Minnesota Drug and Alcohol Rehab Programs
Minnesota is known for its beautiful and serene lakes and landscapes. As such, residents enjoy an engaging and peaceful lifestyle in which they can they spend time with their friends and family and find excellent work opportunities.
In spite of this, many of them struggle with alcohol and drug abuse and addiction - conditions that have been harming their lives, health, and relationships. These problems have also affected communities all across the state.
Substance Abuse Statistics in Minnesota
In Minnesota, Native Americans, young adults, and men comprise the segment of the population that is affected by the highest rates of addiction than any other group in the state. Those who live in Northeast Minnesota also experience a wide variety of problems linked to substance use disorders.
Additionally, the opioid epidemic that is affecting the rest of the country has also made its way to this state. These rates of drug and alcohol abuse, overdose, and addiction are mostly fueled by synthetic opioids like fentanyl, as well as prescription pain relief medications, and heroin.
On the other hand, local residents of the state also frequently abuse psychostimulants - including benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
Overdose Deaths in Minnesota
Since 2000, the state has experienced a 5-fold increase in the rates of overdose deaths related to substance use disorders. Although both drug abuse, dependence, and overdose continue derailing the lives of these residents - irrespective of their walk of life - some populations seem to be more exposed to these risks much more heavily than the rest of the people.
For instance, a legislative report published in Minnesota showed that Native Americans in the state had a 5 times higher a risk of dying from drug overdoses than Caucasian Americans. The report showed that African Americans in the state had twice as high a likelihood of overdosing than Caucasians. In this group, therefore, the major difference in the rates of overdose deaths was the highest in the United States.
Today, people understand that different drugs come with different risks of an overdose. However, some substances have a higher risk than others. The Minnesota Department of Health also listed opioids of every kind, psychostimulants, heroin, cocaine, and benzodiazepines as the drugs that led to the greatest number of deaths in this state.
In 2016, the rates of overdose deaths from each of these drugs - apart from cocaine - was on a steady increase. The same year, there were:
- 103 deaths that involved benzodiazepines
- 140 deaths linked to psychostimulants
- 150 deaths related to heroin
- 395 deaths involving different types of opioids
- 44 deaths arising from cocaine abuse
Statistics on Substance Abuse in Minnesota
Additional research shows that the Minnesota had a relatively stable number of drug and alcohol addiction treatment and rehabilitation facilities. For instance, the state had a total of 263 such centers in 2007.
In 2010, on the other hand, 50830 people checked into these treatment programs in the state. Of this number, 33.2 percent were female while the remaining 66.8 percent were male.
Commonly Abused Substances in Minnesota
Like with any other state, some drugs are more commonly abused in Minnesota than others. Although the entire country is struggling with a drug use problem, this state has an interesting relationship with intoxicating and mind altering substances. Consider the following:
1. Alcohol
The state was ranked among those with the highest number of unmet treatment and rehabilitation needs for people struggling with an alcohol use disorder. Even so, 12099 local residents checked into addiction treatment centers citing alcohol as their primary substance of abuse.
An additional 9463 people sought addiction treatment for alcohol abuse combined with another secondary substance. Apart from this, the rates of binge drinking among males in Minnesota was double that of females in the state.
2. Cocaine
The same study showed that 2191 people checked into rehab centers for cocaine abuse in 2010. This figure was downgraded from the 4816 people who sought such treatment back in 2007.
3. Heroin
The total number of people who had an addiction related to prescription drugs in Minnesota has been increasing in the past few years. Recently, the state government curtailed the availability of these medications on the streets - leading most of these addicts to shift to heroin abuse.
This is because heroin is an attractive option for prescription substance abusers because it is more readily available and is often cheaper than prescription drugs - especially with regards to opioids.
In 2010, therefore, it was not surprising that 2350 people checked into treatment facilities in the state to receive addiction rehabilitation services for their heroin abuse and dependence.
4. Marijuana
Cannabis is the most commonly abused substance that is listed by people who enroll for addiction rehabilitation and treatment in Minnesota. In 2010, for instance, 9543 people checked into these centers to try and recover from their marijuana dependence and addiction. Of this number, 76.7 percent were males. Other statistics show that the total number of people enrolling for rehabilitation services for marijuana abuse has been rising since 2000.
5. Methamphetamines and Amphetamines
Although there are variables to it, the total number of people in need of treatment for amphetamine and methamphetamine abuse and addiction has been increasing over the years. In fact, the overall increase has been alarming.
In 2003, for instance, only about 1022 people sought addiction treatment for abusing amphetamines. In 2007, barely four years later, this number shot up to 7159 people needing similar treatment.
6. Other Opiates
Between 2004 and 2010, the total number of people who checked into rehab centers for opiate addiction - other than heroin - shot up to 4580 from 1363. This is similar to other national trends being seen in other states across the United States. Of those who needed treatment, the largest age group included people aged between 21 and 25 years.
Statistics on Drug Courts, Fatalities, and Injuries in Minnesota
The last NSDUH report for Minnesota was published in 2007. This government showed that:
- In 2007, the total number of deaths linked to ongoing substance abuse in Minnesota was half the total national average
- The same year, Minnesota lost 359 lives as a result of the effects of abusing drugs in comparison to the lives that were lost to motor car accidents (618) and those lost to firearm incidents (344)
- The year before, more men than women were arrested for driving under the influence and intoxication of drugs and alcohol; to be more specific, 68.7 percent of men were arrested while only about 22.3 percent of women faced the same consequences; most of those who were arrested for drunk and intoxicated driving were aged between 20 and 24
- The Office of Traffic Safety at the Minnesota Department of Public safety has also reported that 38635 arrests were made for DWIs and DUIs in 2007; although this figure had slightly gone down, it will still way above the total national average
Opioid Overdose Rates in Minnesota
Between 2015 and 2016, Minnesota experienced an increase of 18 percent in the number of deaths linked to opioid use disorders. This trend is largely attributed to the increase rates of fatalities that are caused by synthetic opioids such as tramadol and fentanyl as well as by heroin.
During this time:
- The number of overdose deaths linked to heroin abuse shot up by 32 percent
- Deaths related to synthetic opioids - including tramadol, carfentanil, and fentanyl - rose by 83 percent
- Deaths arising from prescription opioids like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and codeine, as well as methadone overdose incidents were fairly stable; however, these drugs are still commonly abused in the state and often cause fatal overdose incidents and addiction
Experts also believe that these rates of overdose deaths will continue rising by around 37 percent for the next decade. Opioid drugs like heroin and prescription painkillers are largely to blame for all these tragedies that Minnesota is grappling with - a trend that might continue unless the state takes proactive steps to stop opioid use disorders among local residents.
Substance Abuse Prevention Programs in Minnesota
In 2016, methamphetamine came after alcohol as the substance for which most people sought treatment for in this state. While Minnesota continues trying to fight the drug away - especially against the opioid crisis - comprehensive addiction prevention and treatment options are becoming even more critical than ever before.
Some of the programs that the state has instituted to fight the drug menace include:
- The Minnesota Addiction Prevention Resource Center
- Increasing access to naloxone (or Narcan)
Additionally, there are many addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers in Minnesota. Instead of continuing down the road to a full addiction, therefore, you might want to consider checking into one of these centers.
They can help you overcome your substance use disorder as well as treat all the serious diseases and illnesses that drugs and alcohol might already have caused to your physical and mental health and wellbeing.
In many cases, these treatment options include a wide variety of transformative therapies and services. From evidence based behavioral therapies and 12 step programs to medication assisted addiction treatment and holistic treatment programs, you should be able to find an appropriate facility to help you deal with your addiction and find full recovery.
