The New England Pipeline for drugs runs through Rhode Island, which is also, unfortunately, a large consumer of what crosses its borders. A 2008 study puts Rhode Island near the top of all states for the following indicators:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues At-A-Glance, Rhode Island
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), December 2008
In addition, Rhode Island ranks in the top ten states for both drug and alcohol abuse, well above national norms. Cocaine and heroin are the drugs of choice in Rhode Island, followed by marijuana and Oxycontin. All are available throughout the state; living in a small town does not ease the threat.
All this is sobering news for Rhode Island residents, but no surprise to the 57 drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation centers located in the state. Admissions data over the past 15 years shows a steady drop in alcohol-related issues and a doubling of admissions for drugs only. Note the steep climb in non-heroin opiates since 2000, which echoes the nationwide explosion in abuse of prescription drugs like Xanax, Valium, Oxycontin, and any number of opiate painkillers derived from oxycodone and hydrocodone. Rehab centers in Rhode Island treated 12,000 people in 2006. Over 24% were admitted for alcohol only; 24% were admitted for heroin abuse. Big city threats are not limited to the big city in Rhode Island.
The 57 Rhode Island drug and alcohol treatment facilities are split between private nonprofit centers (43), private for-profit centers (12), and those run by government agencies (2). They do not offer the exact same mixture of treatment modalities and programs. While most provide outpatient services, 16 offer residential care of some type. Despite the widespread opiate threat in Rhode Island, not all clinics or all programs are licensed or set up to deal with opiate addiction. Families should be certain to check that their local Rhode Island treatment centers offer the type of programs needed to deal with a particular addiction. Just 19 rehab centers in Rhode Island offered opioid programs in 2006, and only 43 doctors and 21 programs were certified to administer buprenorphine, a controlled drug used in treating opiate addiction. Do not assume that the local hospital or clinic is equipped to deal with any particular problem.
Parents of Rhode Island teenagers should take note of the chart below. Nearly 60% of high school seniors statewide had tried marijuana as of 2005, and over 10% had tried cocaine. This goes hand-in-hand with the statistic noted above, that all age groups in Rhode Island perceive marijuana as a low-risk drug, when in fact it has been designated as a “gateway” to use of other drugs like cocaine, meth, and heroin. Fourteen percent of all admissions for treatment in 2006 were for marijuana.
Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse
State of Rhode Island Profile of Drug Indicators
January 2008
Even more troubling, a recent Maryland study showed that high percentages of adults in treatment for substance abuse reported that their habits began in adolescence with an initial exposure to drugs or alcohol. “Recreational” use, given the highly addictive qualities of opiates, the drugs of choice in Rhode Island, can quickly give way to full-blown addiction and a sudden need for a drug and alcohol treatment center.
