New Mexico Alcohol and Drug Treatment Programs

New Mexico is like the rest of the United States in the sense that it has also been struggling with a drug and alcohol abuse and addiction problem. This is in spite of the many rehabilitation programs that it has to help its residents overcome their substance use disorders.

With more than 2 million residents, it might be difficult to think that New Mexico continues grappling with challenging alcohol and drug problems. Even so, the state lost 500 lives to a drug overdose in 2015 while more than 5000 people checked into rehab centers in the state to find full recovery and abstinence from substances of abuse.

Substance Abuse Statistics in New Mexico

In 2009, on the other hand, 10018 people entered alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation centers in the state. Of this number, 32.8 percent were female while 65.8 percent were male.

Over the last couple of years, the total number of alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers in the state have also remained fairly constant. In 2006, for instance, it had a total of 120 such facilities. Of this number, 10 provided addiction treatment for opioid use disorders while 31 centers offered some level of inpatient or residential rehabilitation service.

That said, the number of admissions related to drugs only increase to 22 percent in 2005 from 10 percent in 1992. Even so, the total rates of unmet rehabilitation needs among local residents continued declining below the total national average while the unmet treatment needs for an alcohol use disorder remained way above the total national average.

From 2007 to 2008, for instance, New Mexico was ranked first among all the 50 states for the use of and dependence on illicit drugs among people between the ages of 12 and 17 years.

Additionally, the States in Brief report for 2009 showed that the total number of people who checked into addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers in New Mexico with a co-occurring mental health disorder more than doubled since 1992.

Commonly Abused Substances in New Mexico

The National Survey of Drug Use and Health - commonly abbreviated as NSDUH - for 2006 showed that the rates of illicit drug and alcohol abuse in New Mexico were above or on par with the total national averages.

Among the biggest threats and risks of substance use disorders in New Mexico arises from the increasing shipment of intoxicating substances into the United States through New Mexico from drug trafficking organizations in Mexico.

On the other hand, the Human Services Department of New Mexico also published an overview that reported that more than 25000 people in the state were addicted to opioid drugs and heroin.

New Mexico, in particular, seems to be struggling with a growing problem with heroin abuse and addiction. Additional substances that continue plaguing New Mexico include methamphetamines, ecstasy, alcohol, marijuana, crack, and cocaine. Further, the most commonly abused prescription medications here include codeine, Valium, Percocet, Klonopin, Oxycodone, Ambien, Norco, Xanax, Lortab, Vicodin, and morphine.

That said, the following are some of the most commonly abused substances in this state:

1. Alcohol

The Department of Human Services of New Mexico released a fact sheet in 2006 reporting the rates of substance abuse in the state. This report showed that the state lost more than $2.5 billion to social welfare costs, criminal justice system related costs, motor vehicle crashes, health care expenditures, and lost productivity as a result of the excessive use of alcohol. The state was also ranked at the top of all others in the nation in terms of marijuana use and underage drinking for people aged 13 years and below.

On the other hand, 3689 people checked into addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers in 2009 citing an alcohol use disorder as their primary ailment. An additional 1242 people were enrolled into similar programs for the same disorder combined with another secondary substance use disorder.

Of those who were admitted into such centers for alcohol dependence - including those who abused both alcohol and a secondary substance - about 75 percent were male. Of this total, also, 60 percent were white.

Even so, the largest segment of the population of New Mexico that went for alcohol addiction treatment and rehabilitation comprised of people aged between 26 and 30 years old.

Consider the following additional statistics relating to the rates of alcohol abuse in New Mexico:

• In 2015, 1815 people enrolled into rehab centers citing alcohol abuse as their primary addiction
• The same year, 504 people checked into similar facilities citing co-occurring addictions involving alcohol and a secondary drug

2. Cocaine and Crack Cocaine

559 checked into an addiction treatment program for cocaine and/or crack cocaine abuse in 2009. This total included both those who smoked these drugs as well as those who had been ingesting it into their systems through other alternative routes of administration. That said, the state continues to rank among the highest in the United States for the use of cocaine among people between the ages of 12 and 17.

3. Heroin

The strict oversight of and rising costs of opioid medications means that the abuse of heroin has been on the rise all across the United States. In New Mexico, about 778 people checked into rehab centers citing a substance use disorder linked to heroin.

4. Marijuana

658 people enrolled into treatment programs in 2009 for marijuana use in 2009. The state was also placed among the highest ranking in the entire nation in 2006 for the rates of marijuana abuse among people between the ages of 12 and 17.

5. Amphetamines and Methamphetamines

Although the exact numbers are yet to be reported, New Mexico has been witnessing a rising increase in the total number of enrollments and admissions into treatment centers for methamphetamine abuse and addiction. In 2009, for instance, it is reported that about 695 people enrolled into these centers for being addicted to amphetamines.

6. Other Drugs

The same year, 1958 people checked into addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers citing substance use disorders involving other drugs. Even so, the total numbers of people who were addicted to drugs like PCP and hallucinogens were not quite as significant as the people who were enrolled for inhalant abuse and sedative addiction.

In particular, the rates of illicit substance abuse in the state continue to be high. Consider the following:

• 8.8 percent of all high school students abused cocaine while 7.9 percent abused ecstasy and 3.5 percent reported using heroin
• In 2015, 444 people checked into addiction treatment and rehabilitation facilities for abusing heroin
• The same year, 217 enrolled in similar programs for abusing marijuana

7. Opioid Abuse

Some of the statistics linked to the abuse of opioid drugs in New Mexico include:

• In 2015, 520 people checked into rehab facilities for abusing prescription opioid medications
• 4.4 percent of high school students reported abusing methamphetamines while 4.4 percent said that they had abused prescription medications
• The same year, 309 people sought similar treatment for amphetamine abuse while 68 people were treated for cocaine abuse

Statistics on Drug Courts, Injuries, and Fatalities in New Mexico

In 2007, New Mexico lost 471 lives related to drug use. This was in stark comparison to the 295 people who died in incidents involving firearms and the 379 lives it lost in motor vehicle accidents the same year.

Similarly, the deaths that were related to drug abuse in the state came to 23.9 deaths for every 100,000 people while the national rate was at 12.7 deaths for every 100,000 people.

The same year, the rates of seizures and arrests linked to methamphetamine were relatively low. However, even though the numbers of cocaine and marijuana seizures were much lower that year, they still ranked higher than the number of seizures linked to meth.

On the other hand, New Mexico made 34 seizures of meth labs in 2006. This number was a significant reduction from the 188 seizures of meth labs that the state made in 2003. Last but not least, the state made 556 arrests for drug violations.

Addiction Prevention, Awareness, and Treatment in New Mexico

New Mexico has a wide variety of programs and initiatives designed to combat its rates of ongoing substance abuse and addiction. Some of these programs include, but are not limited to:

The Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education initiative - also known as The HOPE program

• The Mental Health Association of New Mexico
• The National Alliance of Mental Illness
• The New Mexico Crisis and Access Line
• The Southwest Border High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program
• The Suicide Prevention Hotline

On the other hand, the state has a wide variety of addiction rehabilitation and treatment programs. These programs provide several options that you can count on while struggling with a substance use disorder.

When you check into the right facility, you can receive the help you need to overcome your addiction and go on to lead a more interesting, fulfilling, and meaningful lifestyle free of your crippling dependence on drugs and alcohol. In the long run, such treatment in New Mexico can ensure that you overcome your addiction and get back to a normal existence with a lower risk of relapsing back to your old substance use related habits.