Are Tulsa and Oklahoma City Really Among the Most Dangerous Cities in the Country?
According to Forbes Magazine and the travel website www.mylife.com, Tulsa and Oklahoma City are among the top ten most dangerous cities in the US. Forbes published their report in 2010 and the website www.mylife.com published their list – with Tulsa at #1 and Oklahoma City at #2 – in 2014. Could these reports possibly be correct? Many people disagree.
The website reported that they had compiled this list using statistics like number of police officers, violent crimes, traffic fatalities and property crime. Forbes used FBI standardized crime records and Department of Transportation information on traffic accidents.
Many Oklahoma residents and visitors and an Oklahoma criminologist responded with disbelief. An analysis by Tulsa World openly disputed the list by www.mylife.com. “Oklahoma does have some serious problems involving issues of domestic violence, child abuse, poverty, hunger and health,” writer Ginny Graham noted. She also noted that Oklahoma is number one for incarceration of women, and for men, ranks number four. The state also “ranks high in various rates of addictions and mental health issues,” she added.
Most of the problems on Ms. Graham’s litany of social ills very often involve substance abuse. Domestic violence, child abuse, homelessness, joblessness, poor health – yes, there are many other factors influencing these social problems. But for many people, the road to experiencing these problems was paved with drug or alcohol abuse.
Whether these cities are among the most dangerous or not, it’s absolutely true that Oklahomans are suffering far too heavily from drug and alcohol abuse.
#1 Cause of Accidental Deaths: Drug Overdoses
According to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, the number of prescription drug overdoses in the state reached a record level in 2014. That year, 874 people died. Seventy-two percent of those overdose deaths were from pills and 28% were from illicit drugs.
But drugs were not the only substances killing Oklahomans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, far more people in Oklahoma died in crashes caused by a drunk driver than the national average.
In 2014, about 15% of Oklahoma residents were struggling with drug or alcohol abuse problems and needed help from a drug rehab. Most people who need this kind of help won’t get it because they don't recognize that they need it. In fact, their families very often don’t realize they need it either since they don’t realize they are dealing with addiction. They may want to trust their loved one or may keep thinking that he (or she) will pull himself together. When a person is addicted, however, it very often requires professional help for the individual to turn their back on drugs. That’s where we come in.
Narconon Arrowhead Has Been Helping for More than 25 Years
From our location in the beautiful rolling hills of Pittsburg County, we help people develop the sober living skills they need in order to take back their lives from drugs or alcohol. At our lodge in Arrowhead State Park, our innovative program uses nutritional support to ease withdrawal sickness and pain, and a sauna-based detoxification program that helps people recover from the cloudy, slow thinking that is an aftereffect of drug use and addiction. Once they achieve a brighter outlook and clearer perceptions, they’re able to learn skills like effective communication and problem-solving.
It takes time to recover from years of drug or alcohol abuse and at Narconon Arrowhead, they have the time they need to build those new skills. For most people, the program takes eight to ten weeks, but there is no set time limit.
Learn how the Narconon Arrowhead drug rehabilitation program can help someone you care about. Call us today for all the details: 1-800-468-6933.
http://ktul.com/archive/tulsa-ranked-most-dangerous-city-in-united-states
http://www.forbes.com/sites/francescalevy/2010/10/12/real-estate-lifestyle-danger-housing-cities/2/#746596145119
http://www.news9.com/story/26522493/several-react-after-okc-ranked-second-most-dangerous-city
http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/news/ginniegraham/ginnie-graham-tulsa-ranks-no-as-the-nation-s-most/article_05e65c06-e91f-5adb-8cd4-27d403f6a6a9.html
http://okpolicy.org/prescription-drug-addiction-presents-challenges-oklahoma/
http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/pdf/impaired_driving/drunk_driving_in_ok.pdf
http://www.koco.com/news/OBN-Prescription-drugs-killing-more-Oklahomans-than-ever-before/32411422
http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/news/ginniegraham/ginnie-graham-tulsa-ranks-no-as-the-nation-s-most/article_05e65c06-e91f-5adb-8cd4-27d403f6a6a9.html
