Reasons to Seek Addiction Treatment NOW
Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world in unprecedented ways, spurring dramatic changes in statistics surrounding mental health, addiction, and drug use across the country. All preliminary and recently released data point to 2022 being a crucial year for those struggling with addiction to seek professional treatment for many reasons, but some are too urgent and critical to ignore.
Legislation is Changing for the Better
With overdose death rates at an all-time high amid the pandemic, policymakers have been urged to push along legislation that can improve access to addiction treatment for communities that have otherwise faced significant challenges. Moves to optimize outpatient opioid use disorder treatment with methadone are being introduced to lessen the time patients wait to receive take-home doses and allow pharmacies to dispense methadone for the first time. The recent bill proposed also plans to implement mobile treatment clinics to help expand reach to those who live in remote areas or don’t have access to transportation. Although these changes will need time to take effect, many accredited outpatient clinics are opening their doors to those on Medicaid or without insurance by making treatment more affordable and accessible than ever.
Fentanyl is Everywhere, and it’s Deadly
The spike in overdose deaths is partially due to the prevalent emergence of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Despite its therapeutic medicinal use among terminal cancer patients and others who legitimately require such a potent medication, it has become a very profitable and cheaply manufactured substance that’s finding its way into all illicit drugs found on the street. Because of fentanyl’s intense strength in tiny doses, non-opioid drug users who ingest it unknowingly are falling victim to accidental overdose.
Street opioids and opiates like heroin are rarely found these days without traces of fentanyl, causing a dangerous trend among chronic users seeking out the potent synthetic to achieve a potentially deadly high. Though there have been efforts to make fentanyl testing kits available for illicit drug users, they may not be enough to stop the alarming overdose rates. The only sure way to avoid such a fate is to enter an opioid addiction treatment program, particularly medication-assisted treatment, which has proven most effective long-term.
Chances of Recovery are Good, Actually
In the face of the harrowing overdose statistics, there is hope. Studies show that most people who struggle with addiction do recover. The process varies from person to person, some needing only a few months, while others abandon and return to their recovery plans for years before finding success. Regardless, there is valid proof that chances are likely for those who seek treatment sooner than later.
Recovery Services of New Mexico can help those who want to take the first, life-saving step towards addiction recovery. Specialized medical providers, nurses, and administrative staff at every RSONM location treat patients with the dignity and respect they deserve as they go through the process of changing their future free from substance use disorder. Call or message a local RSONM clinic today to learn more about available medication-assisted treatment and recovery programs.