Arkansas Drug Rehab and Alcohol Rehabilitation Treatment Centers and Programs
Arkansas lies atop major drug smuggling routes out of Mexico and the Caribbean, so its drug problem is by no means confined to its inner cities. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency reports that street gangs financing their activities through sales of illicit drugs have expanded their activities to make cocaine and methamphetamine available to smaller communities and rural areas statewide. Meth is now the primary drug of concern in Arkansas, followed closely by cocaine and a rising abuse of prescription drugs by all ages. A quick look at admissions to drug and alcohol treatment centers in Arkansas shows that meth admissions have topped those for alcohol, which long was a primary problem in the state.
Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse
State of Arkansas Profile of Drug Indicators
December 2007
The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which monitors the state of drug and alcohol treatment in Arkansas and nationwide, notes the most significant trends threatening Arkansas residents:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues At-A-Glance, Arkansas
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), December 2008
The sharp spike in meth availability and use is especially worrisome, for meth is one of the most physically and mentally destructive of all drugs. Arkansas families seeking treatment for meth addiction should carefully evaluate local and regional options for drug and alcohol treatment. In Arkansas, that encompasses 50 (as of 2006) private and public drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and programs. Not all provide the same types of services. For instance, only two Arkansas programs offered treatment for an opioid addiction of the type encountered with prescription painkillers like Vicodin or Oxycontin. Just 18 doctors and 5 drug treatment centers in Arkansas in 2006 were certified to offer certain types of treatment for opiate addiction, which limits the number of facilities available to residents seeking relief for these substance abuse issues.
Families should not hesitate to seek outside the local area for the proper mix of staffing experience and care options required to produce a good outcome. While 70% of all Arkansas drug and alcohol treatment centers receive public funding, whether local, state, or federal, thus broadening availability, the money must be allocated in ways that ensure as many people as possible receive treatment. An outpatient program or simple detoxification for alcohol or drugs may not be sufficient for a particular individual’s problem. The 20 Arkansas rehabilitation centers that offer residential care may not be located locally, but they may offer a more individually focused course of treatment and an environment more conducive to recovery than the stress and worries of home life.
In a 2008 survey of 94,000 Arkansas schoolchildren, nearly 80% of 12th graders reported using alcohol, and over 45% had used marijuana. On average, students used marijuana at a younger age than alcohol, starting before they were 14. National studies have repeatedly shown that a high percentage of substance abusers started in adolescence, and that those exposed before 14 had the greatest likelihood of addiction. However, on average, most were 39 years old before they entered a drug and alcohol treatment center for help. That’s half a lifetime lost to substance abuse.
Drug and alcohol treatment in Arkansas aims to keep those wasted years to a minimum.
Arkansas lies atop major drug smuggling routes out of Mexico and the Caribbean, so its drug problem is by no means confined to its inner cities. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency reports that street gangs financing their activities through sales of illicit drugs have expanded their activities to make cocaine and methamphetamine available to smaller communities and rural areas statewide. Meth is now the primary drug of concern in Arkansas, followed closely by cocaine and a rising abuse of prescription drugs by all ages. A quick look at admissions to drug and alcohol treatment centers in Arkansas shows that meth admissions have topped those for alcohol, which long was a primary problem in the state.
Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse
State of Arkansas Profile of Drug Indicators
December 2007
The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which monitors the state of drug and alcohol treatment in Arkansas and nationwide, notes the most significant trends threatening Arkansas residents:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues At-A-Glance, Arkansas
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), December 2008
The sharp spike in meth availability and use is especially worrisome, for meth is one of the most physically and mentally destructive of all drugs. Arkansas families seeking treatment for meth addiction should carefully evaluate local and regional options for drug and alcohol treatment. In Arkansas, that encompasses 50 (as of 2006) private and public drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and programs. Not all provide the same types of services. For instance, only two Arkansas programs offered treatment for an opioid addiction of the type encountered with prescription painkillers like Vicodin or Oxycontin. Just 18 doctors and 5 drug treatment centers in Arkansas in 2006 were certified to offer certain types of treatment for opiate addiction, which limits the number of facilities available to residents seeking relief for these substance abuse issues.
Families should not hesitate to seek outside the local area for the proper mix of staffing experience and care options required to produce a good outcome. While 70% of all Arkansas drug and alcohol treatment centers receive public funding, whether local, state, or federal, thus broadening availability, the money must be allocated in ways that ensure as many people as possible receive treatment. An outpatient program or simple detoxification for alcohol or drugs may not be sufficient for a particular individual’s problem. The 20 Arkansas rehabilitation centers that offer residential care may not be located locally, but they may offer a more individually focused course of treatment and an environment more conducive to recovery than the stress and worries of home life.
In a 2008 survey of 94,000 Arkansas schoolchildren, nearly 80% of 12th graders reported using alcohol, and over 45% had used marijuana. On average, students used marijuana at a younger age than alcohol, starting before they were 14. National studies have repeatedly shown that a high percentage of substance abusers started in adolescence, and that those exposed before 14 had the greatest likelihood of addiction. However, on average, most were 39 years old before they entered a drug and alcohol treatment center for help. That’s half a lifetime lost to substance abuse.
Drug and alcohol treatment in Arkansas aims to keep those wasted years to a minimum.
