Drug Addiction in Alexandria, LA

Located in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Alexandria is situated on the southern bank of the Red River and has an estimated population of 50, 236 as per the findings of the Business Population Estimates Program by the Louisiana Tech College which was conducted in 2008.

Alexandria is a bustling city that has a majority African American population and is home to the popular Cenlabration festival held annually to honor and celebrate the regions diversity in music. Riverfest is another popular festival here that reflects Central Louisianas richness and cultural heritage in the performing arts and literature and attracts many tourists.

Alexandria is a thriving urban locale that once played an important role in the American Civil War. Home to many museums, national parks and recreation areas, Alexandria is a delight for tourists and history aficionados. Unfortunately, it is also an epicenter of drug addiction and trafficking in the region, which often threatens to hamper societal well being and endanger many lives here.

Louisiana is a hotbed of illicit drug trade in the USA due to its interlinked roadways and waterways which serve as apt transportation systems for the supply and distribution of addictive substances. Alexandria is no exception, and sadly, many young adults here see it as a done thing to experiment with narcotics and alcoholism. What such people fail to realize that mere experimentation often leads to more addictive behavior over due course of time.

The symptoms of substance abuse are many and vary from one drug to the other and also on the purity of these substances. For instance, cocaine symptoms in a regular user include intense excitement, a decrease in appetite, nausea, nose bleeds, respiratory complications and breathing difficulties, and increased heart rate and blood pressure, to name just a few. The chemicals on which the brain becomes dependant due to excessive cocaine abuse often cause anxiety, psychosis, dizziness, and even schizophrenia in extreme cases.

Meth abuse symptoms are fatal owing to the toxic nature of the drug and can lead to psychosis, heart failure, brain tissue degeneration, irritability, insomnia, malnutrition, loss of appetite, etc. due to prolonged abuse.

Heroin addiction symptoms point to a shocking 90% likelihood of developing Hepatitis C after an average of five years of heroin abuse owing to most users injecting the drug intravenously. The drugs effects include damage to the heart, collapsed veins, and arthritis due to long term use, and telltale signs of heroin substance abuse include nausea, depression, lack of hygiene, weight loss, and a gradual effect on ones social life.

Crack cocaine, meth, and heroin are the hard drugs most widely used for substance abuse in Alexandria, LA. Party drugs like ecstasy and prescription pills are also abused for recreational purposes, and this poses a threat to the younger crowd who see it as a rite of passage to do drugs at least once in their lives. Marijuana is also widely abused, though chemical drugs lead to far greater health complications.

Federal drug seizures and social awareness have fortunately led to the set up of many drug rehabs in Alexandria Louisiana that cater to addicts by offering individual treatments and round the clock guidance.