Like many rural Western states, Nebraska struggles with high rates of alcoholism, especially in its college-age population. While the incidence of drug abuse statewide is generally below national norms, binge drinking and alcohol abuse are well above the average.
Of further concern to parents in Nebraska is a prevalent attitude among Nebraska teens that using drugs like Ecstasy and other club drugs is safe, which is driving an increasing problem with such drugs in the state. Methamphetamine is rampant as well, brought in by Hispanic cartels whose ability to blend in with Nebraska’s large immigrant population makes drug enforcement more difficult. For all of these reasons, an increasing number of families and individuals in Nebraska find themselves faced with the need for drug or alcohol rehabilitation, and the accompanying need to choose the proper course of treatment through a qualified drug and alcohol treatment center in Nebraska or somewhere else.
As in nearly every state in the Union, the percentage of young people abusing illicit drugs is higher than among adults.
This, along with the high rate of binge drinking, should provide warning flags to Nebraska parents who assume that their family could never have a need for an drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Nebraska teens are at high risk for a variety of addictions.
As of 2006, 107 drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation centers in Nebraska operated across the state, treating some 15,000 people in 2007. Individuals seeking treatment should be aware that rehabilitation facilities in Nebraska are not all alike, nor offer the same programs. The majority are private nonprofit facilities, 20 are private for-profit centers, and four are operated by tribal governments. Of these, 78% offer outpatient services and 40 provide residential care, but only one offers an opioid treatment program. Just 22 physicians in the entire state are certified to administer buprenorphine for an opiate addiction. Evaluate all programs and drug and alcohol treatment centers in Nebraska carefully to ensure that the local or regional options are qualified and licensed to treat a particular problem.
Around 68% of all drug and alcohol rehab centers in Nebraska receive some type of public funding, whether local, state, or federal. Federal grants to the state are shared among these facilities, so they may not all be equally funded and staffed. Families may need to travel outside their local area in order to find the type of drug treatment program best suited to their needs, which may or may not include detoxification as well as the counseling and long-term behavior modification required to produce positive outcomes. Wherever treatment is sought, early intervention is crucial, before a minor recreational habit escalates into something much more difficult and expensive to treat. The easy availability of crystal meth in Nebraska, with its highly addictive qualities, means that families must be proactive in seeking treatment, as meth is one of the most difficult of all addictions to treat.
Drug and alcohol treatment centers in Nebraska are available to all residents. Parents of high school and college age children should take special care to educate themselves both on prevention, and on options for drug and alcohol rehabilitation at need.
