Tennessee Addiction Treatment and Info

Drug and substance abuse is very much a global issue these days. Still, it has to be said that the U.S has had (and continues to have) more problems with drugs than any other place in the world. Tennessee is one of the states that have recently had great struggles with drug and substance addiction. With more than 6.77 million residents, it is not surprising at all that the state has experienced high rates of drug and alcohol abuse over the past several decades.

Addiction in Tennessee

Known as country music's place of conception, Tennessee is home to the vibrant streets of Nashville and Memphis, both of which attract tourists from coast to coast. Tennessee is also bordered by the Great Smoky Mountains, offering serene stretches of wilderness and stunning views.

Sadly, Tennessee is also home to a growing drug epidemic, similar to what the rest of the country has seen in recent years. Prescription opioid painkiller is a major issue here. Its use transitions into abuse that can quickly escalate into the use of heroin and other street-sourced opioids. Ultimately in Tennessee's case, this has led to homelessness and overdoses, some of which have been fatal.

Tennessee offers lots of addiction treatment options in several cities across the state. The options range from inpatient services to outpatient programs and they may include additional treatment options like medical detox as well as sober living homes to help in the recovery process.

Commonly Abused Substances in Tennessee

There are numerous substances used and abused in the state of Tennessee. However, some of these are admittedly more prevalently abused than others. The information that follows highlights the most common drugs here:

1. Opioids

While many states are admittedly seeing a rise in opioid addiction and the abuse of prescription drugs, Tennessee has a much higher rate of opioid addiction among its people. The state ranks 2nd in the nation for most opioid prescriptions per individual. This means that physicians in Tennessee prescribe more opioids than 48 other states in the country.

The massive habit-forming nature of opioids often quickly spirals its users into full-blown addiction, overdosing and even death. For instance, the year 2014 was a record year for the state, with at least 1,200 residents dying due to opioid overdose. This statistic did not account for the lives that were lost due to complications from addiction, with the examples of infections from shared needles or poly-use of opioids with other drugs.

2. Alcohol

Alcohol has posed huge issues for Tennessee. As the most vastly consumed addictive substance in the U.S, alcohol can be very inexpensive and easy to obtain, even for residents that are under the legal drinking age of 21. An estimated 9.6% of Tennessee adolescents who are aged 12 to 17 years old use alcohol— this totals to nearly 50,000 adolescents. Almost 60% of high school students have used or abused alcohol at some point or other in their lives.

Once completely banned by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, moonshine, which is unregulated, home-made brew, is experiencing a resurgence of popularity in Tennessee.

The unregulated production process carries significant dangers which include the presence of toxins such as lead, antifreeze or even methanol. Homemade hooch, commonly known as White Lightning, is usually a lot more potent in comparison to store-bought liquors, and many residents of the state have found themselves battling a vicious addiction to moonshine.

3. Methamphetamine

Meth is presently making a comeback in the state. After a largely successful law enforcement campaign aimed at ridding the state of meth several years ago, the drug is once again flooding the streets of Tennessee — this time in a highly potent, widely available version flowing from Mexico via organized drug rings.

4. Cocaine

Nearly 2,000 people got admitted to substance abuse treatment for smoking cocaine in 2010, while 338 who ingested cocaine by other means like snorting went to treatment the same year.

5. Marijuana

There were over 2,040 residents that were admitted into drug and alcohol rehabilitation in the state for marijuana dependence in the year 2010.

6. Prescription Drugs

The data shows that opiates, primarily prescription drugs, are the most commonly cited drugs among primary drug treatment admissions in Tennessee. In the year 2010, 3,379 people were admitted into drug treatment for opiates other than heroin. 57.6% of those admitted were male while 42.4% were female.

In 2017, Tennessee providers wrote 94.4 opioid prescriptions for every 100 persons. This was the 3rd highest prescribing rate in the country and 1.5 times greater than the average U.S. rate of 58.7 prescriptions. Still, this represents a 25-percent decline in the state's opioid prescribing rate since 2013.

The rate of overdose deaths which involved opioid prescriptions climbed steadily after 1999, to 11.1 deaths per 100,000 persons, but in the year 2017, it declined to 9.6 deaths per 100,000 persons.

Drug Related Injuries and Fatalities in Tennessee

The drug-induced fatality rate in Tennessee is significantly than the national average. As a direct result of drug use, about 1,035 persons died in Tennessee in the year 2007. This is compared to the number of residents of Tennessee that died from motor vehicle accidents (1,303) and firearms (924) in the same year.

In 2017, there were 1,269 overdose deaths which involved opioids in the state — a rate of 19.3 deaths per 100,000 residents. This was higher than the national rate of 14.6 deaths per 100,000 persons.

The greatest increase in opioid deaths was seen in cases involving synthetic opioids (with Fentanyl being the main culprit): a climb from 77 deaths in the year 2012 to 590 in 2017 was recorded. Deaths which involved heroin also rose dramatically in the same 5-year span: from just 50 to over 310 deaths. There were 644 deaths that involved prescription opioids in the year 2017, a decrease from 739 in 2016

Addiction Prevention in Tennessee

Tennessee offers several ventures which are designed to curb the growing rates of substance abuse among the locals. With so many adolescents using and abusing drugs, as well as such drugs like meth and moonshine making a comeback, the state has decided to take drastic measures to curtail drug prevalence. Some examples of these programs include:

a) Partnership with the National Department of Health and Human Services

Tennessee state officials are working to stay ahead of the opioid crisis which is shaking the state. They have made a partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in their disease-prevention ventures which are aligned with the Healthy People 2020 national campaign. The latest drug-abuse objectives for Healthy People 2020 are "to reduce substance abuse to protect the health, safety, and quality of life for all, especially children."

b) Bolstering of the Department of Mental Health

Tennessee has also boosted its efforts in the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, which is focused on mental health and addiction. It plays the role of identifying these disorders' impact on the state as a whole. This department has helped to bring awareness to numerous mental health issues as well as address the connections in place between mental health disorders and drugs abuse.

c) Statewide Regulation of Opioid Prescriptions

Tennessee is attempting to halt the opioid epidemic from square one, starting with the physicians who prescribe opioid painkillers. In addition to awareness campaigns and additional education for healthcare practitioners, the state also hosts a database that tracks opioid prescriptions for each patient and is able to identify trends in those who seem to be seeking out the drug.

Addiction Treatment in Tennessee

In addition to the preventative programs in place, the state has a vast variety of addiction treatment and rehab programs available. These programs offer unique and highly personalized recovery services to admitted clients.

In 2010, there were 11,717 people that were admitted to drug rehab. Of those admitted to addiction treatment, approximately 67 % were male and 33% were female.

According to the 2006 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (NSSATS), there were 195 drug and alcohol facilities in Tennessee. Of these facilities, 147 (75%) were private nonprofit, and 35 (18%) were private for-profit.

Drug-only admissions have increased, from 18% of all admissions in 1992, to 41% in 2006. Concomitantly, admissions for both drugs and alcohol have decreased, from 45% in 1992 to 28% in 2006.

In 2007-2008, Tennessee ranked first among all states for past-year non-medical use of pain relievers among persons that were aged 26 or older. Tennessee also was one of the top 10 states for rates in other drug-use categories, including past-month use of illicit drugs other than marijuana among residents aged 12 and older.

Approximately 8% of Tennessee residents reported past-month use of illicit drugs; the national average was 8%. The state also ranked among the 10 states with the highest rate of past year non-medical use of pain relievers in the year 2007.

Some of the services that you may expect when you are enrolled any one of these programs include, but are not limited to:

• Aftercare programs
• Alumni programs
• Detox programs
• Inpatient programs
• Intensive outpatient programs
• Intervention services
• Outpatient programs
• Sober living homes

Consider the following categories of substance abuse treatment and rehab services that are available in Tennessee:

i) Intervention Services

A professional interventionist attends to persons who are close to the person experiencing addiction in a bid to design an intervention. An intervention outlines the toll that drug abuse has taken on the addicted person and those who love and look out for them. It outlines an appropriate plan of treatment, with the ultimate objective of motivating them to actively seek assistance.

ii) Inpatient Addiction Treatment

After a person has completed any necessary detox, it's time to address the psychological and behavioral aspects of addiction in an inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation program.

Tennessee inpatient drug rehab programs offer a residential setting and intensive therapies that help a person address the social, mental, emotional and even spiritual impact of addiction. These tailored therapies help a person to adopt the relapse-prevention and sober-living skills that work best for their needs.

Living on-site at a treatment facility gives each client the chance to be immersed in a therapeutic community. Throughout the course of their day, residents have the chance to build meaningful relationships with staff and fellow treatment participants. These bonds both enhance and inform the recovery process.

iii) Outpatient Addiction Treatment

While the traditional outpatient and intensive outpatient programs effectively provide standalone services for dependency treatment, these programs tend to be more valuable when they are used to support inpatient rehab.

In this capacity, outpatient programs may help a person to adjust to sobriety after receiving treatment. As a step-down service, the outpatient programs assist the person to successfully adjust to changes in lifestyle which are associated with sobriety

iv) Drug and Alcohol Detox Programs

Without professional help and medical support, withdrawal symptoms and cravings may push an addicted person to relapsing. A medical detoxification program provides round the clock medical support as the person's body works on healing. This treatment helps to protect a person from relapsing and it prepares them for the very next stage of treatment.

To help a person so that he or she is more comfortable and to minimize or even prevent withdrawal symptoms and cravings, the appropriate medications may be administered as is needed. Due to withdrawal symptoms that may be potentially dangerous, even lethal, individuals addicted to opioids, benzodiazepines and alcohol ought to consider a detox program.

Regardless of the drug rehab type you settle for, there is a high probability that you will find the following therapy kinds in place at the addiction recovery facility of your choice:

• 12-step and non-12 support groups
• Addiction education
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Complementary therapies, including equine therapy, yoga, meditation, biofeedback, massage therapy, and journaling
• Coping techniques
• Couples counseling
• Dialectical behavior therapy
• Exercise therapy
• External support groups
• Family therapy
• Group therapy meetings
• Individual counseling
• Life skills training
• Nutritional therapy
• Relapse prevention
• Stress management
• Vocational training

Getting Help

It is vital that you get assistance as quickly as possible once you discover that you are suffering from substance dependency. The earlier you are able to access a Tennessee rehab program and begin treatment, the higher your chances of getting back to a sober, standard life are.

CITATIONS

https://afmc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/OADAP_SEOW-2017-State-Report-Book_v3.3PRINT.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.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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