Opiate abuse has become a national epidemic and threatens to continue taking lives and eroding society if something isn’t done.
Some states are taking steps now to help stem the problem.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that mortality rates due to unintentional drug overdoses has reached historic levels, especially among those taking or abusing prescription painkillers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a 160 percent increase in prescription painkiller-related deaths in the U.S. between 1999 and 2004.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency reports that Alabama’s most commonly abused pharmaceutical drug in 2005 was hydrocodone. This is a narcotic medication used in drugs including Vicodin, Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Zydone and Xodol. Another drug that’s frequently abused and diverted in this state is OxyContin, according to the agency. OxyContin is very potent and one of the most commonly abused opiates in the U.S.
Young people are at a particular risk for misusing prescription opiates. The DEA lists the average age of first-time use of an opiate drug in Alabama as between 15 and 22. A nationwide study by the CDC shows that 20.2 percent of students reported taking prescription drugs (including OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin) one or more times in their lives without a doctor’s prescription. The study was part of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance from 2009.
The DEA also says that the transportation of pharmaceutical drugs into Alabama is mainly by private vehicle. As with all other states, Alabama grapples with a growing influx of prescription drugs through Internet sites. Buying opiates online can be dangerous because many sites don’t require prescriptions. Some may be supplying the wrong drug, a drug in the wrong dosage or drugs with dangerous additives.
Prescription opiates are also obtained fraudulently through forged prescriptions and the practice of doctor shopping. This is when a patient tries to secure multiple supplies of the drug. Alabama is part of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, a database that aims to detect diversion, misuse and abuse of prescription drugs considered to be controlled substances. The program requires anyone who prescribes drugs to report the dispensing of these drugs to the database. This helps doctors and pharmacists to streamline information and lessens the likelihood that patients will obtain drugs illicitly.
Waismann Method – Rapid Detoxification from Opiates
Opiate dependence is a serious problem in Alabama that requires treatment by medical and addiction specialists. Waismann Method has offered hope and successful recovery to thousands of people since 1997 all across the country. Our renowned rapid opiate detoxification reverses opiate dependence in a quick, safe manner. If you need help with opiate dependence, our doctors can get you on the road to recovery in as little as a few days. We offer a medical procedure in a hospital in California that takes less than two hours and uses non-addicting medication to cleanse the opiates from patients’ opiate receptors. This procedure provides a smooth, pain-free transition through an otherwise difficult withdrawal period. Opiate dependence in Alabama is rampant but can be treated in a safe, secure atmosphere with Waismann Method in California.
For more information about the Waismann Method please email us or call (310) 205-0808 during business hours, or (310) 927-7155 nights and weekends.
