St. Catharines Drug Addiction and Treatment

Drug Addiction in St. Catharines, Ontario

The region of St. Catharines and Niagara has had some trouble with drugs in the past and is still struggling with some drug addictions. There are a few drugs which are more seen than others. For example, drugs like oxycodone (OxyContin) and marijuana are very present within the St. Catharines and Niagara region. Of course, one can find almost any drugs if one looks for it, but those two are the most popular in the region. Prescription drugs, especially OxyContin, have made a really big impact during the last decade and are now becoming one of the most illegally abused prescription drugs.

Marijuana of course is a very popular drug. It is mostly used by young adults and also by students in the area. This particular problem has shown recently in the statistics. There was a raise of 52 per cent in the marijuana possession charges in St. Catharines and Niagara over the year of 2008. The officials see that there is a big problem with drugs in St. Catharines and Niagara, so they are actively fighting the drug trafficking and drug addiction that is going on. They do so with several projects, some preventing and some stopping the trafficking by raiding and arresting.

Drug Treatments in St. Catharines, Ontario

There are a lot of facilities in St. Catharines and Niagara which are there to help an addict get over his addiction. There are 26 facilities in St. Catharines and Niagara and there are about 15 organisations that actively work to help addicts. Some organisations operate from more than one location. Of course, each organisation specialises in a certain type of treatment.

Some are only there to plan the treatments that the addict will need and they do so by performing an assessment. There are also some that work in managing the withdrawal symptoms an addict goes through when he starts quitting the drug. Then there are actual programs that work towards the rehabilitation of the individual. Some of them are outpatient, meaning the addict still lives at home and goes in for treatments, and some of them are residential, meaning the addict lives in the facility and undergoes the treatment. In St. Catharines and Niagara, there are:

• Assessment and treatment planning – 6 organisations located in 9 different sites
• Withdrawal management treatment – 1 organisation located in 2 different sites
• Outpatient treatment – 7 organisations located in 14 different sites
• Residential treatments – 1 organisation located in 1 site

The person in need of help can also go in an Ontario alcohol treatment.