East Los Angeles Health Task Force

Substance Abuse in California

California is both a high quantity user of many illegal drugs as well as a very popular distribution point for the drug trade.

• Cocaine: Cocaine abuse is abundant throughout the state with Los Angeles acting as one of the largest distribution centers in the nation.
• Heroin: The younger generation is being hooked on a new formulation of heroin that can be snorted and avoids the needles that might put off some first time users. Specialists warn that the users of this new form tend to use larger amounts of heroin which speeds up the addiction process.
• Meth: Meth is one of the largest drug threats facing the state, with the Mexican cartels smuggling in high grade meth and numerous low-tech meth labs making the drug in the state.
• Club Drugs: The most well-known club drug Ecstasy is still the most popular, however use of the drug has been decreasing recently. Northern California still remains a center of production for LSD and it is still readily available, especially in the Los Angeles region.
• Marijuana: Marijuana is readily available in California. Mexico smuggles in large amounts of low-grade marijuana and Canada is a source for a higher quality version. Domestic operations in the state also produce large quantities of the drug as well. The legalization of marijuana for certain users has made it even more readily available, both legally and illegally for purchase.

Substance Abuse Statistics

The more that you know about California substance abuse statistics, the better you can understand the substance abuse problem in a state. California treatment centers provide the state with this information so that better measures can be taken to overcome what appears to be a growing issue with abused substances.  

• Of all substance abuse treatment admissions in the state of California, 65.4 percent of admissions are by men and 34.6 percent of admissions are by women.
• Of all substance abuse treatment admissions in the state of California, 9.8 percent of all admissions are related to alcohol abuse on its own while another 12.7 percent of admissions involve the combination of alcohol abuse with the abuse of another drug.
• Of all substance abuse treatment admissions in the state of California, 9.4 percent of admissions involve smoked cocaine while an additional 1.9 percent of admissions relate to cocaine taken in other forms.
• Of all substance abuse treatment admissions in the state of California, 13.0 percent of all admissions involve the use of marijuana. 22.4 percent of admissions have to do with heroin.
• Of all substance abuse treatment admissions in the state of California, the most common age groups of admission range between 21 years of age and 45 years of age. Each age group, including five years between 21 and 25, 26 through 30 and so on involves approximately 11 to 16 percent of admissions.

One of the biggest substance abuse problems in California involves marijuana because marijuana is legal for many people to obtain and therefore much more readily available.

Substance Abuse Detox and Withdrawal

Substance abuse is one of the most miserable and difficult afflictions to handle. Someone addicted to a powerful enough substance will not be able to shake it on their own. In fact, it can prove to be dangerous to even try to kick an addiction alone because the withdrawal symptoms that can come along with depriving the body of something it craves can be pretty unpleasant. These symptoms have also proven to be so dangerous as to be fatal. That is one of the main reasons to have professional attendants around when someone is going through a detoxification.

Withdrawal symptoms are very hard for addicts to go through. In fact, for many addicts, it is the fear of experiencing those very symptoms that keep them from seeking the help they need. They know that there is no way to get around going through withdrawal while their bodies are detoxing. As that poison is drained from them, their bodies are going to go from demanding to begging for their particular fix. This is the worst part of the entire process and is also when an addict’s body can experience such a shock from not having what it needs that the danger comes in. It is important to keep in mind that, while these withdrawal symptoms can be really hard to handle, once the detox has been completed, the symptoms will be over as well.

For some addicts, phase two of substance abuse recovery is often the most difficult part. This is when the reasons for the addiction are addressed. The addict is probed mentally, emotionally and psychologically in order to locate why they have been so miserable that they felt the need for something to make them feel better. In many cases, the addiction started out as a legitimate physical problem that needed medication to handle pain. If the physical ailment wasn’t resolved, the pain may have continued, which meant that medication was always needed. As the body became more used to the medication, a higher dosage was needed to have the same effect. Before long, the person was an addict and never meant to be.

All addicts that seek treatment seriously have an excellent chance to recover. When the reason for the addiction is also discovered and addressed, the chances of the addict returning to substance abuse is considerably less than if they had not received professional treatment. That is why professional substance abuse programs are needed and why they can work.

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