Over the past several years, Tampa has received an increased threat from expanding meth labs. The number of heroin-related deaths in Tampa per year has skyrocketed. In 2006, over 200 unintended drug overdose deaths were reported to law enforcement authorities, and in 84% of the deaths reported, more than one commonly abused drug was found in the victim’s body. The deadly practice of combining abused pharmaceuticals with illicit drugs has brought up the rate of drug-related death to 1 fatality every 35 hours.

 

However, Tampa itself is truly afflicted by the abuse of one type of drug that is not necessarily even illegal, and is readily available to anyone with access to a local pain management clinic (otherwise known as a pill mill). It has recently been recorded that 7 Tampa residents a day, on average, fall victim to a prescription drug overdose.

Tampa has quickly become the American epicenter for prescription drug abuse, and the rapidly growing crisis has begun affecting innumerable facets of society. The Tampa Bay area, sadly, leads the state in the number of births to children born addicted to prescription medications. The abusers range in age from elementary school students to senior citizens; however, most prescription drug abuse initially starts from appropriate painkiller consumption prescribed for serious injuries or chronic pain.

 

Of all prescriptions painkillers being obtained dishonestly, sold in droves, and abused regularly, Oxycodone tops the list. The first instances of recreational Oxycodone use began in Florida in the 1990’s, and since then regional circulation of the drug has become what some have come to call an epidemic. In the year of 2010, Oxycodone caused 715 deaths in the state of Florida, 67 of those deaths occurring in the Tampa Bay area. Addiction and drug abuse in general have recently become more of an issue than they ever proved to be previously, in large part because those afflicted remain unaware of the excessive opportunities for recovery immediately available to them.

 

The third largest city in Florida, Tampa has an exceedingly multi-cultural makeup, being voted one of the top five most diverse, integrated urban areas in the United States by the Census Bureau. Because of Tampa’s diverse nature, a wide array of differing treatment options is available. There are over 20 prominent treatment centers in the Tampa area, all offering somewhat unique and individualized approaches to recovery.

 

Additionally, Tampa is home to a number of medical detoxification clinics and halfway houses – crucial components to a well-rounded and lifelong recovery. Many treatment centers located in Tampa strongly recommend abiding by what has come to be known as The Florida Model of recovery. These models suggests a slow integration back into day-to-day life, slowly acquiring more freedom and personal responsibility as phased from treatment center to outpatient to halfway house, and finally, back into a self-sufficient and personally accountable lifestyle. If treatment is comprehensive and long lasting, as it would be if the model were accurately utilized, the rate of relapse drops dramatically from 90% (short-term treatment and no follow-up care) to 40%.

 

Despite the prescription drug abuse taking a major toll on society in the Tampa Bay region of Southern Florida, the area is also a sought-after destination to set a solid foundation for long-term sobriety. The programs offered cater to a variety of individualized needs, and Tampa itself, ranked the 5^th best outdoor city in the United States by Forbes, is undoubtedly a beautiful place to relocate and heal one’s mind, body, and spirit.

Drug rehabs within Tampa