The prescription drug abuse problem in Georgia has been threatening the health, wealth, and general wellbeing of all local citizens. This issue has also affect many citizens irrespective of their social, economic, or political levels and geographical location.

The crisis has mostly been driven by the growing opioid epidemic that has been devastating lives all across the United States. In communities across Georgia, prescription opioids continue being abused in high rates.

The Prescription Drug Crisis In Georgia

Although there is much to see and do in the state of Georgia, many people here struggle with substance use disorders that prevent them from enjoying everything that the state has to offer.

The prescription substance use problem that has been reported across the United States has also not spared Georgia. According to the Attorney General, teens in the state are particularly hard hit by this issue. However, even patients who are being treated for a valid condition sometimes find themselves abusing prescription medications because of receiving the wrong prescriptions or more medications than they need to manage their conditions.

Although it is difficult to understand the full extent of the prescription substance abuse issue in Georgia, some statistics include:

• 4.26 percent of the state's population comprised of close to 361,000 people abused prescription pain relief medications by using them for a non-medical purpose between 2008 and 2009
• From 2008 to 2009, more than 6 percent of teens in the state aged between 12 and 17 years abused prescription pain relief medications
• In 2014, the state lost more lives to a drug overdose than to motor car accidents
• Most of the people who are addicted to prescription medications in this state eventually end up abusing heroin because it is more widely available at lower costs

The state of Georgia, to this end, has been finding itself in a position where it has to fight the growing rates of prescription drug abuse among its residents. Many people here also abuse drugs, particularly prescription pain relief medications.

Although the state has been reducing the rates of drug abuse involving substances like cocaine and other mind altering substances, areas such as Atlanta and its inner cities have witnessed an increase in the abuse of prescription medications, particularly opioids.

The increasing drug activity could be the main reason why the number of drug overdose deaths reported in Georgia increased by more than 10 percent from 2013 to 2014 - a startling statistic.

The northern Atlanta metropolitan area is also known as The Triangle. This region include Cobb, Gwinnet, DeKalb, and Fulton counties. It has witnessed an increase in the rates of opioid abuse, especially involving heroin.

The counties listed above, for instance, reported a spike of more than 4000 percent in the number of drug related fatalities that affected their populations since the year 2010. By 2015, these deaths totaled 224 fatalities.

In the northern part of the state, families and lives continue being crippled and destroyed by a wide variety of prescription opioids, including Vicodin and OxyContin. Although 10 of the 67 opioid treatment clinics in Georgia are within this region, only about 6 percent of the state's population resides here.

To counter the growing prescription drug abuse crisis, the state passed Senate Bill 402 in April of last year. Through this bill, Georgia is now compelled to open up more addiction treatment centers, particularly those focused in helping people who abuse prescription medications.

That said, most of the people checking into addiction recovery centers across the state often cite methadone as their primary substance of abuse and addiction. This could be because the people who are being treated for addiction in methadone clinic often end up swapping their addictions from the previous substance of abuse to methadone.

To counter all these issues, the Department of Health and Human Services has provided funding to the state of Georgia for use in the fight against the growing prescription and opioid drug abuse, addiction, and overdose crisis.

Most of these funds are being used to raise awareness, fund addiction treatment programs, and improve data collection across the state. Even so, they do not seem to be reducing the rates of prescription drug taking among local residents.

This could be because doctors across the state continue over-prescribing certain medications. In 2015, for instance, close to 8 million prescription for pain relief medications were written in the state. This number was enough for just about every adult in Georgia.

The state has also witnessed an increase in the rates of prescription drug abuse mostly as a result of an increase in the number of people who abuse prescription opioid pain relief medications.

This problem is so prevalent that opioids are now ranked as the most commonly abused drugs among local residents. This is not entirely surprising especially when you consider the high addictive potential of opioids such as oxycodone and hydrocodone.

Addiction Treatment In Georgia

Although substance abuse and addiction trends continue fluctuating and changing with every new year, there are some time tested methods that have been proved to be effective in dealing with addiction and substance use disorders, including those that involve prescription drugs.

Irrespective of the prescription medications that you are addicted to, there is help in the form of professional addiction treatment and rehabilitation. This treatment is often provided through both inpatient and outpatient drug rehabilitation centers.

In a bid to overcome your substance abuse and addiction, it is recommended that you seek help from either one of these centers - or even go for both form of addiction recovery. By so doing, you can potentially reduce your risk of succumbing to your growing prescription drug abuse in Georgia.