Governor Rick Scott signed a new bill into law on Monday, March 19, 2018 that is meant to aid the fight against opioid addiction. Among the changes, the new law will make in the Sunshine State are a $65 million allocation in state funds to fighting the opioid epidemic and a restriction on opioid prescriptions to 3 days per prescription per patient. This means patients who want to or need to be on opioids for more than 3 days will require special permission from their doctor if they are going to receive a medication for more than this time period.
Limiting the prescription times, according to Governor Scott will help to minimize the number of individuals becoming dependent on and addicted to opioids every day. Also, the bill will provide more individuals with the treatment they require to safely recover from addiction if they have already been affected by it. Manatee County was the site of the law’s signing because there is already a particularly serious substance abuse problem in this county.
Opioid Deaths and Florida
Florida is one of the states hit hardest by the opioid epidemic, as evidenced by data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2014 and 2015, the number of drug overdose deaths in the state increased by 22.7 percent. Over the next year, these deaths increased by 46.3 percent. Both of these increases were statistically significant as stated by the CDC, and both were largely caused by the serious opioid abuse situation in the state.
Many people still abuse prescription drugs like those that will be affected by the new bill, but unfortunately, a large amount of the opioid-abusing population has moved on to fentanyl and heroin abuse. The latter is a dangerous, addictive, and illicit drug that people often turn to after their tolerance for prescription opioids becomes too strong. The former is 100 times more potent than morphine and is often illicitly manufactured and sold to drug abusers. Most people do not realize how strong fentanyl is when they abuse it, which is why it leads to so many drug overdoses. In 2013, Florida law enforcement encountered fentanyl only 0 to 50 times, but by 2015, this increased to over 500 encounters.
How Can Rehab Help an Opioid Addict?
People who become addicted to opioid drugs will require detox and rehab treatment in order to stop abusing these substances and to navigate withdrawal.
When a person dependent on opioids stops using, they will experience an intense withdrawal syndrome that feels similar to the flu.
Without the proper care, it can be extremely difficult to avoid relapse during this time, and those who do relapse are in serious danger of an overdose.
In detox treatment, patients can work through their withdrawal symptoms with the help of medical supervision, medications that minimize pain and other uncomfortable symptoms, and therapies that can help prepare them for rehab.
Afterwards, patients who detox in a professional facility are often more likely to seek rehab treatment and build a safe, strong recovery from opioid addiction.
Seek Treatment Today
Whether you or someone you love is suffering from an opioid addiction, now is the time to take action. Call 888-646-0635Who Answers? to find safe, reliable detox centers near you.
Facing the difficulty of substance abuse treatment and recovery can make people look around and compare themselves to others. Sometimes, it is to make themselves feel better: “At least I don’t look like her.” Sometimes, it is out of jealousy: “Why does she look so much better than I do?” Sometimes, it is just to….
About Alcohol Addiction Rehab for Men Alcohol addiction is a chronic disease that will continue to worsen over time if a person does not get help. Alcohol addiction will cause harm to a user’s physical health, such as the destruction of nerve cells and damage to a person’s organs, and it will also cause damage….
At first, it may be easy to overlook the signs of addiction in a loved one. Episodes of “unusual” behavior can be written off as ‘he’s having a bad day’ or ‘it’s just her time of the month.’” Over time, these episodes turn into half-day, whole day and eventual everyday moods and attitudes. After a….
Free inpatient rehab centers actually do exist. Though these facilities are not as common as paid inpatient facilities, they can be found and patients in need are able to receive 24-hour care in a controlled environment which can significantly help their chances of making a successful recovery from addiction. How Many Facilities are Free? According….
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, there are 36 million people in the United States who need some form of drug treatment. Many of these people live below the poverty line and are the product of single parent households. Many of them do not know even the basic life skills needed….
Many parents hear about animal therapy for children and wonder if it will be beneficial for their child. In some cases, kids with attachment issues, foster children, and children on the autism spectrum can receive many benefits from working with animals in a therapeutic situation. However, certain types of animal rehab work better than others….
When you’re addicted to drugs nothing else matters except finding the next fix, the next high or the next pill. When you realize that you are addicted and you want to get well, chances are you are so unfamiliar with the steps of drug recovery that the entire process may be overwhelming and you may….
Bath salts have become the newest family of drugs to hit the market. Classified as both “legal” and “illegal”, access to bath salts only requires users to know where to go to get them. As with any substance of abuse, bath salt addiction rates continue to rise as more and more people are exposed. As….
The opioid addiction crisis is serious in the state of Ohio, and more groups are stepping in to try and make a difference. Among these is the technology industry of the state, which is holding a Technology Challenge for both scientists and laymen to try and figure out new ways to help people with opioid….
It is an unfortunate fact that a large number of pregnant women abuse drugs or alcohol during their pregnancy. Although there are different reasons for this the outcome is generally the same. That is why there are rehab centers that cater specifically to pregnant women and their offspring. Why Drug Abuse and Pregnancy Drug abuse….
Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Calls to any general helpline will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed, each of which is a paid advertiser.
By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.
