Texas

Drug abuse and addiction problems are an ever present problem in the state of Texas. Because it is a border state, drugs flow up through the Mexican border leaving in their wake drug abusers and addicts. The amount of marijuana seized along the Texas portion of the Southwest Border steadily increased over the period 2006 to 2010, while cocaine has dropped continuously from its highest levels in 2006. Methamphetamine seizures on the border remain at very low levels. The El Paso Intelligence Center’s National Seizure System has seen a substantial increase in the number of meth lab seizures throughout the state. Texas has had an increase of 67% in the number of meth lab seizures from 2007 (93) through 2009 (155). The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) provides national and state-level data on the use of tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs (including non-medical use of prescription drugs), and mental health in the United States. In their recent survey, 6.26 percent of Texas residents reported using illicit drugs in the past month. The national average was 8.02 percent. Additionally, 3.3 percent of Texas residents reported using an illicit drug other than marijuana in the past month (the national average was 3.58 percent). As a direct consequence of drug use, 2,343 persons died in Texas in 2007. This is compared to the number of persons in Texas who died from motor vehicle accidents (3,800) and firearms (2,561) in the same year. Texas drug-induced deaths (9.8 per 100,000 population) were lower than the national rate (12.7 per 100,000). The Texas Prescription Program became operational in 1982 under Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 481, Sections 481.074-481.0761, which was enacted in 1981. The Program, under the Texas Department of Public Safety, monitors controlled substances in Schedules II, III, IV, and V. Data is collected bi-weekly. From September 1, 2008, to August 31, 2009, nearly 35 million prescription records were collected.

During 2010, the most commonly cited drug among drug rehab admissions in Texas was marijuana. After marijuana, the next most commonly cited drug was cocaine, heroin, stimulants, other opiates, sedatives, tranquilizers, PCP, hallucinogens, other/unknown and lastly inhalants. Drug rehab programs provide addicted persons with the support and guidance they need when going through the difficult process of recovery. A drug rehab’s success can be measured by the number of persons who complete the program and are able to maintain their sobriety long after they leave treatment. Statistics are often hard to come by on exact numbers of sober graduates from a specific drug rehab program. However, the majority of top rated drug rehab centers will have a general idea of how many of their clients who complete their program maintain their sobriety. A successful drug rehab will help their clients not only get clean, but also address the underlying issues that caused them to turn to drug or alcohol abuse. Finding success when completing a drug rehab program is ultimately up to the recovering addict; they decide whether they are going to apply what they learned in treatment or if they are going to “push their luck” by walking right back into the same situations they were trying to leave behind. Addicted persons who truly want to recover from their drug dependence will fully immerse themselves in the rehab process. When they have completed the treatment program they will need to apply all of their new knowledge to their daily life in order to maintain their sobriety.