Alcohol & Drug Rehab Centers In (AL) Alabama (139)

Addiction Treatment Centers In Alabama

Alabama is home to nearly five million Americans and home to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide. As a southern and mostly rural state, Alabama's main cities include Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Mobile, and the state capital of Montgomery.

Alcohol Consumption in Alabama

The most commonly used substance in Alabama is alcohol, despite the state's twenty-four dry counties in which alcoholic beverage sales are illegal, except for their designated cities. Among residents who drink alcohol, men participate almost twice as often in binge drinking—defined as four or more drinks in one episode for women or five or more drinks in one episode for men. However, alcohol use among Alabama adults and youth has been on a decline since 2009 and remains below the national average.

Tobacco Use In Alabama

Alabama is among several states, especially in the South, that does not fully protect individuals from secondhand smoke, allowing smoking in workplaces, bars, and restaurants. Local laws may enforce smoke-free laws, but there is little regulation statewide. The minimum age to purchase tobacco products is nineteen, and unsurprisingly, Alabama ranks well above the national average for tobacco use, including cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, and pipe tobacco. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, individuals without a high school diploma make up the largest percentage of smokers (34.3 percent).

Prescription Drug Use in Alabama

Alabama ranks number one in opioid prescriptions throughout the United States, and nonmedical use of opioids is higher than the national average, according to the Alabama Epidemiological Profile. Alabama implemented a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) to collect data on drugs included in Schedules II-IV, based on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) drug scheduling system. The mandatory reporting of prescriptions began in 2006 with intentions to prevent dangerous drug-seeking behaviors like doctor shopping. However, there are exceptions to this reporting program, which include prescription drugs obtained through pharmaceutical samples, physician office visits, and assistance programs.

Illicit Drug Use In Alabama

According to the Gulf Coast High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (GC HIDTA), which includes more than twenty participating Alabama law enforcement agencies, methamphetamine is the most concerning drug threat currently facing the state, with heroin close behind and poised to overtake methamphetamine as the number-one threat facing Alabama residents in the near future. Currently, heroin is the most common substance among Alabama residents seeking addiction treatment. Among Alabama students in ninth through twelfth grades, abuse of heroin and methamphetamine are major concerns, with prevalence nearly twice the national average.

Alabama State Substance Abuse Resources

Alabama currently has just under 120 addiction treatment facilities or services registered with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), most of which are concentrated in or near the five major cities in the state. Further resources for addiction treatment help in Alabama can be found on the state's department of mental health website.