How To Find Drug Treatment In El Paso

Drug Use in El Paso

Nestled against the Rio Grande in west Texas, El Paso, the fifth largest city in the state, is a bustling border town. Just across the river in Mexico, Ciudad Juarez boasts a population of over 1.5 million. The two cities make up the second largest international metropolitan area in the Americas. The cities share four ports of entry, making this metro area a major gateway for illegal drug trade between the US and Mexico

Since the 1990s, the Mexican border has replaced Florida as the main entryway for illegal narcotics entering the United States. As one of the largest border towns in Texas, almost every type of illegal drug is widely available in El Paso. Marijuana, heroin, and cocaine are popular drugs used in border towns such as El Paso, as opposed to narcotic pain killers and methamphetamine, which are more popular in non-border areas of the state.

While alcohol addiction remains the main reason for adults entering rehab in El Paso, heroin addiction is becoming a close second. Although alcohol and marijuana remain the drugs of choice among teens in El Paso, the last decade has seen an increase of younger heroin users seeking addiction treatment, showing that heroin addiction is a growing problem in the state of Texas.

Need For Drug Rehab in El Paso

As an entryway for illegal drugs to pass into the US, El Paso has a large need for quality drug treatment programs. Many illegal drugs coming through Mexico are stored in “stash houses” before making their way to larger cities for distribution. This makes drugs of all kinds widely available in El Paso. Also, illegal drugs near border towns are often cheaper and more potent than drugs found elsewhere in the state or country. Heroin, for example, is abnormally potent near the border because it hasn’t been distributed to dealers across the country that normally cut the drug with other substances, looking to boost their own profits. Because this cheaper, more potent heroin is widely available all over El Paso, a major increase in heroin addiction across the city has resulted.

Choosing a Drug Treatment Program in El Paso

There are many different drug treatment programs available in El Paso, ranging from support groups such as Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous to luxury inpatient rehab facilities. Finding the best drug treatment program for yourself or a loved one depends highly on two factors, the type of addiction their suffering and the severity of the addiction.

Addictions associated with severe withdrawal symptoms, such as alcohol or heroin addictions, are more often successfully treated in an inpatient rehab program, followed by outpatient recovery therapy and support. Long-term addicts also benefit more from an inpatient drug treatment setting, and have higher success rates than those who choose support groups or outpatient programs.