New Hampshires LASER Program Helps Addicts Detox

By Staff Writer

An intensive 12- to 18-month court in New Hampshire provides addicts with the resources they need to detoxify, further their education and seek employment. Thus far, officials told the news source that the program has saved the state $3 million and kept 40 individuals out of federal prison.

The Law Abiding, Sober, Employed and Rehabilitated (LASER) program in New Hampshire is an alternative federal drug court that is helping more addicts get a second chance at life, according to the New England Cable Network.

The intensive rehabilitation program was created as a place to send offenders instead of jail. Participants who complete LASER may have the sentences for their crimes reduced. However, individuals must plead guilty to their charges in order to join the program.

More than 20 million Americans admitted to using illicit drugs within a 30-day period in 2006, according to Drug Addiction Support.. Rehabilitation facilities can help individuals detoxify, but many people find themselves in trouble with the law before they seek treatment.

Approximately half of the crimes in the U.S. can be linked to drugs, according to Drug Addiction Support. Substance abuse treatment centers and detoxification programs are helping addicts come clean and turn their lives around.