Death by Search Engine

Dear Jeff and Debra:

We were searching online for a treatment program where we could send our daughter. She has been battling addiction for years and we know she has to check in somewhere. But everything we find online is either an advertisement or an out-of-state program. Where to we find help?

Fed Up

Dear Fed Up:

We googled “residential alcoholism treatment near me” today. It was hard to find any valid results in the first few pages of the search. We are knowledgeable about the treatment centers in this state, and all over the country, for that matter. The online results were dismal.

We did our search on a home computer, so there were approximately sixteen search results per page. On page one, there were six paid ads, ten non-paid results, and a map. None of the organic, free results were for programs in our area or our state. Likewise, the map contained zero residential programs. Most of the ads were commercial clearinghouses or marketing companies. Very unhelpful!

Sadly, the only two local programs listed were in the paid advertising results. These two residential programs could not rely on the search engine to reach families in need. They had to buy online ads to compete with all the unhelpful links. They should not have to buy ads to get into the listings.

On page two of the search, the results were similar. Six ads, ten non-paid results, and zero local residential programs. What did we find instead? Thinly disguised commercial sites that pose as treatment reviewers. These websites usually have marketing contracts with treatment providers. Their job is to promote their customers, while posing as unbiased resources. Apparently, this is legal, but it’s not helpful. High quality programs do not use marketing companies of this kind.

Sometimes the non-paid ads were legitimate, but still unhelpful. For example, some of the results included well-known sites like WebMD or the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. But neither of these are treatment providers, much less local treatment providers.

It was not until we reached page three of the search results that we found a non-paid listing for a residential treatment center in our area. This was the 41st result (over three pages), and it was a link to a reputable local residential treatment provider. I can’t imagine many families would have found this link.

Three pages and forty-one links to find one accurate result. To be fair, there was at least one or two legitimate treatment centers listed on page three, but they were in distant locations, many states away from our area.

There are still unethical providers in the addiction treatment industry. Google and other search engines pledged to do a better job with their search results. We will stipulate that all the results in our search may have been legal entities. But they did not meet our search requirements.

Most families doing the same search would have found themselves in the hands of a marketing company. Is this any way to find treatment for a potentially fatal illness? We often get calls from families who say: “We found this program online,” and we can’t help but cringe.

Avoid ads and avoid treatment clearinghouses online. Seek professional assistance. The web is deceptive (news flash). A qualified addiction professional will assess your situation and your loved one’s history in detail before making a recommendation. It’s worth the extra effort.