No One is Safe from the Effects of Drug Abuse
Everyone has heard the mounting number of stories related to drug abuse in America, but you may think it is simply a problem that won’t affect you or your family. Unfortunately, drug abuse is spreading. It is even reaching the rural areas. This means that it is no longer a problem that only faces those in living in the city. Knowledge is your most powerful defense against this problem. Learning how drug abuse affects everyone, who is at risk, and how you can get help from programs like Stout Street clinic rehab will allow you to do your part in regaining control of this terrible issue.
Understanding the Facts
The United States is in the midst of drug overdose epidemic. Close to 64,000 Americans died in 2016 from drug overdose. That was 174 people that lost their lives to drugs each day. This number of deaths is higher than those from gun related homicides or car accidents. The majority of these deaths were due to the use of opioids. No place in the United States is safe from this epidemic. It is even hitting the rural communities hard.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in October of 2017 that the rates of death from drug overdose in the rural areas are rising. In fact, they are surpassing those in the cities. A USDA Economic Research Service report in November of 2017 revealed that there truly is a rising mortality rate among the working age, rural American adults. These deaths are due in part to heroin and prescription drug abuse. Finally, the National Farmers Union along with the American Farm Bureau Federation conducted a survey in December of 2017 that showed how up to 74{333c12333fc6adcbc4dd41b236b62e786686697b652d7b580511aee3c3bb9059} of farmers have directly felt the impact of the country’s opioid crisis.
How Drug Abuse Affects You
The impact of this drug epidemic can be seen from coast to coast, and it affects you even if you are not the one with the addiction. The rural small towns are painfully being affected. Opioid abuse has increased the demands of the health care system. Has caused a loss in productivity in jobs, and is putting an increased stress on first responders, law enforcement, the schools, and the judicial system.
The opioid crisis is also affecting families across the country. There are millions of children that are being raised by their extended family or living with their grandparents due to moms and dads with drug addictions. Not only is the drug epidemic draining your community’s resources and wreaking havoc on family stability, it is impacting the prosperity of rural America. Many of the rural counties suffering from the results of increased drug addiction were already struggling with issues like trying to operate on tight budgets, not being able to attract new businesses into the community, and having a difficult time keeping existing employers in the area. The effects of drug abuse are a harsh reality to these small towns.
What You Can Do to Help
Your government leaders are doing all they can to regain control of this situation. In response to this growing challenge, rural leaders are looking for an effective solution. This is going to require collaboration and leadership of many people from several different levels such as federal, state, and local levels. The USDA is doing their part by focusing on making prosperity easier for rural America. Their hope is to strengthen the response to the increasing opioid abuse in rural communities in order to bring a better quality of life along with economic opportunities to the country.
You can do your part by watching for the signs of drug abuse in your community. If you have a friend or loved one that is suffering from addiction, there are places they can go to seek help from professionals. Rehab programs can help them overcome their addiction in order to once again become a productive member of the community.
Making sure that your family is educated on drug abuse will give them the power they need to avoid its affects. Knowing how this crisis is affecting everyone, what to do if you know someone suffering from addiction, and understanding the facts is a great place to start.
