As these drugs poison the Big Apple, there is a desperate need for rehab centers NYC and effective treatment options. Given the sharp rise of drug use in New York in the 21st century, options for viable drug rehab for teens are desperately sought after by many parents and guardians. Indeed, most teen drug rehabilitation centers in NY, are sold out like a Madison Square Garden premium event, and the waiting lists to get in are long. When young lives are at stake, however, rehab centers in NYC should not be a struggle to find, but an easy option to access.
The drug crisis is not new to the Big Apple or the state as a whole. Although marijuana remains the most common substance abused, it is no longer illegal. Still, marijuana has an illicit side of real abuse, and often leads to teens needing drug rehab. After marijuana, prescription pills, including opioid painkillers, sedatives, and stimulants, are the most commonly abused drugs in the state.
The Need for Rehab Centers NYC
According to NYC Health, the health website of the City of New York, the drug problem in the city has been generating a need for rehab centers in New York. In particular, prescription painkillers have proven to be problematic. The statistics presented on the website are startling. The numbers show how immediate action is needed to resolve a deadly crisis. Indeed, the following statistics about drug use are included.
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Statistics About Drug Use in New York
- There were 17,000 deaths related to prescription pain relievers in 2011. That incredibly high number has been skyrocketing since then.
- From 2000 to 2013, overdose death rates due to prescription painkillers increased 256 percent in New York City.
- 12 percent of New York state residents suffered from a substance use disorder in 2010. That percentage equals 1.9 million New Yorkers.
- A New Yorker died every other day from a prescription painkiller overdose in 2013. This overdose rate, however, does not include heroin or illegal fentanyl.
- The opioid overdose death rate in New York was 15.1 per 100,000 persons in 2016. In the same year, the national opioid overdose death rate was 13.3.
- In 2011, over 30 percent of all treatment admissions in New York were for heroin addiction.
Given such frightening numbers, steps have been taken over the past few years by the city to lower the overdose rate.
Overdose Prevention and Rehab Centers in NYC
In truth, too many teens in New York are dying, and too many parents are mourning such unspeakable losses. Although there is a still a lack of drug rehabilitation centers in NY, particularly for teenagers, Naloxone, a medication that reverses an opioid overdose, is now available in participating pharmacies. These pharmacies are on the city’s NYC Health Map.
Moreover, Naloxone is on the front lines of the battle against drug use in New York. Paramedics and ambulances now carry Naloxone, helping to prevent many overdose deaths. Additionally, NYC’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs are designed to stop opioid use that leads to overdoses before the drug use starts.
Indeed, a banner saying on the NYC Health website is, “SAVE A LIFE. CARRY NALOXONE.” However, an important point needs to be made. Stopping people from dying from opioid overdoses is not the same as stopping the problem of drug use in New York. Thus, parents and teenagers need drug rehabilitation centers that can provide effective treatment.
SBIRT Points The Way To Rehab Centers NYC
To help medical providers deal with the rising drug problem, the NYC Department of Health offers a free online learning module that has been recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is a framework that helps medical providers identify patients with risky substance use through universal screening. The goal is to open the door to a discussion of health behavior changes and promote rehab centers in New York if needed.
Indeed, SBIRT reduces substance use consumption while decreasing health care utilization. Still, the lack of rehab centers in NYC, undermine the success of SBIRT. How can a medical provider point the way to treatment options like rehab if those centers do not exist?
Hence, there is a truth that must be faced moving forward. New treatment options in the form of sober living houses and rehab centers NYC need to be a priority in 2019.
Addiction and Drug Use in New York
Indeed, the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services of New York State points out on the official website that “Addiction can happen to anyone, any family, at any time. Start the conversation and get help.”
Thus, New York State understands that options for addiction treatment and drug rehab for teens are a priority. The Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Service believes that “You Don’t Have to be Alone in Addiction.” Therefore, they offer a Kitchen Table Toolkit to help parents battling addiction in their families. The downloadable contents of the toolkit include discussion guides and awareness materials. The discussion guides provide information to assist parents with methods and approaches to starting a conversation about addiction with your teen.
Furthermore, they offer a 59-minute documentary called “Reversing the Stigma” that details the efforts of New York State to combat drug use in New York and reduce the stigma of the disease of addiction. The documentary is available to watch for free on YouTube. Often, addiction stigma prevents parents of teens from even asking questions about rehab centers in their area. Surface insecurities related to stigma should never prevent a parent from getting a teenager the substance use disorder help they require.
After all, drug rehabilitation centers in NY can only be active if they are contacted and accessed. Families need to take the first step. At Teen Rehab, we are here to help forward that process. Indeed, the last thing a parent wants is an overdose death due to teen drug use in New York. Also, criminal consequences of drug use need to be avoided. Rehab centers in New York are always better than New York prison cells.
Rehab Centers NYC and New York Drug Court
With a desire to keep drug-addicted offenders like foolish teenagers out of prison, New York instituted a drug court system. There are 146 drug courts in NY. In these drug courts, offenders are given the opportunity to receive treatment for their addictions if they were arrested for nonviolent drug crimes.
According to The New York State Unified Court System, “Results from these treatment programs have been overwhelmingly positive. A 2003 study of six drug courts conducted by the Center for Court Innovation demonstrates that the rates at which drug court graduates re-offend are significantly reduced.”
Successful participation in treatment after drug court can lead directly to having charges dropped and sentences dismissed. Thus, New York drug courts provide teenage drug offenders with a way to turn a negative situation into a positive outcome. Also, judges in New York Drug Court do not have to wait for beds to open up at drug rehabilitation centers in NY. Indeed, their legal standing provides access that so many people need.
Rehabs Centers NYC and Long-Term Recovery
Even in light of such access, please do not have your teenager commit a drug-related crime so they can get into rehab. Such crazy options are not necessary. Ultimately, the goal of finding treatment for a teen at a teen treatment center is to promote long-term recovery. At Teen Rehab, we do our best to help you help your teen access the treatment options they need and deserve like quality rehab centers in NY.
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