Living with Drug and Alcohol Addiction
Every year, addiction to drugs and alcohol kills thousands and impacts millions of Americans. Addiction is a mental disorder that has damaging repercussions to one’s health and safety and often results in the destruction of marriages, friendships, and careers. According to the Addiction Center and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):
- Almost 21 million Americans have at least one addiction, yet only 10% of them receive treatment.
- Drug overdose deaths have more than tripled since 1990.
- Alcohol and drug addiction cost the U.S. economy over $600 billion every year.
- About 20% of Americans who have experienced depression or an anxiety disorder also have a substance use disorder.
- Every year, worldwide, alcohol is the cause of 5.3% of deaths (or 1 in every 20).
- About 300 million people throughout the world have an alcohol use disorder.
- Excessive alcohol use can increase a person’s risk of stroke, liver cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, cancer, and other serious health conditions.
- Excessive alcohol use can also lead to risk-taking behavior, including driving while impaired. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver daily.
The Cycle of Addiction and Effects on Children
Over 15 million children grow up in alcohol and drug dependent homes, and over 50% of them will become alcoholics and drug addicts themselves.* The result is an increase in child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, crime, unemployment, poverty, teen pregnancy, HIV disease, low birth weight, fetal stroke, stillbirth, birth defects, prematurity, and mental retardation. The toll in human suffering is immense. Many individuals are second and third generation offspring of addiction and social chaos, who have never experienced stability. We believe they deserve a chance.
Our Programs
Ujima Family Recovery Services provides a unique alcohol and drug treatment program that focuses on pregnant women, new mothers, and infants. The programs include Alcohol and Drug Education, Parent Education, Peer Mentoring, Clinical and Psychiatric Support Services and Therapeutic Child Care. We collaborate with the county and other agencies for the provision of case management, foster care, and family support services. The Children’s Recovery and Family Education Program is a primary prevention program with special focus on children. We strive to promote healthier patterns of behavior in children, parents and families whose lives have been affected by alcohol and drug addiction.
The Families We Serve
Ujima Family Recovery Services fills a vital need for families seeking a path to their recovery to drug and alcohol addiction. Ujima is committed to working with individuals determined to break their addiction and improve their behavioral health through intensive individual and group counseling. Our top priority is to ensure that all the parents we work with are fit to care for their children, so they can be together, indefinitely. One hundred percent of the families we serve are low income households, which is why we strive to make our services financially accessible to all our clients.
- Residential ProgramsUjima’s Residential programs offer specialized evidence based services that are critical to the recovery of women in a homelike setting, offering a warm family, alcohol … Read more
- Outpatient ProgramsUjima’s Outpatient Treatment Programs, throughout Contra Costa County, promote recovery from drug and alcohol abuse for pregnant, postpartum and parenting women with children. We respond … Read more
- Children’s Recovery ProgramThe Children’s Recovery and Family Education Program has family counseling, support groups that offer entry points for family recovery services, and outreach to community, family … Read more
- Ujima MiraclesSuccess stories from our women . . . This project is currently in progress. Check back soon! If you are a Ujima alumni and you … Read more