Akron Treatment Centers

Akron, Ohio, is home to around 217,074 people. It is found in Summit County and is around 91 miles outside of Pittsburgh and 30 miles outside of Cleveland. During the 1990s, there was a 3% population decline in Akron, which is quite unique. Today, the population continues to decline, although at a much slower rate of less than 1% per year. Whenever cities decline in population, this is usually related to increases in the rates of unemployment and drug and alcohol abuse. This is true in Akron, which has higher levels of both violent and property crimes than the state. Both of these types of crimes have a clear link with substance abuse.

Facts on Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Akron, OH

It has been found that substance abuse rates usually decline when the population changes its perception on substances, namely that they perceive them as being risky. In Akron, young people aged between 12 and 17 reported associating a significant risk with smoking in 69.7% of cases. This represents an increase compared to the 63.1% rate in 2002. Consequently, 9.1% of the young population smoked, which indicates a decrease from 13% in 2002.

Public officials also found that there is a significant problem with young people being initiated to hallucinogenic drugs. This is a big concern for the city, and a variety of intervention and prevention efforts have been put in place to steer its younger population towards healthy alternatives instead.

Akron authorities are committed to ensuring that adequate treatment is available for those people who suffer from a substance dependency or addiction. It is also one of the few places where there is a clear link between substance abuse and mental health problems, known as co-occurring disorders. The city has invested heavily in mental health support groups and self-help groups. They also conducted a piece of research in order to determine who is using these services, and they found that:

• 61.2% were female.
• 89.4% were older than 25.
• 75.2% were Caucasian.
• 46.8% were in full time employment.
• 65.6% also received prescription medication, and/or were involved in either inpatient or outpatient rehab facilities.
• 34.4% did not receive any traditional help for their mental health disorders.

What these statistics have shown is that a huge proportion of the population who require mental health treatment also need substance abuse treatment in any of the city's detox and rehab facilities. To ensure that they get the help they need, the city has increased signposting to the various treatment facilities that exist, while at the same time encouraging private facilities to create payment plans, so that the financial barriers to accessing treatment are removed.

Furthermore, the Akron Municipal Court is also home to a drug court. Here, nonviolent offenders with a substance abuse problem are able to seek detox and rehab treatment, which, if successfully completed, means that they do not have to go to prison. This is a form of legal intervention that has been proven to be very successful both in Akron and beyond.