The drug epidemic is a complex problem that has plagued our nation for decades, and things don’t seem to be getting better. How did it start, and how can we fix it?

How the War on Drugs Contributed to the Drug Epidemic

In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a War on Drugs, and it’s still going strong almost 50 years later. President Nixon’s intent was to criminalize those who were caught with drugs, a seemingly noble cause that’s helped keep drugs out of our country. However, instead of rehabilitation, offenders went to jail without getting the treatment they needed.

Now that the issue is reaching suburban areas, we’re starting to see certain counties and states pull back on the criminalization of drug offenders. Drug courts—which offer treatment instead of jail time—are now becoming more popular.

The Opioid Drug Epidemic

In the early 2000s, the opioid epidemic began to spread throughout the United States due to unethical marketing techniques. When the narcotic pain medication OxyContin hit the market, it was marketed as a non-addictive miracle pain medication. It didn’t take long for people who were dealing with chronic pain to become physically and mentally dependent on these medications. Once prescriptions ran out, individuals would gravitate to street drugs like heroin in order to get their fix.

Additionally, doctors began over-prescribing medications to people who have moderate pain problems. Even though doctors are becoming more responsible about how much and how often they administer these medications, the U.S. still prescribes 80% of the world’s prescription opioid supply.

A Country That’s Hurting

Recent studies show that more people today struggle with depression and anxiety than ever before. There are many reasons for this. However, one of the core issues is that people are turning to drugs to cope with this pain. This is why seeing a substance abuse counselor at an addiction treatment center is so crucial.

Located in California, Serenity Lodge offers addiction therapy that will teach you how to overcome your addiction. Professionals at our California addiction treatment center will help you find the sources of your mental, emotional, and physical pain. From here, we have various treatment methods to help you learn how to overcome your opioid addiction for good. We pride ourselves on having an amenity-rich facility, which will help you see that there’s much more to life than abusing drugs.

Don’t wait any longer to get help. Reach out to Serenity Lodge today at 866-379-4365.