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Prescription Drug Addiction, Women and the Growing Problem in South Florida

May 4, 2010

Prescription drugs

Palm Springs, FL (RPRN) 05/04/10 — One of the fastest growing addiction problems in the United States, prescription drug dependence has impacted the lives of individuals of all ages and socio-economic groups.   With more access to dangerous medications than ever before, emergency rooms and drug rehab centers are seeing an explosion in cases pertaining to the abuse of Vicodin, OxyContin, Adderall and other prescription drugs.

So where are people obtaining these prescription drugs?  Surprisingly, an overwhelming percentage of illegal prescription painkiller transactions take place in South Florida.   The area is rife with “pain clinics” that advertise legitimate medical treatment, but in reality are little more than “pill farms” where an individual can arrive with a credit card and leave with a doctor’s prescription for all the meds they want.   Little legitimate care is given at these facilities, and since the state of Florida has no means to centrally track the distribution of these medications, law enforcement is often powerless to shut them down.  The result is what some experts believe is a small portion of the country that may be responsible for almost half of the illicit distribution of prescription painkillers in the United States.

Raymond G. Ferrero III, J.D., executive director of health affairs for Nova Southeastern University’s Health Professions Division observed, “South Florida has become an epicenter of the illegal prescription drug trade that’s feeding America’s demand for prescription painkillers and other addictive narcotics.”

Adds noted holistic drug rehab expert John Giordano, “I’m seeing double the amount of patients with addictions to prescription drugs than I did ten-years ago.”

Women and Prescription Drug Addiction

One of the hardest hit demographics in Florida and around the country is women, who have been developing prescription drug addictions at an

Where Women Heal

alarming rate as well.   What was once characterized by the Rolling Stones as the “mother’s little helper” has now led many women to forsake their families and their careers in order to obtain more and more of their drug of “choice” – falling deeper and deeper into the cycle of addiction as tolerance and dependence threaten to separate the addicted woman from everything she holds dear.

Gender-Specific Drug Rehab Help for the Painkiller Problem

The Orchid Recovery Center in South Florida plays a vital role in the intense fight against women who abuse prescription medications.   Through a holistic process that also incorporates elements of traditional detox and counseling, The Orchid is able to help women break the cycle of addiction and learn how to change their behavior so that they can remain sober in the months and years following treatment.

What makes the work at The Orchid so groundbreaking is the truly gender-specific nature of the treatment.   The staff and patients at The Orchid are exclusively women – as treatment professionals at the facility have done extensive research and found that women heal and recover more effectively when they are in the company of other women.   What the patients of The Orchid find is a support structure made up of other women – many of whom may also be addicted to prescription painkillers – that greatly enhances the recovery process.

So unique is the treatment plan at The Orchid Recovery Center that it was recently featured on ABC News’ seminal news magazine 20/20.   The show focused on the journey of several different women through addiction to recovery – and included the time a selection of them spent at The Orchid.

The Florida location of The Orchid could not be more important given the rise in prescription drug abuse within the Sunshine State.  The facility is helping treat the women of South Florida (and indeed from all over the world) fight back against the prescription drug addiction that threatens the lives and well-being of women of all ages.

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