Lorain is a city in Lorain County of northern Ohio that is on the shore of Lake Erie just west of Cleveland. It is a fairly large suburb of just under 64,000 people, and while it is fairly small compared to other large cities in Ohio, Lorain still sees a significant amount of drug activity. Drug overdoses and drug seizures have been on the rise over the last decade or more, and in 2017 alone, there were 132 drug overdose deaths in Lorain County according to the Lorain County Coroner’s Office. With overdoses on the rise all across Ohio, if someone is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, now is the perfect time to enter a Lorain drug and alcohol rehab that can help them break free from addiction, and may even save their life.
Substance Abuse In Lorain
As of 2019, some of the most commonly abused substances in Lorain include alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, prescription opioids, and heroin followed closely by crack, crystal meth, and benzodiazepines. The availability of all of these drugs has remained fairly stable over the last few years except for marijuana, crystal meth, and fentanyl which have all seen increased availability in recent years. These drugs can all be very dangerous, especially when they have potentially dangerous cutting agents or adulterants present in them, which has been an increasingly common trend over the last decade.
A troubling trend that has been common around Lorain is the introduction of newer, and potentially dangerous cutting agents. These dangerous cutting agents include fentanyl of course, but also include many other types of dangerous drugs. In the case of heroin in Lorain, some of the potentially dangerous cutting agents that have been used increasingly often over the last few years include cocaine, diphenhydramine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, papaverine, tramadol, and xylazine. Particularly concerning is the use of xylazine, a powerful animal tranquilizer that has been used as a cutting agent for heroin increasingly often over the last decade. Other concerning trends include cutting cocaine with drugs such as atropine, levamisole, and phenacetin. Mixing these dangerous medications into already dangerous drugs such as heroin and cocaine can increase the chances someone may overdose, or they may experience dangerous drug-drug interactions or side effects.
In addition to drug use in Lorain, drug trafficking is also a major issue in the city. Its proximity to Canada just across Lake Erie and I-80 and I-90 passing through the city makes a perfect hub for drugs entering or exiting the country. For example, in January of 2021, the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force in cooperation with the DEA arrested 7 people for distributing at least 10 kilos (22 pounds) of cocaine in and around Lorain. While Lorain may not be the final destination for drugs trafficked through the area, they are certainly distributed throughout the city on their way to parts unknown. The proximity of Cleveland is also a contributor to drug activity in the area, as the drug problems of the larger city are significant, resulting in Lorain suffering some of the fallout from the drug trafficking and drug use epidemic of Cleveland.
Lorain’s Response To Substance Abuse
The drug issues in Lorain are severe, although the community itself has been mounting a concerted response to combat this problem. Some of these response efforts include government organizations, non-profits, and prevention organizations throughout the city of Lorain and Lorain County as a whole. Some examples of the different services these organizations have been providing include acute detox services, homeless shelters or transitional housing, overdose prevention programs, prescription drug take-back programs, and recovery support programs. While these efforts have made a significant impact in many people’s lives, more work is still needed to reduce the drug problem as a whole.
Some of these helpful organizations include:
- The Nord Center: This is a non-profit organization that provides primary mental health with co-occurring substance abuse treatment services to the people of Lorain County. They also provide a 24-hour crisis line at 1-800-888-6161 and a mobile crisis team for anyone within the county suffering a mental health crisis.
- Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services of Lorain County: This community service board provides a connection to care and resources for anyone in Lorain County who is struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues.
- Recovery Is Beautiful: This addiction recovery organization does advocacy and overdose prevention work throughout Lorain County and also has a helpful resource page for a variety of community services available throughout the county for people struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues to find help.
- Lorain County Public Health – Project DAWN: This government site provides helpful information about Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone) all across Lorain County. These sites offer naloxone training and access to naloxone kits so that someone can help prevent opioid overdose deaths.
- The LCADA Way: An acronym for Lorain County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, this non-profit organization provides detox and addiction treatment services as well as mental health services to residents of Lorain County.
Drug and Alcohol Detox & Rehab In Lorain
With drug use being such a significant problem in Lorain, the best chance someone has for breaking free from addiction is often to enter a professional treatment center. Depending on the drug someone has been using, it may also be necessary to enter a medical detox center since withdrawal from certain drugs and alcohol can be extremely dangerous, and even fatal. Entering a drug and alcohol detox center in Lorain can provide the safest and most effective route for achieving long-term recovery. At Ohio Addiction Recovery Center, our drug detox center near Lorain can reduce the discomfort and the risks of drug or alcohol withdrawal and detox. Detox centers such as ours can also act as a guide for further treatment and recovery once the detox process has been completed. This can empower someone to begin building a solid foundation in recovery and help them find competent treatment for continuing their journey once the worst of the danger has passed.
Addiction Recovery In Lorain
At Ohio Addiction Recovery Center, we encourage all of our clients to begin building connections and relationships in the wider recovery community as soon as possible. Nobody can recover and stay sober on their own, and the more people who are walking this path alongside you, the better off you will be. Finding other people who have had similar experiences can make it easier to connect and feel a sense of belonging.
Thankfully, Lorain has a wide range of recovery fellowships. These include 12-step fellowships, religiously-oriented groups, and secular recovery fellowships as well as drug-specific recovery fellowships for a wide range of options when it comes to seeing where you fit in the best. There is no single path to recovery, and similar to the way everyone’s addiction manifests a little differently, everyone’s recovery is unique to them. Finding a group of people that you can identify with and relate to can be extremely powerful, helpful, and encouraging.
A few of the 12-Step fellowships that are currently meeting in and around Lorain include:
- Alcoholics Anonymous: This website provided by the Lorain County Alcoholics Anonymous Intergroup lists over a dozen AA meetings per week within the city limits of Lorain, with several dozen more meetings in nearby towns.
- Heroin Anonymous: While there are currently no HA meetings within Lorain itself, this meeting guide provided by the Heroin Anonymous World Service lists several meetings in nearby Elyria and Cleveland each week.
- Cocaine Anonymous: This meeting directory provided by the Ohio Area of Cocaine Anonymous provides listings of hundreds of CA meetings all over Ohio. While there are none in Lorain as of now, nearby Elyria and Grafton each hold one CA meeting per week.
- Crystal Meth Anonymous: This meeting map provided by Crystal Meth Anonymous World Service lists CMA meetings all over Ohio and the US at large. While there are no CMA meetings in Lorain as of now, the closest in-person meeting can be found in Kent.
- Marijuana Anonymous: This meeting finder provided by Marijuana Anonymous World Service lists meetings all over the world. While there are no in-person meetings near Lorain right now, there are plenty of online meetings available through this directory.
- Narcotics Anonymous: This meeting locator tool provided by Narcotics Anonymous World Services currently lists 3 NA meetings per week within 20 miles of Lorain, two of which are very close.
Aside from these 12-Step fellowships, there are other types as well. These include some Christian-focused groups, Buddhist-inspired programs, and strictly secular meetings. A few of these include:
- Celebrate Recovery: This Christian-focused recovery program currently has 8 meetings per week within 25 miles of downtown Lorain.
- Recovery Dharma: This Buddhist-oriented recovery program currently holds 2 meetings near Lorain, and they also hold many virtual meetings each day.
- SMART Recovery: An acronym for Self-Management And Recovery Training, this secular recovery program currently holds 2 meetings each week in Lorain.
There are also meetings for the friends and families of people who have struggled with addiction. Having to watch a loved one battle with drugs or alcohol can be an extremely difficult and traumatizing experience, and thankfully, there are support groups for them as well. Some of the support groups around Lorain for the friends and families of people who have struggled with addiction include:
- Al-Anon: This recovery program is intended for the friends and family of people who have struggled with alcoholism and currently holds 8 meetings per week in and around Lorain.
- Nar-Anon: A recovery support program for the friends and family of people who struggle with drug addiction, this group currently holds 1 meeting per week in Lorain.
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