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.
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 the highest reported numbers throughout the state.
Maricopa County was home to 3,114 of the 5,202 opioid overdoses in Arizona in 2016, 800 of which resulted in death, a 16% increase from 2015. In 2015, Maricopa also owned nearly two-thirds of the 27,363 inpatient discharges and emergency room visits related to opioids, the most prominent drug problem in the state.
The crux of the issue in this area is the ease of receiving a prescription. In Maricopa County, four doctors wrote over 6,000,000 prescriptions for opioids in 2016. That’s 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 documented cases of methamphetamine abuse across the state, between inpatient discharges and ER visits, the majority fell within Maricopa County.
2016 saw a 100% increase in the number of methamphetamines that were smuggled across the Mexican border from the previous year. 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.
Get Help During COVID-19
With just 30 days at a rehab center, you can get clean and sober, start therapy, join a support group, and learn ways to manage your cravings.
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.
