Avoiding the Oxy Alley

Florida is known as the epicenter of the current prescription drug abuse epidemic. At one point, the state had 90 of the top 100 Oxycodone-purchasing physicians in the nation and 53 of the top 100 pharmacies supplying the pills. Interstate 95 was dubbed Oxy Alley for the dealers who regularly drove hundreds of miles to South Florida to buy cheap pain pills.

Quickly becoming America's fastest growing drug problem, prescription drug abuse has reached alarming heights. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially declared prescription drug abuse an epidemic in the United States. More than 6 million Americans abuse prescription drugs and recent times have seen an alarming increase in the number of prescription drug sales and deaths due to prescription drug overdoses, as the statistics have more than quadrupled since 1999.

Prescription drug abuse involves a legal medication without a prescription, not in accordance with the way it was prescribed by the doctor or for the high that the drug elicits. The abuse of drugs, prescription drugs included, leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. This is why, even though the initial decision to consume prescription drugs is voluntary, the changes made in the brain due to repeated use start to alter an individual's self-control and decision-making abilities.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the most abused prescription drugs include opioids (painkillers such as Oxycodone), Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants (Xanax, Valium) to treat anxiety and sleep disorders and stimulants such as Adderall and Methylin to treat attention deficit disorders.

Doctors in Florida are known to prescribe 10 times more oxycodone pills than all other states in the country combined. People come from all over the Southeast to visit the state's pain clinics establishing the trend of 'doctor-shopping'.

Typically, doctors give them a quick exam and then a prescription for a powerful painkiller. Sometimes, they even fill the prescription on the premises.

Mark Trouville, a special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration, revealed joint law enforcement operations to have conducted over 300 undercover drug buys from pain clinics over the last year.

A major reason for pill mills to have been this successful in Florida is because, unlike most other states, it lacks a system for monitoring drug prescriptions. Law enforcement officials say that would help prevent "doctor shopping" - people who move from one clinic to another, buying hundreds of doses of prescription drugs. They have further stated that this ongoing trend cannot be curbed solely based on hundreds of arrests. Stricter laws and monitoring is much needed at this point.

If you have made the decision to reclaim your life from the shackles of addiction, you have a plethora of drug rehabs in Florida to choose from. The Florida Drug Addiction Helpline is available 24/7 to connect you with the best Florida drug rehab center that customizes treatment plans and aftercare programs to suit your individual needs.