The State of South Dakota is aggressive in providing drug and alcohol treatment for its citizens, choosing treatment over incarceration for alcohol and drug offenses. Nearly 57% of all referrals to drug and alcohol treatment in South Dakota come through the courts. Of those, 98% had used alcohol, 68% had used marijuana, and of all admissions, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine were the most common. These statistics are in line with national surveys that put South Dakota in the top ten of all states for binge drinking and past-month alcohol use, accompanied by a low perception of drinking as a high-risk activity.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues At-A-Glance, South Dakota
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), December 2008
Not everyone in South Dakota is forced to treatment by the stern mandate of the law or an ultimatum from an angry spouse. Almost 26% of the people who checked into a South Dakota rehab facility did so voluntarily as a self-referral. A follow-up study lists a number of success factors; however, all treatment began with admission to one of the 59 drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation centers in South Dakota. Nine of these are operated by tribal governments for the benefit of South Dakota’s large Native American population. The others are either private nonprofit (34) or private for-profit (10) or state-operated rehab centers.
The chart below shows the breakout of admissions to South Dakota treatment facilities in 2006. Note that after alcohol, marijuana, the supposedly low-risk drug of choice for many people, is second, and amphetamine is third. Methamphetamine is the most-abused controlled substance in South Dakota, an increasing concern for law enforcement and drug treatment centers alike.
Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse
State of South Dakota Profile of Drug Indicators
May 2008
People seeking treatment for substance abuse in South Dakota will find treatment centers all over the state, but they should evaluate their local options carefully. Despite the ominous upward trend in drug treatment shown below, just two physicians and one treatment program were certified as of 2006 to administer bupenorphine for opiate addiction, and no facilities were listed as offering opioid programs. This is not to say that no treatment facility in South Dakota is able to treat an opiate addiction; it only means that prospective patients should inquire as to the experience and resources available to any given drug and alcohol treatment center to determine whether it can assist with their problem.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues At-A-Glance, South Dakota
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), December 2008
Of the nearly 16,000 people admitted to drug and alcohol treatment in South Dakota in 2008, a one-day snapshot showed that 15% of them were children. Living down on the farm in South Dakota does not automatically confer immunity from the perils of drugs and alcohol. Five percent of school children in grades 9-12 surveyed in 2007 admitted to using marijuana on school grounds; 21% had been given, offered, or sold drugs on school property. It is very difficult for modern children to maintain their innocence about drugs and alcohol given statistics like those below.
Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse
State of South Dakota Profile of Drug Indicators
May 2008
Even in pastoral South Dakota, drug and alcohol rehabilitation could become a priority for nearly any family confronted by the creeping tide of drugs making its way across the state’s borders. Parents should keep a wary eye on their children. Adolescent exposure to drinking and drugs is widely reported to be the first step in many lifelong battles with drug and alcohol addiction. Hopefully, it will not take a harsh encounter with law enforcement to jump start treatment; rather early intervention and proper care at a qualified South Dakota drug and alcohol treatment center.
