Georgia substance abuse statistics

Unfortunately, drug addiction and alcoholism are a rising issue in the U.S., including in Georgia. If you’re curious about the status of The Peach State, read on to see the latest Georgia substance abuse statistics in Georgia.

When examining the number of people in Georgia who struggle with alcoholism and drug abuse each year, we see the figures rising in recent years, sometimes dramatically. For example, the number of rehab admissions in the state for those over age 12 increased 11% between 2017 and 2019 to nearly 37,000. And that’s just the number of people who sought and accepted help.

The opioid epidemic, so-called because of the rising number of opioid-involved overdose deaths, has hit the state especially hard. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, from 2019 to 2021, there was a 55.9% increase in overdoses from drugs including heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and opioid medications, as well as street drugs.

Overdoses are the top cause of death in the United States for people younger than 60. The American drug industry is in the midst of its worst overdose epidemic to date, with prescription opioids causing the worst damage in terms of opioid addiction and the resulting overdose deaths. On top of the millions of dollars of medical expenses that rack up each year due to the abuse of prescription pain relievers, the human toll is unimaginable when you consider the mental health implications of communities that face a barrage of prescription medication-related deaths each year.

Due to its legality, alcohol isn’t always perceived as a dangerous substance. However, alcohol addiction causes the highest rate of related deaths and rehab admissions by far. According to research, alcohol is the most harmful drug in the state, based on the number of people admitted to addiction treatment programs for alcoholism, followed by prescription opiates such as hydrocodone and oxycodone.

According to data from the CDC, there were 61 alcohol-related deaths in the state in 2020. This is a 10% jump from 2019 when 55 people succumbed to their alcoholism. This number reflects the people who consumed a fatal amount of alcohol and not the total amount of people who died because of alcoholism, such as having liver failure or a fatal car accident with a drunk driver. The number of people who died in Georgia because of alcoholism increased 26% between 2018 and 2020, for a total rate of 10.5 victims per 100,000 residents.

Rehab admissions are studied by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and show that 13,181 Georgians were admitted to rehab for alcohol addiction in 2019. Keep in mind that while the majority of these rehab admissions were people seeking resources and treatment on their own accord, some admissions may have resulted from being legally committed to a rehab program due to addiction, which is legal in Georgia.

We can see the impact of a certain substance by looking at how many people succumb to addiction each year, as well as how many seek treatment.

Fentanyl was cited as the most problematic drug in the state, with the fastest rise in attributed overdoses and rehab admissions. The rate of overdose deaths from fentanyl rose 218% between 2019 and 2021.

Overdose deaths from illicit drugs are often the result of a combination of drugs, in which case the main contributing drug is cited as the cause of death. Combining opioids with other drugs is especially harmful, and the statistics back that assessment. In Georgia in 2021, over half of all opioid-involved overdose deaths also involved some other substances, namely stimulants. This might be due to the ability of stimulants to keep a person awake while they’re consuming depressant drugs, such as heroin. While the sedating effects of opiates might be counteracted by stimulants, the fatal effects of consuming these substances remain.

While alcohol and prescription drugs are among the most problematic issues facing Georgians in 2022, plenty of people are still struggling with an addiction to street drugs, such as cocaine or crack, marijuana and heroin. For example, in 2019 there were nearly 7,000 rehab admissions for methamphetamine addiction treatment.

If you are among the many Georgians with an alcohol or drug addiction, or a loved one is affected by drug use, reach out to Behavioral Health Centers in south Florida for addiction treatment today. We offer detox programs to get you clean comfortably, as well as inpatient rehab in our gorgeous Palm Beach facility.

We can answer all your questions about the rehab process, verify your insurance coverage and help you find local resources. Take the first step and call us at 722-774-3872 to explore your treatment options now.