According to a December 28, 2016 New York Times article, the drug Fentanyl, has surpassed heroin in being the largest cause of death resulting from drug overdoses on Long Island. In this past year, over 220 people overdosed and died from Fentanyl, which is normally used as an aesthetic for surgery or for severe cancer pain. The Long Island death toll is indicative of a terrifying pattern that is spreading across the country, particularly in regions including the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Appalachia. And Fentanyl is starting to make a deadly impact on the Midwest.

Most deaths are a result of addicts obtaining Fentanyl illegally, but in 2015, U.S. physicians wrote about 6.5 million legal prescriptions for the drug. The truth is that there are probably more Fentanyl-related deaths out there than known because a majority of coroners’ offices don’t keep Fentanyl-related deaths on record.

And, Fentanyl was the same drug that killed Prince, a talented musician who accidentally overdosed from the drug.

Some users love Fentanyl because the high is more intense than the euphoria achieved from injecting heroin. Other addicts are fooled to believe that they are buying Vicodin or heroin from their dealers, when in fact, their pills or powder are laced with Apache or Murder 8, which are two of Fentanyl’s many street names, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. And illegal Fentanyl is cheap. Fentanyl, by itself, is used through patches, lollipops, injection and smoking.

On a national scale, death from drug overdoses, including Fentanyl, heroin and opiate painkillers, has undulated across the country. According to Robert Anderson, the Chief of Mortality Statistics Branch for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this terrifying trend parallels the HIV epidemic that rippled across the nation in the late 1980’s and in the early 1990’s.

So what does this mean?

Many individuals in our country, particularly, our youth are falling prey to drugs like Fentanyl, heroin and opiate painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin. Besides the addicts who are not aware of how deadly opiates are, there are addicts who are aware that they might die from their drug abuse, but have reached a point in their addiction, where achieving a chemical high is more important to them than their lives. Perhaps they do want to live, but the dark voices of their addiction tell them otherwise. It’s as if they have fallen to the bottom of a dark well, without realizing that there is a rope hanging right by their side and that there are licensed addiction professionals holding that rope ready to pull them out.

At Cycles of Change Recovery Services, we are holding the rope and will help you get out of the dark well of addiction. Many of us in recovery have been there ourselves, and we can teach you that there is a way out.

Our social model detox will help clients withdraw safely and comfortably, while being surrounded by a professional detox team, which includes licensed therapists.  With detox being the first stage of treatment, inpatient care comprises the second stage. Our beautiful Mediterranean-style residential treatment homes will provide you with serenity. While in our care, you will be safe and secure. You will realize that the difference between addiction and recovery is as clear as the distinction between darkness and light. And you will heal from the damages of addiction, as well as other co-occurring disorders including depression, trauma and anxiety. Our holistic approach treats not only the mind, but also the body and spirit.

And you will come to believe that your life is worth living and that you deserve happiness, peace and serenity. We are here to help, and look forward to your call.