Is South Florida Opiate Addiction on the Rise?

While America and Americans deal with other serious issues like the COVID19 pandemic, the nation’s battle against opiate addiction rages on. Even worse is the notion everything related to such addictions doesn’t appear to be getting any better. The nation has yet to recover from the virus pandemic. There have been voluntary and forced lockdowns of citizens and economies in place for almost two months now, and things just now seem to be loosening up. In the coming months, the nation will be left to figure out the full effects of the pandemic on the nation’s people.

It’s important to note unemployment has reached almost 30,000,000,000 people, which is almost 10% of the total population. That number arrives on the heels of the best unemployment numbers the US had seen in almost 50 years. Unemployment had dipped to 3.5% in February of 2020. What do we know about high unemployment as it relates to addiction? As the number of people out of work grows, depression and dissatisfaction grow with it. With more depression and dissatisfaction comes an escalation of the nation’s addiction numbers as people seek refuge from the difficulties they face with their everyday lives. At this point, a discussion about recent opiate addiction issues seems to be in order.

Is South Florida Opiate Addiction on the Rise?

In communities across the US, South Florida included, the numbers related to opiate addiction have been on a steady growth pattern for more than 20 years. The reference to opiates would include prescription painkillers and illicit substances like heroin and fentanyl. As a point of reference, some of the numbers coming from the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics have been startling.

The data shows more than 750,000 people died from a drug overdose between 1999 and 2018. Of those deaths, sixty-six percent were attributable to opiate substances. In 2018, the number of opiate-related deaths was 47,000 with heroin and fentanyl accounting for 68% of that number. Coming off the pandemic, it’s a good bet the nation could see an alarming uptick in these numbers across the board. That’s almost assured as the nation’s focus moves away from the opiate epidemic that was well underway in favor of recovering from the effects of COVID19. The reality is this pandemic could not have come at a worse time as it relates to dealing with opiate abuse. In highly populated areas like South Florida, the numbers were jumping off the charts heading into 2020. Hopefully, the government and addiction treatment community will be able to refocus on the opiate problem sooner rather than later.

Until then, the battle against the disease of opiate addiction will have to take place in rehabs across the country. That’s where South Florida shines. It’s not by mistake that South Florida has garnered a reputation as one of the finest drug addiction treatment communities in the world. Armed with a wide range of modern addiction treatment options, addiction treatment professionals now stand as the last line of defense against an epidemic that stands to rip at the fabric of life in America if not resolved.

As someone who is suffering from opiate addiction, you need to do what is necessary to save your own life. You need to be willing to admit you have and illness and subsequently reach out for help. What you can expect from the treatment process in a South Florida rehab like ours is to deal head-on with your addiction. First, you will likely have to go through a medically monitored detox program. Such programs are in place to make sure you can get past dangerous withdrawal symptoms with a minimum of discomfort. FYI: here is a partial list of typical opiate-related withdrawal symptoms:

  • Difficulty breathing
  • Issues with heart rate and high blood pressure
  • Hallucinations and nightmares that interrupt sleep
  • Painful cramping in the stomach region
  • Body convulsions and tremors in the extremities

There is much to fear from this list. After detoxing, you would get a chance to work with a therapist on the issues that led to your addiction. With the proper focus, you would also get the chance to develop better-coping skills, which would help you avoid relapses in the future. Regardless of whatever else is going on around you, now is the time to start dealing with your opiate addiction issues. We would be proud to help you. To get yourself started, please gives us a call at 833-846-5669.