Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs in Illinois

Illinois, like many other states in the US, has lost many lives to alcohol and drug overdose fatalities over the past few years. Even though the state continues experiencing a growing substance abuse problem, there are some addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers that can help.

In 2016, for instance, more than 2411 lives were lost to drugs. Substance use, abuse, overdose, and addiction fatalities have also been causing a wide variety of problems among residents of the state.

Statistics on Substance Abuse in Illinois

SAMHSA - the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - reports that Illinois saw a total of 70378 admissions into its alcohol and drug rehabilitation facilities in 2009.

Among those admitted, close to 1/3 were women while the rest were men. Additionally, close to 50 percent of these admitted patients were Caucasian while the remaining 50 perfect were of African American descent.

The N-SSATS - or the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services - also released a report for the same year. This report showed that close to 2/3rds of all treatment programs in the state provided substance abuse treatment exclusively while about 30 percent focused on dual diagnosis treatment, meaning that they provided both mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation services.

On the hand, the most recent survey from the government showed that 7.17 percent of all residents of Illinois used illicit drugs the month before the study. This was lower than the national average of 8.02 percent.

Further, 2.95 percent of the state's citizens reported abusing illegal drugs apart from marijuana the month prior to the survey. The national average at the time was at 3.58 percent.

That said, close to 16 percent of alcohol and drug addiction treatment centers in Illinois provide medical detoxification services to help recovering addicts and substance users overcome their cravings and ease their withdrawal symptoms.

Commonly Abused Substances in Illinois

In 2009, most of the people who were admitted into rehab facilities in this state reported that they abused heroin as their primary drug of preference. This drug was closely followed by marijuana and alcohol respectively.

Read on to learn more about other drugs that are commonly abused in Illinois:

1. Alcohol

Alcohol is the 3rd most commonly abused substance in Illinois. Studies from 2009 show that 12430 local residents were admitted citing alcohol abuse and dependence as their primary reason for checking into rehab.

An additional 10506 residents checked into these centers for a combination addiction involving alcohol as the primary substance and another drug as the secondary substance of abuse.

Most of the people who sought alcohol treatment in Illinois were male although the ratio of men to women who were admitted for chemical and psychological dependence to alcohol was roughly the same.

Alcohol use disorders and addiction continue being a major problem in this state. In 2014, for instance, more than 38000 people were incarcerated for driving under the influence of alcohol.

The same year, the United States lost 11731 lives to car accidents involving alcohol consumption. This number equals a life lost in every 53-minute segment of time. In the case of Illinois, 40% of the 9,000 to 10,000 accidental deaths that occur here are linked to alcohol.

Further, the state continues spending on mortalities linked to alcohol - among other drugs and tobacco - every year. It is estimated that Illinois expends more than $3.5 billion every year to the drug menace problem.

2. Cocaine

In the same year, surveys showed that 8432 people checked into drug and alcohol treatment centers for smoking cocaine. At the same time, there were 1626 admissions of patients who abused cocaine through other modes of administration other than smoking.

3. Heroin and Opioids

Illinois continues grappling with heroin abuse, dependence, and addiction problems. In 2009, for instance, more than 19245 people entered treatment and rehabilitation facilities for this drug. Of this number, 41.2 percent were female while 58.8 percent were male.

Opioids continue to be a growing concerned both across the United States in general and in Illinois in particular. These drugs include prescription pain relief medications like Vicodin and OxyContin and synthetic opioids like U-47700 and fentanyl, as well as non-medical heroin.

Overdoses linked to opioid use disorders and addiction increased by 82 percent between 2013 and 2016. Similarly, the state lost 1946 lives to overdose fatalities involving opioids in 2016.

The following year, there were 2109 overdose fatalities linked to these drugs. Heroin by itself was responsible for 1154 of these incidents. Similarly, Illinois residents suffered an additional 13395 survivable overdose incidents linked to opioids and heroin.

4. Marijuana

As we mentioned earlier, marijuana is the most commonly abused substance in the state of Illinois. One factor given for this trend is the relatively high availability of this drug.

Today, the marijuana use problem is particularly concerning among high school students. In fact, research statistics from the ONDCP (or the Office of National Drug Control Policy) show that 36 percent of all 12 graders in the state reported in 2006 that they had used this drug at least once in their lifetimes.

Even more surprising is the fact that middle schoolers in Illinois have reported increasingly high use of this drug. The same year, for instance, 14.5 percent of children in the 8th grade said that they had used marijuana at least once.

5. Prescription Drugs

Hydrocodone products are among the most commonly abused pharmaceutical drugs in this state. OxyContin, in particular, is highly abused although recent years have seen a shift from this drug to methadone - a factor that could be tied to the increased media attention on OxyContin.

In 2006, the ONDCP showed that 30 percent of students in Illinois were abusing other prescription pain relief medications. Three years later in 2009, 1668 people were admitted into rehab centers for other opiates. Of this number, 90.5 percent were Caucasian and 50.4 percent were male.

6. Methamphetamines

Another concerning drug in Illinois, methamphetamine is highly abused in the state's rural areas. In 2009, for instance, 1001 people checked into rehab facilities citing amphetamine dependence and addiction.

Today, meth production in the state involves the use of toxic chemicals such as battery acid, acetone, and paint thinner. Additionally, methamphetamines are transported in large quantities into the state from Mexico.

Statistics on Drug Courts, Injuries, and Fatalities in Illinois

• In 2006, Illinois had 112,368 arrests related to drug offences
• The same year, the ONDCP reported that there were more than 778 incidents of methamphetamine laboratories in Illinois
• Similarly, close to 30 percent of all drug cases sentenced by the federal government in this state involved cocaine
• On the other hand, the Drug Enforcement Administration - or the DEA - seized or eradicated more than 7,000 marijuana plants in the state
• In 2007, the state had 20 drug courts and was planning to set up 8 more
• By 2009, the number of incidents involving meth labs in Illinois increased by 9 percent from 364 incidents (2007) to 395

Addiction Prevention Efforts in Illinois

But what is the state doing to reduce the incidence of substance abuse among its residents? Essentially, Illinois has been establishing a wide variety of programs designed to take care of this problem across the state. These programs include:

a) Needle-Exchange Programs

The state has a number of needle-exchange programs. 3 of these programs are in Chicago while the rest are in Belleville, Champaign, Kankakee, and Springfield. All these efforts are designed to reduce harm by decreasing the incidence of disease transmission among intravenous drug users.

b) Naloxone

In 2015, Illinois passed a law designed to increase naloxone (Narcan and Evzio) access across the state. This medication is useful because it temporarily reverses the adverse effects of opioid overdoses - one of the leading drug-related causes of fatality in the state. It works by allowing victims of an opioid overdose enough time to seek the medical care they need to save their lives.

Although this drug is typically sold through legal prescriptions, Illinois passed a standing order that now allows pharmacists to issue it to anyone who is at risk of suffering an overdose related to opioid overdose, as well as to their families, friends, and loved ones. They can now do so without requiring a prescription.

Addiction Treatment Programs in Illinois

In Illinois as elsewhere in the world, substance abuse and addiction continue destroying lives, livelihoods, relationships, and careers. Luckily, there are effective rehabilitation centers and programs in this state to help people find ongoing recovery so that they do not succumb to any substance related ailments or emergency conditions.

In many cases, these programs include the following addiction rehabilitation services:

• Aftercare services
• Detox
• Dual-diagnosis treatment
• Group therapy
• Individual counseling
• Inpatient drug rehab
• Intervention services
• Intervention services
• Life skills development
• Outpatient addiction treatment
• Sober living programs
• Sober living programs

If you are struggling with a substance use disorder, therefore, you should know that there are many different options for ongoing treatment and rehabilitation in the different rehab centers that you can find in Illinois.