It is an unfortunate truth that many Americans today struggle with an addiction to hard drugs, such as heroin or opiates. Many statistics are kept each year to track the current state of American public health, and this certainly includes drug and alcohol abuse. While more Americans than ever are abusing these substances, the good news is that help is always available. Methadone detox centers and other heroin treatment centers keep their doors open for any addict seeking help, and a person can enter a search online, such as “chicago methadone clinic”, to find them and get help. What may be expected at methadone clinics, and how can detoxing help an addict get clean of drugs? Looking up “chicago methadone clinic” is just the start; getting clean means having the resolve to see the process through to the end.
Americans and Drug Abuse
What do the numbers show about Americans and drug addiction? As of 2015, for a fairly recent example, around 591,000 people were struggling with heroin disorders, and among them, 6,000 were adolescents and 155,000 were young adults in their 20s or so. In that same year, an estimated 21,000 adolescents had used heroin within the previous 12 months, and 5,000 were current users. Tragically, many abusers of these drugs are minors, and sometimes Americans as young as 12 years old are misusing such substances. A total of 20.5 million Americans aged 12 and up were abusing drugs in 2015, and the consequences are often dire. Abusing drugs of any kind leads to financial strain, loss of a job, alienation from friends and family, and the risk of accidental overdose. In fact, “drug overdose” is the leading cause of accidental death across the United States, and 52,404 lethal overdoses were recorded in 2015. Many of these addictions begin as misuse of prescription drugs; four in five new heroin users began their habit by abusing prescription painkillers.
Solutions for Drug Abuse
As mentioned earlier, the good news is that methadone clinics in Chicago and beyond are ready to accept patients who want to get free of drugs. Sometimes, an addict may look up “chicago methadone clinics near me” on their own accord, while other times, they may experience an intervention by concerned friends and family. Family members might even look up “chicago methadone clinic” ahead of time and present a short list of clinics to the addict in question, to help them begin the recovery process.
Why use a clinic? Attempting to detox alone at home is highly risky, since at the very least, the addict may be sorely tempted to relapse to avoid the uncomfortable effects of withdrawal. Worse, the addict might suffer life-threatening complications, and no one will be available to help. Instead, the addict is urged to visit methadone clinics and/or detox centers, where medical staff can help them. Methadone, a legal drug in use for decades, can e prescribed by a doctor, and (assuming the directions are followed) this drug can block the addict’s cravings for heroin and related drugs. This can help the patient get clean.
In addition, flushing drugs out of the body is an essential step for recovery. A patient may check into a rehab clinic and agree to stay there for a few days, and they will undergo the withdrawal process while being monitored in a room. If any dangerous complications manifest, then the staff will be ready to intervene and help right away. Otherwise, the patient must endure the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms until the drugs have completely flushed out of the body.
Now, the patient may undergo therapy and counseling at the hands of a therapist, and talk out their problems and try to figure out a new, drug-free lifestyle. The exact contents of the discussion will vary widely, but the patient will be free to admit why they started using drugs to begin with, or anything else. A helpful bonus option is to take part in anonymous support groups, where recovering addicts may explain themselves and help each other realize that they are not alone. A recovering addict may also get professional aid in finding paying work and decent housing, if they have need for such services. A vocational rehab firm may be a good place to start.
