Drug Addiction in Arizona

Drug Crime Epidemic

Home of the Grand Canyon and some of the largest undeveloped lands and national parks in the country, Arizona's cities, from North to South, suffer from drug abuse and crime just like many other states in America in addition to remain the state with the highest level of child poverty in the nation.

But while drug abuse rates in the state are relatively below average, Arizona is known for being at the forefront of drug smuggling from Mexico. Many border cities and farms in Southern Arizona report nightly expeditions of camouflage-wearing drug smugglers traveling through the desert and roads. Drug crime is a serious problem in many areas of Arizona, such as Nogales, where over 20 drug-smuggling tunnels have been shut down in the last 3 years that cross the border from its sister city. Police officers and innocent people are regularly caught up in acts of violence by extremely powerful drug cartels that smuggle record amounts of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine across the border ever year. While busts for large quantities of drugs like marijuana and meth in other states are impressive, the amount generally found in busts in Arizona is very high indeed. It is not uncommon for marijuana, cocaine, and heroin to be seized by the pound and sometimes even by the ton in Arizona. The social cost nationwide in drug abuse for what passes through Arizona is extraordinarily high.

Although alcohol is the most popularly abused drug in the state, Arizona has an additional regulated drug available that many do not: marijuana. Unlike most states marijuana is now legal to purchase in-state with a doctor's prescription. However it is often quite simply to complain of a mild malady to obtain medical marijuana fraudulently, which is then resold or given away to those that may abuse it. Marijuana available at dispensaries is often professionally grown and is far more potent than what is commonly available on the black market. Hydroponic marijuana is also known to have a much higher incidence of psychosis when chronically abused than regular marijuana.

Drug Rehab in Arizona

Dealing with drug abuse in Arizona is far different than what many of the notorious county, state, and federal figures involved in fighting drug trafficking say on the cable news channels and websites. While dealing with narcotics criminals, bribe-taking public officials, and incredibly expensive border patrol initiatives is certainly important, the fact is that the unmet need for addiction treatment in Arizona is estimated to be as much as 2% higher than the national average. While a large chunk of the DEA's billion-dollar annual enforcement budget goes to Arizona along with other federal and state grants, substance abuse and social services for families have gone through some rocky transformations in recent years, with budgets, employees, and initiatives getting shut down only in some cases to be reconvened a few years later to dimished effect. This is in spite of not just the rampant drug trafficking occuring in the area but also the increase of home-made drug crises; methamphetamine and especially prescription painkillers have played their part in ravaging communites and destroying the lives of many Arizonans.

Enforcement against drug cartels does not help anyone who is already a chronic drug addict, and yet these are the people who regularly suffer the most from the drug epidemic. It is very important that those that are addicted to heroin, cocaine, meth, or prescription drugs such as Oxycodone, Vicodin, Xanax, or Adderall step forward and ask for help from professional drug treatment experts without fear of being imprisoned or ending up in a worse position. A positive will to get sober is a necessary first step but the next part of the plan must involve seriously assessing how bad this addiction problem is and getting involved with people who have the ability to stop it. While occasionally that somebody who will help may be family members or friends, for many people with a serious addiction it is going to be the therapists, counselors, and fellow recovering addicts that will help you at A Center for Addiction Recovery. Helping our patients get clean is only the first step is our addiction treatment; we stay involved with our patients, giving them counseling and applying different therapies in order to re-develop their personalities and healthy lifestyles that will encourage them to lead a sober life for a long time and resist the urge of relapsing.

Cities in Arizona that have a significant drug abuse problem: Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Chandler, Glendale, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Tempe, Peoria, & Surprise and also the counties of Cochise, Coconino, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajoa, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai, & Yuma.

A Center for Addiction Recovery treats the following addiction problems:

A Center for Addiction Recovery offers the following addiction treatment programs:

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