Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Information
Oklahoma City, the capital of Oklahoma, has a population of 506,132 and is located in Oklahoma County. The city has dozens of parks including the Myriad Botanical Gardens and the Oklahoma City Zoological Park. There are several venues, small to large, for the performing arts as well as museums and art galleries.
Oklahoma City tends to rate higher than the national average in most crime rates including murder, robbery and aggravated assault. Oklahoma City also has a severe ongoing drug problem.
Oklahoma City Oklahoma’s Drug Source
Oklahoma City has a very high population of gang members which results in high rates of crime and drug dealing. In 2014, one Oklahoma gang was charged with bringing $10 million in methamphetamine across the border and through Dallas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Loss of life, robberies and drug addiction accompany a trend like this.Marijuana also enters Oklahoma in quantity on the same path. In the last ten years, marijuana and methamphetamine have sent roughly the same number of people to drug rehab. It’s estimated that 173,000 people are current marijuana users in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma also has a severe problem with people abusing painkillers. A survey showed that 169,000 people in the state are abusing these drugs each year. The number of people entering rehab to get help for this problem has been gradually increasing each year since 2002. Heroin admissions (which in some states exceed admissions from any other cause) are very low and showing only tiny increases.
Alcohol abuse does not get as much attention but it sends the most people to rehab by far. The number is declining, however, and as marijuana and methamphetamine admissions inch up, they could eventually exceed those of alcohol.
At any one time, there are more than 16,000 people in drug rehabs in Oklahoma. Those who are addicted to painkillers or heroin may be given methadone or buprenorphine as a replacement. This prescription will supply the opioid (a chemical similar to opium) that prevents withdrawal symptoms but the person will not learn how it feels to be free from any drugs. There are approximately 3,300 people receiving one of these drugs every day.
In dance clubs and at music festivals or on college campuses around Oklahoma City, young people can be found with dangerous drugs like LSD, Ecstasy, GHB, ketamine or synthetic cannabis.
The Dwindling Spiral Will Continue
An effective drug rehab is the beginning of the end of problems. The program must help each person repair the harm to himself and his life that occurred during addiction, and he must overcome the cravings that threaten to send him back to drug abuse if things get rough. Programs that rely on a continuous stream of meetings may not offer enough remedy for some people. And drug substitution is not what some people think of as true recovery. They want to feel like they used to before all these problems started.
Oklahoma City and Area Drug-Related News Stories
»Rise in meth labs in area linked to ID loophole
»High usage levels of hydrocodone and oxycodone in Oklahoma raise addiction concerns »Meth lab spike reported in northeastern Oklahoma
»Oklahoma City driver faces trial in crash death
»Two arrested in discovery of drug lab in Oklahoma City motel
Choosing a Drug Rehab and Addiction Treatment Program
Different families are looking for different results from drug rehabilitation. Some families will be happy if their loved one is just off the streets and not committing crimes. For them, a drug substitution program will satisfy. But so much more than this is possible. It really is possible for a person to recover their self-respect and be able to rely on their own skills and decisions to stay sober – perhaps even for the rest of their lives. This is the goal of the Narconon drug and alcohol rehab program. We help each person learn how to build a new, satisfying sober life and when they have accomplished that, they have a very good chance of achieving the lasting sobriety they dreamed of.
Should the Drug Rehab Location Matter When it Comes to Finding a Solution to Addiction?
The location of a drug rehab matters enormously for two reasons. One is that you may truly have to travel some distance to find a program that meets the goals you want for yourself or a loved one. The other is that so many people have a better chance of recovery if they can pursue their recoveries in a different location than the one in which they were using drugs.In one’s usual home town, there are people that a person used drugs with or that he bought drugs from. There could be a house in town where he once saw someone die of an overdose. He could have former girlfriends or a spouse who still uses drugs, or run into his former drinking buddies. Every day, he could drive by the company where he lost a job or the college he flunked out of. All these daily influences make it harder for a person to focus on learning new life skills and reshaping his ability to stay sober.
By removing a person from his usual environment, he has a chance to build up his strength and ability to deal with all these influences. When he completes his rehab before returning home, he has had a chance to develop an objectivity and understanding of these influences that took him down before and now he can be far stronger in resisting any temptation to drink or use drugs.
Narconon New Life Retreat helps END addiction and alcoholism FOR GOOD.
The Narconon program has been helping people leave drugs behind for nearly fifty years. There are some fifty Narconon rehab centers on six continents, in countries as diverse as Australia, Russia, Italy and Taiwan. In many languages, the program works just as well to help the addicted climb out of the problems of the past and into a bright new future.
A Narconon Program Graduate is someone:
- Who has successfully completed the Narconon drug rehab program
- Who has regained the ability to live drug-free and alcohol-free
- Who has a new understanding of how personal integrity is lost and how it can be regained
- Who has learned how to resolve problems and face challenges
- Who has brightened his perceptions and now thinks more clearly
- Who has gained greater control over his thoughts and his actions
Call now and request a copy of Healing Addicted Lives written by Gary W. Smith, Director of Narconon Arrowhead Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation and Education Center. Call any time to speak with one of our counselors about our program. We will take the time to answer your questions whether you are looking for help for yourself or for a loved one. It is possible to replace the loss and pain of alcohol or drug addiction with a productive, enjoyable life. Call now (877) 340-3602.