Drug Addiction
Drug Addiction Treatment in Colorado
Figures released by the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS) indicate that at least 50% of Americans aged 12 and above have used illicit drugs at least once in their lifetime. The NCDAS also released information stating that one in every ten Americans over the age of 12 has an alcohol use disorder.
The same agency also revealed that in 2020, the number of drug overdose-related deaths is at 700,000, while more than 140,000 Americans die from the effects of alcohol in an average year. These staggering numbers may cause residents of our state to look for drug addiction treatment in Colorado. Thankfully, Jaywalker Lodge can help those who are searching for freedom from addiction.
What We Treat at Jaywalker Lodge
At Jaywalker Lodge, we offer a specialized and highly successful continuum of care. We are an alcohol and drug addiction treatment center in Colorado that focuses on treating men dealing with chronic relapse. Common substance addictions we treat include:
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 14 million American adults have an alcohol use disorder and engaged in excessive drinking in 2022. This accounts for at least 95,000 alcohol-related deaths every year. The real tragedy of this fact is that these are completely preventable deaths. The CDC notes that men are more likely to consume alcohol heavily than women, with the most common age involved in this situation being between the ages of 18 to 34.
Alcohol is next to impossible to avoid in an average person’s life due to the fact that it is part of almost all social engagements and events. Alcohol is present in celebrations, significant events, and even in periods of mourning. This constant presence makes it extremely difficult to avoid alcohol. Apart from the danger that it puts the user in, alcohol is also known to cause harm and even death to those who do not imbibe it, as there are countless cases of accidents and fatalities linked to someone driving under the influence.
Unlike most other substances, alcohol does not come with a mechanism that makes addiction to it an immensely difficult task. There have been many cases of people successfully quitting the habit on their own, and there are also numerous cases of former alcoholics who have not suffered a relapse largely due to the many support groups dedicated to keeping them sober.
The CDC revealed that at least 20 million Americans suffer from chronic pain that interferes with their daily activities. With one in every five Americans constantly suffering from one form of pain or another, it is no wonder that painkillers would be among the most, if not the most, addictive substances being abused today. In many cases of chronic pain, the people who have it suffer from it until the day they die.
This is why when most pain sufferers are given the option of either enduring their ordeal or using a substance that could temporarily stop their pain but be addictive later, the choice for the latter almost always wins out. The problem with this is that many people who get addicted to opioids and opiates build a tolerance for it over time, which pushes the user to increase the dosage of what they are taking. This increase necessarily translates into accelerated damage to their bodies and potentially worsening of the symptoms.
The opioid and opiate addiction problem is so massive that it accounts for at least 70% of the total drug overdose-related deaths in a given year. Treatment for long-term addiction could require medication-assisted treatment to deal with the pain and powerful cravings that go with trying to kick the habit.
According to the CDC, research indiactes that fatal and nonfatal benzodiazepine overdoses increased between 2019 and 2020. Based on information from 23 states in the country, more than 90% of all fatal overdoses involving prescription and illicit benzodiazepines also involved opioid drugs. The dangers of such combinations are irrefutable and, unfortunately, many people lost their lives as a result of this polysubstance misuse.
Also, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 7,000 overdose deaths in 23 states between January 2019 and June 2020 included benzodiazepines. This accounts for about 17% of all fatal drug overdoses.
Illicit benzodiazepine-related fatalities increased 520% from 2019 to 2020. But, while many people may feel that prescription benzodiazepine use is safer than illicit benzodiazepine use, the truth of the matter is that both can prove to be dangerous. In fact, the CDC states that prescription benzodiazepine deaths increased 22% between 2019 and 2020.
Types of benzodiazepines people may misuse include Xanax, Valium, Ativan, and Klonopin. While these medications are meant to help people who suffer from anxiety, muscle spasms, or seizures, they can be addictive.
Unfortunately, countless individuals suffer from addictions to stimulant substances. Stimulants include drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription stimulants including Adderall and Vyvance.
Cocaine Addiction
A national survey from the CDC indicated that cocaine continues to be a deadly problem for the US to this day, with at least 1.5 million Americans having used cocaine in the last month of 2020 alone. The same CDC report also indicates that cocaine-related overdose deaths have increased by 26.5% in the same year.
Researchers continue to study cocaine to find out the specific mechanism that makes it immensely addictive, as it is known to hook people even on the first try. What is known so far is that it produces one of the most potent euphoric effects of all known substances, on top of giving an energetic sensation and highly confident disposition.
A major concern is that cocaine addiction tends to begin early in people who are hooked on it, as it is initially used as a performance enhancer for those who are looking for a quick boost. The first few hits almost certainly hooks in the user and the habit becomes long-term with the users being in various states of addiction.
While some are able to manage their use of cocaine, no one is known to have completely quit the substance on their own, despite various claims. The mechanism that hooks the brain to it, which incidentally also incapacitates the natural reward system of the brain as well, is so powerful that getting off the substance requires medical detox and long-term treatment.
Another reason why cocaine is so difficult to get out of is the fact that while a person is on it, they claim to be at the best they could ever be, as the substance is a potent stimulant. This false “positive reinforcement” tricks the person into believing that something that makes them feel this good could not be bad for them. A person completely immersed in cocaine, however, will already have been suffering from the negative effects for quite some time, and will only feel as close to feeling good when on it.
Jaywalker Lodge Can Show You A Way Out of Addiction
Knowing how much alcohol is in your drink can help you make informed decisions about drinking. In the US, public health agencies have established standard definitions to objectively assess a person’s individual consumption of alcoholic beverages as well as various patterns like binge and heavy drinking.
Find Help in the Rocky Mountains at Jaywalker Lodge
Our treatment program is particularly unique because it takes a different path from the usual modes of treatment, and we have evidence to prove that this has worked far better than most others. Pay us a visit to see for yourself.
As Chief Executive Officer Bill provides leadership and manage all day-to-day operations of Jaywalker Lodge, an extended care residential addiction treatment program for adult men.