Drug & Alcohol Rehab For Greensburg, Indiana

Located about 30 minutes southeast of Shelbyville along Interstate 74, Greensburg is the prototype for a cozy, Midwestern city. It serves as the county seat of Decatur County, and is known for its quiet streets, historic courthouse, and beautiful downtown area. Over the last half-century, the economy has relied heavily on auto manufacturing, which continues to employ a large percentage of the city’s residents. As of the latest census, Greensburg is home to 12,312 people, and its population has been growing steadily over the past few decades.

While many manufacturing cities and towns have struggled economically in the 21st century, Greensburg is a rare exception. Residents enjoy a relatively strong local economy, with a median household income of $61,864 (compared to $66,785 statewide), and a poverty rate of 13% — only slightly higher than the state average. [1]

Despite the prosperous and tranquil lifestyle of Greensburg and much of Decatur County, the area has struggled with addiction in recent years. Drug and alcohol abuse has taken hold throughout much of central and southern Indiana, and Greensburg continues to show increasing numbers of overdoses and fatalities as a direct result. The small city was particularly hard-hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, when deaths related to substance abuse spiked. Fortunately, there are various local resources and initiatives to help educate residents on the dangers of substance abuse and help curb fatalities going forward.

Based on the most recent data, alcohol, marijuana, and meth are the most commonly abused substances in Greensburg. The city also sees the abuse of other substances, such as prescription opioids, cocaine, and heroin, albeit in smaller numbers.

Continue reading to learn about substance abuse and addiction in Greensburg, Indiana. And remember, if you or a loved one are fighting addiction in Greensburg or the surrounding area, you can always reach out to Addiction Rehab Centers for help.

Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Greensburg

Decatur County manages all of Greensburg’s substance abuse data, which is common practice for small and mid-sized cities throughout Indiana. However, this can complicate the process of evaluating substance abuse data at the city level. For example, Decatur County aggregates all of the arrests, overdoses, and fatalities from towns and cities in its purview — without distinguishing data originating in one municipality or another. This means that cases arising in Greensburg get combined with cases arising in other towns and cities in Decatur County, such as New Point and Westport.

That said, Greensburg is the largest city in the county by far, accounting for nearly half of the county population. Additionally, it’s estimated that more than 3 out of every 4 substance abuse cases recorded in Decatur County originate in Greensburg. Consequently, examining the county-level data is one of the most efficient ways to evaluate the severity of the substance abuse crisis in Greensburg, Indiana.

Fatal overdoses in Decatur County are relatively uncommon, but this is partially due to the small population. When compared to the population, the rate of substance abuse deaths is higher than the state average. It’s also important to note that deaths have been on the rise in the area, with a major spike during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. [2] The table below shows how deaths involving all drugs (including alcohol) have changed in the area over the past few years:

*Data for 2023 is provisional and only accounts for the first half of the year.

If you were to only evaluate the difference between fatal overdoses in 2016 and 2023, it would appear that the numbers haven’t changed. However, there are two important caveats to consider. First, Decatur County has seen substantial changes in overdose deaths from year to year — more than many other counties in the region. And second, the data for 2023 is still provisional and may be updated in the near future.

Based on the available data, it would seem that fatal overdoses are, in fact, on the rise. Between 2016 and 2022 (the latest year with finalized data), annual overdose deaths rose by 80%. The average number of annual overdose deaths for the first three years of available data — 2016, 2017, and 2018 — was just 5.6. When looking at the three most recent years of finalized data (2020, 2021, and 2022), the average rises to 10.3. However, it is important to consider that annual deaths appear to be in decline in the years since these deaths peaked in 2020.

Non-fatal overdoses are just as important to consider in Greensburg and the rest of Decatur County. This statistic can be extracted from hospital discharge and emergency department visit data. It often provides a better overview of how many people are abusing drugs to the point of overdose. The table below shows the relevant overdose data in Decatur County between 2016 and 2023: [3]

*Data for 2023 is provisional and only accounts for the first half of the year.

Compared to many other counties in central and south Indiana, Decatur County has somewhat unusual non-fatal overdose data. There was a substantial increase in overdoses between 2016 and 2017. Oftentimes, an increase of this degree is due to a difference in how the county records overdoses, as opposed to an actual increase in overdoses. However, there’s no data to indicate that Decatur County has changed its data collection procedures since 2016.

Between 2017 and 2022 (the last year with finalized data), annual, non-fatal overdoses declined by 10.8%. Non-fatal overdoses peaked in 2020, but otherwise showed a very minor downward trend — if we exclude the minimal data available from both 2016 and 2023. However, it’s important to consider how non-fatal and fatal overdoses align each year. Once again excluding 2016 as an anomaly or a year simply lacking in data, we’ll examine how total overdoses developed between 2017 and 2023. In 2017, there were 92 official overdoses on record in Decatur County. 9 of those overdoses, or 9.7%, were fatal. By 2022, there were 83 total overdoses, of which 9 were fatal (10.8%).

This is a relatively small change, but it does show that even as total overdoses decline, fatal overdoses make up a larger percentage. More fatal overdoses and fewer non-fatal overdoses generally indicate a lack of local resources to help prevent death in the event of an overdose. It can also be a result of more powerful substances being abused. For example, the proliferation of synthetic opioids like fentanyl has led to a rise in fatal overdoses throughout Indiana and many other states nationwide.

Types of Substance Abuse in Greensburg

In 2023 and 2024, alcohol, marijuana, and meth were the most abused drugs in Decatur County. However, this is based on arrest and re-arrest data, which is not an exact science. Many people abuse drugs or alcohol and evade arrest. Therefore, examining the types of substances being abused with arrest records alone is insufficient. However, it is the most pertinent data available, and it does provide an overview of how substance usage may be changing with each passing year. Here is the latest data from Indiana’s Next Level Recovery program showing the arrests involving different kinds of addictive substances between 2016 and 2024 in Decatur County:

*Statistics for 2023 and 2024 are still preliminary and do not account for the entire calendar year(s).

Unlike many counties in Indiana, Decatur County recorded some of the highest total arrest and substance-related offenses at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the county did see trends that echoed what we’ve seen in other counties when it comes to the types of substances being abused. For example, alcohol-related arrests declined by 11.6% between 2016 and 2022. Marijuana arrests and arrests involving drug paraphernalia (often linked to heroin abuse) saw a similar decline over the same period. However, meth and opioid arrests have increased. In fact, meth and opioid arrests in 2023 and 2024 are still remarkably high, despite the fact that the data is still provisional for these two years.