Recent statistics show that the problem of drug and alcohol abuse in Arizona is on the rise in comparison to the past few years. This is indicated by the increased number of people that are seeking admissions in drug and alcohol abuse rehab centers across the state. Some of the best rehab centers in the state are located in the areas of Mesa, Phoenix and Yuma. In the last few years, there has been a definite increase in the number of admissions that have taken place in these areas. Our statistics are based on the surveys conducted within these states.
The results of this study are from a study of the Treatment Episodes Data Set, a branch of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The study of the TEDS conducted in 2004 indicated the following trends in the patterns of alcohol and drug abuse in Arizona.
1. It was seen that there were a total number of 37,295 admissions in the various rehab centers for drug and alcohol abuse within the state. Considering the total population of he state in that year, which was close to 6 million, this was a very significant number of people.
2. The largest number of rehabilitated people belonged to alcohol addictions. It was seen that a highest number of addicted people sought admissions for alcohol addiction treatment in various rehab centers across the state. That meant about 1 in every 9 people of the state who sought rehab treatment in Arizona were into alcohol addiction. These included people who were recently into the alcohol problem as well as people with chronic alcoholism who had also developed several health complications due to their alcoholism habit. These people formed a major chunk of the population who went in for detoxification treatment for their problem.
3. One intriguing trend was that the number of people who were admitted for alcohol and a drug addiction treatment in Arizona were more than the number of people who were admitted purely for alcoholism treatment. While the number of people who were admitted for recovery from alcohol plus a drug addiction were 4,200, the number of people who were admitted solely for drug addiction were 3,310.
4. The next high number of rehab admissions for alcohol and drug abuse in Arizona were people who were with marijuana and hashish (haxixe) addictions. These people numbered 2,691, which is again a significant number considering the total number of rehabilitation admissions within the state.
5. Methamphetamine has been a steadily increasing form of drug abuse in Arizona. About ten years ago, this drug was not even present on the map of addiction in the state, but within as much time, the substance has moved from ignominy to becoming one of the most popular forms of drug addiction in the state. Today, methamphetamine addiction is figuring most prominently on the scene of drug abuse in Arizona. There are about 3,301 people who are with this kind of addiction in the state.
6. Heroin addiction is not as significant as methamphetamine addiction and alcoholism in the state of Arizona. The number of people seeking admissions to cure this form of admission is quite less.
7. Similarly, there are people that are hooked on to cocaine and various other stimulants, hallucinogens, sedatives, inhalants and tranquilizers in the state. However, the total number of these people is quite low compared to the total number of people who seek addiction treatment in Arizona.
There are various things that these statistics indicate. Firstly, these numbers are higher than the addiction statistics of previous years. This clearly indicates that the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse in the state is on an increase. There is a definite increase in the number of people into methamphetamine addiction. This is quite a severe problem and the state authorities are using several measures to tackle this issue.
What makes methamphetamine addiction in Arizona more serious is the fact that this substance is more favored by the young population of the state, i.e. people who are between 18 and 25 years of age. Due to this, specific measures are being used in rehab centers that deal with methamphetamine addiction.
Another aspect to note is that the numbers are increasing despite various control measures that are being used by the substance abuse authorities within the state. This shows that there needs to be more caution exercised and the methods of controlling restricted substances need to become stricter. This is because the drug traffickers are indeed becoming sharper and cleverer and it is necessary to be one step ahead of them.
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