Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs in Rhode Island

Of all the United States, Rhode Island has been ranked 8th in terms of substance use disorders. The drug crisis in the state has also been preventing some of its residents from the joy of good health and wellness.

In particular, alcohol and drug addiction has been ruining lives in the state often creating problems in the relationships, productivity, and health of those it touches. For those who do not receive treatment and rehabilitation, many often find that they continue causing greater damage to their social health, minds, and bodies.

Today, Rhode Island has a number of addiction treatment and rehabilitation facilities designed to help these people gain control and change their lives. In many cases, these facilities offer inpatient rehab, detoxification services, and individualized treatment of varying degrees.

Statistics on Substance Abuse in Rhode Island

As we mentioned earlier, Rhode Island has high rates of substance abuse. It has also been ranked 8th in the entire country in terms of opioid use disorders. This ranking is mostly derived from the higher than normal numbers of drug related overdose deaths being sustained in the state.

Between 2009 and 2016, for instance, deaths arising from substance abuse continued increasing steady. By 2016, the number of fatalities linked to drugs and alcohol were higher than those arising from suicide, motor vehicle accidents, and homicide combined.

The problem was so serious that the Medical Society for Rhode Island projected that these deaths would continue increasing over the coming years unless the state makes effort to reduce them. It has projected the following rates of overdose for the future:

• 370 overdose deaths in 2018
• 398 overdose deaths in 2019
• 425 overdose deaths in 2020

In 2010, SAMHSA abbreviation for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration showed that the state saw 10,147 people enrolled into addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers. Of this number 29.7 percent were female while the remaining 70.3 percent were male.

At the moment, Rhode Island has a total of 60 drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities. However, the rates of unmet addiction treatment needs are among the top 10 in the United States particularly for people between the ages of 18 and 25.

In the same way, the rates at which people who sought addiction treatment showed incidences of co-occurring mental health disorders rose systematically from 4.5 percent in 1992 to 26 percent in 2006.

Commonly Abused Substances in Rhode Island

But what substances do Rhode Island residents abuse the most? Essentially, the state has been leading the rest of the country in several substance abuse categories. In 2007, for instance, the Office of National Drug Control Policy commonly abbreviated as ONDCP - ranked Rhode Island above the total national average for the use of illicit drugs. It was also ranked among the top 5 for all instances of substance abuse in the United States, as well as highest for heroin abuse which was followed closely by marijuana or cannabis.

Some of the most commonly abused drugs in this state include:

1. Alcohol

From 1992 to 2006, admissions into treatment and rehabilitation facilities by alcoholics in Rhode Island have been declining from a rate of 53 percent to about 29 percent by the end of the study period.

At the same time, however, admissions into similar centers for a substance use disorder involving drugs only doubled from about 21 percent to a total of 46 percent. Most of those who reported abusing alcohol either as their only substance of choice or as a primary substance in combination with another secondary substance use disorder were men.

2. Cocaine

Rhode Island is also ranked highly for its relatively expansive rates of cocaine misuse especially across 3 age groups people who are between 12 and 17 years old, those who are aged between 18 and 25 years, as well as individuals between the ages of 26 and 30.

In the same way, Rhode Island admitted 869 people into its addiction treatment facilities in 2010 for a substance use disorder linked to cocaine abuse.

3. Heroin

A total of 1993 people checked into rehabilitation and treatment centers in the state as a result of abusing heroin.

4. Marijuana

Men comprised the largest segment of the population that received ongoing treatment for an addiction involving marijuana. In 2010, however, a total of 1,577 people checked into rehab centers for being addicted to this drug. Similarly, Rhode Island was ranked among other states with the highest rates of marijuana abuse and addiction across every age group.

5. Prescription Drugs

The same year, 1,323 people enrolled into treatment centers for an opioid use disorder in Rhode Island separate from heroin. Of this people, 18 to 25 years old led in the rates of prescription medication abuse in the state.

Statistics on Drug Courts, Injuries, and Fatalities in Rhode Island

In terms of drug related deaths, Rhode Island is ranked among the top 18 states where such deaths are more than those caused by other factors. In 2007, for instance, Rhode Island lost 142 people in comparison to the 85 lives it lost to motor car accidents and the 37 lives that were lost to incidents involving firearms.

Additionally, the Department of Justice has reported that cocaine is associated with the greatest number of violent crimes in this state. Opioids, on the other hand, are causing similar havoc in Rhode Island.

In particular, the opioid crisis in Rhode Island is similar to that affecting the United States. These drugs are now linked to the high incidence of substance abuse related deaths and facilities in Rhode Island. This crisis is normally being driven by prescription opioids such as Vicodin, Percocet, and OxyContin as well as synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

The rate of fatality arising from opioid use disorders in Rhode Island more than doubled the total national rate in 2016, for example. That year, the state lost 26.7 lives for every 100,000 people while the entire country sustained 13.3 deaths per 100,000 people.

Between 2014 and 2016, two main categories of opioid drugs that were fueling the crisis continued raising in terms of the death toll they were causing to Rhode Island prescription and synthetic opioids. Only overdose rates from heroin continued falling during this period.

In 2016, Rhode Island experienced the following:

• 114 lives lost to prescription opioid overdoses which was higher than the 88 lives that it lost in 2014
• 182 lives lost to synthetic opioid overdoses, which was higher than the 82 lives that the state lost in 2014
• 25 lives lost in overdose situations involving heroin; this was down from a total of 66 deaths that the state lost in 2014

Close to 60 percent of all the overdose fatalities that Rhode Island sustained in 2016 were linked to fentanyl. In particular, this drug is increasingly being combined with other substances heroin, in particular. As a result, the amount of cocaine that was laced with this drug spiked in the state.

In many cases, these forms of drug combinations make both substances more addictive while also increase their potential for users to suffer a fatal and deadly overdose.

Rhode Island has also been seeing more incidences involving carfentanil. This synthetic fentanyl analog has been shown to be 10,000 times as potent as morphine which goes to show just how risky it is for human consumption. Even a small amount of this drug can cause you to suffer an overdose of deadly proportions.

Addiction Prevention and Treatment in Rhode Island

Rhode Island has been engaging in a wide variety of prevention and education programs designed to protect its residents from falling prey to the substance use disorders, addictions, and instances of overdose that are plaguing the rest of the country.

Some of these programs include:

• The Council of Behavioral Health
• The Rhode Island Naloxone and Overdose Prevention Education Program
• The Student Assistance Services of Rhode Island

In the same way, Rhode Island has many addiction treatment and rehabilitation facilities each of which is unique in terms of the types of therapies and modes of treatment that it provides.

When you are ready to start treatment for addiction in Rhode Island, you will first have to make a decision on the best combination of rehabilitation services that can help you overcome your substance use disorder.

In many cases, therefore, the first step after checking into a rehab in Rhode Island will involve a thorough clinical assessment and evaluation. Through this process, the treatment providers will get more information about your addiction history, life, and health. They will later use this information to create a highly customized and individualized treatment plan for you.

The evaluation can also outline the severity of your substance use disorder, the damage it has caused in your life, and all other issues that might be underlying your continued addiction.

Last but not least, the facility will use a wide variety of therapies and other treatment services to rehabilitate your substance use disorder and help you overcome your addiction.