South Carolina is fast becoming a source for illegal drugs instead of just a destination. It is almost halfway between New York City and Miami, and there are numerous drug rings working out of the state. Consequently, North Carolina’s drug and alcohol centers report that drug abuse admissions are quickly catching up to those for alcohol.

The DEA says that heroin, once a “city” problem, is now moving into the suburbs. Teenagers are trying it at parties and clubs (as if parents needed one more thing to worry about) Add heroin to marijuana and drugs like Ecstasy, and that’s a triple threat to the youth of South Carolina. Almost twenty percent of high schoolers use marijuana, which tells us that kids are getting on drugs at a progressively younger age, thanks to gangs and drug rings.

However, teens aren’t the only people vulnerable to drug addiction and abuse. If you look at the chart below, you’ll see that rates for opiate admissions to South Carolina’s rehab centers are climbing. Drugs like Vicodin, Oxycontin and Xanax are increasingly being used for nonmedical purposes, and people end up robbing pharmacies, forging prescriptions, and doctor shopping in order to get the drugs. All age groups are at risk for opiate addiction, from teens right on up to senior citizens.

Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse

State of South Carolina Profile of Drug Indicators

December 2007

Those South Carolina residents who are looking for drug and alcohol treatment will be able to find the right program in one of the state’s 104 rehab centers. As of 2006, the last year for which data is available, 57 of those were privately run and twenty nine were operated by the state. However, fifty eight percent of South Carolina’s drug treatment facilities get some kind of public funding, and half also contract with local hospitals, so most people seeking treatment in South Carolina will end up going through one of the state’s private facilities.

Although most of the state’s programs get public funding, not all of them offer the same services. Those receiving treatment in South Carolina will probably be treated on an outpatient basis, but people with stronger addictions will need to go to one of the state’s twenty three residential drug and alcohol treatment facilities, or perhaps go out of state for treatment.

Most of the state’s drug centers are focused on detoxification, counseling and behavioral therapy rather than medication assistance. Opiate addiction programs with buprenorphine and methadone are only offered by fourteen of South Carolina’s drug and alcohol treatment centers, and nineteen programs are certified to dispense buprenorphine, a drug that helps with withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings.

One of the best ways to successfully fight a drug or alcohol addiction is to seek treatment at the first sign of abuse. If caught early enough, the abuse can be stopped before it becomes a full-fledged addiction.

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