26 Jun Florida Suffering From A Surge In Heroin Overdoses

Heroin is quickly becoming a nationwide epidemic, and one can only assume because it’s far easier to get nowadays than prescription pain pills (which have the same generalized effect). Within the past few months, South Florida, New Jersey, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh have seen a shocking increase with heroin related deaths. Even in Delray Beach, the rehab capital of the United States has become a hotbed for heroin use and overdoses.

It’s really unbelievable how easy it is to get heroin these days, especially in Delray Beach. A local Delray news station reported that Delray Beach police seized more heroin in the first two weeks of 2014, than they had in the past decade. Now why the sudden surge? Heroin is accessible and affordable, much more so than prescription medication.

The amount of people overdosing on heroin is so extreme that at one point in 2014, first responders ran out of their opioid antagonist, Narcan nasal spray which is used to fight the effects of an overdose.

The Potency of Heroin

There are three factors that add to the attractiveness of heroin,

1. Affordability
2. Potency
3. Availability

It’s the regulations being placed on prescription medication that is adding to the nationwide rise in heroin overdose deaths. There’s also the fact that heroin cannot be regulated and it has a completely unmanageable purity factor, so each batch is questionable. It’s bad batches of heroin that cause a majority of overdoses. These bad batches are often made and sold by anyone trying to make that extra buck, so they whip together something that looks like heroin, although it may contain more lethal substances.

After the death of Academy Award winner Philip Seymore Hoffman, it was found that many pure heroin knockoffs contain a drug called “Fentanyl,” which is not only more potent, but also more addicting. In November, there was a batch of heroin laced with Fentanyl that was being circulated in New England and the Midwest. Pennsylvania saw 22 deaths and Maryland surpassed that with 37.

Seeking Help for Heroin Addiction

There are two primary ways to flip these horrifying overdose statistics,

• Prevent new cases of opioid addiction.
• Increase access to treatment facilities for those who are already addicted.

Heroin addiction kills on a daily basis and the percentage of people entering treatment for heroin addiction is drastically increasing. It’s impossible for someone addicted to heroin to stop on their own accord, but that’s why treatment facilities like us at Florida Recovery Group exist.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, seek help today by giving us a call at Florida Recovery Group. We have an extremely strong sober community that goes beyond the standard 30 day treatment program. Our staff of highly trained addiction professionals will work with you through inpatient care as well as an after care program to provide continued support. Let us help you get back on track to living a healthy and rewarding life.