Connecticut Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs

Connecticut, like many other states, has been at the core of the current drug crisis affecting the United States. In fact, this crisis is so bad that the state has what is ranked among the highest of all fatalities arising from opioid overdoses. This is despite the existence of quality rehabilitation centers around the state to help local residents struggling with substance use disorders find the long term recovery they need.

If you have a drug or alcohol problem and you live in this state, you can take some comfort knowing that there are some comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation programs available to help you.

Most of these services provide highly individualized and customized treatment plans to deal with the specific ways in which addiction affects you and impacts your life. These rehabilitation services can help you by addressing your unique mental and physical health problems and - in the long run - giving you the best chance for a successful recovery.

In many cases, these drug programs focus on treating a wide variety of substance use disorders related to alcohol and prescription pain relief medications to heroin and stimulants like meth and cocaine.

As long as you are able to choose a comprehensive rehab center, you should be able to learn how to build the dynamic skills that will help you find sobriety and abstinence from intoxicating substances and support your recovery in the long term.

Statistics On Substance Abuse In Connecticut

These treatment programs admitted a total of 51,983 people in the state in 2010. This is according to reports from SAMHSA - the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Alcohol and heroin - in combination with one other drug - were ranked among the most commonly abused intoxicating substances. They were followed closely by marijuana and alcohol. At the same time, 71.7 percent of those who were admitted to these rehab centers in the state were male while 28.2 percent were female.

Most of these centers, however, only focus on the treatment of substance use disorders. However, 33 percent are tailored to providing dual diagnosis treatment - meaning that they treat both substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders.

In 2006, Connecticut had 209 facilities dedicated to the provision of recovery services to people struggling with drugs and alcohol. Of these, only about 25 percent offered detoxification programs. On the other hand, close to 2/3rds of all the rehab centers in Connecticut provide treatment and rehabilitation free of charge - even to clients who have no insurance.

Commonly Abused Substances In Connecticut

Substance abuse is a national crisis and the number of people affected by it have been rising over the past few years. Today, heroin is considered the favorite alternative by many drug users - especially because it is cheaper than opioid drugs and states like Connecticut have been cracking down on pill mills, a factor that has made opioid drugs too expensive for most people.

Read on to learn more about the most commonly abused substances in the state:

1. Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol is one of the main substances that is commonly abused in this state. In fact, more than 33 percent of all admissions to addiction rehabilitation and treatment facilities in Connecticut are related to alcohol use disorders.

Recent statistics show that the state has more than 9200 admissions in rehabs focusing on alcoholism while 10,703 more people checked into these centers for treatment involving both alcohol and another drug.

In particular, young adults between 18 and 25 seem to be the most affected by the alcohol menace in Connecticut - even though they are still largely underserved in rehabilitation centers.

2. Heroin Abuse

Other studies have reported that most of the people who seek treatment for a substance use disorder were abusing heroin. These people account for more than 11,600 of all admissions.

Young adults aged between 21 and 25 accounted for the largest single group struggling with heroin dependence and addiction. 65 percent of these patients were white.

In Connecticut as elsewhere in the United States, heroin is a dangerous drug. Even so, people still mix it with other intoxicating substances like marijuana, crack, cocaine, and alcohol.

As such, it is not surprising to learn that between 1992 and 2006, admissions to rehab centers in Connecticut for a heroin use disorder went up to 41 percent from about 22 percent.

3. Marijuana

Cannabis - or marijuana - is ranked as the 2nd most commonly abused substance in this state. In 2010, for instance, around 8350 people entered rehab centers for being addicted to this drug.

Today, the substance is still commonly abused among all age groups. Most of it comes the Southwestern United States through New York City or Boston and from Mexico.

4. Cocaine

4617 people checked into a drug treatment and rehabilitation facility for a substance use disorder involving cocaine in 2010. Most of these people used the drug by smoking it or ingest it through other means.

5. Prescription Drugs

Connecticut also experiences a major problem involving prescription medication abuse. Some people misuse the medications that their doctors prescribed while others abuse them for recreational and therapeutic purposes - even if they don't have a valid and legal prescription.

The state particularly struggles with addictions involving OxyContin and Vicodin - because they are the most popular opioids in the state. In fact, opiates - other than heroin - led more than 2500 people to seek rehabilitation services in 2010 alone.

This figure has been growing all around the United States and not just in Connecticut. This is why most states have many medical detoxification and rehabilitation centers to help quell the problem of prescription drug abuse and addiction.

Drug Court Statistics, Injuries, And Fatalities

But what is the true picture of the adverse effects of ongoing substance abuse on Connecticut as a whole? Consider the following numbers and figures:

• In 2006, more than half of drug offenders who were federally sentenced in Connecticut committed offenses involving either cocaine or crack cocaine; however, these numbers were volatile; that said, 54 percent of all defendants who were federally sentenced in Connecticut had crack cocaine either in their system or possession
• The same year, the state made over 5000 arrests for driving under the influence/intoxication
• DEA agents made 319 arrests related to drugs in the state; all drug violations the same year totaled to about 14,000
• In 2007, the state had 4 drug courts
• The same year, 444 people lost their lives due to drug use while 309 died as a result of being involved in a motor vehicle accident and 149 in firearm incidents; the percentage of 12.7 percent for every 100,000 people was consistent with the total national average

Opioid Abuse And Drug Overdose Rates In Connecticut

According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Connecticut, the state saw more than 1000 accidental overdose deaths in 2017. This comes close to about 3 drug related overdose deaths a day.

The state also has what is perhaps one the highest opioid overdose death rates in the United States. In 2012, for instance, it was ranked 50th in terms of deaths related to opioids. However, it shot up to the 12th position 3 years later.

Many addiction experts and professionals believe that the increasing rates of opioid prescriptions for drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin as well as the rising quantities of illegal fentanyl on the streets of Connecticut are responsible for this ghastly increase.

For instance, the number of deaths related to opioid use disorder more than quadrupled to a point where there were 5.7 deaths in every 100,000 people around 2012 - a number that shot up to 24.5 deaths in every 100,000 people by 2016. This is in stark comparison to the national average of 13.3 deaths in every 100,000 people the same year.

Cocaine and crack cocaine have also been linked to the rising number of drug overdose deaths in the state. Between 2012 and 2017, for instance, more than 2900 drug related deaths in Connecticut involved cocaine. Similarly, the drug was linked to 347 overdose fatalities in 2017 - about 230% higher than the 105 drug deaths reported in 2012. However, residents of Connecticut also abuse other illicit drugs, including hallucinogens, synthetic cannabinoids, marijuana, and methamphetamine.

Apart from opioid pain relief medications, the state also experiences drug related problems from the prescriptions that are diverted from the allowed supply chain. These drugs continue increasing the numerous risks and adverse consequences arising from substance abuse, addiction, and overdose in local communities.

Some of the commonly abused prescriptions and CNS (central nervous system depressants) include:

• Adderall
• Alprazolam (or Xanax)
• Clonazepam (Klonopin)
• Ritalin

Addiction Treatment In Connecticut

Connecticut has remained committed to fighting the drug and alcohol epidemic. Some of the efforts that it runs include:

• Change the Script
• Changes to the Good Samaritan law in the state in 2014
• Greater availability of naloxone

If you are struggling with a substance use disorder in Connecticut, you can also find a wide variety of addiction treatment and rehabilitation options all over the state providing a wide variety of ongoing therapy and other services.