Drug Rehabilitation System 

The system that I would like to explore throughout this semester is the drug rehabilitation in New York City. Although I visited NYC several times before I came study at Parsons, I never really paid attention to its culture and the surrounding environment. As a tourist, I only paid attention to how busy and dirty the city is but never really thought what caused this. After school started and living in the city, I could often smell a very strange and horrible smell on the streets or even down the hallways of my dorm and I was informed that it’s the smell of weed, which is a type of drug. However, there are many programs out there for drug addicts who seeks for a change. Therefore, drug rehabilitation has become a growing business or systems in New York City. I was intrigued by this system because weed usage is such a common thing in New York City, I believe everyone in the city is affect by weed through different levels, either they do weed or they could smell it because the is spread by air. I wondered how could rehab centers help these drug addicts and affect other people less. There are many reasons why people smoke weed, an example would be peer pressure. There is no age limits for doing drugs, the person could be a teenager or an elderly.

After doing some research about drug rehabilitation, I found out that there are three types of rehab centers, which are private, non-profit and government ones. I began to wonder which type is the most efficient and does it has anything to do with wealth e.g. wealthier people go to private center whereas poorer people go to non-profit ones? Also, I would like to find out whether or not rehab centers will actually help a person to stay sober and how do they help out these patients.

Itinerary:

To make my research more informative, I visited two rehab centers.

Map of the rehab centers:

Both centers are located within a building, I was only allowed to have access to the lobby of the building because I was informed that I needed to schedule an appointment beforehand. It seems like they both have very good security systems. However, I was able to go up to the actual center for the Hazelden one because I bumped into one of the doctors there while I was at the lobby so he took me up after I told him that I am a student who is doing a research about drug rehabilitation.

 

Road Recovery:

Road recovery is located in the basement of the building it’s in, I couldn’t go down so I don’t know how the inside looks. The surrounding area is quite isolated, although it is located on the 41st street, which is not that far, it was very obvious that there are less people, especially tourists and people who work in an office. It is right next to a highway, and there are a lot of shuttle buses going around. There are less asians in that area, it’s like a place you wouldn’t go unless there is a purpose to go there. The building lobby is very clean and there is a couch for people to rest and wait. There wasn’t a security for this rehab center, but at the lobby there is a reception desk for all the organizations and residents inside. 

Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation:

This rehab center is located very near FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), therefore there were much more people, and the place seems a lot busier that Road Recovery. There is a security in the lobby who controls the people who goes in and out the building for safety. The security was very nice, he asked on of the doctors who happened to walk pass to take me upstairs to the center (Usually need to book an appointment beforehand to get in). This place is more organized because there is a line for visitors to register themselves before entering in the actual building at lobby.

Everything about it is very different from my impressions of rehab centers, this place seems more like a private clinic to me. It is small scaled and the place looks more friendly than I thought. I thought that rehab centers would look very dark and ‘cold’ but this place gives a sense of belonging as a result of the arrangement of its furniture and the color of light they use.