Flakka's Devastating Impact on South Florida and What Families Can Do About It
Flakka is a synthetic drug that was developed in the 1960s and is commonly known today as a "bath salt." This synthetic drug is sold on the streets in a variety of forms, as cheap substitutes for methamphetamine and cocaine. The stimulant in flakka comes from the khat plant grown in Africa and the Middle East. Flakka is typically swallowed, snorted, inserted rectally, smoked/ vaped or injected. It's a white or pink "crystal" with a foul odor.
As the clinical director at an addiction treatment center in the South Florida area, my clinical team and I see firsthand the devastating physical and social impact that this drug has on our clients, their families and others. As with many other forms of addiction, the problematic effects of flakka affect many aspects of our clients' lives, including their physical health, their ability to maintain employment, family problems, legal problems and many more.
What's the attraction of flakka? Users can experience: a "body high," extreme energy, enhanced focus, euphoria, appetite suppression, lowered inhibition, increased sociability, increased sex drive and more. Unfortunately, the high of flakka comes with a high price tag: dehydration, difficulty urinating, vibrating vision, increased heart rate, increased perspiration, time distortion, increased anxiety and depression, nosebleeds, paranoia, hallucinations, panic attacks, extreme agitation and violent behavior (known as excited delirium). Flakka users who experience excited delirium often suffer a breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue and kidney failure. Moreover, flakka is linked to suicide in those users who experience excited delirium. The drug is also known to cause heart attacks and death.
The effects of flakka usually begin to occur within 15 to 45 minutes of exposure and last for anywhere between 2 and 7 hours. Undesirable effects, however, can last from hours to days. And, as I've indicated, some of its personal, interpersonal and societal impacts can last a lifetime.
Flakka was originally produced in labs in China. In October 2015, China banned the sale of flakka (alpha-PVP) and more than 99 other synthetic drugs. You can easily find websites where, with bitcoins, you can buy pure A-PVP Crystal for as little as $14.97 per gram. This clearly explains the attraction of flakka as an inexpensive, easily obtainable street drug.
The active ingredients in flakka were originally developed as "research chemicals" to be sold for use in scientific and medical research. Research chemicals fall into legal grey areas under U.S. law. Research chemicals are also psychoactive drugs, and in the case of flakka, it has also been proven to be a potent, addictive stimulant. Flakka is also used as an anorectic, a drug class that reduces appetite. This again speaks to the attraction of the drug for many.
According to some sources, Flakka's effects on the South Florida community are beginning to rival the crack epidemic of the 1980s. Local hospitals that were reporting one to two admissions daily as a result of flakka use are now reporting approximately 25 to 30 daily as of Dec. 2015, with that number steadily on the rise.
Like many other frequently abused drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, flakka is highly physically and psychologically addictive; therefore, treatment often requires professional help.
Behavioral treatment includes cognitive behavioral therapy, contingency management and motivational enhancement for those who are not "ready" to change. Families struggling with loved ones should seek the assistance of a professional treatment program that can address not only the drug's physical effects but also the widespread effects on the user and his or her family.
What should you look for in an addiction treatment program? Families struggling with flakka, or any other chemical or behavioral addiction, should focus on accredited programs that offer a multi-dynamic, highly client-specific approach, rather than one that's one-size-fits-all. They should find a program that features a balance of cognitive behavioral and systemic/family therapy approaches, trauma-specific programs, faith-based approaches and eating disorder therapy, all with a 12-step oriented focus.
With drugs like heroin garnering more headlines in the media these days, it's easy for families with a member who's addicted to flakka or other drugs to think that their problems are being overlooked. Addiction is a gravely serious concern, and it's critical that its psychological, physical and social effects are addressed with competent professional treatment. The abuse of flakka in the United States is an epidemic, and we're doing our part to treat the problem one client and his or her family at a time.
Stuart Azoulay, MS, CAP, is clinical director of Ocean Breeze Recovery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
