Greensboro Treatment Centers

Greensboro, North Carolina, is home to some 279,639 people. Known as the "Gate City", it is famous for the International Civil Rights Museum, as well as for being frequently hit by strong tornadoes. Unfortunately, it is also home to significant substance abuse problems.

Statistics on Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Greensboro, NC

Of the 279,639 people in Greensboro:

• 65,913 are believed to drink to excess.
• 25,541 abuse at least one illicit substance, of which 4,036 also consume alcohol.
• 3,857 abuse cannabis.
• 3,244 abuse heroin.
• 3,039 abuse cocaine (crack and powder).
• 817 abuse opiates other than heroin.

This level of drug abuse, unsurprisingly, has led to a significant drain on the health care system. In fact, in terms of emergency room admissions:

• 988 were in relation to prescription medications (OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Xanax, and Lortab). This statistic does include admissions for people who use their medicine according to prescription.
• 550 were in relation to heroin.
• 247 were in relation to cocaine.
• 109 were in relation to meth.
• 55 were in relation to Ecstasy.

Greensboro public health officials have also studied public perception in relation to drug and alcohol abuse. They found that:

• 96% of people know someone in Greensboro who uses cannabis.
• 55% of people believe marijuana should be available for medicinal purposes, a figure that is much lower than in other areas of the county.
• 43% of people first tried an illicit substance when they were aged between 18 and 25.
• 66% of people believe it is easy to access cocaine in Greensboro.
• 93% of people feel there is a growing concern with meth abuse.
• 80% of people believe that prescription drug abuse is rising.
• 80% of people feel that more should be invested in providing people with a substance abuse disorder with appropriate treatment.

Substance Abuse Treatment in Greensboro, NC

In response to these statistics, the local government has invested quite heavily in making treatment more available. They felt this to be particularly important since so many people believe this to be the way to address the issue for those already in the grips of an addiction. As such, there are now a number of detox and rehab facilities that people can attend in order to get help with their substance abuse problem. These facilities include residential and outpatient facilities. Many of those are state-sponsored, which means the financial barriers towards receiving treatment have been removed. All treatment facilities also offer extensive aftercare in the form of continuing counseling and therapy, sober living facilities, 12 step programs, and peer support groups.

At the same time, Greensboro officials want to put in place efforts to stop people from first turning to addictive substances. Hence, they have developed a number of early intervention programs, targeting young people and their families in particular. These programs aim to offer people knowledge and awareness about the dangers of such substances, including gateway substances like alcohol and cannabis. At the same time, these efforts aim to provide young people with healthier, safer alternatives to substance use.