More Information
One of the most comprehensive drug and alcohol use studies in the country is published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Each year they survey Americans in every state to find out who’s using what, how often, and whether or not they’re getting the treatment they need.
The numbers for Connecticut’s most recent survey results are published in a document called Connecticut Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues At-A-Glance – and they are troubling.
According to the survey, Connecticut residents’ rates of the following are among the highest in:
- Past-year marijuana use among those between the ages of 18 and 25
- Past-month marijuana use among those between the ages of 18 and 25
- Past-month illicit drug use (other than marijuana) among those 18 to 25
- Past-month alcohol use among those over the age of 12, between 18 and 25, and over the age of 26
Drug Abuse Among Young Adults
It’s clear that the 18-to-25 population is struggling in Connecticut.
The SAMHSA surveys reports that more than 23 percent of that age group had a problem with alcohol abuse or dependence in the year prior to the survey. Additionally, about 12 percent of that same age group struggled with a drug abuse or addiction issue in that same time period. Why?
The stresses placed upon young adults grow every year and those who graduate from expensive Connecticut universities into a less-than-welcoming economic climate can find it overwhelming. Add to this the usual pressures of performing well academically, choosing the right career, getting into grad school, and making the right choices in their romantic relationships and it’s not hard to understand why drug and alcohol abuse is such a rampant problem.
Addressing the Drug and Alcohol Addiction Issues in Your Family
When a loved one is struggling with drug and/or alcohol dependence, everyone in the family suffers. Problems arise:
- In the relationships between everyone in the family
- In the relationships between the addicted person and others
- Financially
- In the trust shared by everyone
Though you may have already had a number of informal conversations about the possibility of treatment, it may be time to consider staging a formal intervention. Gathering together others who love your addicted family member and planning to offer them the gift of recovery is a big step – but in many cases, it’s a necessary step. It can be the first day that your loved one fully realizes the level of risk that they are taking every day that drug addiction goes untreated.
Staging an Intervention
Before you stage an intervention in Connecticut, take the time to plan it correctly. The more you put into it before the actual intervention, the more likely it is that it will be successful. You can:
- Gather together three to six people who would like to participate and go over the guidelines of how an intervention works
- Plan who will speak, in what order, and who will bring the addicted person to the intervention
- Call the number listed above and talk to a counselor about which drug rehab in Connecticut is best for your loved one.
- Get matched to the best addiction treatment program for their needs – they may even provide you with a professional interventionist at your request.
- Pack a bag for your loved one to take to rehab.
- Stage the intervention and ask your loved one to accept the offer of help.
Are you ready to help someone you love in Connecticut recover from drug and alcohol dependence?
