Drug addiction in Hammond

Hammond, Louisiana is located in Tangipahoa Parish and has a population of 20,037 people as of July 2009. It is home to the Southeastern Louisiana University and is popularly referred to as the strawberry capital of America due to its emergence as a shipping point for the fruit.

During the Civil War era, Hammond was a shoemaking center for the Confederate soldiers, but today, the city is a bustling transport and commercial center that acts as a major distribution center for Walmart and other noted companies. Hammond is also an important point on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

The city doubled as a detention camp of sorts for Nazi prisoners of war during World War II, and has its share of historic buildings and traditions that is typical of Louisianas eclectic mix of cultures. Hammond is also among the fastest growing cities in the state. However, its proximity to the cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans has deemed the city a hotspot for drug trafficking and distribution in the state, as both New Orleans and Baton Rouge are infamous for being major centers for drug cartels in Louisiana.

Drug addiction in Hammond Louisiana is a reflection of the overall substance abuse problem in the state of Louisiana, which is one of the most affected states in the US in terms of drug related crimes and felonies. The port of New Orleans in particular acts as a major gateway for drug traffickers from Central and South America and Mexico, who ship narcotics here and make the most of the water transport in the region which is located at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Since Hammond is less than an hours drive away from the state capital, it becomes all too easy for the drug mafia to plague local society with not just illegal drugs, but also prescription pills for recreational purposes.

Heroin in particular is a highly potent opioid that releases large amounts of dopamine in the body, which in turn affect opioid receptors in the brain and cause an unhealthy addiction on the drug. Heroin abusers often inject this narcotic directly into the bloodstream, and a prolonged heroin habit can lead to collapsed veins, nausea, dizziness, and respiratory and cardiovascular complications, not to mention an increased risk- up to 90% over a five year span- of contracting Hepatitis C and HIV.

Louisiana has very strict drug laws and once accounted for the highest number of incarcerations in the nation. The imprisonment for drug abuse in the state varies from one drug to the other, and awareness programs and drug rehab centers in Hammond LA are striving to put forth the message to local society about the ill effects of substance abuse.

Many Hammond Louisiana narcotics and substance abuse rehab centers conduct interventions on behalf of families and adopt the two fold method of healing by advocating both physical and mental healing, wherein the physical and psychological issues leading to, and following drug abuse are dealt with by qualified professionals and doctors in rehabs. While detoxification and medical treatment for withdrawal and drug addiction form the basis for physical healing, mental healing is generally conducted by way of round the clock guidance, motivation, organization of extracurricular activities, group therapy, and so on.