Substance Abuse Stats in San Francisco, CA
It’s not much of a secret that San Francisco has a higher-than-average drug abuse rate. Over 21% of San Francisco’s population uses drugs every year.
Other substance abuse statistics in San Francisco include:
- There were more people abusing drugs than attending high school in 2019
- Methamphetamine use rose through 2019, including meth-related overdose deaths
- Stimulant overdose deaths rose by 250% between 2008 and 2015
- All overdose deaths rose by 4.5% between 2016 and 2019
Choosing Between an Outpatient and Inpatient Rehab
It’s best to choose inpatient rehab if you can.
That’s because inpatient is an immersive experience that lets you focus on getting better. You can still focus on your own care while working and living your life, but not to the same degree. Inpatient gives you a leg up on recovery.
Outpatient rehab is a great choice for people who need to attend rehab while going to school, working, or caring for children. If you have responsibilities you can’t leave, you can still get treatment.
How Long Can Treatment at a Rehab Last?
Research shows that treatment works best if you commit to at least three months. If you’re getting treatment for opioids using Suboxone or another drug, then you should go to rehab for at least a year.
Your care provider will talk to you about the length of rehab that’s best for you. It’s important to commit to the full length of treatment. Three months sounds like a long time, but it’s the bare minimum.
What to Expect at Rehab
You can’t predict what rehab will be like because it’s different for everyone. Still, there are a few treatment methods that you’re likely to encounter.
Some common treatments include:
- Group therapy to help build social support during recovery.
- Medication-assisted treatment, or the use of medication to treat cravings.
- Talk therapy, which can help you learn new ways to cope.
Your treatment team will help you decide what treatments are right for you.
When Would You Need to Go to Detox?
If you’re addicted or dependent, then you need to go to detox. Most treatment centers can’t support you through detox the way you need.
You could need detox if:
- You’ve tried to stop and couldn’t
- You keep using drugs despite negative consequences
- You have withdrawal symptoms when you don’t take drugs
Medical detox programs help you through withdrawal so you can enter rehab fresh and ready for recovery.
How Long is Detox?
Detox isn’t the same for everyone so it can be hard to predict. The length can be affected by:
- Your drug use
- Your medical history
- Your metabolism
- Your genetics
Some drugs take longer to leave your system than others. For example, detoxing from alcohol can take days. Detoxing from Ativan can take weeks!
It’s very important to stick with detox until the end. Leaving detox early can lead to relapse.