Drug addiction is a growing problem here in the United States, as has been evidenced by the opioid crisis sweeping through the country. Data unfortunately backs this up, showing that more than five hundred thousand people were dealing with a heroin addiction in the year of 2015 alone, a problem that has only continued to grow in the few years that have passed since. And even more sadly, many of these struggling addicts are young people, with more than five thousand of that number people who had not even left their teen years and more than one hundred and fifty thousand considered to be in the young adult age range, most likely early 20’s.
Drug addiction is not always what it is portrayed to be in popular media, and is not always as obvious as one might think. For many, drug addiction sneaks up and latches on before the future addict even notices. In the case of heroin addiction, up to eighty percent of current and past addicts were first addicted to prescription painkillers before they made the switch over to heroin. And these painkillers were not always illegally obtained – many people who were once prescribed painkillers (such as after a major injury or surgery) find themselves hooked and needing their next fix even after the painkiller prescription runs out.
And once drug addiction sets in, it can be – and usually is – a devastating thing for all that are involved, from the addict themselves to the ones that they love. Drug addiction has the power to end relationships, even with the ones that you love the most. Drug addiction can cause danger, and even death. In fact, drug addiction has become such a problem all throughout this country that accidental overdose that leads to death has become the first leading cause of accidental death in the entirety of the country. Before the year of 2015 had drawn to a close, more than fifty two thousand people had passed away as a direct result of their accidental overdoses. Many among them were teens and young adults, who should have been at the very beginning of what could have been long and happy lives.
many former addicts, methadone has provided a way to get back to that life, and a way to begin to rebuild. If you’re someone who is interested in a methadone program near me, you are certainly not alone. Many who have become addicted to drugs like heroin search for help in a methadone program near me, and the access to a methadone program near me can be life changing – even life saving.
So how does a methadone clinic near me work? A methadone program near me can provide drug addicts with regular doses of methadone, helping them break their opioid addiction, be it a pain pill addiction or a heroin addiction. Methadone treatments have, in many ways, proven to be very effective. In fact, the longer the patient is able to keep receiving treatment from a methadone program near me, the more likely they are to have success with the treatment and break free from the addiction. And methadone treatments, when taken correctly, can have a success rate of up to ninety percent, a considerable amount by any means. On the contrary, other methods of breaking and treating addiction that are basically abstinence based can have success rates as low as five percent – and typically no higher than ten percent.
The prevalence of methadone as a treatment for addicts is growing, as are the numbers of methadone treatment centers throughout the United States. Because methadone has proved to be so effective, more and more people are seeking out a methadone program near me. In the current year, more than two hundred and seventy thousand people taking methadone, a number that has grown in recent years and is only likely to keep growing in the years that are to come.
Addiction is a terrible thing, there is no doubt about it. It has taken many lives and is likely to take many more. Fortunately, the growing use of methadone is likely to help to curb this immense problem.