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?

Dual Diagnosis Treatment provides those who are living with a drug addiction and a psychological disorder with the care that they need to work through both issues during the same treatment program. It’s one of the benefits that Bai Ling, an actress currently on Dr. Drew’s Celebrity Rehab on VH1, is experiencing – kind of. In fact, it’s something that has been causing her issues, perhaps because she doesn’t understand the goal of drug addiction treatment in relation to her psychological issues.

Bai Ling and Psychiatric Medications During Drug Rehab

It’s clear from Bai Ling’s behavior when she refuses to take her pills that she needs that medication badly. It’s also clear that she is physically incapable of focusing on groups and treatments for drug addiction when she is off her meds. She is living with a psychological disorder, as yet unidentified on the show, in addition to alcoholism and it is obvious that she requires treatment for both issues at the same time in order to make any real progress on either front. The first step is to stay on the meds that she is currently prescribed, adjusting the medication and dosage according to her development in treatment. While Dr. Drew and other counselors can only encourage her to take her meds, they can’t force her, but if she continues to choose not to take her medication and can’t stay on track while continuing to distract from treatment, stopping others from getting the help they need, it may be necessary for her to leave rehab.

“I Want to Get Off All Drugs. That’s Why I’m Here.”

It’s a common thought among those who are struggling with dual diagnoses – unfortunately, it’s not an effective way to handle treatment when psychological illness like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other disorders are an issue. Part of the stabilization process that happens during drug detox means getting the medication right to effectively treat any psychological disorders. It will be practically impossible to remain clean and sober without treating mental health at the same time since it is often the case that patients self-medicate the symptoms associated with their disorder by abusing illicit drugs and alcohol.

Medications taken to mitigate the effects of a psychological disorder are not the same as addictive medications or drugs. It’s important to utilize medication effectively and stabilize emotional issues, hallucinations, paranoia, et cetera, during the early part of treatment, begin the process of dealing with emotional issues and trauma and learn new and healthy coping mechanisms – then, if you feel and your doctor feel that it’s appropriate, consider lowering your medication dose or changing medications.

At The Canyon, we offer Dual Diagnosis Rehab to help those who are living with both drug addiction and a psychological disorder. Call now to find out more specifics about our program.

It’s one of the most common paths for recovering addicts to choose for their lives after they successfully complete drug and alcohol addiction treatment: becoming a drug rehab counselor. Equipped with the firsthand experience of how easy it is to develop an addiction and how hard it is to successfully combat the problem, all the recovering addict is missing is the required education and certification.

But is it a good idea for someone in recovery to become a drug addiction treatment counselor after attending drug rehab? What are the pros and cons?

Pros of Choosing Drug Addiction Treatment Counseling as a Career

You know the ropes of treatment. You know what it’s like to be an addict. You know the ploys and manipulations that are common among patients who are trying to fool themselves into thinking that using or drinking “just once” isn’t that big of a deal – you may have tried a few of those games yourself. You’ve got “street cred” if you’ve spent years with an active addiction and this can be extremely valuable in getting through to people who need help.

Another plus: the education you need to get started working at a rehabilitation facility with minimal responsibility is a certification that often takes just a couple of years to acquire. The classes may also serve to help you remain dedicated and focused on your own recovery, a requirement if you’re going to work in substance abuse treatment.

Cons of Choosing Drug Addiction Treatment Counseling as a Career

It’s not always the best choice for people in early recovery (the first couple of years) to spend so much time around active addicts. In some cases, new counselors with a long drug addiction history may be more likely to be influenced by the patients they are meant to be helping to sobriety than the other way around. Running into old friends with whom they used to use drugs and alcohol can be a trigger as well, and some drug addiction treatment counselors even report stealing the addictive prescription medication of patients when they felt tempted to get high.

Also, those in recovery are not known for always being sensitive to the feelings of others. Part of the process of growing in treatment is learning how to take responsibility for one’s own actions, follow rules even when they seem silly or unreasonable, and treat others with respect even when having a bad day. Often drug addiction treatment counselors bear the brunt of the abuse when patients have a tough time and for those in the first few years of recovery, this can be difficult to take.

Whether or not the job of drug addiction treatment counselor is right for you will depend upon you, your personality, your long-term goals for yourself, and your ability to prioritize your sobriety even when the job gets stressful.

Gambling addiction is a medical and psychological issue, just like drug addiction. While half of those seeking treatment for drug addiction are struggling with a co-occurring psychological disorder like depression or anxiety, it is estimated that one in three people in drug rehab also have a gambling problem. It can be complicated to extricate a gambling disorder from a drug addiction disorder during treatment, but because one issue can trigger the other, it becomes important to address both problems at the same time during addiction treatment.

Problem Gambling and Gambling Addiction After Drug Rehab

Many people think that they can continue to gamble even after they go through drug addiction treatment and get clean and sober. Unfortunately, for most, gambling triggers drug addiction temptations. Free drinks at a casino are hard to pass up and the urge to take other stimulant drugs like crystal meth or cocaine in order to stay awake and continue gambling is extremely hard to resist. It’s almost impossible for recovering drug addicts and alcoholics to continue to gamble if they used to gamble during their addiction – it’s akin to hanging out at bars and clubs every night of the week while trying not to drink or get loaded. It just doesn’t work for very long.

Treating Gambling Problems and Addictions During Drug Addiction Treatment

Though many recovering addicts play cards before AA or NA meetings or even to entertain themselves during rehab, if the addict is one of the 33 percent with a co-occurring gambling disorder then this is no longer fun and games. It can trigger the pleasure pathway and adrenaline in much the same way that drugs and alcohol do, and it quickly becomes impossible to stop. With all the same effects on life that drug addiction brings – financial problems, relationship issues, difficulties at work, social problems – it requires the same kind of treatment and this is most effective when it happens in conjunction with drug addiction treatment.

The key is therapy and psychological treatment. What purpose does gambling serve? Escape? Soothing? Why do you feel that you need assistance in these areas? It’s often unresolved trauma and other psychological issues that are dealt with through drugs and gambling. Dealing with those issues during treatment can alleviate the need to get high or gamble.

Additionally, experiential therapy explores the emotions underlying the traumatic events and experiences while personal therapy also provides the guidance necessary to learn better coping mechanisms that don’t include gambling, drugs, alcohol and other dysfunctional and damaging choices.

Contact us today at the Canyon to learn more about our drug rehab programs and how we can help you heal from dual diagnoses like addiction and gambling.

It’s not the first time that a lab or research facility has set out in search of a vaccine that can cure or prevent drug addiction. The latest approach is a little bit different than past attempts, however – rather than a prevention or even a cure, this vaccine would block the addictive substances from reaching and therefore affecting the brain. A patient who has been vaccinated as a part of their drug addiction treatment would experience no high or effect if they were to relapse and take their drug of choice – if it works like it’s supposed to.

So far, the drugs that have been effectively blocked by the vaccine have been nicotine and cocaine.

Do Drug Addiction Vaccines Work?

Does it really work? The jury is still out and long-term studies are ongoing, but so far, the results coming in are positive.

Some patients report that just knowing that they have taken the vaccine has helped them to avoid relapse. Knowing that the vaccine should stop them from getting high if they smoke a cigarette or do a line keeps them from wasting their time and trying.

One patient says: “You still have to mentally say to yourself, ‘I’m not going to do this,’ but it’s so much easier to say it when you know if you light a cigarette, you’re not going to get any pleasure out of it.”

How do Drug Addiction Vaccines Work?

Vaccines don’t work in the brain like other drugs that stop the effect of addictive substances at certain doses (e.g., methadone or Chantix). Instead, vaccines stop illicit drugs while they’re still in the bloodstream, and neither substance should ever reach the brain. The vaccines don’t bind to receptors in the brain or try to change perception in any way; rather, they work by making the body reject the illicit substance before it has a chance to take effect.

This is an important distinction because some of the drugs that provide similar blocking effects against addictive substances are often eschewed because of their side effects. As yet, no significant side effects have been identified among patients using the latest vaccine for drug addiction treatment.

Would You Try a Drug Addiction Vaccine?

If you had access to a drug addiction vaccine, would you take it? Do you need further research studies to prove its efficacy one way or the other? What do you think?

“I’m bored.”

It’s one of the most common complaints that people have a couple of months after drug and alcohol addiction treatment is over. After recovering addicts settle in and find a job, a place to stay, and begin the process of going to 12-step meetings and just staying sober from day to day, they find that the biggest threat to their continued recovery is boredom. Having fun used to be defined by going out to a club or getting high with friends. Without drugs and alcohol, you have to redefine exactly what fun is, get creative, and find new ways to enjoy yourself and relax. If you don’t, you risk the grind of sobriety putting you a position to relapse just so that you can have a good time – and that’s the last thing you want to do.

Fun During Drug and Alcohol Addiction

The irony here is that addicts in recovery readily admit that the life of an active addict is far from fun. It’s hard work to constantly chase a bag or the next high, trying to stay one step ahead of withdrawal symptoms and feeling ill after a long binge. It’s not fun. But faced with the calm and comparatively uneventful days that fill recovery, the down time can be what kills the best intentions.

Finding Fun in a Healthful Way During Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery

Fun is a personal thing. Are you a people person who has a good time when surrounded by others? Are you more private, defining fun as enjoying a good book or watching a movie? Are you outdoorsy, interested in hiking, camping, and adventure sports? Do you like travel, preferring to see new cities and towns rather than stay in the same place for very long? Do you have a hobby that interests you, horticulture or cooking or photography or art? Do you like school? Do you like being in charge?

Depending upon what it is that calls you, the activities that pique your interest above all else, you can create your own fun in recovery. Even if there is no organized groups that play your favorite sport, you can start a team or take a class to find others who like to play. If you like travel but don’t have a lot of money, pick a nearby destination and create a budget then work to save what you need and make your trip happen. If there’s a cause you feel strongly about, find a local group that’s fundraising and get involved or start your own.

If you prefer to kick back and enjoy yourself, just try not to isolate. If you like movies, go to viewings in the park during the summer or take a film class at the local community college. If you like to read, join a book club or take an literature or writing class. It’s important to get involved with others and find ways to have fun that include positive relationships with others.

How Do You Have Fun in Recovery?

When you’re having a hard day, what do you do to take your mind off it? How do you fill your down time now that drugs and alcohol aren’t your focus?