a drug rehab for yourself or your loved one, we can assist you. Contact us at The Canyon today.

Last week, we began the conversation about how to find support after drug rehab and this week, we’re continuing the discussion about how to be successful in recovery with a new topic: creating your own treatment plan.

During your stay in drug rehab, you had a treatment plan designed for you that included medical care, psychological addiction treatment, group therapies, alternative treatments, exercise, and good food meant to promote detox. When you leave drug treatment, you can create a treatment plan for yourself that includes these elements as well. Get an organizer that includes a calendar and create a schedule for yourself that will help you stay on track during recovery after drug rehab.

Here are the main points to focus on and some ideas to include in your daily schedule:

• Medical care. Regular doctor and dental checkups are important, and if you have chronic health issues or any medication of any kind, regular doctor visits are essential. Don’t forget these! Schedule them in advance and mark them on your calendar so that you don’t forget.
• Psychotherapy. At least once a week, meet with a therapist or a counselor on a one-on-one basis. This person should have a solid understanding of drug addiction treatment and recovery. Use their guidance to help you navigate difficult situations and learn how to work through emotional issues and issues of perspective that may be causing problems in your life. If you suffered trauma prior to or during your addiction, it’s important to work on this as well. NOTE: Many patients in early recovery benefit from two one-hour sessions each week until they can adjust.
• Group therapy. It’s essential to have the support and social interaction with peers who are nonjudgmental and understand what you’re going through and what you want for your life. You can get this from 12-step meetings or addiction treatment groups that are designed to provide support in recovery.
• Exercise. If you don’t feel good physically, you won’t feel well mentally, and if you’re not happy, you’re more likely to relapse. Feeling better about yourself and life in general starts with regular, gentle exercise and a focus on fitness. This can be as simple as incorporating regular walks into your day or brief weight lifting or as serious as a regimented exercise plan that includes a trainer and regular workouts – whatever works best for you.

What will you add into your treatment plan after drug rehab?

This month, we’re looking at the steps that you need to take after drug rehab in order to maintain recovery. There are a number of threats to your sobriety, and they can come from everywhere. The next few posts are dedicated to giving you the guidance you need to get through and avoid relapse whenever possible after drug addiction.

Have anything to add? Any suggestions that worked for you? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Getting the Support You Need After Drug Rehab

There are a number of different resources for emotional and physical support after you leave drug rehab and all of them can be the defining factor in your sobriety. Here are a few examples:

• Job support. As you begin the process of starting a new life without drugs and alcohol, you’ll most likely need to find a job. There are community resources (like food stamps and cash aid) that can get you started while also offering you help with the creation of a resume, job fairs, job interview training and more. Some communities even have resources where you can get interview-appropriate clothing if you need it. Money is a big problem that causes people to relapse. Take advantage of your community’s resources!
• Peer support. Meeting other people who are going through the same issues that you are as they acclimate to a life without drug and alcohol addiction can be crucial. It’s good to know that you’re not alone and to avoid isolation – isolation almost always leads to a slip or relapse. Instead, attend 12-step meetings for recovering alcoholics and addicts, go to group therapy and/ or volunteer in drug addiction outreach.
• Family and friends. Not all of your family and friends are going to be supportive of your continued recovery after drug rehab. Some who are continuing to drink and use drugs will, of course, want you to join them. Others who have a “normal” relationship with illicit substances may believe that you can have the same thing if you try. It’s important to find friends and lean on the family members who are willing to take midnight phone calls or last minute requests for time or help when you feel like you just need someone to hang out with or talk to in order to avoid relapse – leave the rest behind until you are more grounded in your new life in recovery.

Stay tuned for our next post in the series, After Drug Rehab: Create Your Own Treatment Plan.

All the stars of the Harry Potter movie series are making tabloid headlines these days with the release of the last installment of the series – and Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter himself, is the most prominent. In a recent interview with the UK version of GQ, Radcliffe talked about an alcohol abuse problem that plagued him during his teen years while filming the first few Harry Potter movies.

Says Radcliffe: “I became so reliant on alcohol to enjoy stuff. There were a few years there when I was just so enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person’s lifestyle that really isn’t suited to me.”

Radcliffe was 11 years old when he made the first Harry Potter movie – and was instantly famous. That’s when the alcohol abuse and dependence began and Radcliffe considers it amazing that he was never caught by the paparazzi while under the influence or with a drink in his hand: “I really got away with that because there were many instances when a paparazzi shot like that could have been taken.”

Luckily, it didn’t take a lifetime for Radcliffe to realize that alcohol addiction was ruining his life. He’s been drug-free and alcohol-free for almost a year now – since August of 2010. Total abstinence is his way of life now and he’s embraced it wholeheartedly: “As much as I would love to be a person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time, that doesn’t work for me. I’m actually enjoying the fact I can have a relationship with my girlfriend where I’m really pleasant and I’m not f–king up totally all the time. There’s no shame in enjoying the quiet life. And that’s been the realization of the past few years for me.”

Radcliffe’s revelations are refreshing for a number of reasons. First, it’s good to see someone who started drinking so young and continued to drink heavily for so long make the decision to get clean and sober and stick to it. Second, as a celebrity, it’s not so rare to develop an alcohol addiction or even to go to alcohol rehab, but it is extremely rare to kick the habit so young and to remain dedicated to sobriety without the usual DUI charges, accidents, relapses, and revolving door rehab stints.

If you started drinking at a young age, it’s never too late to quit. Contact us today to find out more about our alcohol detox and addiction treatment programs here at The Canyon. Call now.

Amy Winehouse is another example of a celebrity who claims that a trip to alcohol rehab is not necessarily due to an active addiction but chosen in the interest of maintaining a hard-won sobriety.

A spokesman for Winehouse told Us Weekly that the singer “wants to be ready for performances in Europe this summer and decided to seek an assessment. She will remain [in treatment] on doctors’ advice.”

Unfortunately, anecdotal reports of Winehouse’s behavior immediately before entering alcohol rehab aren’t so diplomatic. A shop owner in North London says that the star came in on her way to treatment – to buy a tiny bottle of booze. An onlooker told The Sun that Winehouse “seemed out of it,” and that “she was stumbling about, slurring her words. I was shocked to see her buy vodka so early in the day, and even more shocked to see her knock it straight back.”

Given these reports, the next development in the story may have fans worried: Winehouse reportedly left inpatient drug rehab after only one week in treatment and opted for outpatient care instead. Though outpatient drug addiction treatment can be extremely beneficial for those with only a short history of active drug and alcohol abuse and addiction, patients who have recently completed an inpatient program, and those who have a strong support system at home to keep them from relapsing when they leave the program, they are not generally recommended for patients with a long-term drug addiction history of the caliber experienced by Winehouse. Though the singer went to drug rehab in January of 2008, reports that she was drinking heavily immediately before entering rehab suggest that her decision to opt for a less restrictive program may not have been one made with her best interest in mind.

Choosing between inpatient and outpatient drug rehab is a big decision for any patient. The good news is that no decision is set in stone: if you begin one program and realize that you aren’t getting what you need, you can always choose another program or opt for something more intensive if necessary. The bad news is that there is a risk when you choose a program that isn’t effective enough – a risk of relapse and a return to active drug addiction with all the residual risks of overdose, accident, and chronic health problems that go along with it.

No one wants to waste time and money on a program that won’t give them what they need to effectively heal from drug addiction. If you or someone you love is living with an active addiction, contact us today at The Canyon to learn more about our addiction treatment programs and how we can help you.

Chris Herren, formerly a basketball player for the Boston Celtics, lost everything to heroin addiction. The one-time small town basketball hero who made national headlines with his basketball skills during his high school days ended up back in his hometown 20 years later, unemployed and looking for a fix. Now married and a father of three, Herren has decided to make the best of his heroin addiction and all the loss he experienced as a result. After attending heroin rehab, he penned an autobiography with the hope of getting his story out there and helping others like him realize that no one is immune to the tragedy of drug addiction.

Herren penned his autobiography, Basketball Junkie: A Memoir, with Bill Reynolds, a journalist. It begins with his high school days and all that he accomplished during his teen years and follows him through his time playing ball at Fresno State in California, his draft to the Denver Nuggets (second round, 33^rd pick overall) and his trade to the Boston Celtics the following year. Unfortunately, the tale turns sour as Herren spares readers no details as he describes the development of his heroin addiction and how it almost made him lose everything.

Here’s the good news: though Herren was unable to rebuild his NBA career, he has been able to remain clean and sober since August of 2008. Herren reports that it took several trips to drug rehab to make his new goals for a drug-free life stick, but he did indeed make it work. In June of 2009, Herren created a basketball player development company called Hoop Dreams with Chris Herren Inc. Here young players can work on their skills through intensive clinics that cover basketball skills, ball handling, strength training, conditioning, and basketball drills. Since opening in 2009, Herren reports training more than 200 up and coming basketball players, among them some of the top pro-ball hopefuls in his area.

Though his heroin addiction took away his own hoop dreams, Herren is using his expertise and his drive to help others avoid the pitfalls that snatched his hopes away and, at the same time, creating a new destiny for himself that is even more commendable than the original. A dedicated father and husband, Herren is no longer allowing heroin addiction to control his life – a goal he reached by starting with heroin rehab.

If heroin addiction is stopping you from achieving your dreams or threatening the things you hold most dear, heroin addiction treatment is the only way to effectively fight the problem. Contact us at The Canyon today to learn more about how we can help you create the life that you want for yourself.

Courts are cracking down more and more on those who enable a patient’s drug addiction by providing them with illicit drugs – especially when the patient takes those drugs and ends up overdosing as a result. A new twist on this legal trend is highlighted by a recent case in which one patient charged with burglary claims that not only are his actions due to his drug addiction, but that his drug addiction isn’t his fault either – it’s the fault of his brother.

Donald Dovenbarger is the man who was charged with six counts of burglary and then sentenced to five years in prison as a result of his crimes. Says Dovenbarger: “I believe he is my biggest relapse trigger. I looked up to Curtis. He was kind of a role model to me. Well, not really a role model, but I just wanted to be like him.”

His point? He shouldn’t have to serve the five years in prison, though he likely won’t argue with the mandatory drug rehab program that the judge ordered for after his release. What Dovenbarger doesn’t see is that, in this case, five years is a blessing; he could have gotten as many as 30 years in prison.

And it’s not like his brother, Curtis, got off scot-free. In fact, Curtis was with Donald on the burglaries and was also charged with six counts of the crime. He too was convicted but his sentence was even stiffer: eight years in prison instead of Donald’s five year sentence.

Donald’s lawyer, Kristen Burkett, agrees that Curtis had a lot to do with Donald’s drug addiction issues, his crimes, and ultimately, his conviction. She said: “That relationship has brought him to where he is today.”

Donald reports that he began using drugs by smoking marijuana, then began drinking, then took prescription drugs, and eventually developed a heroin addiction. He said the real problems began when his brother told him to try Xanax because he would like the high. Hanging out with his brother was what Donald credits with his repeated and unsuccessful attempts to remain clean and sober.

It was perhaps those failed attempts at sobriety that made the judge decide to give him five years – one more than prosecutors asked for. The five-year sentence means that Donald will not be eligible for judicial review and will be required to complete the full sentence, remaining in custody until he completes a drug rehab program – the one thing that will be able to help him from repeating his mistakes in the future, no matter what influences are around him.

If you are living with heroin addiction, alcoholism, marijuana addiction, or addiction to prescription drugs, The Canyon can help. Call now for more information about our different addiction treatment programs.