Nevada ranks 15th in the nation for alcohol abuse and dependency among children age 12-17, and 20th for adults (as of January 2009). Consistently, the state ranks above national averages with regard to alcohol, and at or below for illicit drug abuse. Methamphetamine is a very serious problem in Nevada, which is also witnessing an alarming spike in deaths from diversion of prescription drugs like Xanax and hydrocodone (169 in the latter half of 2008 alone). These problems are not limited to the large urban areas of Nevada; meth and marijuana are widely available throughout the state, and popular because of their relatively low cost. No community in Nevada, therefore, is immune from the need for drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation, and most have at least one treatment center of some kind nearby.
The chart below, showing admissions reported by Nevada drug and alcohol treatment centers, shows how alcohol admissions have steadily declined for the past 15 years, while drug-related admissions, especially for meth, have risen. Drugs and alcohol are no longer the sort of “either/or” problems they used to be; more and more, drug and alcohol rehab facilities in Nevada are witnessing admissions for dual problems of drug and alcohol abuse. Both alcohol and marijuana serve as a gateways for even more serious addictions, many of which start in adolescence.
To combat the problem, there are 77 drug and alcohol treatment centers in Nevada, 41 of which are private nonprofit facilities. Tribal governments operate four others, and the rest are private for-profit rehabilitation centers. In Nevada, treatment options tend to be concentrated in larger communities across the state. Not all offer the same services. Many, for example, offer adult-only programs, or cater to youth, or do not offer detoxification. Only 15 offer residential care, while 91% provide outpatient treatment. Individuals seeking treatment must therefore evaluate the level of service offered locally or regionally against their own needs. Just 9 of the 71 facilities offer opiod treatment programs, so families may need to look past local options to find a treatment center able to treat an addiction to Valium or a prescription painkiller. Drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers in Nevada are listed individually by type of service on the state’s web site to aid families in finding the proper course of treatment.
As stated above, many drug and alcohol dependencies begin in adolescence. Nevada parents should be concerned that almost 50% of Nevada high school seniors report having used marijuana at least once. An increasing percentage of them have tried it before the age of 13. Prolonged exposure to the cornucopia of club drugs, alcohol, meth, and marijuana at raves, dances, clubs, and parties puts Nevada teens at continual risk of someday ending up in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.
Of the 77 drug and alcohol treatment facilities in Nevada, 65% receive some type of federal, state, or local funding in order to treat the flood of patients. Funding and staffing may vary from center to center. Families will have to decide for themselves whether public or private options will best suit their needs.
