The fact is, regardless the efforts Tennessee drug rehab and addiction treatment programs are falling short when it comes to stopping or even slowing the drug addiction problem in Tennessee. Plagued with rising methamphetamine addiction and abuse problems, as evidenced by surpassing Missouri in meth lab incidents and a tremendous prescription drug addiction problem, treatment providers shed little hope of slowing the addiction epidemic any time soon.
For years alcohol addiction and the need for alcohol rehab led the way for addiction treatment in Tennessee. This typical throughout the country but is drastically changing. The National Survey in Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reports prescription drug addiction is far and away the leading cause of substance abuse treatment admissions in Tennessee. A trend that started in 2008, that has also seen diminishing cocaine and alcohol addiction treatment admissions.
According the the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s (SAMHSA) Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) there were 3,378 prescription drug addicts who entered treatment for prescription drug addiction in 2010 which accounted for 28.8% of all treatment admissions last year. Marijuana addiction treatment admissions accounted for 2,041 Tennessee drug rehab admissions which amounted to just over 17% of all treatment admissions. Alcohol came in third with 1,778 alcoholics entering treatment and 15.2% of all entries.
According to the FBI. Memphis, Tennessee ranks 2nd in the nation and listed in the top five most dangerous cities in the country. Officials feel this is related to the percentage of residents who live below poverty and are heavily involved in the drug related activity. Cocaine addiction trends are diminishing and it would seem the medical and pharmaceutical organizations are attempting to shift the drug trade away from street drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin to legalize form of drug trade. Although marijuana still remains illegal in most states, a serious trend is taking place with strong push to legalize in many states. States with relaxed marijuana laws experience as much as a 30% increase in treatment admissions.
