Alcohol abuse is a significant problem in Minnesota for all age groups, well above the national average. Abuse of illicit drugs is somewhat lower; however, Minnesota ranks in the top ten of all states for low perception of risk in using marijuana. This applies to people both over and under age 25, which, coupled with the fact that marijuana is the most widely abused illegal substance in the state of Minnesota, could lead to long-term problems. Over 30% of all Minnesota high school seniors have tried marijuana; 2% of sixth-graders have sampled it.

The 263 drug and alcohol treatment centers in Minnesota report some distressing trends. While alcohol remains the number one reason for most admissions, drug-related problems have tripled since 1992, and meth admissions have shot up from 2% in 1992 to 18% in 2006. In the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, according to a June 2009 report from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, treatment for heroin and other opiates rose 14.9% between 2007 and 2008, while abuse of opiates other than heroin, such as prescription drugs like Oxycontin, accounted for over 6% of all admissions to Minnesota rehabilitation centers, up from just 1.4% in 2000.

What does this mean for the average Minnesota family? While heroin and cocaine may be more prevalent in Minnesota’s larger cities, prescription drugs can be found in any medicine cabinet. Many Minnesota families are finding themselves confronted with substance abuse problems they never imagined, with a subsequent need to find and evaluate drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities in Minnesota or elsewhere qualified to deal with their particular problem.

While drug and alcohol treatment centers in Minnesota are located all over the state, they do all offer the same types of programs and care. Only 9 programs offered opioid treatment, with 31 facilities licensed to dispense buprenorphine, itself a controlled drug, for opiate addiction. Almost half of Minnesota rehab centers, however, offer residential care, good news for families seeking comprehensive inpatient care for their loved ones rather than the outpatient programs offered by the majority of treatment centers in Minnesota. Just over half of all Minnesota treatment facilities are private nonprofit; 37% are private for-profit, and the rest are operated by the State of Minnesota. There are, therefore, many choice for people seeking help for either alcohol or drug abuse; however, programs should be evaluated with care to determine whether any given facility can properly address a particular problem.

Over half of Minnesota drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers receive public funding, and 70% contract their services to hospitals and other organizations. Minnesota sentences low-level drug offenders to treatment through its drug courts, so there is a high number of people seeking treatment through these 263 facilities at any given time (over 47,000 in 2006). Assess the level of staffing, funding, and experience with all types of substance abuse before committing to any particular drug or alcohol rehab facility.