Drop boxes, or places to leave used and unused items, have existed for many different purposes: books, clothes, old electronics, and food, but last week, East Texas introduced a drop box for prescription drugs into Rusk county. This drop box is a direct response to the opioid epidemic, and was designed so that people could dispose of unwanted or old prescriptions. It is a clever idea, and it works well knowing that there are some people who want to make a conscious effort to stop their drug use.
 
When considering the location of these drop boxes, analysts were looking at areas that had high prescription rates, which are often rural areas with a high density of physicians and dentists. Last July, a number of drop boxes were introduced in Smith County, and since then, 300 pounds of unused opioids has been collected. That is nearly a pound being dropped off daily, and with that much success, this only further proves just how effective the drop boxes can be. With hopes to install more drop boxes throughout East Texas, the Rusk county sheriffs department is hopping to make drug disposal easy and convenient. 

​When unconventional thinking leads to a great idea and creates hope for a community. and at the end please write something like, Although we are not a drop box center, we are here to serve and provide treatment to individual and families dealing with addiction. A step like dropping your unwanted medications is a step towards recovery and creating the courage to reach out for professional therapeutic help is an even more courageous step towards sobriety. Call Helix Counseling Services today.
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KLTV East Texas Combats Opioid Epidemic with RX Drop Boxes ​

In case you did not know, there is currently a heroin epidemic in Southern California. Shocking right? When I first found out about it recently, I was surprised that I had never heard about it before. Well, this is not new information. An article published in 2013 stated that more young adult and teenagers are abusing heroin than ever before. Back then, “The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported initiations to heroin have increased by 80 percent among teens ages 12 to 17” (Join Together Staff, 2013). Now, it is even worse. We need to raise awareness about this epidemic in order for this addiction to end.
The reason why heroin is becoming a huge problem is because it is so easy to obtain in Southern California. It costs way less than most drugs, as it is replacing its expensive counterpart, OxyContin. That drug has been reformulated to make it less addictive. Therefore, those who were once addicted to it are now using heroin to replace their high. Opioids are a huge problem and people living in Orange County need to realize that.
Do not make heroin your drug of choice. Call Helix today to schedule your first counseling appointment at (949)-214-4018.

Drugfree.org "Heroin Use on the Rise in Southern California,"