Substance Abuse Statistics in Newton

Newton, with a population of 82,461, is a city located in Middlesex County of Massachusetts. Newton MA is not exactly just one city, but is actually a beautiful network of 13 villages such as Auburndale, Newton Center, Chestnut Hill, Newton Corner, Newton Highlands, Newton Lower Falls, Newton Upper Falls, etc.

Newton MA was initially a part of present day Cambridge, which was later incorporated as a new city in 1688 by the name Cambridge Village and was later renamed in 1691 as Newtown. The name of the city was finally changed to Newton in 1766 and it officially became a city in 1873. Newton MA is also known by its nickname The Garden City.

Newton is a wonderful community that was named as the safest city in United States in 1999, 2004 and 2005. Though the city has a low crime rate, substance abuse statistics shows that drug addiction and alcoholism is a growing problem in this community. Ritalin, which is stimulant that is used for treating attention deficit disorder as well as narcolepsy in adults, is a most commonly used substance for drug abuse.

According to one of the teenagers undergoing treatment for Ritalin drug addiction at one of the substance abuse treatment centers in Newton MA, getting a Ritalin tablet in high school is as easy as getting candy. According to her, many of her classmates used to go to the school nurses office during the mid day break to pop a Ritalin pill which would help them concentrate better.

Over a period of time, Ritalin was not consumed orally, but was crushed and snorted by these teenagers to get an instant high. The Ritalin pills which were used for fulfilling their drug addiction were bought from the black market which operates clandestinely in school hallways and bathrooms. A Ritalin pill is available for as less as $1 or could be bought by shelling out $5.

Ritalin pills are available in white, yellow and blue colors and often called skittles by school students, as they resemble the small candy balls of the same name. Ritalin drug abuse is on the rise in Newton MA schools because this drug is sold on campuses by the other students who are prescribed this drug by medical professionals.

A research conducted in several Newton schools showed that 13% of high school students had used Ritalin at least once in their life without having any medical prescriptions for the same. About 4% of all middle school students also admitted to using Ritalin without any prescription.

Besides Ritalin substance abuse, cocaine and marijuana are other drugs which are commonly abused by the school students of Newton MA. Alcoholism is also a growing problem among school students. Most users begin taking these substances as experimentation, but gradually, teenagers develop an addiction for them.

It is important for the local authorities to check the growing problem of Ritalin drug abuse among the teenagers of Newton MA. For parents looking forward for assistance to help their children overcome the problem of Ritalin or narcotic drug substance abuse, help is available in the form of alcoholism and drug abuse treatment facilities in the city. These treatment centers can help the children of Newton break free from shackles of drug abuse.