Georgia Drug Abuse: Prescription Drug Abuse in America

In isolated parts of Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia poverty is on the rise and along with the growing rate of poverty, drug dealing and drug abuse is also on the rise. As if illegal drug trafficking in these parts wasn’t enough, the Appalachian regions’ prescription drug abuse rates are going through the roof.

Prescription drugs such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, xanax and valium are abused on a daily basis. Lately, the Appalachian governments have become more firm about prescription deals which has led to addicts and traffickers migrating to more tolerant states such as Florida and Georgia to get purchase more drugs.

So many resources have gone into stopping dissemination and taking legal action against drug crimes that there is not a lot of time and money left over for creating recovery programs… the only lasting answer to drug addiction. Only 5% of the people in this area who needs drug rehabilitation are able to get it. This leaves hundreds of thousands anguishing through substance abuse with no help available.

In these three states, 648,000 people are abusing prescription painkillers each year. Along with one of the highest rates of abuse in the country, the rate of abuse is also increasing faster than anywhere else in the country. These prescription substances are highly addictive and when their stock runs out, many people buy drugs off the street to avoid withdrawal.

In some areas of this region, drug overdoses resulting in death are higher than that of traffic fatalities. The chief drugs related to these overdoses are prescription painkillers. In Virginia, deaths from a drug overdose increased 550 percent over a ten year period and in Kentucky, 164 percent. A connection has been discovered that the more rural the town, the quicker and steeper the rise of overdoses from drugs such as painkillers and sedatives.

What happens to people who live in these parts is that they get stuck in a brutal cycle of addiction, stints in jail, visits to the hospital and attempts at sobriety. In order to make a change in this area, widespread drug rehabilitation and education must happen.

Foundations Outpatient – Atlanta, GA (Drug and Alcohol Rehab) – (877) 714-1317 To achieve a successful recovery from drug and alcohol addiction & abuse, Foundations’ services are built to work in conjunction with the patient’s life. With this freedom, patients are guided through their recovery each step of the way. Contact us with a free confidential call for more info.

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