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Newark, New Jersey Rehabs for Drug Abusers
Newark, New Jersey is located about 5 miles west of Manhattan, 2 miles north of Staten Island, and is near the Atlantic Ocean on Newark Bay. It has a population of 273,546 and there are about 3 people to each household.
In the twentieth century, Newark saw a major urban decline, just like many of the surrounding cities in New Jersey. The crime rate ballooned as the middle class left the area in the 1970s and 1980s. During the 1990′s, however, Newark began to experience a regrowth. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center opened in 1997 at a cost of $180 million. This new development brought over a million visitors to the area and encouraged more growth. Then the city of Newark built several sports stadiums for their minor league teams and began to refurbish the waterfront area. This brought on more growth for Newark. All of these things are great news for the area—yet the city of Newark still has a drug problem.
What Kinds of Drugs Exist in Newark?
Cocaine is a powerful drug and one of many that can be found in Newark. Often considered a “rich man’s” substance, Newark has its share of commuters working in New York who can well afford it. For those who can’t afford cocaine, crack is readily available throughout the whole state. Crack cocaine is the crystal form of cocaine. It comes in blocks or crystals varying in color from yellow to pale rose or white. Crack is heated and smoked, and travels rapidly to the brain, creating an intense and immediate (but very short lived) high for about 15 minutes. The brevity of crack’s high makes it all the more addictive. Crack is sold at prices teens can afford and in Newark, as in much of the rest of the country, it is available and affordable.
Reports also indicate that heroin is abused in many parts of the city. Statements from the State of New Jersey Division of Addiction Services disclose that heroin is used by many 18- to 25-years-old in Newark. Treatment admissions were up in 2006, and 22,751 of admitted cases involved heroin—meaning that it constituted 41% of all treatment admissions. Young people are attracted to heroin because of its relative purity and low price. It has been reported that there has been a steady increase in purity levels since 2003. In the Newark area, heroin purity is among the highest in the nation.
Methamphetamine is a white, crystalline substance that people take by snorting, smoking, or injecting it. Meth abusers develop a strong desire to continue using it because the drug creates an intense sense of happiness and well-being. The user experiences a rush of confidence, hyperactivity, and energy, as well as a decrease in appetite and inability to sleep. Meth may bring associations to mind of rebel motorcycle gangs, independent home “chemists,” and the mafia. But right now, crystal meth use and distribution in Newark appears to involve some members of the Filipino community. Filipino traffickers import large amounts of meth from Mexico and the Philippines. This meth is converted into “ice” in the Los Angeles area and then transported to the New York/New Jersey region via postal services.
Marijuana is the dried flowers, seeds, and leaves of the Indian hemp plant, and it is one of the most popular drugs in the world, as in Newark. It goes by many ‘street names,’ but regardless of what it’s called, this drug is a hallucinogen at high levels, and perception-distorting substance in any dosage. The chemical THC is the active ingredient in marijuana. The amount of THC in any given joint varies, but reports indicate that the the percentages of THC has generally increased in recent years across all varieties. The THC-induced high creates an immediate increase in heart rate, lessened coordination and balance, and a dream-like state of mind. Marijuana is imported into Newark in automobiles, tractor-trailers, and sea vessels, and some arrives in the city via the US Postal service, overnight services, parcel post, and commercial air from southwest border states.
Did you know that New Jersey has the highest concentration of pharmaceutical and chemical firms in the country? It’s not surprising that employees of these manufacturers sometimes bring home the bacon in more ways than one. Theft from these companies is not uncommon, and is one way in which prescription drugs become illegally distributed in Newark. Organized script rings also operate in Newark, and Morris County has seen a rise in arrests for prescription fraud and unlawful possession of prescription medications in recent years. A great deal of “doctor shopping” occurs in the city, and some unethical practitioners actually sell their prescription pads. For this reason, some of the most commonly abused drugs in Newark are Percocet, Oxycontin, Xanax, Vicodin, and Hydrocodone.
Everyone is Effected by Drug Addiction
Who is effected by addiction? To start with, obviously the drug abuser himself. Drugs fill the abuser’s body with toxins and result in irregular, unhealthy sleeping and eating patterns. But he often also harms his friends and family. Usually a drug abuser will need to lie in order to disguise his addiction, and these lies snowball over time. His work performance suffers, and he may lose his job. As addiction worsens, the abuser’s desperation for his “hit” increases, and since he usually loses his employment and income, he may resort to criminal activity such as stealing from his household or local businesses. At this point, every taxpayer in Newark is involved, since everyone pays for the work or our law enforcement and health professionals. Well-intentioned families so often go to extreme effort and expense to get their loved one to just quit using drugs, but usually to no avail, and the community itself suffers. For this reason, the residents of Newark require effective drug and alcohol rehab and addiction treatment centers.
Rehab and Treatment Centers of Newark
In the United States, many different types of rehab and treatment centers exist. Nationally, there is the twelve-step program, relapse prevention, one-on-one counseling, drug rehabilitation, behavior modification, support groups—the list goes on and on. But which one is right for you and your loved one? An addict needs to go to a place where he can be away from daily distractions. Each abuser usually has numerous problems, which he once used drugs to escape from. Detox and withdrawal are difficult processes, so the best environment is a place that is safe and peaceful. You also need to avoid treatment that uses another drug in order to get the addict off of the initial one to which he was addicted—this only creates a cycle of substance dependence. Then, consider whether the facility teaches life-skills. Addicts will need to learn real communication and emotion-management skills in order not to relapse; this is some of the most important work that a drug abuser does in getting his life back. So, it’s clear that Newark residents need reliable programs that make addiction a thing of the past and enable them to live full, productive lives free of drugs and alcohol.
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