Connecticut Addiction Treatment and Info

Connecticut is among the states that are at the fore of the ongoing drug epidemic in the United States. In fact, it has some of the highest rates of drug overdose fatalities involving opioids in the nation.

Addiction in Connecticut

According to the Chief Medical Examiner's reports for 2017, the state experienced 1038 accidental deaths involving drug intoxication. This was equal to about 3 fatalities reported every single day that year.

Other figures show that Connecticut has some of the highest overdose deaths involving opioids in the United States. For this reason, it moved from the 50th position in 2012 to the 12th by 2015 for the rates of opioid related fatalities.

Experts now believe that these numbers are due to the increasing availability of prescription opioid medications like Vicodin and OxyContin as well as the illicit drug fentanyl.

The state also saw the number of deaths linked to opioids more than quadrupling from close to 6 deaths among every segment of the population of 100,000 people back in 2012 through to over 24 deaths for every 100,000 people by 2016. This was at a time when the United States reported a national average of 13.3 deaths for every segment of 100,000 residents in 2016.

Deaths linked to heroin also increased by 359 percent to 450 fatalities in 2016 from 98 such incidents in 2012. By 2017, Connecticut lost 677 lives linked to fentanyl overdose situations. This was in comparison to the 14 lives it lost back in 2011.

Today, these deaths are not the only problems plaguing the state. This is because ongoing opioid abuse has been interlinked with increasing rates of HIV, hepatitis C, and neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Commonly Abused Substances in Connecticut

Apart from opioids, there are many other substances of abuse in this state. In particular, crack cocaine and regular powdered cocaine are responsible for many numbers of drug overdose deaths reported among local residents.

For instance, cocaine was responsible for 2907 deaths between 2012 and 2017. By 2017, the state lost 347 lives due to a cocaine overdose. This number was 230 percent more than the 105 fatalities that were reported back in 2012.

Hallucinogens, synthetic cannabinoids, marijuana, methamphetamine, and alcohol are also commonly abused in Connecticut. Further, the rates of prescription medication abuse have been on the rise, particularly involving central nervous system depressants and stimulants like:

• Adderall
• Alprazolam (Xanax)
• Clonazepam (Klonopin)
• Ritalin

Addiction Treatment in Connecticut

In 2010, SAMHSA - the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - reported that 51,983 people enrolled in an addiction treatment and rehabilitation program in the state.

The most commonly abused substances by these people included alcohol and heroin. They were closely followed by marijuana and alcohol. Of the total number of people enrolled, approximately 28 percent were female while the remaining 72 percent were male.

Most of drug rehab centers in this state only provide treatment for substance use disorders. However, about 33 percent also provide dual diagnosis treatment for people struggling with both addiction and other co-occurring medical and mental health disorders.

By 2006, the state only had a total of 209 programs offering substance addiction treatment. That year, about 25 percent also offered medically managed detoxification services while over 67 percent provided rehabilitation services free of charge for clients who did not have insurance.

Alcohol

Alcohol is one of the most commonly abused substances in Connecticut. In fact, more than 33 percent of all admissions in drug rehab centers in the state in 2010 were linked to this drug.

That year, a total of 9211 people checked into an addiction treatment center for abusing alcohol only. An additional 10703 received similar medical assistance for abusing alcohol with other secondary substances.

Heroin

In 2010, a total of 11697 people were enrolled in a drug rehab program for abusing heroin and developing dependence as a result. People between the ages of 21 and 25 comprised the largest segment of this population while 65 percent of them were Caucasian.

Unfortunately, most of the people who are addicted to heroin also abuse it with marijuana, crack cocaine, regular powdered cocaine, and alcohol. this is one of the reasons why heroin is linked to such high rates of drug overdose in the state.

Marijuana

Cannabis is the 2nd most commonly abused intoxicating substance in Connecticut. In 2010, for instance, a total of 8350 people were enrolled in a drug rehab program for abusing this drug. Most of the marijuana that is available in the state is brought in from New York City, Boston, Mexico, or the south western region of the United States.

Cocaine

The same year, more than 4600 people were enrolled in a professional addiction rehabilitation facility for abusing cocaine - whether through smoking it or through other routes of administration.

Prescription Drugs

Like in many other states across the nation, prescription substance abuse is a common theme in Connecticut. OxyContin and Vicodin, however, are the primary prescriptions that are most often abused in the state.

In 2010, opioids other than heroin were responsible for 2569 admissions in a drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation program in Connecticut. This number has been growing each year after.

Drug Related Injuries and Fatalities

Studies report that more than 50 percent of all the drug offenders who were federally sentenced in Connecticut in 2006 were in court due to a drug offense involving crack cocaine or regular cocaine. For instance, 54 percent of all drug offenses reported in this state involved crack. Other figures linked to substance abuse include:

• In 2006, 319 people were arrested for committing a drug related charge
• The same year, the state made close to 15000 arrests involving drug violations
• In 2006, the state made a total of 5015 arrests linked to driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• In 2007, the state had a total of 4 drug courts

Connecticut also reported that it lost a total of 444 lives in 2007 as a result of substance abuse. That year, 309 residents died in a motor car accident while the state lost 149 lives in incidents involving firearms.

Addiction Prevention in Connecticut

Due to the growing drug abuse problem, Connecticut has been committing itself to reducing the rates of substance taking among local residents. In particular, it has focused on the ongoing opioid crisis.

In 2017, for instance, the state governor signed legislation into place designed to reduce this epidemic. Other efforts that Connecticut has been engaging in include but are not limited to:

a) Change The Script

Connecticut has this multiagency campaign in place. It is designed to provide resources and education on opioid and prescription medication abuse among local residents, healthcare professionals, and community leaders across the state.

b) Good Samaritan Law

The state changed its Good Samaritan laws in 2014. As a result, anyone who reports a drug overdose incident in Connecticut is protected from being prosecuted if the incident involved illicit substances.

c) Naloxone

Further, Connecticut has been increasing the availability of naloxone so that first responders, treatment professionals, and family members of opioid abusers can access the drug. This is because naloxone is the primary drug used in reversing opioid overdose situations. The drug is now available in the form of Evie and Narcan all across the state.

Addiction Treatment in Connecticut

There are many addiction recovery services available in this state. Through these services, you may be able to start working on overcoming your substance use disorder as well as managing other co-occurring disorders. They include but are not limited to:

i) Intervention Services

If you are addicted, you might be in denial. To this end, your loved ones might choose to host an intervention. In so doing, they would most likely use intervention services from professional interventionists to ensure that the meeting goes according to plan.

Through an intervention, they would gather to talk to you about your ongoing substance abuse and addiction. As a result of this meeting, you would be able to realize the harm that you have been causing them, as well as see that the time has come for you to check into an addiction treatment center.

ii) Assessment and Evaluation

When you first go for rehab, you will be provided with thorough assessments. The goal would be to determine the severity of your addiction, as well as uncover any other co-occurring mental health and medical disorders that you may also be struggling with.

iii) Medical Detox

After your assessment, the rehab program will recommend that you receive medically supervised detox services. Often these services will be provided on an inpatient basis because some of the withdrawal symptoms you suffer might prove to be fatal or so uncomfortable that you end up relapsing.

Detox is particularly recommended if you are dependent on your favorite substance of abuse. It would also be the right course of action if you have been abusing drugs that cause severe symptoms of withdrawal, such as opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol.

iv) Inpatient Drug Rehab

Once you successfully complete detox, you will have to choose between inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment. inpatient drug rehab is also known as residential treatment because it takes place in a controlled environment.

You will live in this environment and have limited access to the world outside. This is because the treatment center will be attempting to reduce your risk of relapse - which could be highly likely if you are exposed to the triggers and stress factors that might have been causing your addiction in the first place.

Inpatient drug rehab is recommended if you have a severe substance use disorder that would only be properly managed on a residential basis. It would also be the right way to recover if you also have a co-occurring mental health disorder that should be managed alongside your addiction.

v) Outpatient Drug Rehab

You also have the choice of outpatient addiction treatment. this option would be ideal if your addiction is not severe enough for you to require inpatient services, or if you do not have other co-occurring disorders.

Outpatient drug rehab might also be ideal if you have already been through an inpatient program but still need additional help to ensure that you do not relapse in the course of your first stages of recovery.

Other services that you may be able to benefit from while enrolled in a drug rehab program in Connecticut include:

• 12-step support group meetings
• Addiction education
• Aftercare programming
• Alternative, complementary, or holistic addiction therapies, such as journaling, massage therapy, meditation, art therapy, yoga and equine therapy
• Alumni support services
• Behavioral therapies
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Couples counseling
• Dialectical behavior therapy
• Dual diagnosis treatment
• Family therapy
• Group therapy
• Individual therapy
• Motivational interviewing
• Vocation educational services

Getting Help

If you have been taking drugs or drinking alcohol in excess and this has been leading to issues in your personal or professional life, it is recommended that you check into an addiction treatment center in Connecticut so that you can get the help you need to overcome your growing substance use disorder.

CITATIONS

http://www.ct.gov/ocme/lib/ocme/AccidentalDrugIntoxication2012-2017.pdf

https://ctmirror.org/2018/03/04/fentanyl-continues-drive-deadly-overdose-epidemic/

https://data.ct.gov/Health-and-Human-Services/Accidental-Drug-Related-Deaths-2012-2017/ecj5-r2i9

https://www.carnevaleassociates.com/our-work/emerging-drug-trends-prevention-issue-brief.html

https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2018-11/DIR-032-18%202018%20NDTA%20final%20low%20resolution.pdf

https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-summaries-by-state/connecticut-opioid-summary

https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/news-statistics/emerging-drug-trends

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234579/

https://www.shadac.org/publications/50-state-analysis-drug-overdose-trends-evolving-opioid-crisis-across-states

https://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr/WDR_2010/2.0_Drug_statistics_and_Trends.pdf

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