2015 Drug Trends in Alaska

Alaska is known for being the frozen tundra – a place of excitement and wonder, a place where you can start life over and see the world. But, sadly, with those long winters and short summers come a few issues that you do not always necessarily think of when you’re talking about this beautiful state – substance abuse. In this article, we’re going to explore two of the largest issues that Alaska faces in this category – methamphetamines and alcohol abuse.

Alcohol Abuse

As was the case in 2014, alcohol is the substance that is abused the most in Alaska. When compared to their population, they have more people that struggle with alcohol abuse than almost any other state. Many times, you will see reports of crimes that were started because of some issue that was related to alcohol in the first place (sometimes other drugs, but alcohol is the most common culprit).

Why? Mainly because of the prominence in depression in adults who reside in Alaska. Think about it – there are days of the year where you see absolutely no sun at all. Those days can end up being very long and very upsetting to those who live there. People get trapped in their homes for days at a time because of the amount of snow that they will get at a time. Because alcohol is easily accessible at pretty much every grocery store or gas station that people will go to, they will have a store in their homes. Even though this in and of itself isn’t an issue, when you throw in the potential problems of being locked up, it can result in a lot of different problems that the residents are coping with.

That being said, many Alaskans are trying to work with family, neighbors, and colleagues in order to try and prevent these issues from becoming a bigger problem. Groups that are meant to support those with alcohol addiction and that are fending off the “winter blues” are becoming more common, and the small towns across Alaska are working hard to have activities that don’t necessarily involve drinking in order to get through the worst of winter. All in all, these efforts are thought to be helping.

Methamphetamines

Another large issue that Alaska has to deal with is Methamphetamines, often just referred to as “Meth.” Even though there are only a small handful of meth labs located throughout the state, the issue isn’t necessarily coming from them (they do contribute to the problem, however). The issue with Meth is that it is very easily transported, and many people who are transporting other types of illegal drugs via parcels and body carriers are also able to add meth into the mix of things that they are bringing into the state. According to estimates, 2015 is going to be the year that has had the most imported meth in all of the recent years in which it has been recorded.

To put that in perspective, it is estimated that around 40 to 50 pounds of meth is seized every single year. That number, of course, only has to deal with how many seizures there are – that doesn’t even take into account the fact that there’s probably a lot more going through – maybe two to three times as much, according to some people. In 2015, those numbers are actually expected to increase to about twice what they are now – and if that doesn’t show that Alaska has a meth problem going on, there’s really not a lot else that can happen. Because of those estimates, the airports and other border control and customers officials are looking out for meth and other drugs more than they ever have before. We will have to wait until later in the year to see the effects of those efforts.

Alaska has a number of substance abuse struggles, but the good news is that there are a lot of options that they have when it comes to substance abuse treatment as well. If you are seeking help in order to deal with alcohol addiction, or the addiction to any other type of drug that is out there, then you will want to get into contact with one of the many rehabilitation centers that you can find in the state. We’ve got a complete list here on the website, and we can guide you in the right direction so that your addiction no longer has complete and utter control over your entire life.