Louisiana Addiction Treatment and Info

Like many other American states, Louisiana has been struggling with high rates of substance abuse, addiction, and overdose - problems that have even led to some fatalities. This is in spite of the fact that the state has some quality addiction treatment and rehabilitation programs that can help residents suffering from addiction.

Addiction in Louisiana

The state of Louisiana enjoys a wide variety of attractions. From its cultural heritage to its expansive landscapes, the state offers a good quality of living to most of its residents. However, there are some who have been plagued by the rising rates of drug and alcohol abuse.

These substances, including opioids that have now been termed a statewide epidemic, have been ravaging lives across the state. If you are affected and you do not seek professional addiction recovery services, you might end up losing everything and everyone you used to hold dear - including but not limited to your life.

When thinking about addiction, most people automatically consider drugs like crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin. However, addiction involves a wide variety of substances, including legal drugs like prescription medications and alcohol.

In 2015, the BHB - the Behavioral Health Barometers - for Louisiana reported that within the previous year:

  • 2.9 percent of all people - about 112000 residents of Louisiana - abused or were dependent on illicit substances like cocaine and tranquilizers every year from 2013 to 2014
  • 7.5 percent - or 238000 - of all people above the age of 12 engaged in heavy drinking every year from 2010 to 2014
  • More than 228000 above the age of 12 in the state - about 6 percent of this population - abused alcohol or were dependent on it every year from 2013 to 2014

With these high numbers, it is clear that very many people in the state require professional addiction treatment and rehabilitation services. Unfortunately, few of these people check into facilities offering these services. From 2010 to 2014, the following averages were reported in Louisiana:

  • Only about 6.6 percent of all the people who were dependent on illicit substances received recovery services
  • Only about 7.1 percent of all the people who were dependent on alcohol received the treatment services they required to overcome their alcohol use disorder or alcoholism

The Louisiana Opioid Epidemic

Research studies have reported that Louisiana has a growing opioid abuse and addiction problem. Most of the people who are struggling with an opioid use disorder in this state share some factors in common.

For instance, most of these people get involved with this class of drugs after receiving a valid and legal prescription from a registered and licensed physician in the state. This is not exactly surprising seeing as how these drugs are over-prescribed by doctors in Louisiana.

To this end, the rate of prescription pain relief medication abuse in Louisiana in 2015 were reported to be higher than similar rates at the national level. When the national averages were 70 opioids prescribed for every segment of 100 people, doctors in this state wrote 103.2 prescription for every segment of 100 people. This goes to show that there was more than 1 prescription available in Louisiana for each resident.

Previously, these prescription opioid pain relief medications were the main cause of opioid overdose in the state. Since 2012, however, synthetic opioids like fentanyl as well as illicit opioids such as heroin were contributing to higher numbers of these overdose numbers.

Between 2012 and 2016, for instance:

  • The state saw a 192.2 percent increase in the rates of death linked to heroin overdose - from 51 deaths in 2012 to 149 fatalities by 2016
  • There was a 368.4 percent increase in the number of deaths linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl - from 19 deaths in 2012 to 89 such fatalities by 2016
  • There were 364 drug overdoses involving opioids that turned fatal in the state in 2016

Addiction Treatment in Louisiana

A total of 26334 people enrolled in an addiction treatment and rehabilitation center in Louisiana in 2010 for abusing drugs and alcohol. Six years before in 2006, the N-SSATS - the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services - reported that the state had 145 facilities offering such recovery services.

For more than 20 years now, admissions into drug rehabs across the state have been reporting fewer cases of alcohol abuse and addiction with increasing mentions of opioids - other than heroin - and methamphetamine.

Commonly Abused Substances in Louisiana

But which drugs have been driving the rates of substance abuse and addiction in this state? Consider the following information:

1. Alcohol

In 2010, a total of 3584 people enrolled in an addiction treatment and rehabilitation center in Louisiana for abusing alcohol as their primary drug. Another 4132 people received similar treatment for abusing alcohol with another secondary substance of abuse.

2. Marijuana

Among people checking into drug rehabs in the state, marijuana was the primary substance of abuse that was cited. In 2010, the TEDS - the Treatment Episode Data Set - report showed that 6022 people received these treatment services for abusing marijuana. Of this number, 24 percent were female while 76 percent were male.

Most of these people were between the ages of 12 and 17 years, while African-Americans comprised 57.8 percent of the total population that was enrolled in an addiction treatment center in Louisiana for abusing heroin.

3. Cocaine

The same report from 2010 showed that 2859 people were enrolled in a drug and alcohol rehab facility for smoking cocaine. Another additional 939 people checked into these centers for taking this drug through other routes of administration.

4. Heroin

In 2010 also, a total of 1886 people were admitted into an addiction treatment center in the state for abusing heroin and developing an opioid use disorder as a result. This was an increase from the 258 people who received similar treatment in 2005.

5. Prescription Drugs

The same year, a total of 3324 people received addiction recovery services in the state for abusing opioids other than heroin. Of this number, 49.4 percent were female while the remaining 50.6 percent were male.

6. Amphetamines

Louisiana had 828 patients in its drug rehab facilities involved in amphetamine abuse. This was a decrease from the 1229 people who were admitted for similar drug use in 2005.

Drug Related Fatalities and Injuries in Louisiana

Drug use was the direct cause of 862 deaths in this state in 2007. The same year, Louisiana lost 1036 lives in motor car accidents while 869 people died in incidents involving firearms.

Addiction Prevention in Louisiana

Like most other states - as well as the federal government - Louisiana has been instituting some measures to overcome the substance abuse and addiction crisis affecting so many of its residents.

For instance, it has now allowed doctors and pharmacists to dispense naloxone to patients in need of it - even when these patients do not have a prescription for this drug. This is because naloxone is effective at reversing some of the adverse consequences and effects of an opioid overdose.

In particular, the state passed standing orders in 2018 allowing the loved ones and caregivers of people who have been abusing opioids or addicted to it to receive naloxone even when they do not have a prescription.

Other steps that Louisiana has been taking to reduce the rates of substance abuse and addiction - particularly involving opioids - include but are not limited to:

a) HOPE Council

The Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education council operates an interagency coordination plan to reduce the rates of opioid abuse and addiction among Louisiana residents.

b) Commission on Preventing Opioid Abuse

Through this group, the state has been promoting the use of various evidence based strategies focused on the treatment and prevention of addiction as well as the enforcement of certain measures designed to reduce and fight heroin and prescription opioid abuse among residents.

Addiction Treatment in Louisiana

Although these prevention programs have been effective, most of them have been focusing on reducing the rates of opioid abuse and addiction. If you are addicted to these drugs - or any other intoxicating substances of abuse - you would have to enroll in a professional addiction treatment and rehabilitation program to be able to achieve full recovery. Examples of these programs and the services they offer include:

i) Medical Detox

Depending on the types of drugs that you were taking, you would first need to go through a medically supervised detox process. The goal of this process is to help you overcome your physical dependence on the substances.

In the process, you may develop some withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings - and they may prove to be painful, uncomfortable, disconcerting, or even fatal in some instances.

For this reason, it is recommended that you receive detox services to ensure that you do not succumb to these symptoms and cravings, or start abusing drugs again to overcome them.

ii) Inpatient Drug Rehab

Once you have successfully completed the detox process, you can choose between outpatient and inpatient addiction treatment. inpatient treatment will offer you the comprehensive and compassionate care you need around the clock to ensure that you do not relapse.

These programs are provided in various lengths and formats to match your needs and requirements. During the treatment, you will be living at the recovery center while immersing yourself in the rehabilitation process.

Most inpatient drug rehabs last for 28, 30, 60, or 90 days. However, you can also find extended care programs that last longer than 90 days. This form of treatment is ideal if your addiction is severe and/or you have also been diagnosed with a co-occurring medical or mental health disorder.

iii) Outpatient Drug Rehab

Although inpatient treatment might be ideal, there are some situations in which it might not prove to be the best option. For instance, if you have responsibilities to meet at work, school, or home, you may not want to be enrolled in a residential recovery program. This is also the case if your addiction is not severe enough to require inpatient treatment, and you do not have any co-occurring disorders to manage.

In all these situations, you may benefit from an outpatient drug rehab program. This way, you will only be visiting the treatment center a few times every week for several hours each time. During the rest of the time, you can continue following your typical daily schedule.

Irrespective of whether you go for inpatient or outpatient treatment, or you use both forms of drug rehab on a continuum of care, the following are some of the therapies and services that you will be provided with:

  • 12 step and non-12 step support group meetings
  • Addiction education
  • Aftercare programing
  • Alternative, complementary, or holistic therapies, such as acupuncture, art therapy, music therapy, adventure therapy, wilderness therapies, biofeedback, Neurofeedback, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, equine therapy, mindfulness meditation, stress management practices, pet therapy, and yoga
  • Alumni support groups
  • Child-friendly programs
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Couples counseling
  • Dialectical behavior therapy
  • Dual diagnosis addiction treatment
  • Family therapy
  • Gender specific treatment
  • Group counseling
  • Individual therapy
  • LGBTQ-friendly drug rehab
  • Luxury addiction treatment
  • Medication assisted treatment
  • Motivational interviewing
  • Recovery support services
  • Religious and faith based addiction treatment
  • Vocational training

Substance abuse and addiction are ravaging conditions that could claim more from you than they provide in terms of pleasure, euphoria, happiness, and other short-lived pleasurable effects.

You could lose your health and wellness, your family and loved ones, important social and professional relationships, your home, your employment or source of income, as well as your finances.

In the long term, you may even suffer a drug overdose or be involved in a drug fueled incident or accident. When this happens, there is a high risk that you may end up losing your life or going into coma.

The best way to avoid all these problems and adverse consequences of drug and alcohol abuse is by checking into a professional addiction treatment and rehabilitation center. Louisiana has many such centers and they can help you get started on the road to full and complete recovery both in the short and in the long term.

CITATIONS

http://ldh.la.gov/index.cfm/subhome/54

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/louisiana-opioid-summary

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

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

https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/2015_Louisiana_BHBarometer.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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