Prescription drugs’ easy availability and high addictive qualities not only ruin the lives of those who are addicted, but also those who love and care for them. One only has to look in the nearest medicine cabinet to find a plethora of pain, anti-anxiety and sleep medications to find a quick “fix†for any discomfort . The best way to handle body discomfort is to make sure you are eating correctly, getting enough sleep and daily exercise. However Americans today want instant relief which can very easily lead down the road of addiction. To throw into the mix of prescription drugs is Oxycontin, legally prescribed by doctors for pain management, now considered a gateway drug to heroin due to the similar effects it has on a person. This is truly frightening a person begins to take a medication for a real pain and weeks later finds themselves addicted. Knowledge is the best defense against addiction. Narconon Arrowhead has provided drug education to over 65,000 youth about the realities and consequences of drugs and alcohol along with an effective inpatient drug and alcohol rehab with a 70% success rate.
Phoenix has created organizations to help with the drug epidemic with the establishment of programs such as Arizona Substance Abuse Partnership (ASAP), Governor’s Division for Substance Abuse Policy, Drug Endangered Children (DEC) Program and the Parents Commission on Drug Education and Prevention to name a few. These are not rehabilitation facilities, these are preventative organizations dealing with substance abuse and how to avoid a life of addiction. For a person already caught in the cycle of addiction, inpatient rehab is the answer for that person to regain a drug-free, productive, responsible, ethical and happy life.