Substance Abuse Statistics Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio is one of the largest cities in the state. Cincinnati is the third biggest city in the Buckeye State and is the United States’ 66th biggest city. Commonly called Cincy or Queen City, it sits at the Ohio River and the Licking River meeting on the boundary between Ohio and Kentucky. Like many other large industrial cities in the United States, Cincinnati recorded a peak population in 1950 and it has steadily lost residents since then. Since the 1950s’ the city itself has lost 43% of its peak population, while the population of its metropolitan area has nearly doubled.
The population of Cincinnati hasn’t grown or dropped much over the past ten years. The city had an estimated population of 301,301 in 2017, while in 2010 there were approximately 296,900 people who called Cincy home. This is a huge change from what it was in the 1990s and early 2000s’. The population fell from over 330,000 in 2000 to less than 300,000 in 2010. While the worst of the decrease appears to have been over, Cincinnati has not yet regained its former population.
The severe drop in population is attributed to the housing crisis and recession that occurred throughout the United States in 2008. Mass layoffs lead most affected residents to find a new job which often involved relocating. This caused the value of the real estate in the area to plummet but made the city more attractive to young people looking to start a family and purchase a home. Cincinnati soon became one of the most popular places for young, single, educated, and upward-mobile career beginners. The lower cost of housing and the overall cost of living made it a nice place for people in their 20s and 30s to start a life. Young singles with undergraduate or graduate degrees purchased property and began their professional careers which are currently helping the city bounce back.
Like any other major US city, Cincinnati has had its fair share of trials and tribulations over its history. Historically, Cincinnati has been predominantly white, with a white population of 1940 representing 88% of the entire city’s population. For much of its history, Cincy has dealt with tense race relations. The city shares a border with Kentucky, which was a slave state during the Civil War, while Ohio was not. Many inhabitants of Cincinnati during this pivotal point in human history played a part in abolitionism because of its place on the Ohio River. Many fugitive slaves also crossed North from Kentucky to Cincinnati to flee via the underground railroad that had several stations in the area.
Drug Addiction in Cincinnati
Drug addiction in Cincinnati has remained a problem for decades. In the 1980s crack cocaine was a severe concern for residents. Widespread use and abuse of the drug caused severe devastation throughout the city, especially in urban areas. The damage caused by crack is pale in comparison to the pill crisis that occurred in the early 2000s. Prescription drugs like Percocet, OxyContin, Xanax, and Vicodin became extremely prevalent and lead to many struggling residents to seek out help from rehabs in Cincinnati. Soon the supply of these highly addictive pills diminished, but there was still a huge demand for the drugs, especially opiates.
The huge demand for opiates in Cincinnati, but the lack of pills lead to a huge spike in the use of heroin in the city. Heroin began to be cut with the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl and overdose deaths rose substantially. In 2017, there were 4,293 reported overdose deaths in Cincinnati, this is a rate of 39.2 deaths per 100,000 persons. This is far above the average national rate of 14.6 deaths per 100,000 persons.
In 2011, prescription opioids were the main underlying cause of overdose deaths in Ohio, with a total of 710 deaths reported that year. However, the largest rise in fatalities was linked to synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, with an almost twenty-five-fold rise from 139 fatalities in 2012 to 3,523 fatalities in 2017. Heroin-involved fatalities also increased to an all-time high of 1,478 in 2016. This opioid epidemic is absolutely devasting the city. Overdoses in Hamilton County rose from 2016 to 2017, with nearly 550 confirmed deaths making it the worst year for drug overdoses ever recorded in the Tri-State. Most overdose deaths have been due to fentanyl or other synthetic opiates. The county reported 403 overdose deaths in 2016, which is a 27 percent increase from the year prior, overdose deaths were totaled at 529 for 2017; a 30% increase from 2016.
If you or someone you know are currently struggling with substance abuse issues please seek out professional help immediately. Rehab centers in Cincinnati are there to help people with drug addiction issues overcome their problems and find a new way of life. If you would like to see if Ohio Addiction Recovery Center is a good match for you, please contact our toll-free line at any time. If we are unable to accept you into our rehab center, then we will help you locate one that matches your specific needs. Calls are free of charge and completely confidential.
Rehabs and Detoxes in Cincinnati
Overcoming drug addiction is not easy, especially when someone attempts to do it alone. When someone is ready to get their life back it will become less challenging if they enter a rehab center in Cincinnati. Those who struggle with addiction issues related to opiates, alcohol, benzodiazepines, or other physically addictive substances should first enter a detox center. Anyone who is abusing a mood or mind-altering substance that causes physical withdrawals, as well as mental withdrawals, should seek help from a detox center as well as a treatment center.
Detoxes in Cincinnati help those who are struggling safely and comfortably overcome the painful and draining symptoms associated with the abuse of certain substances. Detox is the process of ridding the body of the harmful chemicals that have built up while that individual was using drugs and/or alcohol. When someone abuses powerful substances they will alter the chemical balance in their brain. This is not something that bounces back overnight. Without proper medication, it can be very painful and even life-threatening. This is why so many people seek out professional help from detox centers in Cincinnati. Not only will it make the process of getting clean easier it will also greatly increase their chances of success.
This is one of the most important steps on the road to recovery. If the body does not feel ok then it will be very tough to work on the mental side of the addiction. After all, substance abuse is not a surface-level issue. In order to give those struggling the best chance of achieving long term recovery. One must work on any underlying issues that may have caused their substance abuse to get out of control in the first place. The time spent in detox will vary from person to person, but the average length of time is 5-10 days.
Cincinnati Inpatient Rehab Centers
Once someone enters and completes a detox program they should then continue their care at a rehab center. These programs are typically around 28-45 days long, but just like detox, this time will vary depending on each person’s specific needs. Residential rehab programs in Cincinnati and inpatient rehabs will have the client reside in the facility and often offer up the highest level of care. There are inpatient rehab centers that are dual diagnosis facilities. These centers put just as much focus on substance abuse as they do on the underlying issues, such as anxiety and depression. Many people who struggle with drug addiction begin using substances as a way to self medicate and escape their internal issues. If these problems go unaddressed and untreated the risk of a relapse occurring will rise significantly.
An inpatient rehab center in Cincinnati should always be the first choice for someone who is absolutely dedicated to overcoming their substance abuse issues. Sadly, not everyone who struggles with drug addiction will be able to enter a program for 28+ days. They may have outside responsibilities that just cannot be placed on hold. People who fall into this category still need help, so many of them will enter an intensive outpatient program, commonly called an IOP.
When enrolled in an IOP center clients will still receive help from a staff of therapists and addiction professionals, but it will not occur on a daily basis. Most IOPs in Cincinnati meet three or four days a week for a few hours each day. Clients will still live at home but will attend the program throughout the week. Intensive outpatient is best used as continued care for those who have completed inpatient treatment, but it is an option for those who cannot enroll in a 28+ day rehab.
Meetings and Sober Support
One of the best ways to stay on the right track, especially in early sobriety, is to attend meetings or some type of support group. Even after completing an inpatient rehab center, there is still a lot of work that must be done to stay on the road to recovery. By adding meetings into one’s weekly schedule they will keep their recovery as a priority in their daily life. It is important that newly sober individuals learn to have fun and socialize while not under the influence. By attending meetings in Cincinnati they will be able to build a sober support group that can help them in times of struggle.
In major cities like Cincinnati, there is no shortage of meetings that occur on a daily and weekly basis. This is great news for those who are looking to dive headfirst into their recovery and who are willing to do whatever it takes to stay clean. Most addiction professionals suggest attending a meeting every day for the first 90 days out of treatment. While this is ideal, it is not a necessity. Some people might attend 60 meetings in 90 days, while others may go to 150 in 90 days. This is up to the individual and whatever works best for them.
Help Finding Meetings in Cincinnati
The most well known and available group of meetings in Cincinnati is Alcoholic’s Anonymous and the subgroups off of it. AA has been around for over 75 years and has become one of the most respected support groups in the world. Every day there are dozens of AA meetings in Cincinnati that occur throughout the day and evening.
If you or your loved one have tried AA or a branch of it before but found it wasn’t for you, don’t worry! There are multiple other support groups that have become more prevalent and established over the past few decades. Some of the most well known and readily available groups are SMART Recovery, Celebrate Recovery, and Refuge Recovery. All of these groups have both in-person and online meetings that anyone can attend for free.
Cincinnati AA Meeting finder: https://aacincinnati.org/meetings/?tsml-day=3&tsml-region=cincinnati
Cincinnati NA Meeting finder: https://www.na.org:443/meetingsearch/map-results.php?country=USA&state=OH&city=Cincinnati&zip=&street=&within=10&day=0&lang=&orderby=distance
SMART is more of a science-based approach with little to no religious or spiritual aspects. Currently, there are two in-person SMART recovery meetings that take place every week in Cincy. Celebrate Recovery was built around the teachings of the Bible and religion and spirituality are a heavy focus of this sober group. There are nearly two dozen Celebrate Recovery meetings every week in Cincinnati and surrounding areas. Refuge Recovery focuses on Buddhist principals and focuses on meditation and mindfulness as a way to a new life. As of 2019, there are no Refuge Recovery meetings in Cincinnati, but one can still join online groups.
Refuge Recovery Meetings: https://refugerecovery.org/meetings?tsml-day=any&tsml-region=ohio
Celebrate Recovery Meetings: https://locator.crgroups.info/
SMART Recovery Meetings: https://www.smartrecoverytest.org/local/meetings/
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