Aid in Recovery Comments on Reported Heroin Crisis Skyrocketing Among Young Adults Aged 18 to 25 Years Old in the State of New Jersey
Stuart, FL (PRWEB) June 19, 2014 -- Aid in Recovery, a full service drug and alcohol treatment center servicing South Florida, released a statement today highlighting a report concerning the increasingly worsening heroin and opioid addiction and drug abuse crisis among young people ages 18 to 25 years old in the state of New Jersey.
According to the report released by the state of New Jersey Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (GCADA) (Confronting New Jersey’s New Drug Problem: A Strategic Action Plan to Address a Burgeoning Heroin/Opiate Epidemic Among Adolescents and Young Adults, 3/1/2014), heroin and opiate addiction is currently the top healthcare crisis in New Jersey, especially among adolescents and young adults under 25 years old.
The GCADA report called the emerging heroin epidemic “a new kind of drug crisis” – an urgent crisis that, according to GCADA state officials, is now affecting significantly more people between the ages of 18 and 25 years old. According to the report’s findings, admissions to state-licensed substance abuse treatment programs increased by a devastating 700% in the past decade – of those admissions, 40% of patients admitted for heroin addiction and opiate abuse were younger than 25 years old.
The GCADA report further stressed that many adolescents and young adults start using heroin due to their inability to access legally prescribed pain medication. Compared to prescription pills, which must be formally obtained by registered physicians, GCADA government officials reported that heroin is much easier to obtain, in spite of its vastly more deadly effects. Heroin is also more affordable than prescription pills, prompting addicts to purchase the drug through illegal means from street dealers or the black market.
The report emphasized that younger patients suffering from heroin addiction are typically non-violent, and that criminal proceedings and sentencing are not the answer to full recovery. GCADA officials further highlighted in the report that long-term, medication-assisted treatment, proper monitoring and counseling, both in substance abuse treatment centers as well as correctional facilities, are crucial for patients to fully recover.
“Drug addicts will find the cheapest and easiest way to get their high,” said Dr. Michael Lukens, Psychologist at Aid in Recovery. “Heroin is more affordable and accessible than prescription medication, rendering it a more attractive choice for many drug users, regardless of its illegal and dangerous qualities. We at Aid in Recovery agree with GCADA that there is a heroin crisis not only in New Jersey, but around the country. In light of the new healthcare laws, each state needs to budget for more effective long-term substance abuse treatment programs. Proper monitoring, counseling and prescription of medication-assisted therapies are absolutely needed for patients’ full recovery.”
Aid in Recovery is at the forefront of new research methods and techniques for effective substance abuse prevention as well as drug and alcohol addiction treatments. For more information on the services and treatments offered at Aid in Recovery, please visit http://findthebestrehab.com/.
About Us
Aid in Recovery is a premier drug and alcohol treatment center. Our approach is defined by recognizing each clients need for a personalized drug and alcohol treatment program. We aren't a hospital-like institution and there’s a good reason for that. We believe that treating each client as an individual is crucial to delivering the best possible patient care. At a busy clinic-like program, it simply isn't possible for a therapist to truly get to know each client and understand their specific needs. To best meet the needs of each patient we treat, we offer a diverse curriculum with a focus on both mind and body designed to meet the individual. We treat every patient as an individual and we work with one patient at a time and guide them to a new life in recovery. To learn more about the specifics of our program, please visit our program details page.
View our drug and alcohol treatment services or give us a call 1-855-223-6171.
Dr. Michael Lukens, Aid in Recovery, http://findthebestrehab.com/, +1 (772) 333-5041, [email protected]
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