Buffalo Treatment Centers

Unfortunately, there is a heroin epidemic in Buffalo, New York. In July 2015, 10 people overdosed on a single night. One of them was a woman who went on to overdose again that very same evening. One person suffered a fatal overdose. All of these happened in Buffalo, but that doesn\\\'t mean there isn\\\'t a problem in the suburbs as well. In fact, Elma and Hamburg residents often travel to Buffalo in order to purchase heroin.   It is believed that there has been a spike in the number of drug overdoses because of the quality of heroin, which has been cut with fentanyl, a synthetic substance that is extremely potent. When used, the user\\\'s respiratory system has the potential to completely shut down. In the same month where there were 10 overdoses in one night, police also seized a huge quantity of fentanyl. They discovered that, in some cases, heroin was spiked with fentanyl, and that some dealers were even selling pure fentanyl as heroin.   Why So Many People Overdose in Buffalo, NY   There is a very serious issue with drug and alcohol abuse in Buffalo, and on top of that, there is a significant lack of services. Furthermore, an overdose is rarely used as an opportunity for intervention. Rather, the hospital or first responders release the patients straightaway, without referring them to detox or rehab facilities.   Meanwhile, although first responders are now equipped with naloxone, the antidote for a heroin overdose, the number of lethal overdoses continues to rise. This is because Buffalo has now been pinpointed as an area that needs to focus more on the epidemic within its city limits. What is known, and which public health officials are now using to drive policy, is that:  

• Young people start to drink alcohol and use cannabis at a very young age.
• Cannabis and alcohol are both gateway drugs.
• Most heroin addictions start as a prescription painkiller addiction. This is because heroin is more readily available and far more affordable than prescription opioids.
• Around 50% of children in Buffalo live in poverty.
• The unemployment rate stands at 8.2%.
• The rate of police brutality is higher than average in Buffalo.

  There are serious social and economic issues in Buffalo, and there are clear positive correlations and causalities between them and the high levels of substance abuse. Unfortunately, officials in Buffalo continue to see the problem as one of policing first, and health care second. Yet, addiction is a disease, and one that can be addressed through proper treatment in detox and rehab facilities.   Buffalo has come under significant criticism because of its near-denial of the problem. It is felt that coalitions need to be formed in order to address the very serious problems that the city and its residents are facing. In fact, some say that an intervention is needed with city officials, so that they come to understand that they must properly address the socioeconomic issues, as well as ensure that residents have access to high quality detox and rehab facilities in the event that they get mired into the problem of addiction.