Maryland Addiction Treatment and Info

With the opioid epidemic being reported across the United States, it seems that Maryland has not been left behind. In fact, it has been ranked among the leading 5 states in terms of the rates of drug overdose fatalities involving opioids.

Addiction in Maryland

Maryland enjoys a serene landscape comprised of coastlines, waterways, and mountains. This makes it one of the most attractive states to live in. even so, many people here struggle with various substance use disorders - most of which are linked to opioids.

With the opioid crisis growing across the state, officials have been recommending that people seek professional help from addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers. This because there are various recovery options available in Maryland - including inpatient and outpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs.

Although substance abuse is a troubling issue, one of the major problems that comes with it is the risk of overdose. This is particularly because such an overdose can lead to fatal outcomes.

In 2016, for instance, more than 2000 people died in the state as a result of an incident involving drugs and alcohol. this number was 156 percent more than the 815 fatalities that were reported back in 2007.

Although these deaths were mostly linked to opioids - including both heroin and prescription pain relief medications - other substances were also responsible. They included benzodiazepines, cocaine, and alcohol.

The problem is being seen across the state. However, there are certain regions that seem to be hit harder than others. For instance, it was reported that the highest rates of drug overdose fatalities occurred in Anne Arundel and Baltimore County.

Further, these rates rose among people above the age of 55 years. Between 2010 and 2016, for instance, the overdose deaths reported within this age group increased from 86 to a total of 424. This was an increase of 393 percent.

Commonly Abused Substances in Maryland

There are several substances that are more commonly abused than others in the state of Maryland. Consider the following:

1. Alcohol

More than 60 percent of all residents of Maryland abuse the age of 12 years drink alcohol at least once a month. Although most of these people do not have any alcohol related problems, some of them eventually end up struggling with alcohol use disorders.

Today, this substance is linked to alcoholism or alcohol addiction, alcohol poisoning or overdose, birth defects, motor vehicle accidents - some of which turn out into fatal outcomes, among others.

The number of deaths linked to alcohol, for instance, have been increasing since 2010. They more than doubled between 2015 and 2016. Further, these affected people from every sex, race, age, and ethnic group.

There are also other substances of abuse that are often detected in cases of fatalities involving alcohol. they include but are not limited to the following, at various percentages:

• Benzodiazepines at 4 percent
• Cocaine at 19.1 percent
• Fentanyl at 49.7 percent
• Heroin at 54.3 percent
• Prescription opioid medications at 16.2 percent

In 2010, more than 11000 people enrolled in an addiction treatment facility in Maryland for abusing alcohol. another 7892 people received similar treatment for abusing alcohol with another intoxicating substance. Of the total, 27 percent were female while 73 percent were male. At 8.2 percent, people between the ages of 46 and 50 years comprised the largest demographic among these patients.

2. Opioids

Fentanyl and heroin was the substances responsible for the greatest number of drug overdose deaths across the state in 2016. That year alone, 89 percent of the fatalities arising from an overdose in Maryland were linked to these opioid drugs.

Due to the increasing rates of drug overdose deaths involving opioids, Maryland has been ranked in the 5th position in the United States. This rate has continued rising above the total national average from 1999. However, it more than quadrupled in the years after 2010.

In 2016, Maryland lost a total of 1856 lives. Of this number:

• 1119 were linked to fentanyl - an increase of 4203 percent from the 26 deaths involving this drug in 2007
• 1212 fatalities were linked to heroin - an increase of 203 percent from the 399 deaths involving this drug in 2007
• 418 fatalities were linked to prescription opioid medications - an increase of 38 percent from the 302 deaths involving this class of medications in 2007

In 2017, preliminary reports showed that the rates of death involving opioids in this state were still high. Between January and September of that year, for instance, opioids led to 1501 deaths.

This number has been rising by 228 percent from the 457 fatalities that were reported in the state in 2007. It was also in 2017 that carfentanil started being detected in the overdose deaths reported in Maryland. That year, the drug was responsible for 57 deaths - which is not exactly surprising considering that it can be as much as 10000 times as potent as morphine.

Research studies have consistently shown that heroin is one of the primary substances of abuse in Maryland - far surpassing alcohol use. In 2010, for instance, a total of 16088 people enrolled in an addiction treatment and rehabilitation program struggling with an opioid use disorder involving heroin. Of this number, 37 percent were female while 63 percent were male.

3. Other Prescription Drugs

There are many people struggling with substance use disorders involving prescription medications. In Maryland, the most common among these drugs include Klonopin, methadone, benzodiazepines, and oxycodone.

Between 2006 and 2010, the state saw an increase of 106 percent in the number of people who were admitted in an addiction treatment program for abusing prescriptions. By 2010, this number had reached the 6898 level.

However, the residents of Maryland do not just abuse prescription opioid pain relief medications. There are some people who abuse benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium as well as ADHD treatment medications such as Adderall and Ritalin. In fact, overdoses in this state often involve benzodiazepines.

These overdoses led to an increase of 240 percent in the deaths reported in Maryland from 2007 through to 2016. The Department of Health showed that this increase was a result of people combining opioids benzodiazepines.

4. Illicit Drugs

The rates of past month abuse of illicit drugs in this state were also reported to higher than similar rates at the national level. In 2015, these rates in Maryland were at 10 percent while they were at 9.8 percent across the United States.

Most of the illicit substances that are abused in Maryland include inhalants, hallucinogens, marijuana - both natural and synthetic, as well as cocaine. In 2015, also, the state witnessed an increase in the rates of marijuana use among every age group.

At the same time, the rates of drug overdose deaths involving cocaine more than doubled - particularly from 2015 to 2016. At 464 deaths in 2016, cocaine was at the 4th position in terms of drug overdose deaths.

a) Cocaine

From 2004 to 2005, more than 104,000 reported that they had abused cocaine at least once in their lives in Maryland. By 2010, a total of 4733 people checked into a drug rehab center for smoking cocaine. Another 1167 people received similar treatment services for ingesting this drug through other routes of administration.

b) Marijuana

Close to 12000 people checked into drug rehabs in Maryland for abusing marijuana and developing dependence as a result. Of this number, 20 percent were female while 80 percent were male. At 19 percent, people between the ages of 17 and 17 comprised the largest age group receiving such treatment.

Drug Related Injuries and Fatalities in Maryland

In 2006, the state made a total of 21220 arrests linked to the possession of cocaine and opium. The following year, the DEA - the Drug Enforcement Administration - made 579 arrests due to various drug violations.

The same year, the state lost a total of 807 lives as a direct result of substance abuse and addiction. This number was lower than the 678 lives lost in incidents involving firearms and the 675 lives involving motor car accidents.

Juvenile courts in Maryland, on the other hand, made a total of 4321 referrals to an addiction treatment program. These referrals involving people who were arrested on a DUI or DWI charge. The following year, the state suffered a total of 186 traffic fatalities linked to alcohol abuse.

The latest data from FARS - the Fatal Accident Reporting System - also shows that 33 percent of all motor car accidents that turned out to be fatal in this state in 2009 involved various drugs.

Addiction Prevention in Maryland

Maryland has made addiction prevention and education programs available. Although they are mostly focused on various forms of substance abuse and addiction, it seems that the state has been placing emphasis on opioid drugs.

For instance, the Department of Education has published a resource designed to help people working in various school districts as well as educators to help in the fight against the ongoing opioid epidemic. Known as the Heroin and Opioid Awareness and Prevention Toolkit, it seeks to improve educational outcomes especially with respect to opioids like heroin and prescription pain relief medications.

The Inter-Agency Heroin and Opioid Coordinating Council was also formed by the state governor to streamline Maryland's ongoing responses to the growing opioid crisis affecting so many of its residents.

The Department of Public Health, on the other hand, has issued standing orders to life the certification and training requirements for the possession of Narcan (naloxone). As a result, naloxone is now available at all pharmacists and can be accessed without a prescription. It is effective in reversing the adverse effects of any opioid overdose.

Addiction Treatment in Maryland

In 2010, Maryland saw more than 61377 people checking into an addiction treatment and rehabilitation program. Of this number, 32 percent were female while 68 percent were male.

Admission linked to heroin abuse have also been increasing since the 1990s. during the same time, the admissions linked to alcohol abuse and addiction have been on the decline.

The state of Maryland also has various addiction treatment and rehabilitation programs in place. These programs offer highly personalized and individualized care to help their patients achieve a state of recovery. They include:

i) Medical Detox

When you first check into a drug treatment center, you will go through a thorough evaluation so that the rehab professionals can uncover the true nature of your substance abuse and addiction.

After that, they will typically provide you with medical detox if you are found to be struggling with physical dependence. The goal of detox is to manage any drug cravings and withdrawal symptoms that arise during the first few days or weeks of your recovery.

ii) Inpatient Drug Rehab

When you successfully complete your medical detox, you can opt to continue with your treatment on a residential or inpatient basis. This effectively means that you will be living at the rehab center over the entire course of your treatment - which could be anywhere between 28 and 90 days or longer.

iii) Outpatient Drug Rehab

However, you can also go for outpatient addiction treatment. this way, you would not be required to live at the recovery center. Instead, you can go to it a few times each week until you have achieved a state of complete sobriety and abstinence.

Outpatient treatment might be ideal if you already received inpatient drug rehab services, if your addiction is not severe enough to require residential drug rehab, or there are other responsibilities that you need to continue meeting at work, home, or school even as you seek help for your addiction.

Whether you opt for inpatient or outpatient addiction treatment, the following are some of the services that could improve your outcomes for recovery:

• 12 step support group meetings
• Acupuncture
• Adventure therapies
• Aftercare planning
• Alumni recovery programs
• Art therapy
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Dialectical behavior therapy
• Dual-diagnosis addiction care
• Equine therapy
• Executive treatment programs
• Gender-specific treatment
• Medication assisted treatment
• Mindfulness practice
• Motivational interviewing
• Music therapy
• Pet therapy
• Sober living options
• Stress management
• Wilderness therapies
• Yoga

Getting Help

Irrespective of the nature or extent of your substance abuse and addiction, it is recommended that you seek help from a professional addiction treatment program in Maryland to ensure that you overcome this problem before it gets the better of you.

CITATIONS

https://bha.health.maryland.gov/OVERDOSE_PREVENTION/Documents/Maryland%202016%20Overdose%20Annual%20report.pdf

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/maryland-opioid-summary

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

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

https://www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu/media/SOP/wwwpharmacyumarylandedu/programs/seow/PDF2016/substance-use-and-outcomes-2015-epi-profile.pdf

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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