Outreach is often an overused word when it comes to addictions. What it literally means is providing a helping hand to those who are addicted to drugs, alcohol or other addictive substances (cigarettes, food, and etcetera). It is far easier to cure cigarette addiction than to cure heroin addiction, but an eating disorder can be as lethal as drugs to the body.

Oklahoma has five pages worth of addiction recovery centers found around the state. These centers provide therapy for addicts seeking treatment and cure. Recognizing addiction of any sort is the first step in the long journey to a cure. For drug and alcohol addiction, the drying out period is step two. Withdrawal is the hardest step to take for the body now has to rid itself of the toxins produced by the drugs and alcohol.

Going through the process in Oklahoma's drug treatment centers is made somewhat easier by the counselors and therapists who are trained in all phases on substance abuse. The time spent in Oklahoma's rehabilitation centers varies with each case. It might be months for some. As with alcohol abuse, once a drug addict, always an addict. An alcoholic can become sober and stay that way with sober companions and coaches; drug addicts use the same basic principals and methods to detoxify and stay off drugs.

Thanks to Oklahoma's far sighted substance abuse programs, more people in Oklahoma can fight and win addiction.