Chicago Drug News

In late July, a Merrillville woman was found unconscious in her silver VW Bug on the side of the Interstate.

Reports of a car crashing into the median initiated the discovery of the woman. An Indiana state trooper was first on the scene and found the woman passed out in her car just after 4 in the afternoon.

When the woman did not respond to knocks on the car door window, the state trooper took action. She smashed the passenger side window in order to get the unconscious woman out. She was able to revive the woman with CPR until an ambulance arrived on the scene to take the woman to the hospital.

After the woman was conscious again, the state trooper began searching for some form of identification. Along with finding the woman’s ID, the state trooper also found small bags of heroin and drug paraphernalia as well as a home detention monitor on her ankle.

The woman on drugs passed out at the wheel was identified as Kelley Cooper. She is a 31-year-old resident of Merrillville. After being taken to the hospital, she was charged with drug possession, driving while intoxicated, and paraphernalia possession.

Opioid Epidemic in Chicago

This woman on drugs passed out at the wheel is just another example of the opioid epidemic at work. The opioid epidemic has been wreaking havoc across the United States, and nowhere is safe.

As an opioid and heroin treatment center in Chicago, we are well aware of the opioid epidemic in Chicago and because this incident happened in the suburbs right in our backyard, it is especially alarming. Opioids and heroin abuse have been a problem in Chicago and the surrounding areas for many years, but it has begun to get worse. In Chicago alone, there were 301 opioid overdose deaths in 2013, but this number rose 93% up to 581 in 2016.1 The result of the increase in opioid abuse has been instances like the one described above as well as an abundance of similar and alarming stories across the news. Thankfully the woman survived, and thankfully no one else was hurt, but this will not always be the case. Do not let this happen to you or your loved one. Our partial hospitalization program in Chicago could save more than just one life.

If you or a loved one is looking for a drug rehab in Chicago, we want to help. Whether it’s heroin, prescription opioids, or alcohol, your addiction doesn’t need to control your life any longer.