Sunrise Drug Abuse Statistics

Formerly named as Sunset, the city of Sunrise is a city in the Broward County that housed a population of 90,227 in the year 2004. The city is known for its Bank Atlantic Center where the famous Florida Panthers of NHL are said to play. Needless to say, the city houses several sports enthusiast and aspirants too. The one problem with the Sunrise city however is its association with illicit drugs and lately even the prescription drugs.

When it comes to illegal drugs the three main threats that Sunrise faces comes from Cocaine, Heroine and Crack. All three drugs are common in the rest of Florida too. Statistics indicate the cocaine is in fact responsible for the highest number of accidental deaths in the state. With the drug mafia operating in close by Miami, things do tend to slip over into Sunrise city very often.

However, strangely due to the retirement community that Sunrise city caters too and the young kids seeking education here, prescription pill abuse is taking on a serious form. Many retired people are prescribed these drugs to help control their pain or treat their diseases. With unchecked usage, what was designed to be a medicine becomes and addiction and begins to cause the problem rather than solve it. Worse still the younger generation begins to steal these drugs from the family medicine cabinet and misuse them. The end result in both the cases is a serious addiction to prescription drugs.

When it comes to prescription drugs the range of addictive medications is rather large. Right from cough syrups to pain killers, anything can be addictive. In most cases it is the opioid drugs that get to be a problem. CNS depressants are another form of very addictive medication that is often known to be abused. Stimulants prescribed to those suffering from ADHD or even narcolepsy is often abused too. In each case, these medications produce a sort of high for which the addict takes them.

Sports persons and the ailing older generation often fall prey to prescription drug abuse. So severe and serious is the problem that prescription drug overdose deaths have replaced illegal drugs in being classified as the leading cause of unnatural deaths in Florida. Sadly, while there are 38 other states of America that have passed a law regarding the monitoring of prescription drugs that are often abused, Florida has not followed suit. This leaves the epidemic free to grow unchecked.

The ray of hope comes in the form of drug rehabs that are able to help innocent victims that have fallen prey to prescription drug addiction. These rehabs have come up with a treatment plan that works towards making the patient healthy in both body and spirit. Some rehabs will follow a religious theme while others may adopt the 12 step program. The rehabs of Sunrise city are sure making their mark since seeing the success of these rehabs, even those from others areas are flocking here for treatment. The decline in addiction rate in this region is definitely due to the efforts of these drug rehabs.