Killeen Treatment Centers

Killeen, Texas, is perhaps best known for Fort Hood, which is the home of the U.S. III Corps and other military groups. However, it is also a place where there were at least two high profile shootings. This is a good metaphor for Killeen as a whole: on the one hand, it is a city that is steeped in pride, but on the other hand, when things go wrong, they go very wrong indeed. And this is certainly true when it comes to its substance abuse or addiction problem.

In 2009, Killeen first mentioned the possibility of starting a drug court. This was met with heavy resistance. However, it was revealed that, if it would not open a drug court, the city would also lose out on a wealth of federal funding. Hence, the drug court was started, but it continues to struggle to make a real impact, not in the least due to community and city official resistance.

On the other hand, statistics show that there is an absolute need for drug addiction courts. These statistics show that:

• 82% of people know someone within Killeen who uses cannabis.
• 50% of people in Killeen used at least one substance (drug or alcohol) between the age of 18 and 25.
• 68% of people feel it is easy to access cocaine in the city.
• 84% of people feel there is an increasing number of meth users.
• 77% of people feel prescription medication abuse is rising.

What was perhaps most interesting, was that 70% of people felt that cannabis should readily be made available for medicinal use. Furthermore, 95% of people felt that there should be improvements in access to detox and rehab facilities in order to address the problem of drug and alcohol abuse. This would suggest that city officials should, in fact, provide further support for the Killeen drug court.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Killeen, TX

Alcohol is by far the most widely abused substance in Killeen, with some 30,559 people believed to consume alcohol to a dangerously high level. Additionally, some 11,842 people use illicit substances and, of these, 1,871 people also consume alcohol. Of particular concern in terms of addictive substances are cannabis, heroin, crack and powder cocaine, stimulants, and opiates aside from heroin. The number of people who abuse these substances continues to grow, which further points to the need for Killeen to take action immediately.

In order to do that, Killeen has signed up to the Texas Substance Abuse Prevention Service, which is part of the state's Department of Human Services. Additionally, inpatient and outpatient detox and rehab treatment centers exist that people can go to. However, residents have stated that they want to see increased investments in these. Many feel that access to treatment can be difficult due to financial barriers, in particular, and that Killeen public health authorities should address this. At the same time, residents feel that more work should be done in terms of putting in place a system of intervention for young people, in particular, encouraging them to seek alternative activities that enhance their health and happiness instead.