Barre Addiction Treatment Resources
Barre is a small, vibrant city in Washington County, Vermont. It’s a tight-knit community that’s the self-proclaimed “granite center of the world.” There are several small museums, and new restaurants and shops are opening up regularly. However, residents of Barre sometimes talk about crime going up a bit. In addition, some people are reporting that the area is struggling with a drug problem. They cite heroin as an issue that has been becoming more prevalent throughout the area in the past few years.
This has become a story that is very common all over New England. Barre is no different.
A lot of people dealing with addiction are afraid to confide in friends or family. They are embarrassed because they feel like others won’t understand. They’re often worried that friends and family may judge them.
The bottom line is that millions of people all over the country are going through problems with addictions to substances like alcohol, cocaine, heroin, opioids and fentanyl. If you or a loved one is dealing with addiction, as many people are in Vermont, there is hope. You’re not alone.
Drug Use in Vermont
In 2017, the NIDA noted that synthetic opioid use increased significantly in Vermont. There were 77 deaths involving synthetic opioids outside of methadone in 2017. These were primarily from fentanyl. There were 114 drug overdose deaths that were associated with all types of opioids in Vermont in 2017. This is a rate of 20 deaths per 100,000 people, which is significantly higher than the national average rate of 14.6 deaths per 100,000 people.
Also, heroin deaths quadrupled from 2012 to 2017. The statistics show there were 10 deaths in 2012 in Vermont attributed to heroin overdoses, and that skyrocketed to 41 deaths in 2017. The NIDA also reported that the rate of deaths from overdose related to opioid prescriptions increased from 4.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2014 to 6.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017.
National surveys show that people ages 12 and up from Vermont are drinking alcohol at among the highest rates in the country. Also, Vermont residents are binge drinking at rates excessively higher than most of the country.
This is definitely a cause for concern. Along those lines, national data further illustrates that young adults and youth in Vermont are also drinking more alcohol compared to the rest of the United States. The state of Vermont mentions that those who begin drinking before their 15th birthday are four times more likely to develop an addiction to alcohol than those who start drinking at age 21.
Why Is Drug or Alcohol Abuse a Problem?
Scientific data shows that even if someone only binge drinks one time, alcohol in excess can be the cause of adverse effects on the body. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, or NIAAA, outlines a significant amount of information on what these effects can be on your body. Excessive alcohol can affect your brain, heart, liver, pancreas and immune system. The effects aren’t limited to these parts of your body, however.
Information outlined by the NIAAA indicates that alcohol use can increase the risk of a variety of types of cancer. Examples of these are breast cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, and head and neck cancers. The “Report on Carcinogens” by the National Toxicology Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is the source of this scientific information. The NIAAA explained that this report shows that there are a number of research studies to verify these links between drinking and cancer.
In terms of other types of drugs that are now common in Vermont, opioids can also have a very negative effect on the body. For example, prescription opioids can cause drowsiness, confusion, constipation, slowed breathing, nausea and detrimental effects on the brain.
Studies also show that illicit drug use is up nationwide. One such set of data is a survey called the National Survey on Drug Use and Health that was done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The NIDA has also presented an overview of this survey. According to this survey, Americans who are 12 years old or older are far more likely to use illicit drugs than they were over a decade ago. The survey shows that 9.4% of the population has used illicit drugs, compared with only 8.3% a decade prior to the date of the survey.
Judging from these statistics, you can clearly see that you or your loved ones are not alone if they are dealing with addiction. Millions of people are dealing with drug addiction or alcohol addiction.
How to Get Help
If you or a loved one needs help with a drug or alcohol addiction, it’s important to know that help is available. At any point, you can get the help you need. It’s never too late for professionals to assist you in overcoming your addiction. There are multiple ways to get treatment from qualified professionals. We’re going to explore ways to get help below.
According to research presented by the NIAAA, one-third of people who get professional help for addiction to alcohol are without any symptoms at all only one year later. This means 33% of people make significant changes and have a lot of success within only one year. That’s absolutely incredible.
You must have a plan when you’re looking for the right form of help for yourself or a loved one dealing with addiction. Here are three things to keep in mind as you are evaluating all of your options.
The first thing you need to do is to gather information. This means that you’re going to see what options for treatment are available, what they consist of, how much they cost, etc. You want to see how involved they are and where the treatment centers are located. All of the initial information is very important.
The next step is to remember, as stated above, that you’re not alone in this struggle. Millions of people are in this very situation and getting help all over the United States. It’s never too late, and it’s important to know that it is possible to overcome addiction and change your life. People even come back from the very toughest forms of addiction. It’s a lot of work in many cases, but it is possible for you too.
The third step is to feel reassured by all of the scientific data that exists when it comes to people receiving help with addiction. There is a lot of data out there showing that people can have success overcoming addiction. This data has been collected over decades. It is incredibly realistic to think that you or someone you love can have success with overcoming addiction.
After taking all of these things into account, the most important thing you can do now is to do something with this information. Make phone calls to get someone you love to treatment if they need it. Get to your general physician and tell them about what’s going on. This way, you can get some solid medical advice. Whatever you do, just move forward.
Drug or Alcohol Addiction Treatment Programs
The information below is a general overview of what treatment programs are available to you or your loved one who is dealing with addiction.
There are three different types of programs recommended by the NIAAA for alcohol addiction. These can also apply to drug addiction as you will see below.
Behavioral Treatment Programs
This type of program is centered around counseling. These programs are carried out by qualified and experienced health professionals. The NIAAA mentions that there is a lot of scientific data to show that behavioral treatment programs are effective when it comes to helping people with addiction.
Mutual Support Groups
Mutual support groups are great additions to a behavioral treatment program provided by a qualified health professional. Groups like Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous are prominent throughout Vermont and all over the United States. These groups offer the ability for people to share their stories anonymously and receive support from others who may be going through the same thing.
Prescribed Medications
The NIAAA mentions that there are currently three medications approved to help treat alcohol addiction in the United States. Your general physician may be able to give you more information on these and prescribe them to you if medication is something that could indeed help you. These medications can be used in addition to therapies and support groups.
Next, let’s examine where treatments might occur for someone who is looking for consistent, in-depth options to treat addiction in Barre, Vermont.
Residential Treatment Centers
Fully fledged residential treatment centers are places where someone would live full-time until they are recovered. These facilities also typically offer 24-hour detox services. This is where someone is monitored and assisted 24 hours a day by qualified medical professionals while they go through withdrawal.
At these centers, an individual would move in, eat there and sleep there. Programs can last anywhere from one month to one year, and costs are typically $500 or more per day. In many cases, you’re able to select programs that offer job training or the ability to receive your GED so that you have greater opportunities after you graduate from the residential treatment center.
Programs are tailored specifically to you and can include individual counseling, mutual support groups and a variety of other methods of treating addiction.
Partial Hospitalization Treatment Programs
With these programs, someone goes through fairly vigorous treatment during the day but is permitted to sleep in their own bed at night. It is a good transition program for someone who just graduated from a residential treatment center. You have continual support but can transition back into your daily life slowly.
Outpatient Treatment Programs for Addiction
Outpatient programs allow you to maintain your daily schedule while you receive treatment. For example, you could continue working or going to school and receive treatment in the evening. Also, many graduates from one of the two programs mentioned above choose this option to help them transition back to their daily lives with added support from healthcare providers.
It is best to contact the providers directly to determine the cost of these programs outlined above. Some can be free, and others can be quite a bit more expensive because they provide so much. When you speak to someone specifically, you’ll get a much better idea of the total cost and what’s included. For most people, to be free of addiction is definitely worth the investment, whatever it may be.
Recommended Residential Treatment Centers for Residents of Barre, Vermont
Two amazing treatment centers that are recommended for residents of Barre include New Freedom Academy, located in Canterbury, New Hampshire, and Green Mountain Treatment Center, located in Effingham, New Hampshire.
These residential treatment centers offer a detailed 12-step curriculum to help people overcome addiction. The masters-level licensed clinicians and facilitators also help people with holistic therapies like meditation, yoga, fitness programs and more.
You receive an individualized program that is created just for you. The environment is serene, remote and beautiful so that you feel safe and comfortable as you confront the causes of your addiction and make plans to stay sober.
Included are behavioral therapy programs, counseling and mutual support groups to help people who want to overcome their addiction to drugs or alcohol.
In addition, people who need 24-hour monitoring through a detox program are able to receive attention at these residential treatment centers. The facilities are fully equipped to help people with addiction effectively and efficiently.