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Canton, Ohio

Canton is a city in northeastern Ohio with a population of just over 70,000 people. It is just south of Akron and is the city seat of Stark County, Ohio. While Canton may be best known as the longtime home and final resting place of the 25th President of the United States, William Mckinley, Canton today is also a hotbed for drug use, trafficking, and drug overdoses. If you or someone you know is struggling with drugs or alcohol, Entering a Canton drug and alcohol rehab center may be your best chance for a new life, free from addiction.

Substance Abuse In Canton

Drug abuse in Canton, while predominantly involving only opioids for many years, has begun to shift away from the typical opioids and also has begun to include some new drugs in recent years. Increases in the availability of crystal meth, marijuana, and fentanyl show the changing use habits of Canton drug users, although alcohol, benzodiazepines, cocaine, and crack have also seen increased use and availability as well. That being said, drug overdoses have continued to rise in Canton. At the beginning of 2020, it seemed like overdose deaths in Canton were on the decline, but as the year went on, the deaths kept increasing. January of 2021 saw the highest number of overdoses in Stark County than the prior 2 January’s with 15 overdose deaths.

Even though heroin is less prevalent in Canton today than it was in years past, it is still fairly prevalent in the city. Additionally, fentanyl is increasing in availability and potency, with many more overdoses due to the fentanyl analog carfentanil as time goes on. This is a concerning trend, as carfentanil may be roughly 10,000 times as potent as morphine, and increased amounts of carfentanil in Canton will most likely result in many more overdose deaths. Crystal meth use has also been on the rise in Canton along with marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids, such as THC vape products.

Canton is also a major drug trafficking nexus in northeast Ohio. With highways I-77 and US-30 passing through Canton and its proximity to Akron, there is a constant, heavy movement of drugs through the city. For example, in March of 2021, a man was arrested with over 7 kilos (15.6 pounds) of crystal meth, 108 grams of heroin, 7 kilos (15.4 pounds) of marijuana, and 29 hits of LSD. Additionally, back in 2019, 3 men in Canton were arrested with around 1 pound of crystal meth, 60 grams of heroin, and 60 grams of cocaine. These are just a few of the more high-profile cases that have been publicized recently, but drug trafficking has been a serious issue in Canton for quite some time now.

Canton’s Response To Substance Abuse

Even though Canton has a serious drug epidemic, the community has been mounting a response to the problem. There are many community, non-profit, charity, and government-run organizations that are working to promote prevention, treatment, and recovery in and around Canton. These also include sliding-scale or free services that are provided to people who want to stop using drugs but don’t have the money to pay for a premium treatment facility.

Just a few of the drug overdose prevention and recovery organizations in Canton include:

  • StarkHeroinEpidemic.org: A community organization, this website provides dozens of links to free or low-cost addiction recovery and treatment centers in Canton and all over Stark County.
  • Stark County Mental Health & Addiction Recovery: A government organization, their website provides links, resources, and a wide variety of information for helping someone find the help they need for mental health or substance abuse-related issues.
  • CommQuest: A non-profit organization, they offer a wide range of services including shelters, transitional living, and mental health or substance abuse treatment programs to people of Stark County and Ohio at large.
  • Stark Help Central: A government-run site, this is a directory of addiction recovery services that include crisis lines, treatment programs, and detox centers all over Canton and Stark County.
  • Stark TASC: An acronym for Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities, this site provides links to a variety of different substance abuse and mental health services across Stark County.

Drug and Alcohol Detox & Rehab in Canton

Canton may have a serious drug problem right now, but the opportunities for recovery are likewise plentiful. Some drugs, however, may require medical help to quit using safely, especially if someone has been using them in large amounts or for long periods of time. While some drug will produce merely uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when someone stops using them, other can result in dangerous or even fatal complications if someone does not have medical help and supervision when they stop using the drug. Entering a Canton drug and alcohol detox center can greatly reduce the risk of dangerous complications, and enable medications and medical monitoring to make the experience much less uncomfortable.

Addiction Recovery In Canton

At Ohio Addiction Recovery Center, we support and actively encourage our clients to make new connections and friendships within the local recovery communities near them. These connections can greatly help someone continue their sobriety once they have completed our program here. There are many different types of recovery fellowships all across Canton and the surrounding areas, including 12-step recovery programs and otherwise. Some of the 12-step programs near Canton include:

  • Alcoholics Anonymous: The Canton, Ohio AA Intergroup website currently has over 10 meetings per day, every day of the week all over Canton.
  • Narcotics Anonymous: The NA World Services website lists over 30 NA meetings each week in Canton.
  • Cocaine Anonymous: The Cocaine Anonymous Ohio Area website currently lists 6 CA meetings in Canton each week.
  • Heroin Anonymous: The HA World Services website currently lists 3 HA meetings per week in Canton.

Aside from 12-step recovery fellowships, there are other kinds of meetings that are no less helpful or successful in helping people stay sober. Some of the include religious or spiritually-based recovery programs and different people may desire different approaches to recovery. Some of the non-12-step recovery groups around Canton include:

  • Recovery Dharma: This Buddhism-inspired recovery program does not have in-person meetings near Canton, but they do hold virtual meetings every day of the week.
  • SMART Recovery: This group, which stands for Self-Management And Recovery Training currently has 2 meetings per week near Canton.

While there are many programs for people struggling with substance abuse and addiction themselves, there are also groups for the friends and families who have watched their loved one’s battle substance abuse. It can be emotionally draining to watch someone you love struggle with addiction, and making connections with others who have been through this can be extremely therapeutic and helpful. Some of the support groups around Canton for the friends and families of people struggling with substance abuse include:

  • Al-Anon: This fellowship is for the friends and family of people struggling with alcohol, and currently has over 10 meetings per week in and around Canton.
  • Nar-Anon: This fellowship is intended for the friends and family of people struggling with drug abuse and currently holds 2 meetings per week near Canton.

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