The Canyon

Heroin addiction is a problem that increases in scope in the United States every year. People are younger and younger at the time of their first use of the drug and the percentage of new clients at drug and alcohol addiction treatment centers claiming heroin as their drug of choice is on the rise as well.

Compared to the heroin addiction problem in Swansea in Britain, the United States has its H issues under control. A new film out that documents the heroin use and abuse in Swansea is blowing everyone away, both in Britain and on this side of the pond.

The documentary, called “Swansea Love Story,” claims that there has been a 180 percent increase in the number of heroin users and addicts in Swansea over the four years that the film was made. The largest portion of the population who become new users? Young people.

This number is in keeping with what the United States is seeing at least. A decade ago, the average age of first time use of heroin in the United States was 26. Now, it’s closer to 21. No longer is heroin something that only scary people use or full blown drug addicts with a long history of abuse. It’s now a drug of experimentation, often used in high school and college.

Says the filmmakers about their journey in making the film:

“It used to be one of the biggest ports in the world, but when Margaret Thatcher helped bring about the end of heavy industry in Britain, the social implications for places like Swansea were dire.

“Funnily enough, it was Thatcher who signed off on a program that meant heroin addicts would be given access to free, sterile needles. This was after she’d closed down the mines, docks, and factories. Mass unemployment and heroin addiction have always made fine bedfellows.

“And so we went to Swansea and lived with a gang of young addicts for a few months and found out just why addiction to heroin in Britain continues to rise at such an alarming rate.

“We found out about love, death, the organized sexual abuse of children and the collapse of the family. We stumbled into a race riot, met old sailors, and listened to a wonderful Welsh male choir. We learned about why dragging yourself out of addiction is such a struggle, especially if you’re a teenager who’s the product of two generations of heroin addicts and whose great-grandfathers were miners, sailors, and steelworkers.”

Want to check out a piece of Swansea Love Story and see for yourself? It’s on the VBS.TV broadband site and also highlighted on CNN.

If you or someone you love is addicted to heroin, help is available. You don’t have to try to go through heroin detox alone and then “white knuckle” it through early recovery and pray that you don’t relapse. Heroin addiction is a medical issue and it requires medical treatment. Contact The Canyon to learn more about heroin detox, heroin addiction treatment and all the options you have to start a new life without drugs.

Drug abuse and addiction problems in Florida are running rampant and every few months a new expose or research study is released that reveals a new troubled area of the state or a drug of focus. From crystal meth to heroin, Florida is a heavy area for drug traffickers bringing substances into the country. The prevalence of prescription drug abuse here, too, is a significant. Here’s a highlight report of some of the largest drug abuse problems affecting Florida right now.

Crystal Meth Addiction

Much of the state’s crystal meth supply is made within the state’s borders. Many rural areas are home to crystal meth labs where the drug is produced from scratch, but more recently, police have been busting labs in apartment buildings and “rolling” labs or labs in RVs and campers. Florida has had increased numbers of reported use of the drug, as well as arrests for possession and distribution of the substance. More and more Floridians are entering crystal meth rehab and attending counseling for their issues with the drug.

Heroin Addiction

The drug trafficking market that goes through Florida is primarily focused on heroin. It’s multiple ports to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean means that it’s relatively easy for boats of all sizes to find their way ashore. Port towns, therefore, are a hot bed of drug and gang-related activity associated with heroin. Studies have shown that heroin abusers and heroin addicts (both the number of people who report using it in the month prior to the survey and the number of people seeking treatment for the disease) have increased in number every year for the past few decades.

Prescription Drug Addiction

Prescription drug addiction has long been an issue, especially in larger cities like Miami. There are a disproportionately high number of clinics devoted to filling and provide prescriptions as compared to the rest of the country. For that reason, there are also a disproportionately high number of doctors facing charges for illegal or inappropriate drug dispensation and higher rates of death due to prescription drug overdose.

Getting Addiction Treatment Help

Whether your drug of choice is crystal meth, heroin, or prescription drugs like OxyContin, Percocet, or hydrocodone or a combination of drugs, you can find the help you need to break free from your dependence at a drug and alcohol rehab. At a drug and alcohol rehab, you not only stop using your drug of choice with medical assistance, you also get the addiction counseling you need to understand your addiction, educational classes to understand how addiction works in the body, and therapy in groups and alone to help you gain strength in recovery.

If you would like to learn more about enrolling in drug and alcohol addiction treatment, The Canyon can help. Whether you are looking for a crystal meth detox, a prescription drug rehab or a heroin addiction treatment program, we have what you need. Call us today for more specifics about our California drug and alcohol rehab.

When Jemima Phillips was appointed Royal Harpist by the Prince of Wales, it would have appeared that her life couldn’t have been more perfect. Behind the scenes, however, an out of control heroin addiction had her struggling to hold it all together.

Recently, Phillips was convicted for theft and the arrest revealed a life full of secrets kept from the public, including violent relationships and family tragedy that likely contributed to her abuse of heroin, according to the Daily Mail.

The Appearance of Perfection

As Royal Harpist, Phillips found herself playing at amazing venues. She even played at the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker Bowles. To anyone viewing her life from the outside, it appeared as if she had it all: 28 years old, a graduate of the Royal School of Music, master of her  £18,000 harp, and a position as the Royal Harpist.

After being convicted for handling stolen goods, Phillips confessed to a heroin addiction. Even without the conviction, the admission of heroin addiction pretty well secured the loss of her position of Royal Harpist and left her with a destroyed reputation. The long story of losing her brother during childhood, developing her musical gift to soothe her siblings (one of who suffered brain damaged, the other severely autistic), emotional alienation from her father, abusive boyfriends, abortions, and burglary only served to solidify her fate.

Heroin Rehab for Heroin Addiction

If she recognized that she was struggling with heroin addiction, why didn’t Phillips seek medical help at a heroin rehab? Simple: she was trying to keep the secret and if it got out, she feared the loss of her job and the possibility of being denied the ability to work in the United States. She attempted to get clean on her own and, occasionally, was successful for a few months until something would happen to trigger her and start it all again. She was trapped by the cycle of relapse in addiction and couldn’t break free before her choices under the influence revealed her to everyone far more dramatically than a stay in heroin rehab ever would have.

Heroin Addiction Treatment: Get Help Now

If you are struggling with heroin addiction, going through the cycle of attempting to get clean every few months only to relapse as soon as something stressful comes your way, then you need heroin addiction treatment. For those who are lucky enough to be completely free of withdrawal symptoms, an outpatient heroin addiction treatment program that focuses on the emotional and mental aspects of heroin addiction will assist you in learning how to make better choices and avoid relapse. Many will provide therapies that allow you to explore your drug history for clues as to why heroin  addiction became an issue for you.

For those who are currently experiencing withdrawal symptoms, a heroin detox will need to precede heroin addiction treatment either at an inpatient heroin rehab or separate from outpatient treatment.

Whichever style of heroin rehab you choose, don’t wait. Call Canyon for more information.