If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction in Fort Myers, know that you are not alone. Recognizing an addiction and taking steps to consider treatment and start a recovery plan is very difficult and takes a great deal of bravery.
With the right drug rehab program, you can get a customized plan to achieve and maintain long-term sobriety.
Addiction or substance use disorder is a disease. It’s one that changes the way your brain works, the way you think, and the way you act. If you struggle with addiction, you might become obsessed with getting your hands on your next fix, whether that’s a legal or illegal drug. Eventually, you might reach the point where you care about nothing more than getting your hands on more drugs even though you are fully aware of the ways in which it hurts your body, your life, and those around you.
When drugs or alcohol give you escape from your everyday struggles, when they make you feel better when everything else seems out of your control, they quickly become the substance you use whenever anything is stressful, whenever you are angry, whenever you are sad, or when you just want to feel good.
Some people get addicted to just one thing. That one thing might be prescription opioids, alcohol, or cocaine. Other people get addicted to multiple substances. That same teenager who takes a swig from the bottle on the bar at home might find that when that bottle is empty, they start rifling through their parents’ medicine cabinet in hopes of something else that will help them numb the pain.
It’s all too common for people with undiagnosed depression, anxiety, or other mental health diseases to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol. An adult with a high-pressure job and generalized anxiety disorder might not have the skills to deal with panic attacks when they happen and might not have a prescription to manage their symptoms. Instead, they use drugs or alcohol.
Rising Addiction in Fort Myers
Ft. Myers was the fifth fastest-growing area for ten years, growing at more than 40% between 2000 and 2010. Such figures also led to a higher rate of drug and alcohol addiction.
This is brought with it a slew of secondary problems. When people get into car accidents or accidents involving pedestrians in Fort Myers, Florida, statistically, at least 1/4 of the time, it involves someone on drugs or under the influence of alcohol. Binge drinking, especially on college campuses, underage drinking, and a recent spike in opioid addiction, particularly mixed with other drugs like Fentanyl, are some of the biggest problems in the area.
- Underage arrests in Ft. Myers represents 15% of the total arrests in the region.
- 16.4% of underage individuals report using alcohol currently, while another 36% of Arrested youth say they are currently using drugs.
Adults in Fort Myers struggle with a wide range of drugs. The drug of choice for people who go into rehab include:
- 27% alcohol
- 20% heroin
- 10% other opiates
- 7% oxycodone
- 5% cocaine
- And others
It is estimated that over 14,000 residents over the age of 12 use prescription drugs without a prescription. This includes sedatives, stimulants, pain relievers, and tranquilizers. Given how prolific prescriptions are for medications like opioids throughout Florida, this remains one of the most significant issues throughout the region. When people use a prescription and develop a tolerance or addiction, they turn to illegal alternatives when my prescription runs out.