Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs in Texas

The rates of methamphetamine abuse and dependence in Texas have been going up in the past few years further pushing the total instances of substance use in the state as well as impoverishing, infecting, and taking the lives of residents.

That said, the state has been grappling with a serious addiction crisis involving a wide variety of intoxicating and mind altering substances. SAMHSA the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also released a report showing that more than 35,000 residents of Texas were enrolled in publicly funded alcohol and drug rehabilitation facilities across the state.

Statistics on Substance Abuse in Texas

Whereas most of the people who checked into inpatient rehabilitation centers in the state needed treatment for an alcohol use disorder, opioid dependence was the second most common complaint among clients in these facilities.

In 2013, those who were admitted into publicly funded drug and alcohol treatment facilities in Texas were mostly dependent on the following substances of abuse:

• Opioids at 24 percent
• Methamphetamines at 13 percent
• Marijuana at 23 percent
• Cocaine at 11 percent
• Alcohol at 28 percent

Another study showed that the state had a total of 454 facilities providing treatment for substance abuse and addiction. Additionally, 39,484 people were enrolled in these centers in 2014. Of this number, 40.6 percent were female while the remaining 59.4 percent were male.

Commonly Abused Substances in Texas

The Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality run by SAMHSA also showed the numbers of people who were addicted to or who abused illicit substances between from 2009 to 2013. According to this report, more than 473,000 people above the age of 12 were diagnosed with some form of substance use disorder.

The most commonly abused mind altering drugs in the state included:

1. Alcohol

The TEDS report released by SAMHSA also revealed that a total of 5,801 people enrolled for addiction treatment as a result of alcohol abuse as their primary condition. An additional 4,856 people checked into similar facilities for both an alcohol use disorder and a secondary substance use disorder.

On the other hand, the federal government released a Behavioral Health Barometers reports focused on Texas. Running from 2009 through to 2014, this report illustrated that the total percentage of alcohol abuse and dependence among residents of Texas above the age of 12 was at par with similar averages at the national level. This percentage was equal to about 1.4 million per year.

Even today, Texas continues struggling with alcohol use disorders among its residents. For instance, Prevention Status Report for 2013 released by the CDC or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the state spent $16.6 billion dollars on the excessive consumption of alcohol.

The following year, another report illustrated that people between the ages of 21 and 25 formed the largest group of residents involved in drunk driving incidents that ended up in fatal motor vehicle accidents/crashes.

2. Methamphetamine

Although its price has increased due to dwindling supplies, methamphetamine is still widely available in Texas. In 2009, for instance, a total of 4,912 people enrolled into addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers in the state for being dependent on either amphetamines or methamphetamine. The total number of individuals who receive similar treatment continues increasing every year.

Agents working for the DEA report that meth is among the major drug threats in the state. In 2016, for instance, 715 lives were lost to this drug a number that experts expect to continue growing through to 2018 and beyond. The toll caused by this substance has also outdone heroin which was responsible for 539 deaths in the state in 2016.

The number of meth labs in Texan homes, however, decreased significantly after the federal government instituted a national crackdown on the main ingredients used to cook the drug. Unfortunately, this only encourages foreign drug sellers to start making more of the substance and some of them continue producing meth that is nearly pure at cheaper rates than that of home labs leading to a flooding of the market.

Most of the meth in the state comes from Mexico. Between 2014 and 2014, DEA agents reported that the number of seizures of the drug at the Mexico-Texas border increased by 103 percent.

Authorities have also reported that major drug traffickers and cartels have been striving to broaden their share of the market by trying new product lines such as heroin to supplement methamphetamine. At the same time, 17 percent of all the deaths related to this drug in 2016 were also linked to heroin.

3. Cocaine

Another widely available drug in Texas, cocaine comes after marijuana as the 2nd most commonly abused substance among people looking for addiction rehabilitation services. Both cocaine and crack cocaine are available in a wide variety of quantities from 1 grams to several kilograms.

In 2005, however, 4,808 people were admitted into rehab facilities in the state for smoking the powdered form the drug. On the other hand, an additional 7,904 individuals received ongoing addiction treatment for abusing crack cocaine four years later in 2009.

Today, the state is also ranked as having one of the highest rates of cocaine abuse for people between the ages of 12 and 17.

4. Heroin

According to the 2014 workgroup dealing with the Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology, indicators of heroin showed that Texas had a growing problem with this substance particularly among young adults and teens.

The most common forms of the drug that are available on the streets of Texas include powdered brown heroin and black tar heroin from Mexico. This is why it is not altogether surprising that the total number of admissions into rehab centers for heroin dependence and addiction among people below the age of 30 years shot up to 52 percent in 2013 from 40 percent in 2005.

5. Marijuana

From 2008 to 2012, the total number of drug arrests for marijuana sale and possession in Texas fluctuated from 70,360 and rose to an all-time high of 76,946 in 2009 before decreasing to 72,562 by 2012. Even so, Texas continues prosecuting people caught in possession of this substance with drug crimes.

6. Prescription Drugs

According to data from 2013 released by the Department of State Health Services for Texas, 12 percent of all admissions into rehab centers in the state was linked to people who were using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes.

Additionally, the 2014 Interim Report released by the House Committee on Public Health noted that the mortality rates in the state had increased by 78 percent from 1999 to 2010 as a result of people overdosing on opioids.

Statistics on Drug Courts, Fatalities, and Injuries in Texas

The Non-Index Crimes report for 2010 showed that Texas made a total of 14,639 legal arrest for the illicit manufacture and sale of drugs in the state. An additional 125,974 people were apprehended by law enforcement officials for possessing illicit substances. Additional statistics tied to substance abuse and addiction in the state include:

• Drug overdose is the 3rd leading cause of death related to injuries in the state
• From 2006 to 2007, more than 433,000 Texans reported that they had used cocaine at least once in their lifetimes
• The same period showed that 703 of all reported deaths involved cocaine abuse and dependence
• In 2007, Texas made a total of 93 seizures of meth labs in 2007; this number increased to 155 seizures in 2009 showing a total increase of 67 percent
• In 2007 also, the Drug Enforcement Agency also known as the DEA made 2,812 arrests related to drugs in this state
• The same year, Texas lost 2,343 lives to drug related incidents; this was in stark comparison to the 3,800 deaths sustained in motor car accidents and the 2,561 lives that were lost in incidents involving firearms
• In 2008, both local and state law enforcement agencies in Texas seized over 575,000 pounds of cannabis
• In 2009, the state had a total of 58 drug courts
• The same year, 57 percent of all defendants who were sentenced federally in Texas were linked to marijuana crimes
• In 2013, the state lost 1,337 lives in drunk driving incidents
• The same year, Texan enforcement officers made a total of 99,195 DUI/DWI arrests
• In 2018, there were 144,953 arrests linked to the possession, manufacture, and sale of drugs

A different set of issues means that drug smuggling in Texas continues to be a major complication in the state. This is because of air travel, shipping routes, and the fact that Texas shares a border with Mexico a major source of all the drugs that make their way into the United States.

That said, reports from the federal government have shown that the smuggling of currency in bulk is among the most common form of diversion that is performed by Mexican organized crime syndicates.

Addiction Treatment in Texas

To protect yourself from the many dangers of substance abuse and addiction, you might want to check into a treatment and rehabilitation center in Texas. This way, you will receive the ongoing care and therapy needed to help you overcome your chemical dependence on mind altering and intoxicating substances.