
Like every other state in the Union, Georgia battles with the twin problems of drug and alcohol abuse. While dependency levels for both remain generally at or below the national average, Georgia drug and alcohol rehabilitation and treatment centers report troubling trends. Admissions for alcohol have been falling over the past 15 years, but admissions for drugs of all types are rising.

Methamphetamine use is on a sharp upward curve in Georgia despite aggressive efforts to combat home-grown “meth labs.” Meth is a terrible addiction, with permanent physical effects and an abnormally strong psychological dependency. It accounted for almost 13% of all admissions to drug and alcohol treatment centers in Georgia in 2005 and marks a sharp departure from drugs being an inner city problem restricted to Atlanta. Meth is very much a rural problem as well, where meth production and distribution hide amid Georgia’s quiet fields and forests.
As shown in the chart below, Georgia residents are increasingly less likely to require the services of a rehab facility in Georgia for alcohol treatment than for drugs. Drug-related admissions have grown to 46% of all admissions to Georgia drug and alcohol treatment centers, a direct result of the increasing availability of drugs of all descriptions. Diversion of legal pharmaceuticals affects every age group; people over 60 are especially vulnerable to addiction to painkillers like Oxycontin and Vicodin, while young people are getting hooked on them at parties where such drugs are abused for fun. That is in addition to the wide variety of club drugs like Ecstasy and PCP found at youth clubs, parties, and raves.

Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse
State of Georgia Profile of Drug Indicators
November 2007
As of 2006 there were 277 drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation centers in Georgia, operating across the state. With half the state’s population concentrated in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area, the largest number of treatment programs is found there; however, most larger communities in the state support at least one. Residents should evaluate all options to determine if a local rehab facility is adequate to treat a particular substance abuse problem as programs for drug and alcohol treatment in Georgia vary by facility. Georgia treatment centers are nearly evenly split among public facilities (78), private for-profit centers (76), and private nonprofit clinics (84). This gives residents choices, especially since over half of all rehabilitation centers in Georgia receive public funds of some type.
Not every drug and alcohol treatment center in Georgia offers the same programs. Most provide services on an outpatient basis. Residents looking for residential care can choose from the 76 treatment facilities in Georgia that offer such programs, or look outside the state. Only 32 facilities provided programs involving medication for opiate addictions to heroin or certain prescription drugs. Patients seeking methadone or buprenorphine treatment may not find such a program in their area and should look farther afield if necessary.
Likewise, patients should ensure that any drug and alcohol treatment program they choose encompasses all areas proven to contribute to successful outcomes: detoxification, counseling, and behavior modification. Families evaluating drug and alcohol treatment programs in Georgia should assess them against a “whole body” standard and choose from there.