Addiction Treatment Programs in Alaska

In the same way that substance abuse and addiction affect different people in different ways, the types and rates of addiction vary from one state to the next. Alaska has a population of more than 740,000 and is about 663,300 square miles. Even so, it also struggles with its fair share of ongoing drug and alcohol abuse and addiction.

Alaska Addiction Treatment Statistics In Alaska

According to recent statistics, more than 6699 people undertook addiction rehabilitation and treatment in Alaska in 2010. Of this number, 39 percent were female while 61 percent were male.

All survey years have also shown that Alaska consistently ranked among the top 10 states in the country with some of the highest rates of illicit drug use and dependency within the past year for people between the ages of 12 and 17. The remaining age group, on the other hand, drug use rates have stayed way above the US rate.

From 2007 to 2008, for instance, the state was also ranked among the top 10 states in the country for rates in many other categories linked to ongoing substance abuse, including:

• Illicit drug use in the past month among people above the age of 12
• Illicit drug use in the past month among young adults between 18 and 25 years old
• Past-year cocaine abuse among people above the age of 12

To exemplify just how serious the Alaska drug and alcohol problem is, consider the fact that close to 12% of local residents reported using illicit drugs within the last month while the national average sat at 8%.

The N-SSATS - or the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services - for 2006 also reported that the city had more than 70 addiction treatment and rehabilitation facilities by 2007. However, this was a decrease from 2002 when the total number of these centers was at 87.

As such, the rate of unmet and unmitigated addiction treatment needs and requirements in the state are among the highest around the United States for people above the age of 12.

Other forms of substance abuse and addiction that Alaska continues struggling with include:

1. Alcohol Addiction

2010 saw more than 2,961 people admitted to ongoing addiction treatment facilities for alcohol as their primarily drug of abuse. An additional 2,027 checked into such facilities to receive rehabilitation services for alcohol and a secondary drug co-forming an addiction to some local residents.

However, the rates of alcohol dependence and abuse in the state are variable in comparison to those arising from the abuse of illicit drugs. From 2005 to 2006, for instance, people in the 12 and above, 12 to 17, and 26 and above in Alaska showed the highest rates of ongoing alcohol dependence.

Today, alcohol continues being the most abused intoxicating substance in this state. Additionally, fatalities linked to alcohol accounted for about 21.7 for 100,000 deaths in Alaska in 2015. Further, this drug is among the main factors contributing to accidental deaths, suicide, and violent crimes in the state.

2. Drug Addiction

TEDS - or the Treatment Episode Data Set - shows that more than 524 people in 2010 checked into an addiction treatment facility in Alaska with the goal of trying to manage their marijuana dependence.

The largest group that was admitted into a treatment center included addicts between the ages of 12 and 17 - at around 43.3%. In the same way, the state was ranked first of all other starts in terms of the rates of ongoing marijuana abuse among young people in the state above the age of 26.

The rates of illicit drug use in this state are also alarming. For instance, the McDowell Group released a report in 2016 showing that close to 13% of all local residents reported that they had used illicit drugs within the month prior to the study.

To be more specific, 12% of local residents abuse marijuana while 4% abuse other illegal drugs. Further, close to 4% of locals above the age of 12 reported that they had abused prescription pain relief medications by taking them for non-medical reasons. All in all, the same report showed that over 63,000 required treatment and rehabilitation for substance use disorders.

3. Prescription Drug Abuse

In 2010, also, more than 340 people received addiction treatment in Alaska for opiates - other than heroin. Of this number, more than 63.5% were female and 36.5% of them were male. Last but not least, those checking into an opiate addiction treatment were between 21 and 25 years old.

4. Amphetamine Abuse

The same year, more than 182 people sought rehabilitation services in Alaska for abusing amphetamines. This number represented 57.7% female and 42.3% male while 25.8% of the total number included people between the ages of 26 and 30.

5. Cocaine Abuse

In 2010, more than 84 people checking into addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers for smoking this drug while 83 more people received treatment for ingesting the drug through other modes of use - other than smoking.

For both cases, majority of all these people were female - at an average estimation of about 73.8%

Drug Court Statistics/Substance Fatalities/Injuries In Alaska

In 2007, the state lost 75 people to ongoing drug abuse. In comparison to those who lost their lives through other means, this is a serious number. In particular, 120 died as a result of firearm use while 107 were involved in motor vehicle accidents.

Deaths induced by drugs in Alaska are 11 for every 100,000 people in the population - a number that is still lower than the total rate in the country, which is set at 12.7 for every 100,000 people.

Alcohol and drug addiction resources in Alaska include Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. If you have been struggling with an addiction in this state, therefore, you might want to reach out to these services to help you get on the road to recovery both before and after attending ongoing treatment at an addiction treatment center.

Addiction Facts In Alaska

The Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit run by the Alaska State Troopers published a report in 2016 known as the Annual Drug Report. This report showed that the state continues struggling with a multifaceted problem involving alcohol and other intoxicating and mind altering substances.

Most of the people in Alaska who abuse drugs will typically use them more than once. Others might take these several of these substances at the same time to further boost their intoxication.

But what are the most frequently abused drugs in this state? Essentially, most Alaska residents who engage in substance use do so because of the following common drugs in the state:

• Alcohol
• Cocaine
• Heroin
• Marijuana
• Methamphetamine
• Prescription drugs

a) Opioids and Heroin

With the rate of heroin abuse rising all through the United States, it is not entirely surprising that Alaska has also experienced a similar increase in the use of this drug. From 2009 to 2015, for instance, the total number of deaths linked to heroin abuse close to quadrupled in the state.

Of the total of 128 overdose deaths linked to drug abuse in 2016 in Alaska, more than 74% involved opioids like heroin, prescription pain relief medications, and other drugs. Further, 38% of these overdose deaths resulted from heroin abuse.

b) Methamphetamines and Crime

Although heroin and opioids account for the biggest part of the number of deaths linked to drug overdose in the state, methamphetamines have been shown to contribute to the rising cases of violent crime.

These rates also compare to national statistics. In fact, meth continues contributing to close to 33% of all cases of violent crime in the United States according to the National Drug Threat Survey for 2016.

c) Addiction and the Economy

Like with any other state, rising cases of substance abuse and addiction in Alaska continue affecting the local economy in negative ways. The McDowell Group has estimated that this economic cost amounted to about $1.2 billion in 2015 - an estimate that includes costs linked to:

• Criminal justice services
• Healthcare services
• Loss of productivity
• Protective services
• Public assistance services
• Social services
• Traffic collisions

Battling Addiction In Alaska

But what is Alaska doing to deal with its addiction menace? Much in the same way as the country is doing, the state's public health and law enforcement officials have been striving to bring the substance use problem in Alaska under control - with a specific focus on the heroin epidemic that has been growing in the past few years.

For instance, the Alaska Opioid Policy Task Force was created to deal with the growing prevalence of heroin and opioid abuse. This task force is charged with the responsibility of limiting the rates of drug abuse linked to opioids using a 3-fold plan with the following goals and aims:

• Preventing opioid dependence through public education programs
• Reducing the rates of addiction by increasing the ability of relevant people to recognize and get the disorder treated
• Reversing the adverse effects of opioid overdose cases by helping local residents learn how to identify the basic signs and symptoms of an overdose early enough as well as by equipping all emergency medical personnel (and first responders) with overdose reversal and life-saving drugs such as naloxone

If you have a substance use disorder and you live in Alaska, there are many treatment centers in the state that you can go to for the help you need in overcoming your addiction.