“Location, location, location” is the mantra of many real estate agents, a phrase that generally means a home’s value can increase or decrease in value simply based on location. In many ways, the types of drug issues that a person can face can also be heavily impacted by his or her location.
The Huffington Post published a series of nine maps illustrating drug problems in the United States. The maps showed where certain types of drugs were most popular. One map showing marijuana use among people 12 years of age or older indicated that cannabis use was most prevalent in Colorado, the West Coast, and the Northeast. The Northeast was also where heroin and opiates were more prevalent. Also, heroin use is no longer predominantly in urban neighborhoods but is now spreading into the suburbs and rural areas. Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, was particularly common in the Midwest.
According to one map showing the drug most commonly cited in drug treatment admissions in each state, stimulants ranked highest in Georgia, Nebraska, Utah, Nevada, and carnivorous. Opiates were the biggest problem in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Heroin was the top offender in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.
In every other state (except for Arizona and New Mexico, where information was not available), marijuana was the most commonly cited drug. The Huffington Post article also featured another map showing how overdose victims were more likely to die in states without “Good Samaritan” immunity laws designed to protect people seeking medical help for overdoses.
The environment that a person lives in can have a profound effect on his or her drug use. The place that a person works, the friends he or she makes, and simple home life are all factors that contribute to drug or alcohol problems.
A National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) study found that a healthy person was at a higher risk for abusing drugs when a sibling or spouse abused drugs. NIDA For Teens noted that family life is just one factor though. Other factors can include media influence, peer pressure, loneliness, and simple exposure to drugs.
When one drug is especially prevalent in the area that a person lives, the individual becomes more likely not only to be exposed to such drugs but also to develop problems with those drugs. Certain drugs have wreaked havoc on entire communities.
It can be extremely difficult for a person struggling with an addiction to seek help when so many people in his or her daily life are abusing the same drug. In many of these types of cases, residential treatment provides an important and valuable escape from the often daily temptations.
Asana Recovery offers residential treatment programs of varying lengths, from 28 days to multiple months for those needing longer-term care. We also have outpatient programs for individuals who might not be able to commit to residential treatment.
If you or your loved one is struggling with any kind of drug addiction, you will want to immediately contact Asana Recovery. Call (949) 438-4504 to speak to one of our counselors, who are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our admissions process is set up such that people can enter our facility and begin treatment as soon as possible.
