Drug And Alcohol Addiction In Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale and Phoenix make up a majority of Maricopa County, Arizona, the most densely populated area in the entire state. Because of their close proximity, much of what happens in Phoenix carries over to Scottsdale and vice versa. Arizona’s location on the Mexican border makes it a hub for Mexican cartels’ drug smuggling.
National parks, like the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, are used as pathways for drug trafficking. Phoenix, and Scottsdale by proximity, has become a one-stop shop for any kind of drug someone is looking for. Fortunately, the area is also a kind of one-stop shop for addiction treatment and recovery.
Opioid Addiction In Scottsdale
Arizona, like every state across the country, is faced with an Opioid epidemic. The vast majority of Arizona’s Opioid abuse happens within Maricopa County, which has had the highest reported numbers throughout the state.
The crux of the issue in this area is the ease of receiving a prescription. At one point in Maricopa County, 4 doctors wrote over 6,000,000 prescriptions for Opioids. That was nearly 2 million more prescriptions than people in the county, including children. This opens the floodgates of prescription painkillers into neighborhoods where they don’t belong, giving more people easy access and developing addictions to medications they shouldn’t have in the first place. Statistics show that people who start with prescription Opioids are more likely to turn to Heroin when they can’t get their fix.
This doesn’t just affect those who take the drugs willingly, but newborns as well. Between 2017 and 2018, 455 infants across Arizona were diagnosed with Opioid dependence upon birth. This issue, even if treated, has already affected their growth and brain development.
Methamphetamines In Scottsdale
The DEA has stated that Methamphetamines are the biggest danger to the state. Of the 24,111 cases of Methamphetamine abuse previously documented across the state, between inpatient discharges and ER visits, the majority fell within Maricopa County.
Police seized 5,584 pounds of Methamphetamines, $20.6 million worth, outside of Tucson alone. There is little any law enforcement agency can do as preventative measures. With the chance at this much profit, someone will always be willing to take the risk.
The only true defense is helping the individual and the self, figuring out what weaknesses would cause one to turn to self-medication, and dismantling the illicit drug market one person at a time.

Break free from addiction.
You have options. Talk about them with a treatment provider today.
Treatment In Scottsdale
There are a range of rehabilitation programs for inpatient and outpatient treatment within Scottsdale and Maricopa County as a whole, including counseling, medication-assisted therapy, and 12-step programs. These are convenient options when seeking recovery, especially if you’re seeking support from friends and family at this time.
However, sometimes a change of scenery is a much-needed step in recovery and being able to separate yourself from the environment that your addiction was created in can be important to putting yourself in a healthier mental state, especially if the specific substances you’re addicted to are easily accessible in your area.
If you or a loved one are battling addiction, there is hope. For more information on treatment options, contact a treatment provider today.
Published:
Author
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. Jeffrey’s mission is to educate and inform the public on addiction issues and help those in need of treatment find the best option for them.
- More from Jeffrey Juergens
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Guam
- Puerto Rico
- US Pacific Islands
- US Virgin Islands
- Washington D.C.
- American Samoa
Sources