Rural town heroin abuse has risen in recent years. In particular, rural areas have been hurt by unemployment rates skyrocketing. Rural towns may be more likely to have low incomes, leading rural residents to become more susceptible to heroin sales. Furthermore, rural towns are more likely to be in isolated locations. This means that rural residents may not have access to anti-drug rallies or heroin detox and rehabilitation centers.
Although rural areas are not immune from the dangers of heroin addiction, there are ways for individuals in these communities can overcome their addictions. When you reach out to Serenity House Detox & Recovery Florida, you find the support that you need to heal from heroin addiction. To learn more about the treatment options available at our heroin detox center, call 866.294.5306 today.
How Heroin Addiction Moved from City to Country
America’s suburbs and rural towns are being hit harder than ever before by heroin abuse. The demographic of the average heroin user is also changing dramatically.
Heroin addiction was typically found only in the cities, and furthermore, only in the poorest neighborhoods of those cities during the 1960s and 1970s. Today, heroin addiction can be found everywhere, from small-town Wyoming to the suburbs of California.
Rural Towns and Suburban Neighborhoods Are Heroin’s New Home
The changing demographic of heroin users reflects the new ways the drug is abused. While some people may call marijuana a gateway drug, in reality, the worst gateway drugs are prescribed by your doctor.
In the past, heroin was the first opiate users would try. Today they overwhelmingly use prescription painkillers first. In a situation that some are calling doctor-sanctioned dependence, prescription drugs are regularly over-prescribed.
OxyContin, Vicodin, and Percocet are all prescription opiate painkillers that can lead to serious opioid addiction. Since these addictions can arise from legitimate medical prescriptions, addiction experts are finding that many users come from middle and upper-middle-class families who can afford to go to the doctor and pay for prescription drugs.
But is this problem really the fault of the doctors? Olga Khazan, reporting for The Atlantic, makes a strong argument that pharmaceutical companies’ relentless marketing may be more to blame. While sales reps are given huge bonuses for pushing the drugs, medical research on those drugs has been in short supply, or at the very least, biased in the drugs’ favor.
The History of Heroin Abuse
The history of heroin addiction is clear. Prescription drugs created a robust demand for opiates, leading to the government tightening restrictions on those drugs. Dealers needed a new supply of the drug, which resulted in the rise in Mexican heroin use. This new form of heroin was highly pure, cheap, and had an ample supply.
With an abundant supply, distribution of the drug to every corner of the United States was seemingly inevitable.
Drug dealers can’t advertise their products, so selling drugs works best when selling to a pre-existing base of users. The shift from prescription drugs to heroin happened rapidly when users realized that heroin provided a better high than prescription pills and cost 6–8 times less.
The final tragic element is the fact that the new supply of Mexican heroin is purer than anything seen in the past. This level of purity means the drug doesn’t have to be injected. Instead, many users snort or smoke the drug.
With heroin abuse at an unprecedented level and with no signs of growth slowing anytime soon, the government has had to step up to the plate. The United State’s war on drugs has tried and failed to control the supply and distribution of drugs for the last 50 years. Today, new measures should be taken to curb the abuse of opiates.
Benefits of Heroin Detox
There is a variety of benefits of heroin detox, especially for those suffering from rural town heroin abuse. For instance, these benefits include:
- Removing yourself from your triggers and stressors
- Improved mental and physical health
- A lasting recovery by becoming able to achieve sobriety and avoid relapse for good
- Safer detox process
For anyone who already struggles with heroin abuse or addiction to opiates, professional treatment is the best option. Cold turkey detox is very dangerous. It puts and can put your recovery at risk. Serenity House Detox & Recovery Florida offers everything you need to start a healthy and successful recovery.
Begin Treatment at Serenity House Detox & Recovery Florida Today
Are you ready to begin heroin detox? If so, contact Serenity House Detox & Recovery Florida today at 866.294.5306. You can learn more about insurance verification and pricing here and put addiction in your past.
