Vermont Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs
Like in the rest of the United States, substance use disorders involving both drugs and alcohol are dire public health concerns in Vermont. In particular, the state has witnessed a rise in the use of both prescription opioid medications and heroin over the past few years starting in 2010.
A National Institute on Drug Abuse (commonly abbreviated as NIDA) report, for instance, showed that the state had one of the highest rates of illegal substance abuse in the entire country.
Substance Abuse Statistics in Vermont
Figures from 2006 show that the state also ranked among the top 10 in the US for a number of alcohol and drug abuse categories. At the time, it only had 40 facilities providing ongoing rehabilitation and treatment services for addiction. Of these facilities, four provided treatment for opioid use disorders while 16 had programs offering dual diagnosis treatment for both substance abuse and mental health disorders.
The state was also ranked highly in terms of the instances of dependence on and addiction to illicit drugs among residents above the age of 12 as well as those between the ages of 18 and 25.
Commonly Abused Substances in Vermont
For many years now, heroin, marijuana, and cocaine have taken center stage as the most commonly abused substances in Vermont. In 2008, for instance, close to 12 percent of the residents of the state reported engaging in illicit substance abuse in the month prior to a study. This was relatively high considering that the total national average for the same period was at 8 percent.
Other drugs that local residents commonly abuse include:
1. Alcohol
The number of people who enrolled into addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers in Vermont for abusing alcohol has been changing for several years now. In 2002, for instance, 7,641 people were admitted for ongoing rehabilitation. This number rose to 8,356 individuals in 2008 before dropping to 7,851 people in 2010. The same year, 37.1 percent of those who sought treatment were female while 62.8 percent were male.
In 2010, also, 2,123 people were enrolled into treatment centers mainly for an alcohol use disorder. An additional 1,672 Vermont residents received similar treatment but with a secondary substance use disorder over and above their alcohol dependence.
From 2003 to 2004, the rate of binge drinking among people between the ages of 18 to 25 years was at 24.05 percent. This rate shot up to 28.02 percent from 2005 to 2006.
Last but not least, residents aged between 46 and 50 years comprised the largest segment of the population struggling with the primary abuse of alcohol followed by those in the 41 to 45 age group.
Alcohol use disorders have long plagued the state since 2012. Alcohol abuse, to this end, refers to the excessive use of alcohol, the making of risky and dangerous decisions while intoxicated on alcohol, and combining other drugs with alcohol.
On the other hand, alcohol addiction also known as an alcohol use disorder refers to the state of developing physical dependence on the substance. Alcohol abuse usually precedes addiction.
Although the rates of alcohol addiction and abuse have been constant more or less between 2012 and 2016, the rates at which adults were admitted into rehabilitation facilities to receive ongoing treatment has been dropping by close to 1,000 people every year. Only 9 percent of people with diagnosed alcohol use disorders, for instance, sought rehabilitation services in state-funded centers in Vermont in 2016.
2. Marijuana
At the moment, cannabis or marijuana is the 2nd most commonly abused intoxicating and mind altering substance in this state. In 2010, for instance, 1,228 residents were enrolled in addiction treatment programs for marijuana abuse and dependence.
Of this number, 31.3 percent were female while the remaining 68.7 percent were female. At the same time, the highest incidence of marijuana use was among people aged between 12 and 17 years old, followed closely by those aged 18 to 20 years old who were followed by the 21 to 25 years age group.
The state is also ranked for its high rates of marijuana abuse. The Department of Health, for instance, reported that Vermont had the leading rates of marijuana abuse in the entire country. The same study found that 13 percent of the residents of this state stated that they had used this substance at least once in the month prior to the study.
3. Other Opiates
Statistics show that opiates comprise the drug of class that is most commonly abused by people enrolling for ongoing addiction treatment and rehabilitation in Vermont. In 2010, for instance, 1,890 people checked into facilities providing these services for abusing opiates.
Statistics on Drug Courts, Fatalities, and Injuries in Vermont
In 2007, Vermont lost 68 lives as a direct result of substance abuse. This was in stark comparison to the 52 lives it lost to incidents involving firearms and the 71 people who died in motor car accidents in the same year.
Government and law enforcement officials have also made several seizures of MDMA at the state's ports of entry some of which have been a couple of thousand tablets. On the other hand, the DEA common abbreviation for the Drug Enforcement Agency made 2 seizures of meth labs in Vermont in 2007.
Like the other states in the Union, Vermont has also been affected by the opioid crisis. In 2016, for instance, it sustained 101 deaths linked to an opioid overdose. This figure does not include the death, hospitalization, and adverse reactions related to the behavior that arises among people who are on opioids.
From 2013 to 2016, Vermont also saw an increase of 25 in the deaths arising from a heroin overdose. This number was, however, surpassed by the fatalities resulting from other potent synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. These drugs caused the number of lives lost to an overdose to triple.
The Department of Health reports that Vermont is a strategic location along several drug transportation and trafficking belts. Additionally, many of its large cities are connected to the main highway connecting Montreal to Philadelphia which goes through both New York City and Boston.
As such, drug traffickers have freely accessible routes while trying to sell illicit substances in the state. This is one of the factors that contributes to the high rates of substance abuse in Vermont.
Addiction Treatment in Vermont
Addiction in Vermont is like any other psychiatric or medical illness in the sense that it requires ongoing treatment and rehabilitation by highly trained, licensed, and certified professional experts.
Even so, you might have a hard time finding the right rehabilitation program for you and your choice will make a world of difference between relapse and recovery, both in the short and in the long run.
Luckily, there are many addiction treatment centers for all types and combinations of substance use disorders in Vermont. The health system, on the other hand, also sponsors external rehabilitation programs. Additionally, the state boasts a number of private rehab centers that are fully accredited and licensed while Vermont also runs several state-funded addiction treatment programs and facilities.
Although these facilities use a wide variety of treatment approaches, not every therapy works for all addicts. This is because addiction by its nature is different and provides varying experiences for everyone who is afflicted by it.
To this end, the center you check into to overcome your addiction will first analyze different aspects of your substance use disorder to better understand the best approach they should use.
In many cases, these facilities provide different services to help their patients overcome their addiction. These services include but are not limited to:
- Treatment programs for young adults and teens
- Support groups
- Stress management
- Specialized addiction treatment
- Outpatient addiction treatment
- Nutrition education
- Multi-systemic therapy
- Motivational interviewing
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Luxury treatment programs
- Life skills
- Inpatient addiction treatment, also known as residential rehabilitation
- Individual counseling
- Holistic therapies
- Group counseling
- Gender specific treatment programs
- Family behavioral therapy
- Faith-based or religious addiction treatment
- Exercise or physical therapy
- Executive addiction rehabilitation programs
- Dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Detoxification services to deal with withdrawal symptoms and drug/alcohol cravings
- Court-ordered addiction treatment programs
- Contingency management interventions
- Complementary therapies
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Behavioral therapies
- Alumni services
- Addiction treatment therapies
- 12 step programs
You can also find different ways to offset the cost of your ongoing stay at an addiction treatment and rehabilitation facility in Vermont. For instance, some commercial insurance companies provide coverage for both outpatient and inpatient addiction treatment services in the state.
However, if you are not covered by any insurance company, you can find other ways to pay for your treatment. For instance, you might want to try looking for grants and scholarships to cover some of the expenses. Alternatively, you could ask for financing or a payment plan through the rehabilitation center you enroll into.
The most important thing is that you receive urgent medical attention and ongoing therapy, rehabilitation, and treatment services in Vermont to help you overcome your substance use disorder. In the long run, this will cost you much less than your addiction would have.
