Want to get rid of drugs in your community? Check out what happened in Tallahassee, Florida. Several members of the community told the police that people were growing marijuana – in about 1/2 dozen different locations – and now the offenders are busted. The result could be a lot of kids who aren’t looking for a drug rehab in Florida.

The program that furnished the police with the information for the bust is called Crime Stoppers - it has, among other things, an anonymous tip line for members of the community who want to report criminal activity. The organization is funded by the State.

Great idea. In many communities it’s hard to remain anonymous when reporting something to the police. People think it’s dangerous to ‘get involved.’ And, in truth, it can be. Especially when you’re talking about drug addiction – drug addicts, and dealers, can get pretty nasty when someone comes between them and their drugs, or their money.

Check in with the police in your area to see if a similar program is available. There are literally thousands of drug addiction treatment centers in Florida and many are supported by taxpayers. Programs like Crime Stoppers could reduce the drug addiction problem, and enable communities to put their money into education and other beneficial programs.

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This week’s Prescription Drug Addiction Radio Show (on WGUL 860 AM on Sunday night, July 20 – 9:05 p.m. Eastern, live online at www.860wgul.com) will feature pharmacists talking about the problem of – guess what – prescription drug addiction. Here’s what Larry G, the show’s host, has to say about the problem:

“The drug companies call them pain pills and the drug addicts call them Oxys, Roxies and Blueberries. The doctors call them alprazolam and on the street they are called Ladders, Bars and Totem Poles, but horribly it is now estimated that deaths that include prescription drugs are surpassing deaths from guns in the United States.”

Drug rehab in Florida has especially got it’s hands full – Florida medical examiners reported 8,620 drug-related deaths in Florida in 2007, and about 69% of them involved prescription drugs. The drugs that were involved in the majority of deaths were methadone, benzodiazepines, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine.

The saddest thing is that, unlike people who take street drugs, many of the people who overdose on and die from prescription drugs though the drugs were safe, and never saw it coming.

Larry G, a pharmacist for 30 years, is doing our society a great service with this radio show. Tune in, find out more about prescription drug addiction, and get anyone you think might need help into a drug addiction treatment center asap.  Also, check out Drug Rehab Referral for additional info on prescription drug addiction, street drugs, and drug addiction treatment.

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I was recently reading information about drug rehab in Florida and the substance abuse problems in various Florida counties. I came across an alcohol and drug abuse survey from Hernando County that had a section on protecting your kids from drug use. In 2000 the drug problem was much different than it is today – prescription drug addiction and abuse is as big a problem as illegal drugs.

According to the Hernando County document, you are more likely to prevent drug use if your kids have healthy beliefs and clear standards, if you have bonded with your kids and are involved in their lives, if they have opportunities for development, if their efforts are recognized, if they have the skills necessary to be successful, and if they have a sense of hope.

Have you checked the above list as it applies to your kids lately? If these things are in place, and if you talk with your kids and let them know about the dangers of drugs, there’s a much better chance of them saying no when they’re offered drugs – which you can bet they will be. Prescription drug addiction is growing at epidemic proportions and often requires drug detox and drug rehab. In Florida there are several facilities to get help, but the only real way to be safe is prevention.

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I’ve just run across some amazing statistics about drug abuse in Sarasota, Florida. Alcohol consumption is the highest rate in the state - as it is in any area – but centers offering drug rehab in Florida are being inundated with people taking prescription drugs. In fact, the number one cause of accidental death in Sarasota County is now poisoning, and 96% of those are from drug overdoses. And I can guarantee the majority of that involves prescription drug addiction or abuse.It’s worse than Tampa, worse than Miami - and those places are pretty bad.With so many drugs around, and with so much drinking going on, the chances of someone you know – even your kids or your spouse – not taking drugs or drinking to excess are slim to none.  One out of every ten high school kids have used prescription drugs illegally, and one in five young adults in college or work got high on some drug or other in the last month – those are Florida-wide statistics, but Sarasota is at the top of the list.Families should be aware of this problem and ensure that their kids, their husbands and wives and so on are aware of the dangers. And if there’s any kind of problem – with alcohol, illegal drugs, or which prescription drug addiction or abuse, get help immediately. Finding a drug rehab in Florida is easy, but finding one with a high success rate isn’t. Contact Drug Rehab Referral to get the help you need.

Popularity: 11% [?]

I read a blog today which referred to an article about drug testing in schools. The author was against the testing because, he said, the only drug that stays in the system long enough to be detected is marijuana.  This is apparently driving school kids to other drugs. This may also be one of the reasons for the increase in prescription drug addiction and the number of people on prescription drugs going into drug rehab. Florida is nicknamed the ‘pill state.’ That gives you an idea of how serious the situation is.

Personally, I don’t think drug testing is the source of the problem. I believe the majority of schools don’t do drug testing at all – and they have the same problems.

Prescription drug addiction is largely due to the accessability, acceptability, and convenience of prescription drugs. They’re in practically every household medicine cabinet, they come from a doctor so are considered safe, and you don’t have to find a drug dealer to buy marijuana or find a place to smoke it where the smell is not going to be noticed. You just pop a pill.

If your kids are already taking drugs of one form or other - and if you don’t know, you’d better find out – there’s a good chance they’ll also get into prescription drugs. And, believe it or not, they’re more dangerous than many of the illegal drugs around. Your best bet is to get help. Drug rehab in Florida is plentiful.  In the meantime, what about drug testing? Should it be stopped? 

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The number of deaths in Florida from prescription drugs is on the rise. In fact, an analysis of autopsies performed in 2007 showed that prescription drugs caused three times the number of deaths as illegal drugs. Although the deaths would have occured in a variety of situations, there’s no doubt that many involved prescription drug addiction and those people may still be alive today if they have gotten into a drug rehab in Florida.

One of the things that makes prescription drugs so dangerous is that people think they’re safe. They don’t expect to die from something prescribed by a doctor (even if it wasn’t prescribed for them) and they don’t expect to develop a prescription drug addiction and end up in drug rehab. Florida, fortunately, has more drug addiction treatment centers than any state other than California or New York. So, there’s plenty of help available.

It’s important to understand these drugs and to make sure that others do as well. If you know someone who might have a problem with prescription drug addiction, make sure you get them into one of the many facilities the offer drug rehab in Florida so they can get help. 

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I read an article today that said there are more facilities that offer drug rehab in Florida (as well as drug detox and other types of treatment) than in any state other than California and New York. And it’s a good thing – Florida is nicknamed the ‘pill state’ because of the huge volume of prescription drug addiction, dependency and abuse cases.

As of 2006, there were 668 treatment facilities and in March of that year alone they serviced 52,000 people. That’s 1677 a day – an amazing statistic from the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services.
 
Unfortunately, not all facilities that offer drug rehab in Florida are created equal. Some have low success rates – people leave clean after treatment but get back into drugs or alcohol afterwards. I would advise that someone looking for a successful program contact Drug Rehab Referral. These are pros who’ve been in the business a long time. They’re very familiar with the different types of programs available and can advise you of the best for your situation.

Prescription drug addiction isn’t the only drug problem in Florida although it’s probably more insidous than problems with other drugs: Often people don’t realize they have a problem – they think the pills are safe because they are prescribed by doctors. Eventually, when they try to stop taking them they find out it’s not easy to do. This is especially true of prescription painkillers like OxyContin. Taken for anything other than the shortest length of time you’re sure to develop a physical dependency and addiction is often not far behind.

If you or someone you care about is having a problem with prescription drug addiction or dependency – or you even suspect that might be the case – give Drug Rehab Referral a call. They can help you figure out if you have a problem or not, answer all your questions, and, if needed, help you find the right facility for drug detox or drug rehab. In Florida there are hundreds available – make sure you get one that will get the job done.

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In Naples, Florida, a man saw a little boy, dirty and covered in bug bites, walking in a ditch along the road. He called the police, who followed up on it, and found their mother  and the little boy’s twin brother in their filthy home with no electricity, nothing in the fridge to eat and moldy food in the microwave and on the dishes piled in the sink. The mother was arrested and her children were taken by social services. Her house was full of evidence of her drug addiction. There are plenty of centers that offer drug rehab in Florida, and one of them could have helped her, and the kids. She is 25 years old.

This, of course, sounds like an extreme situation that could probably never happen to you or your 25-year-old daughter. But I would bet money on the fact that her parents thought the same thing.

I’ve seen similar situations. Things are better if only one parent is on drugs and the other is taking responsibility for the household, the kids, etc. But in a one parent household, things really can get that bad. Drug addiction isn’t pretty.

A next door neighbor commented to a reporter that if she’d known the situation was that bad, she would have made sure the woman got help. The neighbor’s 15-year-old son has spent time in the woman’s home but said he’d never seen her with drugs. An unlikely story, frankly, when the police found white powder scattered on the couch, in the kids’ room, in the kitchen etc. There’s no doubt she has a serious drug addiction problem – in her case, it appears it was cocaine addiction.

This woman’s life was obviously ruined by drugs, although no one really knows what drove her to it. She could find out if she went through a drug rehab. In Florida there are several programs available. However, whether she’ll ever get the chance or whether she’ll end up in the never-ending cycle of drug addiction and prison, no one knows at this point. At least her kids are safe.

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