Substance Abuse Stats in Tampa, FL
Tampa is Florida’s third-largest city, after Miami and Jacksonville. It has a population of around 400,000 residents. As one of Florida’s major urban centers, Tampa sees a lot of substance abuse issues.
Check out these substance abuse stats for the state of Florida to get an idea of what Tampa residents deal with:
- More than 10 percent of adults in Florida report using illicit drugs in the prior month.
- More than 55 percent of adults in Florida reported using alcohol in the last month.
- The rate of overdose deaths in Florida in 2017 was 25.1 deaths per 100,000 residents.
Choosing Between an Outpatient and Inpatient Rehab
There are many kinds of substance abuse care, but outpatient care and inpatient rehab are the two you need to know about. When you look for treatment in the Tampa area, you will find both inpatient and outpatient options.
Outpatient care is ideal for people with mild substance abuse issues who have a strong support network. It allows you to keep working and living your daily life, while attending treatment sessions during your free time.
Inpatient rehab is completely different. You sleep, eat, and live at the treatment center for a given period of time. This type of rehab offers much more support.
How Long Can Treatment at a Rehab Last?
If you need the support of inpatient rehab, you will need to decide how long you are going to stay. This decision can have major impacts on whether you will be able to stay sober in the coming months and years.
It is recommended to stay in rehab for at least 90 days. Stays of less than 90 days have been shown to result in more relapses and less lasting success. Although longer stays at rehab are more expensive and require a larger time commitment, they are worth it. Your entire life relies upon you staying sober.
What to Expect at Rehab
Inpatient rehab will be a very different environment than you are used to. The things in your daily life that trigger you to use drugs and/or alcohol will be stripped away. You will have all the support you need and you will be surrounded by peers in recovery, as well as helpful staff members.
Your days will be spent engaging in some of the following:
- Formal treatment like therapy, group meetings, and medication.
- Activity therapy.
- Relaxation.
- Skills classes.
By the time you leave rehab, you should feel ready to take on life with your sobriety intact. You will likely transition into outpatient care after rehab.
When Would You Need to Go to Detox?
Detox is not treatment. Still, many patients need to go to detox before they can begin treatment. Detox offers a medically monitored, safe place for people who are going through withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms often come up when a user stops taking drugs or alcohol.
These symptoms may include:
- Insomnia
- Nausea
- Headache
- Tremors
- Sweating
- Heart rate changes
- Muscle aches
- Itching
- Seizures
- Blood pressure changes
In extreme cases, withdrawal can be deadly. This is why anyone who is experiencing or may experience withdrawal symptoms has to go to detox. Once you are stable, you will be released so you can start rehab.
How Long is Detox?
Detox usually lasts somewhere between 3 days and 2 weeks. The main factor that influences how long detox takes is the severity and duration of a person’s withdrawal symptoms. Also, mental and physical health problems can keep a patient in detox longer.
Detoxing from drugs and alcohol may take older if you:
- Are unhealthy
- Are overweight
- Are older
- Have liver or kidney problems
- Have been abusing drugs and/or alcohol heavily for a long time
Withdrawal can be difficult, but detox centers make sure that you stay safe and comfortable during the process.
Sources
- Florida Adolescent Substance Abuse Facts. (2019, May 1). Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/facts-and-stats/national-and-state-data-sheets/adolescents-and-substance-abuse/florida/index.html
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2019, May 22). Florida Opioid Summary. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-summaries-by-state/florida-opioid-summary
- National Survey on Drug Use and Health. (n.d.). Florida. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHsaeSpecificStates2017B/NSDUHsaeFlorida2017.pdf