Substance use disorders (SUDs) continue to be a major issue in the United States even in this day and age. Although tremendous efforts have already been made to regulate the various substances commonly used for abuse, numbers are still on the rise when it comes to the distribution, sales, and use of drugs and alcohol, and ultimately overdose-related deaths.
The Importance Of Addiction Treatment
Thus far, there are numerous rehabilitation centers all around the United States that provide different kinds of treatment approaches viable for the different forms of substance abuse disorders and mental health issues.
At Legends Recovery of Ohio, our rehab facilities offer addiction treatment resources that suit a variety of people’s needs and situations following a thorough assessment by therapists after the medical detox process.
The fact that there are more treatment centers today per state than in previous years is a major development, as this means people seeking treatment will not have to go far to find it. One of the main reasons being seen as a hindrance to seeking treatment in the years before was the fact that many had to cross state lines just to find treatment, and this was not only a large inconvenience but could also become quite costly for many.
In the state of Ohio, opioids and alcohol rank among the top substance abuse disorder concerns, which is why these concerns are among the top considerations at the local treatment centers. Medical detox facilities are not only massively important in the state’s efforts against the burgeoning addiction problem, but these treatment centers are also practical lifesavers when it comes to treating those already in danger of an overdose.
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Statistics in Ohio
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report stating that drug overdose-related deaths in the state started rising in 2017. In 2020, there were at least 4,410 reported drug overdose-related deaths in Ohio. This number increased by as much as 26.6% in 2021, raising the number to 5,585, which is so far a record number of drug overdose-related deaths for the state.
These deaths are primarily associated with the rise of opioid use in the state, although state authorities have issued stricter regulations from way back in 2010 on prescription opioids following reports that opioid overdose cases were on the rise. This, however, did nothing to stop the growing number of opioid users, as more people began illegally selling or prescribing prescription drugs.
The regulatory act was seen as a massive error on the part of state authorities, as it became apparent no one considered that the opioid market would simply adjust to the new regulations. State analysts have cited the recent pandemic as a major influence in the sharp increase in opioid use.
A new trend was spotted during the late part of 2021, as more people started mixing in the use of the dangerous drug fentanyl alongside the usual repertoire of substances that are chronically abused. The CDC is looking at this new trend as a disturbing development and at the possibility that drug use and overdose statistics could get worse in the period that follows.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services in the United States have been tracking the progression of efforts to curb the substance abuse disorder dilemma. As of 2021, the organization has compiled a set of comprehensive addiction treatment resources detailing the following disturbing statistics:
- At least 21 million Americans suffer from one form of addiction.
- Of the 21 million Americans afflicted with addiction, only 10% have sought treatment.
- At least 30 Americans die each day on average due to alcohol-related car accidents.
- Six Americans die each day from alcohol poisoning.
- There are at least 88,000 alcohol-related deaths in the United States every year.
- At least 15 million American adults have an alcohol abuse disorder (AUD).
- At least 130 Americans die each day from opioid-related deaths.
- Around 30% of the people who take prescription opioids are addicted to them.
- Of the 40 million Americans who smoke marijuana each year, 17% started using it as a minor
- Of the more than 700,000 Americans who are heavy meth users, more than 2% are between the ages of 12 and 17.
Rates of addiction continue to spike exponentially during COVID-19. People either have pre-existing mental illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, and paranoia, developed during the pandemic, or it has exasperated their symptoms.
Isolation during this time, especially when locked in the house during quarantine, did nothing to help people with feelings of fear, loneliness, guilt, shame, etc. As a result, studies show, that the pandemic increased the rates of addiction and mental illness tenfold. This has made it more difficult to decrease the stigma surrounding behavioral health.
While access to virtual help or telehealth has helped during these unprecedented times, still people struggling with addiction and mental illness are not getting the treatment they need, despite the demand for it.
These harrowing statistics above prove even further how important having access to quality healthcare and addiction treatment resources is crucial to saving someone’s life.
Addiction Treatment Programs
Following the detoxification stage, people with a substance abuse disorder will need to undergo a treatment program to help them deal with the chronic issues that arise when people try to kick their substance dependency.
These levels of care could come one after another based on the assessment of a therapist, although many also respond positively to the initial treatments received during detox and may only need to go through one program after that.
There are several different programs and addiction treatment resources that the specialists at Legends Recovery of Ohio suggest for a person struggling depending on their particular needs, including:
A residential treatment program is a structured treatment where the patient stays at a licensed treatment facility for the duration of the treatment. Typically, facilities for men are separate from the facilities dedicated to women, and also for women with children. This is so that the patient could focus exclusively on the treatment with no distractions, as some patients have greater difficulty than others during treatment. Residential treatment programs are beneficial to certain people in several ways.
A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is a structured form of therapy that is typically applied to people needing help with mental health issues or as a form of addiction treatment. Unlike the residential treatment program where patients are required to live in a facility for the duration of treatment, PHP allows the patients to go home at the end of the day once their therapy sessions are done.
An intensive outpatient program (IOP) is similar to a partial hospitalization program, with the difference that therapy sessions tend to be briefer and will not take the better part of the day. All of the therapy sessions are structured to be comprehensively compacted into shorter hours, with highly targeted goals, and regular assessments to see how much progress is made. There are various benefits of an intensive outpatient program.
The Benefits Of Having Access to Addiction Treatment Resources
The entire purpose of the residential treatment program is to ensure that the patient is within an environment of support, as many who undergo rehabilitation are in an immensely vulnerable state where the smallest distraction or negative factor could derail the entire treatment. The treatments done during this period are all designed to follow a personalized treatment plan dedicated to the goal of recovery.
In many cases, some patients are deemed as being too susceptible to a relapse or to quitting the rehabilitation program before its completion. There is a need to keep these patients away from any possible situation or environment where they could be exposed once more to the substances they just got out of their system during rehab, and the best location for that is within the confines of a treatment facility.
This is particularly true for patients who might come from a family who either has no idea that they had just gotten out of detox and are in rehab or simply don’t care about what the patient is going through. This is important to note because there are many types of substance abuse disorders where the cravings and urges to use again are quite persistent, even lingering for months or longer after detox.
Some substance abuse disorders tend to leave the patient in a condition where they would need medical attention after detox, either because their body is having a hard time adjusting to the sudden absence of the substance from their body, or because there is already a measure of physiological or psychological damage left by the substance abuse that requires medical care.
In other cases, people who went through a particularly taxing detox phase are left so exhausted that they would need care afterward, and having treatment at a location that provides hospital-level care is quite beneficial.
In instances that require medication-assisted treatment (MAT), the setting of a residential treatment program is ideal as the facility is already equipped and staffed with people qualified and licensed to do the procedure.
Some patients find rehabilitation difficult mainly because they are kept away from their homes, families, or friends. These people need their emotional and social connections to boost their emotional and mental well-being enough to effectively complete their rehab. The partial hospitalization program is ideal for these people because they could reconnect with the people that matter to them at the end of the day.
A partial hospitalization program allows the patient to receive medical and technical support from the staff at the rehabilitation facility during their day of therapy, and the kind of support that only family members and friends could give once their day at the rehab is done. For many, even the most draining of sessions could be alleviated by just being able to sit down with family members or friends and talk about how their day went.
Being able to understand how important therapy is to recovery is an important part of the process. Being able to see the actual rewards of finishing therapy — that of getting back to normal life — is equally important. A patient in a partial hospitalization program can fully appreciate this because, at the end of the day, they could see what all the work is for, and this makes the transition from a life in rehab to normal life much easier.
The isolation and security of residential treatment remove the patient from the actual threat of being exposed to substances once more. The reason for this is that they really could not be ready for it. People assessed to be fit for a partial hospitalization program have their therapy grounded even further in reality by being exposed to the “real world” after their daily sessions. This gives them an insight as to how they feel about the entire rehab process and if the therapy and sessions are sinking in and protecting them from a relapse.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to shoulder the full cost of all the treatments required to complete rehabilitation. Some people might have fallen by the wayside and developed a dependence on something, but are more than willing to undergo therapy and rehabilitation for it, but could not afford all the expenses. This program allows the patients enough time to still complete their obligations, whether it’s schooling or a part-time job so that they do what they need to do and still complete their rehab.
The fact that more health care insurance providers include coverage for intensive outpatient programs is indicative of how cost-effective it is compared to other forms of treatment. Not being able to afford the expenses of rehabilitation is commonly one of the greatest hindrances to people who would want to recover from a substance abuse disorder, but with an intensive outpatient program, it becomes financially manageable.
Find Your Way Back To Sobriety At Legends Recovery
Finding your way back from substance abuse is never easy. You work against the environment when you can’t find the right rehab/treatment, and the possibility of recovery seems inevitable. What you need is a way to make all of the work a little more manageable and a little more sensible. Well, you’ve come to the right place.
Check out our addiction treatment resources in Ohio to learn a bit more about your options. You deserve true recovery and lasting sobriety. Let’s work to make that happen. Contact us today to begin your journey.