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by Jeffrey Juergens | ❘
Las Vegas, Nevada, has become synonymous with anonymity. People host bachelor and bachelorette parties, weekend getaways, and extended gambling trips. Naturally, the kind of atmosphere this attracts will also lead to people who are looking to overindulge.
This acceptance of experimentation doesn’t just pose a problem for visitors, but to the residents of the city as well. Inpatient and outpatient rehabs can help those who struggle with substance use disorders find better ways to live.
While many cities are fighting the growing Opioid epidemic, Las Vegas is faced with another crisis; it must contend with the rise of Methamphetamines. Psychostimulants, a classification of drugs that include Methamphetamines, Ecstasy, and ADHD prescriptions, have been causing more and more overdoses each year. Prescription Opioid-related deaths in the city have actually fallen.
788
people
In 2020, 788 Nevada residents succumbed to overdose fatalities.
55
percent
Overdose deaths rose 55% from 2019 to 2020.
2
times over
Lives lost at least in part to Fentanyl more than doubled from 2019 to 2020.
50
percent
Fully 50% of those killed by recent overdoses also struggled with mental health.
Overall, Opioid-related deaths in Las Vegas have decreased from 2010 to 2018. The number of deaths tied to Heroin use specifically, however, have nearly tripled. This growth is not necessarily tied to overdose but deals largely with unsafe practices that come with addiction. Sharing needles, for instance, is frequently the cause of spreading disease among intravenous users. So much of an issue has arisen that Las Vegas became the first city in the US to roll out syringe vending machines to provide clean needles.
The image synonymous with Las Vegas is a large group of people who go there with the intention of drinking. However, there isn’t a lot of data that can differentiate residents from tourists. There are very few people who check themselves into treatment in Las Vegas for alcoholism. Rather, alcoholism is usually a co-occurring disorder of another addiction (like gambling).
While it doesn’t involve a substance, gambling still triggers a dopamine reaction in the brain. Dopamine, which triggers the pleasure centers of the brain, will release when a person anticipates that gambling will soon commence. While this is destructive on its own, it can also be an indicator for some people to begin drinking.
Reactions like this are often psychologically tied together. Someone has an addiction to gambling, so they are drawn to it. By extension, they may drink every time they gamble. After a while, they need a drink every time they gamble. This means the root of their problem is their gambling addiction. However, they will still build an addiction to alcohol just the same as someone who doesn’t gamble. Finding somewhere that treats both addictions is crucial to recovery.
You have options. Talk about them with a treatment provider today.
Many of the people who suffer from addiction in Las Vegas may not necessarily live there. That doesn’t mean there isn’t support for locals, though. If you need help finding a rehabilitation in Las Vegas, or out of the state entirely, there is hope. Contact a treatment provider today to locate nearby treatment centers.
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Jeffrey Juergens
Jeffrey Juergens earned his Bachelor’s and Juris Doctor from the University of Florida. Jeffrey’s desire to help others led him to focus on economic and social development and policy making. After graduation, he decided to pursue his passion of writing and editing.
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