El Cajon Addiction Treatment Centers

There are a little more than 100,000 residents in the city of El Cajon, California, which is just east of one of the southernmost cities in the state, San Diego.¹ Like the rest of the United States, opioid drug abuse is a huge problem in El Cajon and San Diego County. Rates of prescription drug abuse continue to remain high in the area despite decades of work by public health officials and law enforcement to stem the tide. Across the U.S., as regulations around prescription opioid painkillers become tougher, more people are turning to heroin to replace the opioids they crave. About 80% of people who currently struggle with heroin addiction say they developed this condition after receiving a prescription for an opioid painkiller.²

In San Diego County, specifically, prescription drug abuse remains a major problem.³ A report from 2016 found that the rate of prescription narcotics abuse rose slightly from the previous year. One at-risk demographic—high school–aged adolescents—increased their rate of prescription opioid addiction.³

Prescription opioids impact the brain, so after a long time abusing them, they can change the physical structures of the brain, which affects memory, learning, and cognition. In adolescents who abuse opioids, these structures could be permanently changed since their brains are still developing.

It is important to get treatment to end opioid addiction. Do your homework about the most reputable treatment options and reach out to them today.

1. Data.io. (2018). El Cajon, CA.
2. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (2018). Prescription Opioids and Heroin: Prescription Opioid Use Is a Risk Factor for Heroin Use.
3. San Diego Union-Tribute. (2016). Prescription Drug Abuse Still High in San Diego County.