Nebraska Substance Abuse Treatment Centers

Like with other parts of the United States, Nebraska has its fair share of problems linked to substance use disorders. In particular, its local residents have been struggling with alcohol use disorders and methamphetamine abuse. Luckily, there are a number of addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers providing a wide variety of recovery options for addicts in the state.

Even so, the NSDUH - or the National Survey on Drug Use and Health - for 2015 and 2016 revealed that substance use disorders are problems in all states and that Nebraska is not an exception to this rule.

In particular, the abuse of alcohol is problematic. It is followed closely by methamphetamine dependence and addiction. As a result, social service organizations, rehab centers, lawmakers, and healthcare professionals have been working to create prevention programs, laws, and treatment opportunities to deal with this drug crisis in the state.

Substance Abuse Statistics in Nebraska

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health also offers great insight into the issues that face substance abusers in Nebraska as well as in other parts of the nation. In particular, they focus on the rates of alcohol and drug use across the country and on the substance related challenges affecting each state.

Statistics on Nebraska reveal that:

• At the moment, meth continues presenting a major problem in the state; it only comes second to alcohol use disorders; in fact, the number of local residents who sought treatment for meth abuse was higher in the preceding year that in any other year from 2000 going onwards; additionally, close to 93 percent of all prosecutions related to drugs in 2016 were linked to meth abuse
• Local residents aged 18 years and older reported that they used cocaine at rates of 1.49 percent, which equals about 21000 people
• The rate of illicit substance abuse - including marijuana among people 18 years and older in the month before the survey was at 8.8 percent, a figure that represents close to 123000 adults

On the other hand, TEDS - or the Treatment Episode Data Set - on substance abuse showed that 15729 people enrolled for addiction treatment and rehabilitation services in Nebraska in 2010. Of this number, 28 percent were female while the remaining 72 percent were male.

TEDS also shows that stimulants like methamphetamine are among the most commonly abused drugs for people checking into drug rehab centers in Nebraska. In fact, close to 30 percent of all the primary drug rehab admissions were for this class of drugs, while another 30 percent were linked to marijuana abuse.

Figures from the NSDUH for 2015 and 2016 reported that close to 6 percent of all residents of Nebraska reported that they had abuse illicit drugs in the month prior to the survey. This was close to the national average of 8 percent for the same period.

Commonly Abused Substances in Nebraska

Today, substance use disorders continue plaguing the entire breadth of the United States. Even so, states like Nebraska have serious relationships with the drugs that are commonly abused here. Consider the following:

1. Alcohol

In 2010, the total number of people who enrolled for ongoing addiction treatment for alcohol as a primary drug and alcohol combined with another secondary substance has been on the rise since 2006.

The same year, for instance, 9729 people checked into a rehab center for alcohol use disorders only while an additional 2580 people sough similar treatment for alcohol abuse alongside a secondary substance.

Still on alcohol abuse, Nebraska continues grappling with a binge drinking problem - which might actually be the most pressing drug related disorder in the state. This is why it was not surprising when Nebraska was called the 9th drunkest state in the United States.

In fact, local residents engage in binge drinking at higher rates than the rest of the country. Adults, for instance, reported that they engaged in this behavior in the month prior to a recent survey at rates of around 31.28 percent. This equals close to 438000 residents, which is in stark comparison to the 26.54 percent of adults who report the same problem across the United States.

Further, close to 70 percent of all admission to treatment and rehabilitation centers in the state are linked to an alcohol use disorder. In fact, Nebraska loses more than 300 lives every year while an additional 4000 people are hospitalized due to alcohol.

On the other hand, more than 7311 people were arrested for driving while intoxicated in 2016. The same year, more than 1700 crashes linked to alcohol were reported while 37.2 percent of all deaths arising from traffic accidents and crashes were as a result of alcohol impairment. These accidents cost the state more than $174,130,200.

Death and health conditions linked to alcohol abuse also affect the Native American population of Nebraska - but in disproportionate ways. A recent state epidemiological profile, for instance, found that the rate of deaths related to alcohol among Native Americans was about 6 times higher than that of any other group. Additionally, this group continue suffering rates of chronic liver disease that were 14 times higher than any other population.

2. Cocaine

In 2010 also, Nebraska saw 315 people getting admitted into rehab centers for smoking this drug. An additional 112 people checked into these types of facilities for abusing cocaine through other modes of administration.

3. Marijuana

Of the 1070 people who checked into an addiction treatment and rehabilitation center in 2010, cannabis was the 2nd most commonly cited substance among all primary treatment admissions in Nebraska. Of this number, 35.1 percent were female while the remaining 64.8 percent were male.

4. Amphetamines and Methamphetamines

In Nebraska, methamphetamines are among the most commonly cited substances of abuse for primary treatment admissions. In 2010, for instance, 1191 people sought treatment for an amphetamine dependence. Of this number, 51.6 percent were female while the remaining 48.4 percent were male. Additionally, the largest segment of the population that was affected by this class of drugs included people between the ages of 26 and 30.

5. Prescription Drugs

In 2010, 396 people sought addiction treatment and rehabilitation services for opioids other than heroin.

Statistics on Drug Courts, Fatalities, and Injuries in Nebraska

According the Omaha Metro Drug Task Force, Mexican ice methamphetamines continue posing one of the greatest risks to the Nebraskan community. This is because these drugs are relatively easy to obtain, they are the substances of choice for many people, and they have been linked to both property and violent crimes in the state.

That said, drug use led to the direct death of 92 people in 2007. This was in comparison to the 284 lives that the state lost to motor vehicle accidents and the 142 lives that were lost to incidents involving firearms.

In the same way, drug induced deaths in Nebraska were at a rate of 5.2 for every 100,000 people - a rate that was lower than the total national rate of 12.7 deaths for every 100,000 people.

Even so, Mexican criminal groups and drug trafficking organizations continue transporting marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine in wholesale quantities through and to Omaha from their distribution hubs in the Southwestern area of the United States and Sinaloa, Mexico.

As such, it is not entirely surprising that cocaine and methamphetamine are cited as the most critical threats to the state. Cocaine, in particular, is often converted into crack cocaine - a drug that has been linked to violent crimes.

Addiction Awareness, Prevention, and Treatment in Nebraska

Although Nebraska has all sorts of treatment and prevention programs designed to deal with substance disorders, the state has prioritized three key issues. In particular, healthcare professionals and lawmakers are committed to fighting the opioid epidemic affecting the entire country.

Further, the state has been trying to address the relatively high rates of alcohol use disorders among its residents. In the same way, legislators are worked on the prevention of the use and manufacture of methamphetamines in Nebraska.

That said, Nebraska has made some progress in the reduction of excessive prescriptions for opioid medications. This has largely been attributed to the strict laws that were passed in the state.

These laws have effected the requirements listed below:

• 7 day limits on prescription opioid medications for people 19 years and younger
• Pharmacy procedural changes now require patients to provide photo IDs before they can pick up their opioid prescriptions
• Physicians are now required to counsel and advise their patients before providing them with an opioid prescription

After federal regulations were passed to restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine - the key ingredient used to manufacture methamphetamine - the number of small meth labs in Nebraska has also gone down.

To further reduce the meth problem, State Police in Nebraska identified and shut down 252 meth labs in 2005. By 2016, they were only able to identify three such laboratories.

Even so, the efforts that Nebraska has done to prevent the manufacture of this drug in the state have not reduced the rates of meth use. This is because the drug is still being imported in relatively large quantities from neighboring Mexico.

That said, the state has many addiction rehabilitation and treatment programs that can help you overcome your substance use disorder. You can rely on these programs to spearhead your recovery from mind altering and intoxicating substances.