AHS Views

In the last 10 years, the number of people trying to get into a Kentucky drug rehab facility has increased by 900 percent. In 2010 alone, nearly 26,000 people were admitted to addiction help centers. But so many more people need help – 26,000 is just a drop in the bucket.

Kentucky has one of the worst drug addiction problems in the U.S. Prescription drug addiction is especially bad. OxyContin addiction, for example, really took off there as so many people were suffering from chronic pain. They got prescriptions from their doctor, now they’re addicted, and they need OxyContin rehab.

A lot of these people are also out of work. True, the area is depressed economically, but there are also a lot of jobs around. The problem is that employers are having trouble finding people who qualify for the jobs because of their drug use.

Getting a job isn’t the only problem the drug use is causing. A recent report also said that most of the children in the state who die or almost die from abuse or neglect are from homes that are coping with alcohol or drug abuse. Very, very sad.

The good news for them is that Medicaid is soon to cover the cost of addiction help, and as many of the people who need it are out of a job, they will qualify for government assistance.

The Kentucky governor proposed to add $11.6 million in Medicaid specifically to help with the addiction problem in the area. That will treat another 4,500 people. Plus, they’re going to increase that budget to $14.9 million next year, which will bring the number of people they can get through drug rehab up to nearly 5,000.

Hopefully, that will also make thousands of people eligible for employment, which means they’ll have a chance to turn their lives around.

Also, when the government starts helping people get the alcohol or drug addiction treatment they need, they’re first going to focus on parents with young children.

If you’re living in Kentucky and need addiction help, or know someone who does, make sure you check with the government. The extra money for Medicaid isn’t fully approved yet, but should be soon. Give the governor’s office a call and they’ll give you more information.

I don’t know if there’s anything more likely to turn the average Joe into a criminal than OxyContin addiction. OxyContin is selling for $80 to $100 a pill. Crooked doctors, pharmacists and drug dealers are making money hand over fist, while turning people into drug addicts and criminals. If there was ever a time addiction help was needed in a big way in the U.S. it is now. The prescription drug addiction problem has turned into something more serious than all the street drugs put together.

The worst thing is the type of person who is taking OxyContin – people who were originally given a prescription by their doctor for an injury, illness or surgery and then couldn’t get off them. Kids who showed up at a party where everyone brought pills from their parents’ medicine cabinets – out for a few kicks, thinking that because the pills came from a doctor, they’re safe.

The next thing you know, you’re dealing with an addict. And what are they going to do when the prescriptions run out? Either the doctor stops renewing it or, in the kid’s case, the pill bottle at home is now empty. They’re going to have to find those drugs, or something similar, elsewhere.

And it’s not going to be free or covered by medical insurance. It’s going to be expensive – $80 – $100 a pill. And taking at least two or three pills a day, Maybe more.

What can the average person do to afford that?

They turn into dealers themselves, or they start stealing things and selling them, etc. – for kids, that will probably be from their parents at first – etc. In other words, they turn to a life of crime. Even seniors are selling OxyContin and other prescription drugs to their addicted friends!!

Drug rehab can get a person back onto the right path. If you know someone with a prescription drug addiction problem, get addiction help now.