The information contained in this article is gut wrenching. It can be painful to read. What we are talking about today are babies, obviously through no fault of their own, who are born into addiction. In this country, every 19 minutes a life is brought into this world addicted to opiates. Over the last ten years, if you averaged it out, 13,000 children are born dependent on drugs. The staggering fact is that number is just an average. It is getting worse year after year. In 2013 there were 28,000 born with an addiction to chemicals. This can be equated to the explosion of opiate pain medications and its cheap counter part of heroin.
Watching a child detox after birth is among the saddest things to ever witness. It is worse than watching an adult detox "cold turkey". Watching an innocent child shake uncontrollably, tremble, and twitch is such a sad fact of the overall problem, ADDICTION.
Thankfully laws have been put into place to protect these children after they are sent home from the hospital. Please realize that these laws don't protect against the horrible effects a child goes through while in the womb and the weeks after birth. The "Keeping Children & Families Safe Act" keeps the states responsible to take the steps and install the safeguards for children born into addiction. Here's the problem though. There are many times that the hospitals don't tell the agencies responsible, like protective services that they have an addicted child. The child is then sent home with the mother. There have been hundreds of children who have died as a result of this. Many of these children need to be taken away.
Another problem out there is for the mothers who are addicted and carrying a baby. There is just not enough treatment options out there for them. It is estimated that three out of four people in this country who want help never get that help. This is no different for addicted, expectant mothers.
Clearbrook has treated dozens of pregnant women. If you need a drug rehab during pregnancy, please call us. There has to be a different and tailor made program for someone who is pregnant. How much someone is using, what they are using, and how long they are pregnant all factor into the program for that mother. If you are pregnant and want help, please know that it is never too late.
Clearbrook Manor
1-800-582-6241
Offering Help, Promising Hope
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