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There isn’t anything more frightening in the world of drug abuse than the rise of fentanyl. I have almost died twice in my experience with fentanyl. My opiate addiction as well as my interactions with fentanyl gave me little hope for recovery until I discovered Rehabs Of Armerica.
Drug dealers have been cutting many illicit drugs with fentanyl, which has led to a rise in overdose deaths. Fentanyl addiction is also on the rise, but a lot of the overdose deaths attributed to fentanyl are from addicts ingesting drugs cut with fentanyl unknowingly. If you have a loved one who’s been exposed to this potent opioid, it can be helpful to have answers to how much does fentanyl cost, and how can fentanyl dependence be treated?
I was able to achieve sobriety through Rehabs Of Armerica, and have tried to educate myself as much as possible on the dangers of drug addiction, specifically drugs like fentanyl. There are a lot of factors that come into play as to how fentanyl has become such a big concern in this country.
Keep reading to learn more about the cheap costs driving fentanyl and fentanyl pills into every corner of the drug supply in the United States, and how to get help if you or someone you care about has become hooked on this synthetic opioid.
With fentanyl infiltrating the illegal drug market, there is a huge cause for concern. The drug enforcement administration lists fentanyl as fifty to a hundred times more potent than Morphine. Fentanyl is usually prescribed to those with severe pain associated with diseases such as cancer.
The DEA and other organizations that fight drug trafficking organizations are up against a pretty big fight when it comes to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Because of the opiate epidemic, the street prices of illicit substances have skyrocketed. Because of this, many opiate addicts have switched to cheaper drugs like heroin.
For law enforcement agents, fentanyl forms a many-headed hydra in terms of combatting its spread, and the spread of analog substances like carfentanil and furanyl fentanyl. Of the pills tested in the American market, many alleged Oxycodone and even Xanax instead have fentanyl contained.
An emerging trend of fentanyl being cut with xylazine, a horse tranquilizer, is the latest cause for concern according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and reports from across the US. If a loved one has begun using painkillers, getting help is even more important in the face of these lethal substances flooding the street supply.
Fentanyl is available in powder and liquid form. The powder form is typically used to cut other powder drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. This allows drug dealers to maximize profit, even at the cost of all of the lives that are being lost to this dangerous substance.
A pure gram of fentanyl can range from $40 to more than $400, depending on the source and actual purity. The low-cost end of the spectrum is often found when people try to purchase highly addictive ‘research chemicals’ online, with opioids and other substances being found readily on the dark web and elsewhere online. The results are often disastrous, with unregulated chemicals frequently the cause of drug overdose deaths.
What is essentially heroin use at the click of a button has never been easier. And the potency of these substances is an effective 100 times higher than traditional ‘smack’ and even china white from decades past pales in comparison.
I watched a video once, it may have been done by a drug enforcement agency of some kind, but I don’t really remember. But you can look on YouTube for how they manufacture these ‘fentapills,’ and it’s not a pretty process. There’s no lab involved. Most of the time it’s some guys with a vat or bathtub, just mixing huge batches of “dirty 30s” in pale blue or whatever color they have on hand.
Many addicts abuse fentanyl exclusively. I was one of the many drug addicts who made the jump from heroin to fentanyl addiction, because of the easy access to it. I’ve overdosed twice on fentanyl, and both times I went right back to abusing it regularly. This says a lot about the power of drug addiction.
Even after I knew how they were made, I kept going back to them.
Drug users will go after their fix even if they know it might kill them. One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill five hundred thousand people. A lethal dose of fentanyl for one person is comparable to one grain of sand.
There are a lot of street drugs that can kill you, but nothing compares to a fentanyl addiction. When you are abusing drugs, you usually aren’t thinking about the associated dangers of the drug you are using. The fear of overdose didn’t compare to the need to get high for me, and this is how I lived my life for many years.
Beyond the liquid and powder forms of fentanyl, it can also come in a nasal spray and in pill form. Counterfeit pills have flooded the illegal drug trade, and are a sought-after item on the US market for many drug trafficking organizations.
Synthetic opioids are manufactured in a lab and sold by pharmaceutical companies to help with a variety of different medical conditions. Much like other opioids, these are often abused. Many individuals who were not drug addicts have developed addictions because of being prescribed drugs like this.
Using prescription medication is a slippery slope for a lot of people. Often times you don’t view yourself as an addict, because you obtained these drugs legally. Prescription opioids have been the cause of so much pain and trauma to countless people. It’s no wonder that pharmaceutical companies have gotten such a bad reputation in recent years.
Although fentanyl is more expensive than heroin, it is more profitable for drug pushers because of its effects. The average street value on the black market is between three hundred and four hundred dollars for pure ‘fetty,’ almost twice that of heroin. However, ten grams of fentanyl is estimated to cause the same effect as one gram of heroin.
Because fentanyl is so powerful, only a very small amount is required when dealers are cutting other drugs with it. The average price of other forms of fentanyl may vary, but the powder form is the form that is most often distributed. The drug markets have changed drastically since the introduction of fentanyl.
Recovery centers all across the country are seeing a rise in fentanyl addictions. Treatment for fentanyl addiction is similar to treatment for any other opioid addiction, although it may have a higher level of intensity. When I went to treatment, it took me weeks before I finally felt normal again, and didn’t crave fentanyl at every waking moment.
Having a little bit of distance from addiction makes you see things so much clearer. I know now that every time I used fentanyl, I was gambling with my life. It’s a miracle that I am even still here to tell my story. When I meet others struggling with fentanyl addiction, I know that it is a race against the clock to save them.
You have to want to save yourself. No one is going to step in and save you from your addiction. I required a lot of support during my recovery, but I also had to do a lot of the work myself. I work on my mental health and I listen to the medical professionals who helped me. The comparison between who I was and who I am now is night and day.
I no longer wonder about paying my rent, and when I look for work, I don’t have to worry about how long fentanyl stays in my system. Most of all, I am glad not to be constantly fighting off dope sickness and wondering if the next shot I do will be my last.
I still have moments where I feel the urge to use drugs. Not every day in recovery is going to be easy. The trick is to appreciate the good days and keep in mind that these urges will pass on the bad days. My impulse control is much better than it used to be because I know the consequences of my actions. I know with any drug, one relapse could prove fatal.
I don’t bring up my drug abuse with people unless they ask. When I go to recovery meetings, I speak as openly as possible about it. Being in recovery doesn’t mean trying to save everybody else, but if someone wants to be saved, I have the tools to potentially help.
That is an honor and privilege that I take very seriously. I wouldn’t be where am now without taking that first step with Rehabs Of Armerica.
If you or a loved one are struggling with fentanyl in any form, or think you might be, now is the time to reach out for help. Call their compassionate team today and get options within minutes… seize the momentum now and put fentanyl in the past for good!
Edward lives and works in South Florida and has been a part of its recovery community for many years. With a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Massachusetts, he works to help Find Addiction Rehabs as both a writer and marketer. Edward loves to share his passion for the field through writing about addiction topics, effective treatment for addiction, and behavioral health as a whole. Alongside personal experience, Edward has deep connections to the mental health treatment industry, having worked as a medical office manager for a psychiatric consortium for many years.
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