Orlando Substance Abuse Statistics

Orlando is a city in Florida that is rightly considered a haven for those looking for natural beauty. It forms the center of the Greater Orlando metro area. Orlando is also the seat of Orange County which is the fifth largest in all of USA, and boasts of a population of 2,082,628 at present. The tourism in this city forms a large part of its economy, though the technology industry here employs 53,000 people and is said to be a $13.4 billion industry.

But with all this power also comes corruption and Orlando does see its fair share of drug abuse too. Just recently, Ezell Harris of the Tea Party was arrested for drug trafficking. Such is the state of this metropolitan city, where drugs seem to be available rather easily and are sometimes sold by prominent people. It is believed that the lax night vigilance is increasing the problem drastically and is making drug trafficking all too easy.

Statistics show that when it comes to Orlando, prescription drugs have replaced illegal ones as the leading cause of drug abuse. Sadly, this horrible situation seems to be the state in all of Florida. The problem with prescription drugs is that they are very difficult to catch and many a time, an addict will become a full blown one before even realizing that such is the case. With no prescription drug monitoring program on the horizon, Orlando seems to be an easy target.

Hydrocodone is said to be the most popular prescription drug doing the rounds in Orlando. The semi-synthetic opioid is often given as a painkiller, and sometimes also as a cure for coughs. The problem is that the drug tends to become addictive very fast, and this may be the reason why the drug has achieved the dubious status of being the most common recreational drug in not only Orlando, but all of USA. Another prescription drug working on the same lines is Oxycodon. Used to treat high levels of pain, this drug is often abused by addicts for its single entity opiate status.

Youngsters seem to be easy targets for these pills, since they find that procuring them does not involve too many hurdles. These medications, if mixed with alcohol, become more damaging. It is also a fact that taking more than 4000 milligrams of hydrocodone in a day can cause intense liver damage and even result in a potentially fatal situation. As an addict falls deeper into addiction, moving to injecting or snorting the pill becomes common, and the dosage increases too. The end result is a full blown addiction that eats up every aspect of the addicts life.

The authorities seem to be stepping in actively now, and right from night vigilance programs to a stricter prescription administration, everything is being looked into. The metropolitan area of Orlando today offers several addiction treatment centers too, so as to be able to help addicts get back on track and stop abusing their bodies. One hopes that all these measures will bring the statistics on drug-related deaths much lower, be it in Orlando or other parts of Florida.

For more information on an effective Florida rehab center please call 866-211-5538 and speak with an expert who can help you and you family overcome drug addiction and alcoholism.