Addiction knows no boundaries based on race, age, or social status.

One of addiction’s cruelest tricks is that it also affects pregnant women and new mothers.  This is a situation that can be devastating to both lives (and the entire support system around them).

In an example that juxtaposes the growing trend of opiate addiction and the economical woes of our country, an article in the American Independent highlights how Florida has cut funding for programs that support addicted new mothers – at at time when the phenomenon is growing.

It is well chronicled that the narcotic medication epidemic is the main trend in drug addiction.  An example is a recent national study by the Centers for Disease Control that showed one in five high school students have used prescription medications recreationally –  as abuse of alcohol and marijuana are actually on the decline.  The addictive nature of narcotic painkillers leads to habitual use (and not uncommonly – a transition to heroin use which has the same active ingredient at a fraction of the price).

Once an at-risk woman in her teens or twenties becomes pregnant while addicted, addiction doesn’t “let up” and give her willpower a chance to stop.  If anything, the stressors of newly found responsibility can exacerbate the chemical dependency.  This leads to an extremely devastating scenario where the woman and the baby are in need of treatment for opiate addiction.

Programs like Healthy Star,t which is a publicly funded group that serves pregnant and drug using women, are needed more than ever at this current juncture of our country’s poorly legislated drug landscape.  Unfortunately, like so many other programs it’s funding is being cut while the need for it skyrockets.

Getting Help for Addicted Moms

Our treatment center in California is no stranger to the reality of addiction during pregnancy and during early motherhood.  We are able to offer counseling and treatment to those in our care. More importantly, we are able to provide guidance to anyone who calls our intake team of where they can get help – regardless of area or location.  Call The Rose toll free for help locating a resource that is available to you or someone who you care about .