With its easy access to Miami, Hialeah, Florida can feel like paradise. If you live here, you are surrounded by gorgeous palm trees, beautiful beaches, and some of the best food in the country. There is a darker side to Hialeah, though. Like the rest of Florida, many of the residents have drug and alcohol problems.

If you are one of the numerous Floridians suffering from substance abuse, help is available. You can enter a drug and rehab center and finally get your life back.

Lakeview Health is located near Hialeah, Florida. Our drug and alcohol treatment center in Jacksonville is staffed with compassionate providers who will help you get to the root of your issue. Call 866.704.7692 to speak to an intake professional today.

Opioid Abuse in Hialeah, Florida — A Crisis in the Making

Opioid abuse is a serious issue in Hialeah and the rest of Florida. According to Hialeah substance abuse statistics, 3,245 Floridians died from opioid-related overdoses in 2017 alone. That is a rate of 16.3 deaths for every 100,000 people.

Fentanyl is currently the deadliest opioid in the state. In 2012, 162 people died from this drug in Florida. That increased to 2,126 in 2017.

Heroin deaths are also on the rise. Just over 100 people died from the drug in 2012, and that went up to 707 in 2017.It is clear that this issue is getting more serious by the day.

Opioids are very dangerous because of the way they impact the brain. Opioids cause the brain to produce dopamine and endorphins. The rush of these chemicals makes the person feel euphoric after taking the drug.

This causes the person to crave taking more and more opioids. As the use continues, the brain stops creating dopamine and endorphins on its own. The only way to continue to get that rush is by taking the drug.

Eventually, people build a tolerance to opioids, which makes them take more and more of the drug to get the same results. Then, their bodies become dependent on opioids. They go through withdrawal if they don’t take the drug, and psychological dependence kicks in. This causes people to increase their intake even more, which can lead to an overdose.

While this might sound like a long and drawn-out process, opioid addiction can actually occur quickly. In fact, you could start down the spiral of addiction after using an opioid the very first time.

How Opioid Treatment Works

The idea of going to treatment for opioid abuse likely seems frightening. You are afraid of dealing with discomfort during withdrawal, so you have yet to seek treatment.

There is no reason to be afraid of treatment, though. The process is designed to keep you as comfortable as possible while you learn the tools needed to cope without drugs in the outside world.

You will begin at a detox center near Hialeah, Florida. Medically supervised detox includes medications to keep you comfortable while eliminating the opioids from your system. Methadone, buprenorphine, and lofexidine are all medication options. These medications reduce the effects of withdrawal and can even cut down on cravings. They do not, however, produce the euphoric feelings that often-abused opioids do, so you do not have to worry about becoming addicted to your new medication.

After you finish at the detox center, it will be time to begin inpatient treatment. You will live in a gender-specific residence and go to treatment daily. With at least six hours of therapy each day, including 12-step meetings, one-on-one-treatment, group meetings, and family sessions, you will build a toolset you can use to tackle your addiction.

Alcohol Addiction in Hialeah

Alcohol addiction presents itself in a variety of ways. Some people are functional alcoholics, meaning they can go to work, handle social functions, and hide their addiction from the rest of the world. Others wear the signs of alcoholism on their sleeves. They have trouble maintaining employment and managing friendships and are close to rock bottom.

While some people think that being a functioning alcoholic is somehow more desirable, alcoholism is dangerous, regardless of how you present yourself to the world. The road to rock bottom might be different, but you can get there taking a variety of paths.

Just like with other drugs, problem drinkers quickly build up a tolerance to alcohol, causing them to drink more and more to get the same feeling. This can cause a variety of problems, such as acute pancreatitis, liver disease, and psychosis. Alcohol poisoning is also a potential side effect of alcohol abuse. This, like many of the other side effects of problem drinking, can be fatal.

Time is of the essence if you suffer from alcohol abuse. You never know when your body will have enough, so do not take the chance. Call Lakeview Health at 866.704.7692 to begin treatment at our drug and alcohol rehab center. You will go through medically supervised detox and then begin treatment at our state-of-the-art facility.

How Alcohol Treatment Works

When you go to an alcohol addiction treatment center near Hialeah, Florida, you will undergo an assessment. If it is determined that you are physically addicted to alcohol, you will go directly to medical detox.

Withdrawal symptoms can begin as soon as six hours after your last drink and can include anxiety, delirium tremens, depression, hallucinations, shakiness, and more. If you try to detox on your own, you will likely cave in to the cravings. It isn’t because you do not have the willpower necessary to overcome addiction. Instead, it is because the symptoms are so severe that you might feel as if you have no choice.

It is also dangerous to go through alcohol withdrawal on your own. It is possible to die from the complications of alcohol withdrawal if you are not monitored by a health-care professional.

Fortunately, medically supervised detox helps you make it through the process as comfortably and safely as possible. A doctor will provide you with medications to ease the withdrawal symptoms, and you will also have access to medical and psychological support. This will get you into the right physical and mental state necessary to go through treatment, all the while ensuring you are safe.

Treatment for alcohol abuse is customized to your specific needs. That includes utilizing Gender ResponsiveTreatment, therapy sessions, and more.

Treatment for Co-occurring conditions

If you have a mental health issue paired with a drug or alcohol addiction, you are far from alone. For example, people who have anxiety or mood disorders are approximately twice as likely to also suffer from substance abuse. That is just one of countless statistics that show the relationship between mental health disorders and substance abuse.

People with a mental illness might reach for drugs to cope. Also, people might have genetic vulnerabilities that make them susceptible to mental illness and substance abuse disorders.

In the past, many people would seek treatment for their mental health issues from one provider and their substance abuse disorders from another, but research has shown that integrated treatment is the better option. Coordinating mental health and substance abuse treatment has better outcomes for patients, so it is critical that you seek help for both issues at the same facility.

If you have a co-occurring disorder, your treatment plan will likely include behavioral treatment and medication. Your treatment team will collaborate with one another to ensure you are getting the best treatment possible.

Lakeview Health treats co-occurring disorders. We will create a treatment plan that will help you maintain a high level of success well after you leave the facility.

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Hotlines

If you are suffering from an alcohol or drug-related emergency, call 911. If it is not an emergency but you need help, call a hotline for immediate access to a service provider.

SAMHSA’s National Helpline
1(800) 662-HELP (4357)

Cocaine Anonymous
1(800) 347-8998

National Drug Helpline
1(888) 633-3239

Mental Health Hotlines

Do you feel lost and alone? Are you afraid you might harm yourself? Call 911 if you are experiencing a mental health emergency. You can also call a suicide helpline for immediate assistance.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1(800) 273-8255

Crisis Text line
Text RISE to 741741

Hotlines for Families

Watching a loved one suffer from drug or alcohol addiction can make you feel helpless and hopeless. You want to lend a hand but you also need to care for yourself. Contact Al-Anon or Nar-Anon for the support you need.

Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters
(757) 563-1600

Nar-Anon Family Groups
(800) 477-6291

Regain Your Power With Lakeview Health

Addiction is a consuming disease. Once you become addicted to drugs and alcohol, your substance of choice becomes more important than everything. You might miss work or disconnect from your friends and family. You might even lose your home and everything you love.

You don’t have to wait to hit rock bottom to seek help, though. Lakeview Health’s innovative drug and alcohol treatment center is just what you need to get on track. Call 866.704.7692 to talk to an intake professional. Your life is much too valuable to put this off for another day.