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Substance Abuse

Text Box: Substance Abuse in Polk County Like most other counties, Polk County is challenged by court dockets over crowded with DUI offenders. In addition to legal problems, substance abuse or dependence is a major cause of loss of work, relationship problems and loss of self-esteem. Addiction is a disease of the brain. As many as 85 to 90% of the Adult U.S. population uses alcohol or other mood altering chemicals. About 10-12% of those have the disease of addiction or 11 out of every 100 individuals. Children of alcoholics demonstrate 3-4 times increased risk of addiction. Biological children of alcoholics have a much higher risk of alcoholism regardless of who parents them. Sons of alcoholics are FOUR times more likely to be alcoholic than sons of non-alcoholics. Abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs among adults 60 and older is one of the fastest growing health problems facing this country. In the United States, it is estimated that 2.5 million older adults have problems related to alcohol. And, adults 65 and older consume more prescribed and over-the-counter medications than any other age group. These are staggering statistics but the disease of addiction, while incurable, like diabetes, is treatable. Symptoms of Alcohol Dependence Here are four simple questions that can help you determine if you have an addiction problem. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking or using? Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking? Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover (eye opener)? Scoring: Item responses on the CAGE are scored 0 for “no” and 1 for “yes” answers, with a higher score an indication of alcohol problems. A total score of 2 or greater is considered clinically significant. (Note: Although two or more positive responses are considered indicative of an alcohol problem, a positive response to any one of these questions should prompt further exploration among older adults.) Levels of Care There are several levels of care for the treatment of addiction. AA and NA meetings serve a wide population who are able to remain abstinent while participating at this level of support. Individual outpatient substance abuse counseling is often recommended in addition to AA and NA meetings to address underlying issues that could be relapse triggers. Intensive Outpatient Treatment is a very effective form of treatment for persons leaving residential treatment and transitioning back into their lives. It is also effective for a person who has had a history of successful recovery, but, due to a life crisis or high stress situation, has relapsed and needs some structure to return to a strong program of recovery while addressing the issues that caused the relapse. Inpatient Detox is needed for those individuals who require medical intervention to detox from their drug of choice or alcohol. It is not recommended that individuals detox themselves as this could be a life threatening situation. Residential Treatment is recommended for persons who have not been able to obtain any significant periods of sobriety from any of the above levels of care. The following are some of the factors that help determine the level of care needed. The progression of the disease Failed attempts at previous treatments Level of emotional maturity Availability of a healthy support system Motivation for treatment Co-occurring physical, mental or emotional health issues Providers Polk County is privileged to have multiple resources for chemical dependence treatment. There are many private therapists trained in substance abuse counseling in our county as well agencies that offer this service. In addition there is a full service 50 bed residential treatment center in Mill Spring and a new outpatient treatment center in Columbus. Please refer to the list of Providers on our Links page for names and phone numbers.

Providing the best treatment for the citizens of Polk County is our highest priority.