Terre Haute is a mid-sized city located about an hour southwest of Indianapolis along Interstate 70. It serves as the county seat of Vigo County, and sits just a few miles east of the state’s border with Illinois. Like many cities in Indiana, Terre Haute was forced to transition away from manufacturing in the late 20th century due to a decline in the industrial sector. Fortunately, various expansions spearheaded by the city government and Indiana State University have helped keep the local economy afloat.
The size and population of Terre Haute can vary depending on who you ask. The municipality of Terre Haute has a population of 58,335, and has been in a very slow decline over the past few decades. However, if you include the entirety of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area, often known as Wabash Valley, the population is closer to 168,000. [1] The three largest employers in the region include the Vigo County School System, Union Health Group, and Indiana State University. [2]
While the economy has largely bounced back from the low points in the 1990s and early 2000s, the city of Terre Haute was decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has struggled to recover in 2022 and 2023, with the latest statistics showing a median household income of $41,230 (well below the state average), and an astounding 26.4% of residents living below the poverty line. These economic difficulties, combined with the proliferation of powerful synthetic opioids, have led to a full-blown substance abuse crisis in the region.
Continue reading to learn about substance abuse and addiction in Terre Haute, Indiana. If you or a loved one are fighting addiction in Terre Haute, you can always reach out to Addiction Rehab Centers for help.
Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Terre Haute
Alcoholism is pervasive in many poorer counties of Indiana, and Vigo County is no exception. About 23.8% of Indiana residents report binge drinking regularly, and these statistics tend to be higher in cities and counties with higher poverty rates like Terre Haute. [3] What’s more troubling is that the number of opioid prescriptions remains very high in the region. While opioid prescriptions have technically fallen from the peaks reached in 2017, data from Q4 of 2022 show that there are an average of 177.2 opioid dispensations per 1,000 residents in Vigo County, which is on par with the state average. This also means that more than 1 in 10 residents in the region is using and potentially abusing prescription opioids.
Fortunately, the number of emergency department visits involving drug use dropped between 2021 and 2023. As of the latest data, Vigo County recorded 146 emergency room visits involving drugs in 2023. This represented a 39.7% drop from 2021. Similarly, inpatient hospitalizations due to drug overdoses have dropped in the county, from 114 in 2021 to just 41 in 2023. However, it’s important to remember that the data for 2023 is still provisional and could be revised in the coming months.
While these numbers may seem promising, the reality is that more people are dying from alcohol and drug overdose in Terre Haute than ever before. Vigo County recorded 17 deaths in 2017, 17 deaths in 2018, 20 deaths in 2019, 17 deaths in 2020, 32 deaths in 2021, and 33 deaths in 2022. The number of overdose deaths for 2023 has yet to be released, but the current trends indicate that they could be even higher than previous years. [4]
The city of Terre Haute accounts for more than half of the population of Vigo County, and Terre Haute MSA is actually larger than the county itself. As a result, most reports of alcohol and drug overdoses in the county originate in Terre Haute.
Types of Substance Abuse in Terre Haute
It’s not always easy to calculate exactly what kinds of substances are leading to deaths in Terre Haute. However, we can glean some important information from the types of drugs being prescribed in Vigo County. Some of these drugs are being prescribed for pain or other ailments, and then being abused, while others are being prescribed specifically to help prevent drug overdoses, most often related to opioid abuse.
In Q4 of 2022, hydrocodone was the most prescribed opioid in Vigo County, with 7,026 dispensations over a three month period. The second most common prescription for this period was tramadol, another opioid with strong pain-killing properties. After tramadol comes naloxone, a drug used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. There were 2,707 dispensations of naloxone in Q4 of 2022. Finally, Vigo County recorded 1,344 dispensations of oxycodone over the same period.
However, it’s important to consider non-opioid substances and how they are abused in Vigo County. Between 2015 and 2023, there were significant fluctuations in the type of substances being abused. In the mid-2010s, alcohol abuse was more common, while marijuana and meth abuse have become more common in recent years. Additionally, arrests involving drug paraphernalia have increased, which could be linked to a wide range of illicit drugs, from cocaine to heroin.
Here is the latest data from Indiana’s Next Level Recovery program showing the arrest data involving different kinds of addictive substances between 2015 and 2023 in Vigo County: [5]
Year | Total Arrests | Alcohol | Cocaine | Marijuana | Meth | Opioid | Drug Paraphernalia |
2015 | 539 | 43.7% | 1.3% | 15.8% | 24.4% | 0.8% | 14.4% |
2016 | 680 | 38.7% | 2.5% | 14.6% | 23.6% | 1.3% | 16.2% |
2017 | 855 | 31.4% | 2.5% | 26.8% | 26.6% | 1.6% | 28.3% |
2018 | 1,236 | 27.9% | 1.8% | 21.9% | 29.9% | 1.0% | 22.8% |
2019 | 1,495 | 27.4% | 2.2% | 25.1% | 35.8% | 0.9% | 28.7% |
2020 | 1,198 | 23.0% | 1.9% | 28.5% | 40.9% | 1.1% | 30.7% |
2021 | 1,370 | 17.3% | 2.3% | 28.2% | 44.1% | 1.4% | 39.0% |
2022 | 935 | 16.3% | 1.4% | 25.9% | 50.6% | 1.5% | 36.4% |
2023* | 823 | 15.9% | 1.5% | 24.3% | 50.9% | 0.8% | 35.8% |
*Statistics for 2023 are still preliminary and do not account for the entire calendar year.
It’s important to note that arrest records do not directly correlate to the number of substance abuse cases in a given area. However, they do point to trends in substance abuse, and the data above shows that alcohol arrests have fallen drastically, while marijuana, meth, and drug paraphernalia arrests have risen dramatically. For the past two years, meth has accounted for just over half of all drug-related arrests in Vigo County.
However, this table would make it seem as though opioids are not a problem in Terre Haute and the rest of Vigo County, but that is far from the truth. The reality is that prescription opioid abuse often does not lead to arrest. Additionally, many arrests involving drug paraphernalia involve opioids like heroin. Consequently, this table does illustrate the rising number of drug-related arrests and trends in drug abuse, but it doesn’t provide a complete picture of the current crisis in the city of Terre Haute and the surrounding area.
Terre Haute Substance Abuse Resources
The city of Terre Haute does not offer any direct substance abuse resources to its residents. Instead, it depends on programs maintained at the county level. Unfortunately, Vigo County does not offer as many programs and initiatives as some other counties in Indiana. In fact, out of 7 possible state-approved programs for substance abuse prevention and treatment, Vigo County only takes part in one: the non-syringe harm reduction program. This program provides new supplies to drug abusers who are trying to get clean, which helps reduce the spread of blood-borne infections.
Terre Haute Drug Rehab & Alcohol Rehab
Terre Haute is a beautiful city that has tragically been stifled by economic woes and rising substance abuse cases. Issues beyond anyone’s control, like the COVID-19 pandemic, have only made the substance abuse crisis worse. With few resources at the city and county levels to depend on, many local residents don’t know where to turn for help when they’re faced with substance abuse and addiction.
Fortunately, Addiction Rehab Centers is just an hour’s drive from Terre Haute. At Addiction Rehab Centers, we offer everything you or a loved one need to recover from a substance use disorder. Even if you’re struggling with a co-occurring mental health issue, we have the expertise to get you back on your feet and provide you with the treatment you need. By reaching out to our team, you can begin your journey to a brighter tomorrow — free from the grip of addiction.
If you or a loved one need help, don’t hesitate to reach out as soon as possible. Addiction Rehab Centers is located in Indianapolis, Indiana. You can contact us on our website or call us directly at 844-551-4673.
