Drug Addiction in Montana

Tough Life on the Frontier

The fourth largest state in the country is also one of the least-populated, with just under a million residents estimated to be living in Montana in 2011. This population suffers from alcohol and drug abuse that goes untreated at a rate far higher than the rest of the nation for a number of reasons.

Most of the Northern states of America such as North Dakota and Minnesota suffer similarly high addiction rates. What they have in common is months of extreme winter where people are shut in doors with little to do, leading to a rise in depression and other symptoms of poor mental health. The cold has also been known to drive people to drug abuse, and especially alcoholism when it comes to Northern states. Montana also has the 4th worst per-capita income in the nation due to a lack of innovative economic opportunities in the state; most employment in the state still comes from mining and lumber industries as well as tourism. Due to small population centers, opportunities that many parts of America take for granted are not available, such as investments in universities, research complexes, and corporate office centers.

Native Americans' Massive Suffering from Drug Addiction and Alcoholism

Another factor that consistently contributes to overall drug abuse are Indian reservations. Many people do not realize that today these reservations have more in common with impoverished third world countries than the rest of America. Unemployment, high school drop-out rates, domestic abuse and violence are not just chronic problems but generational ones stemming from the very creation of the reservation system and their relationship to governments who often had little interest in helping them. Around 7% of the population of Montana is some type of Native American, and the rates at which Native Americans abuse and are addicted to alcohol, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and prescription drugs is a persisting and intractable problem in reservations nationwide.

The problem in Montana is also compounded by the amount of people who are abusing multiple drugs at once. According to addiction treatment admission statistics, at least 80% of admissions in the last 15 years have mentioned alcohol as a drug they abuse, and yet now over 30% of admissions also cite methamphetamine abuse. Marijuana is also commonly cited as a drug problem for many who seek addiction treatment in combination with these others. Methamphetamine abuse in Montana has increased four-fold since the early 90s and is especially pernicious because it is not only shipped by the ton all across America by Mexican drug gangs, but it can be easily produced using some basic chemistry techniques and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Meth labs hidden in houses and trailers are an extremely dangerous source of addictive drugs for rural areas nationwide that do not have easy access to drug traffickers.

Unfortunately the fact that many of these powerful addictions are going to be need to be professionally treated are hindered in Montana by how spread out everything in the state is. Addiction treatment centers can be found mostly in metropolitan areas and reservations that not everyone has easy access to, and isolated drug abusers are often hopelessly misinformed about the risks of chronic drug use and how they can get sober. In order for many people to beat an addiction to alcohol, methamphetamine, or prescription opiates like oxycodone, a full drug treatment program at a rehab facility is necessary. Detox not only needs to be done with medical assistance but most importantly patients need to undergo counseling and therapy. Mental and emotional health are the most important factors in preventing ongoing temptations and urges to relapse that confront everyone who is a recovering addict. This is why therapies such as the Twelve Step Program, yoga, and psychotherapy are such important techniques to apply to patients in order to build a strong will to live free and sober. If you or someone you know wants to begin this process please contact us right away.

Cities in Montana with high rates of substance abuse: Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Bozeman, Helena, Kalispell, and Butte

Montana counties with large amounts of drug abuse: Yellowstone, Missoula, Gallatin, Flathead, Cascade, Lewis and Clark, Ravalli, and Silver Bow

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