I have a large amount of unsecured debt. Is there a better way to go about paying off my debt other than debt consolidation loan programs?
Debt consolidation loans are not a panacea. Often they require collateral. That isn't always available.
Seek credit counseling from a reputable non-profit agency. They can help you establish a budget and prioritize which debts need to be paid off first. Minimum payments are always required to protect your credit rating, but you may want to pay off small balances that then free up a monthly payment to be used elsewhere, and on higher interest rate accounts that are costing you more in the long term. The budget they work out will show you how long it will take to get out of debt.
When working on a program like this there are two important points to remember. You didn't get in debt in a month. It can take a long time to pay these back, and when getting out of debt, you can't use those charge cards or buy new things on credit.
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Debt consolidation loans are not a panacea. Often they require collateral. That isn't always available.