We are at war…no, not just a war against terrorists or
rampant shooting incidences, but we have on our hands a drug addiction war; and
we have to fight to the bitter end. We are not talking anymore about our
teen or adult loved ones needing intervention, but we have also woken up to the
reality that is newborns being addicted to prescription drugs, and it is
alarming.
Drug abuse and the need to seek treatment have led to the
mushrooming of detox centers and rehabs all over the country for years now.
Most of these centers have recovering addicts as their owners and managers as
they best know the arduous journey to recovery and staying clean. Many of them
have state of the art facilities and there are many luxury rehabs. Here are
five facts about drug treatment in Florida.
There are at present at least 98 Drug courts in Florida
Florida was the first to get a drug court in 1989, which was
in response to increasing cocaine-related problems in the city. They aim at
handling cases of substance abuse offenders (nonviolent) using the judiciary,
law enforcement, and social services working together to ensure that the
offender gets drug treatment, recovers and becomes a productive citizen.
There were 79,322 admissions in 2009
This is the number admitted at drug and alcohol
rehabilitation centers in Florida according to the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the lead agency of the government when
it comes to substance abuse. Of these, 38.3 percent were female while 61.7 were
men. These figures have risen from a figure of 47,627 in 2006, while 2004
figures were immensely high at 104,737.
There are 100 plus drug/alcohol treatment centers in Florida
Some operate as private facilities, others are
community-based prevention agencies, some are outpatient and others
residential, while others offer behavioral health services and others offer a
faith based approach using the 12-step program.
In Florida, 1 in 10 inmates are incarcerated for drug use.
Only a small number of these inmates receive treatment.
Unfortunately, for the majority of those who do not receive help even once
released, they will eventually be re-incarcerated, as they will commit crimes
to support their habit. Drug treatment specialists in the state have estimated
that at least 50% of the over 100,000 prisoners have substance/drug abuse
problems.
In 2010, 6,120 inmates in Florida received alcohol/drug
abuse treatment
This was provided by the Florida prison system. In 2011,
that number rose to over 7,000. More still needs to be done. It only seems to
make sense that if an inmate is incarcerated for drug use, they should receive
treatment.