Dealing with street drug addiction in Vancouver, Kelowna, Victoria and other parts of British Columbia by Options Okanagan Treatment Center in Kelowna, British Columbia treating Opiate addiction and recovery.
What Are Street Drugs?
When it comes to the concept of “street drugs”, things get a little questionable. People will often use the term rather loosely in order to scare up support for their pet project or issue. Sometimes, people will consider prescription pills as street drugs, and other times they won’t. So pinning down precisely what street drugs actually are is a bit difficult.
In general, street drugs is defined as any mind-altering substance that is taken outside of the instructions of a doctor. This includes prescription drugs that are being abused, such as in the case of painkiller addiction. However, this also includes a number of substances that people don’t often consider drugs.
For example, tobacco is one of the most popular street drugs, but no one thinks about it as if it’s a drug. Yet it undoubtedly is. You can tell because of the effect it has on people who use it long-term, and how people act when they become addicted to it. People often try to quit smoking, only to find themselves lighting up again and again. They get grouchy and irritable when they don’t get their cigarettes, and sink increasingly large amounts of money into them even when they can’t actually afford it.
Another street drug that people don’t often consider a drug is alcohol. Once again, it’s a mind-altering substance that causes people to ruin their lives through addiction. Not only that, but it causes a number of automobile accidents every year. There are many people who feel that it should be more tightly regulated than it is for this very reason, though that’s often met with quite a bit of opposition. Either way, alcohol is absolutely a street drug.
Then there are the more commonly known street drugs. These are drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, crystal meth, heroin, and other drugs that are considered illicit. There’s quite a bit of argument over whether or not it’s appropriate for these drugs to be illegal. Proponents of legalization often claim that keeping them illegal simply creates a black market, which causes as many problems as it solves. Not only that, but they tend to argue that people who are stopped by the drugs being illegal were unlikely to use them in the first place. Proponents of keeping the drugs illegal state that the harm they cause to society is too great to let them be out and about in the open market.
This is also where prescription drugs come in. Many prescription drugs are quite easy to sell on the street, and many people will do so. Drugs such as painkillers, like Percocet and Vicodin, are often found illegally. You can also find things such as anabolic steroids, and ADHD medications such as Ritalin, Adderall, and other stimulants. These may not necessarily be considered street drugs, but there’s no denying the fact that someone can get them on the streets if they so desire.
Lastly, there are drugs such as inhalants and solvents. These are things that are not intended to be drugs, and so it’s difficult to write a law that bans them without causing hardship in other ways. Examples of these drugs are things such as gasoline, paint thinner, spray paint, and other such chemicals. By filling a bag with the fumes of these chemicals, and then inhaling the fumes directly, people can invoke a mind-altered state. Due to how cheaply these things are available, and how easy it is to hide possession of them since you don’t have to hide them at all, there’s a growing number of people becoming addicted to such things.
The Problems Of Drug Addiction
The problem of street drugs is difficult to pin down. It’s true that at least part of the issue is the illegality. By making the sale and possession of generally harmless drugs such as marijuana illegal, a black market is created. This was proven in the United States by the Prohibition era of the 1930s. Not only that, but by turning addicts into criminals, it becomes that much more difficult to get them the help they need. Instead of going to a rehab center or admitting that they have a problem, they’re more likely to try to hide the issue out of fear of legal ramifications.
This is problematic, because the longer a person stays addicted, the worse the problem becomes. The longer a person uses a drug, any drug, the higher their tolerance becomes. The higher the tolerance, the more they need to get the same amount of mind-altering effects that they once got. This is where the downward spiral exists. In addition, becoming comfortable with the use of one drug can often lead to a desire to experiment with other drugs, or at least a willingness to do so. This can lead to overdose, or other unforeseen medical problems.
Then there’s the affect on the addict’s social life. It’s been proven in several studies that giving an addict something else to focus on helps them kick the addiction. However, it’s also proven that the more addicted one becomes, the easier it is to shelter and insulate one’s self from previous social structures. Family and friends become abandoned and hurt, and it can be difficult to rise above.
How To Get Help For Street Drug Addictions
So how do you know if you’re addicted? A good rule of thumb is that if you are using your drug of choice instead of taking care of something important in your life, it’s a harmful action. Everyone has an issue like that. They get a little too drunk and forget to call someone they needed to call. They get a little too stoned and forget to pick up a package. These things happen. But if they’re happening to you more and more often, then you should seek help.
The best way to do so is to call a local drug rehab center. Make sure you find one that will actually help you with your addiction in specific. One of the counselors can help point in you the right direction, and will guide you to the solution you need.
Options Okanagan Opiate and Alcohol Treatment Centers in Kelowna, Salmon Arm and Vancouver, British Columbia – Men and Women are recovering and healing from Alcohol and Drug Abuse at our treatment center here in the Okanagan right now.
Our unique and distinctive Opiate Drug and Alcohol treatment program allows men and women to come in from Calgary as well as Edmonton as we offer airport pickup.
Numerous clients come to us from Calgary and Edmonton and other locations in Alberta and even other provinces for Opiate addiction treatment, meth drug treatment, many other drug and alcohol addictions for rehabilitation because of the uniqueness of our treatment center.
Our Treatment Location:
Options Okanagan Opiate Treatment Center
551 Sherrydale Crescent, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 2E6
Toll Free Phone Number : 1-855-335-0331
