Rehabs near Allentown

Allentown, along with other cities facing substance use issues, is trying to implement nationally recognized strategies to combat the issue of addiction. As the fastest growing city in Pennsylvania, Allentown is experiencing growing pains. The area surrounding the city, known as Lehigh Valley, has seen an increase in Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) and related criminal activity. While law enforcement has tried to step up and manage the amount of trafficking, it’s difficult to fully choke off the flow of illicit goods into an entire city. Opioids in particular give Allentown a hard time. Heroin overdoses mirrored those in the larger cities during the 2010s. As the popularity of prescription drugs waned, use of Heroin, a cheap alternative, grew steadily. Then Fentanyl took off. Though less popular overall when compared to Opioid use, Cocaine use seemed to be growing worryingly fast — as much as 40% between years in some cases. While tackling SUDs seems like an impossibly large task for an entire city to address, Lehigh Valley saw a distinct decrease in the trend of Opioid use nonetheless. As COVID-19 hit, this trend began to reverse as more and more people lost their economic, social, and emotional support systems. Allentown citizens lost jobs and then turned back to old habits with Opioids or alcohol to take the edge off. Overdose deaths have been on the rise since 2019, and a quarantine has only stoked the flames. If you find yourself caught in those flames, please know that there is hope and help for you. Reaching out to a treatment center may seem impossible, but you’re worth the effort and there are options nearby. Please care for yourself.