Hamilton, Ohio is a northern suburb of Cincinnati that has a population of just under 65,000 people. It is one of the largest cities in, and the county seat of, Butler County. With Hamilton’s proximity to Cincinnati, it experiences many of the same drug issues of its larger, southern sibling city. Some of the specific drugs of concern in Hamilton right now include cocaine, crystal meth, LSD, and marijuana. While many other drugs are available in and around Hamilton, these substances have seen a drastic increase over the last few years. The drug problem in Hamilton may be escalating, but there is also ample opportunity for recovery if someone wants to change their life. Entering a Hamilton drug and alcohol rehab center like Ohio Addiction Recovery Center is a very solid first step toward breaking free from addiction and changing your life for the better.
Addiction Resources in Hamilton
Even though Hamilton has not seen as drastic an increase in drug overdose deaths over the last few years as most other cities in Ohio, the problem is still worsening. There have been significant efforts by government, non-profit, and community organizations to reduce the harm that drugs are causing in Hamilton, there is still much work to be done. Some of the organizations that are providing help to the people of Hamilton struggling with substance abuse include:
- Butler County Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Services Board: This government program provides a resource hub for anyone in Hamilton who is looking for help for substance abuse or mental health issues. Their website includes a provider list for low-cost treatment options in Hamilton as well as several helpful resource guides and articles about addiction and mental health.
- Fairfield Prevention Coalition: This community organization works to provide substance abuse resources to people in Butler county. They are headquartered just south of Hamilton and their website has a helpful community resources section that provides a list of support and treatment providers across Butler county.
- Butler County Coalition: This is a community organization that is made up of the Bulter County Family & Children First Council and several other community organizations. Their website provides an in-depth resource page that lists several mental health, substance abuse, and crisis support services all across Hamilton and Butler County at large.
- NAMI Butler County: This is a Hamilton-local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Their website provides a wealth of resources for people struggling with mental health issues.
- United Way of Greater Cincinnati: This is a service provided by the United Way and the Greater Cincinnati chapter provides a local helpline accessible by dialling 211. This helpline can connect someone with local resources for a variety of issues including mental health, substance abuse, and crisis situations. Their website also has an easily searchable resource directory listing the same resources accessible from their helpline.
Drug and Alcohol Treatment in Hamilton
If someone is wanting to break free from addiction, it is oftentimes necessary to undergo detox at a medically supervised detox center. Using certain drugs and alcohol in large amounts or for extended periods of time can produce uncomfortable, dangerous, and even life-threatening withdrawal symptoms if someone stops using them suddenly. Having the medical care and psychiatric support provided at a Hamilton drug and alcohol detox center can make an enormous difference to someone’s chances of a safe and successful recovery. Once detox is completed, it is strongly recommended to continue the recovery process and get further care.
Ohio Addiction Recovery Center is the premier option for detox and rehab in Ohio. We are in network with most major insurance providers and can provide free transportation to and from treatment. That means recovery could be one phone call away with no out of pocket expense for you or your loved one. To verify insurance benefits, call us today at 800-481-8457.
Addiction Recovery Meetings In Hamilton
While clients go through our Hamilton addiction recovery program at Ohio Addiction Recovery Center, we encourage them to make new friends and connections in the wider recovery community. The more connections and friendships someone has to support their recovery, the better their chances are of sustaining that recovery. There are many different recovery programs and fellowships in Hamilton that are available to anyone who wants to get and stay sober. A few of these programs include:
- Alcoholics Anonymous: The District 12 & 13 of Alcoholics Anonymous website provides a meeting guide for AA meetings in Hamilton and the surrounding areas. They currently list several dozen AA meetings in Hamilton each week. This recovery program is for anyone who wants to stop drinking alcohol.
- Narcotics Anonymous: The Hamilton Middletown Area of Narcotics Anonymous website provides a comprehensive meeting schedule for NA meetings in and around Hamilton. This recovery program is for anyone who wants to stop using drugs.
Aside from these 12-Step recovery programs, there are also many other types of recovery fellowships. These could include religiously-focused programs or self-help groups. A few of these types of programs in Hamilton include:
- Celebrate Recovery: This is a Christian-focused recovery program that is open to anyone with a drug or alcohol program. Their website provides a meeting search tool that currently lists 16 CR meetings each week within 25 miles of Hamilton.
- SMART Recovery: The name of this recovery program is an acronym for Self-Management And Recovery Training. This is a self-help program that currently has 9 meetings each week within 25 miles of Hamilton, Ohio.
Substance Abuse Statistics In Hamilton
Along with the rest of Ohio, Hamilton has been seeing increased drug availability and increased drug usage in recent years. Hamilton is actually an outlier compared to many other cities in Ohio in the sense that drug overdose deaths have not seen an increase over the last few years. The drug overdose death rate in Butler County has remained fairly stable over the past few years. In January of 2020, there were 182 drug overdose deaths in Butler county while in July of 2021 there were 207 overdose deaths. This increase is significantly less than most other counties in Ohio. That being said, there has still been an increase in the number and variety of drugs available in Butler County and the city of Hamilton in particular.
While Hamilton may not be right alongside some of the major drug trafficking routes, it is still close enough to be affected by drug trafficking and distribution. It is just north of Cincinnati and fairly close to several interstates including I-75, I-74, and I-275. While I-275 mainly just circles Cincinnati and is not a national drug trafficking route, both I-74 and I-75 make up major drug trafficking corridors. I-75 is a major north-south drug trafficking route that stretches from the southern tip of Florida to the northern tip of Michigan and makes a straight shot from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada. I-74 is a less major drug trafficking route but it reaches from North Carolina to Iowa, making a northwest passage from the east coast to the northern midwest. Being near such active drug trafficking corridors leads to widespread drug availability and access.
One very concerning development in the drug scene in Hamilton is the appearance of non-traditional cutting agents in many of the drugs available in the region. This has been occurring all across Ohio, and Hamilton is no exception. While cutting agents have been used in drugs for decades, there are some newer cutting agents that are a serious cause for concern. In Hamilton, these include many different substances so we will break them down by the drugs they have been found in. For cocaine and crack cutting agents, there has been an increase in atropine, diphenhydramine, levamisole, and phenacetin. All of these, except diphenhydramine, are either prescription drugs or in the case of phenacetin, banned for use in the United States. As for cutting agents found in heroin, some of these include benzodiazepines, fentanyl, carfentanil, mannitol, pentobarbitol, papaverine, tramadol, and xylazine. Most of these are powerful prescription medications and xylazine is actually a potent animal tranquilizer and is not used in humans. The increased presence of these potentially deadly substances in an already dangerous drug can lead to a greatly increased risk of complications, overdose, and death.
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