Drug & Alcohol Rehab For Princeton, Indiana

Tucked away in the southwestern corner of Indiana, Princeton serves as the seat of Gibson County and a major manufacturing hub in the region. The city of Princeton sits less than 30 miles north of Evansville and is technically part of the Greater Evansville Metropolitan Area. Known as the home of the beautiful Gibson County Courthouse (built in 1884), Princeton has various historical monuments and well-kept parks for families and visitors. It has also enjoyed a strong economy over the years, thanks in large part to the Toyota manufacturing plant located three miles south of the city, as well as the many local suppliers that support it.

Many residents of Princeton, Indiana enjoy a relatively high income combined with a relatively low cost of living. The median household income in Princeton is $56,378, compared to $64,153 in Gibson County and $67,173 in all of Indiana. However, it also has a relatively low poverty rate of 11.8% (the average poverty rate statewide is 12.3%). Renting or buying a home in Princeton is particularly affordable — the median monthly rent is just $777, compared to $818 in Gibson County and $967 in Indiana. The median mortgage and monthly housing costs in Princeton are $995, compared to $1,203 in Gibson County and $1,301 in Indiana. As a result, most residents of Princeton enjoy a comfortable and affordable lifestyle.

Sadly, the stable economy in Princeton has not prevented the ongoing substance abuse crisis. Based on the most recent data, meth and marijuana are the most commonly abused substances in Princeton, Indiana. The city also sees the abuse of other substances, such as alcohol, prescription opioids, cocaine, and heroin.

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

Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Princeton

Princeton is the largest city in Patoka Township and Gibson County, but it still relies on county-level administrators to collect and analyze substance abuse data. This is the norm in Indiana, as it helps cities that may not have the funds to collect data on their own. Additionally, it makes it easier for the state to see broader trends in substance abuse county by county. However, this methodology means that substance abuse cases originating in Princeton get combined with cases originating in other nearby municipalities, like Oakland City.

Princeton has a population of 8,401, which is roughly 25.5% of the county’s population of 32,904. Moreover, it’s estimated that more than 1 out of every 3 substance abuse cases (arrests, overdoses, and deaths) in Gibson County can be attributed to Princeton. As a result, examining the county data provides a fairly accurate picture of the ongoing substance abuse crisis in the city of Princeton.

While substance abuse has been a growing problem in Princeton and the rest of Gibson County, there has been a strikingly low number of deaths caused by overdose. When looking at the total population of Gibson County, the chances of experiencing a fatal overdose are extremely low. That said, fatal overdoses have technically increased since 2016, the only year when no deaths were recorded. [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 and 2024 is provisional and may be subject to change. The last date that data was collected was 09/04/2024.

Not only is Gibson County remarkable insofar as it has seen very few fatal overdoses for a population of its size, but it also hasn’t followed trends seen in most other counties throughout Indiana. In many counties, substance abuse deaths spiked, or at least increased, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021). However, Gibson County recorded just 3 deaths per year in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The figures for 2023 and 2024 are still provisional, so it’s unclear if fatal overdoses will increase, decrease, or stay the same until more data becomes available.

Given the low number of fatal overdoses in Gibson County, it’s extremely important to look at other metrics — particularly non-fatal overdoses. Non-fatal overdoses are far more common than fatal overdoses, and the increased numbers can provide a more nuanced picture of the current crisis. This data is collected via hospital discharges and emergency department visits involving addictive substances. The table below shows the relevant overdose data in Gibson County between 2016 and 2024: [3]

*Data for 2023 and 2024 is provisional and may be subject to change. The last date that data was collected was 09/04/2024.

There is not much of a clear trend in Gibson County’s non-fatal overdoses. They peaked in 2017 at 81, and have since jumped up and down from year to year. However, if we were to only look at the earliest and most recent years with finalized data — 2016 and 2022 — it would appear that non-fatal overdoses had declined by 31.8%. However, this doesn’t account for all the seemingly random ebbs and flows in the years between. And, despite the data being provisional, 2023 has recorded a higher count than the previous year, with 54 non-fatal overdoses thus far.

We must also look at the relationship between fatal and non-fatal overdoses to see how the county has performed when it comes to preventing deaths. In 2016, there were a total of 66 overdoses on record in Gibson County. None of those overdoses were fatal. The following year, there were a total of 86 overdoses on record, 5 of which were fatal (5.8%). By 2022, the most recent year with finalized data, there were 48 total overdoses on record, 3 of which were fatal (6.2%). This shows very minimal change in the death rate over the entire period, excluding 2016, which saw no fatal overdoses. This may indicate that Princeton and Gibson County have been extremely effective at keeping fatal overdoses low, even in years when total overdoses were higher than usual.

Types of Substance Abuse in Princeton

In 2023 and 2024, meth and marijuana were the most abused drugs in Gibson County. We came to this conclusion based on the arrest and re-arrest records for the county, though it’s evident that this methodology does not provide completely accurate results. Many people who abuse drugs and alcohol do not get arrested, and therefore do not contribute to this data. However, arrests and re-arrests involving addictive substances provide a general overview of how substance abuse has evolved over the years and which drugs have become more or less prevalent. 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 Gibson County:

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

While total arrests increased in Gibson County between 2016 and 2018, they have declined every year since. Between 2016 and 2022, total arrests involving addictive substances decreased by 31%. Over the same period, arrests involving alcohol declined rapidly. However, cocaine and prescription opioid arrests saw minor increases. Marijuana and drug paraphernalia arrests also declined somewhat, though not enough to indicate a major shift in usage. It’s important to note that drug paraphernalia arrests can be linked to a variety of drugs, but they are most often associated with meth or heroin abuse.

The only drug to see a substantial increase in usage over this period was meth. Between 2016 and 2022, annual meth arrests increased by 38.8%. And as of 2023 and 2024, marijuana and meth are the two most abused drugs in Gibson County. That said, the data for these years is still provisional, but based on the available numbers, it appears that both drugs are increasing in usage.