Drug & Alcohol Rehab For Monticello, Indiana

Despite its small size, Monticello is among the most well-known cities in Indiana. This is because it has been a popular tourist destination for years. Located along the famous Tippecanoe River, Monticello is home to the Indiana Beach Amusement Park on the scenic shores of Lake Shafer and Lake Freeman, which welcomes thousands of tourists every year.

In addition to its natural beauty and easy access to outdoor water activities, the city of Monticello boasts a relatively stable, albeit seasonal economy. While the city sees far fewer tourists in the bitter cold of winter, tourism picks up in the spring, summer, and even fall, ensuring a steady stream of revenue for local businesses throughout most of the year.

The median household income in Monticello is $50,138, which is nearly 30% lower than the median household income in the state of Indiana. However, the city does have a poverty rate of 12.1%, which is slightly lower than the statewide poverty rate of 12.3%. Additionally, Monticello enjoys a relatively low cost of living and is considered a major contributor to the economy of White County, of which it serves as the county seat. [1]

Though many people see Monticello, Indiana as a place for family fun and recreation, there is a darker side to the city that many people are afraid to speak about: substance abuse. For years, the residents of Monticello and the rest of White County have been gripped by the plague of addiction, which has only grown worse with the proliferation of synthetic opioids like fentanyl and the ease of access to street drugs like crystal meth and heroin.

Based on the most recent data, alcohol and marijuana are the two most commonly abused substances in Monticello, Indiana. The city also sees the abuse of other addictive substances, such as meth, prescription opioids, cocaine, and heroin.

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

Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Monticello

Monticello has a population of just 5,543. However, White County is relatively small, having a total population of just 24,688. This means that Monticello accounts for roughly 22.4% of the entire county population. Regardless of the size, Monticello (like most cities in Indiana) allows the county to oversee its substance abuse data. While this does streamline efforts to combat addiction across Indiana, it also means that small cities like Monticello have their substance abuse cases combined with the data obtained from other cities and municipalities in the same county, such as Brookston (pop. 1,554) and Monon (pop. 1,777). That said, some estimate that Monticello contributes more than half of the total substance abuse cases (overdoses, fatalities, and arrests) recorded in White County. Consequently, evaluating the county-wide data still offers a very accurate picture of the substance abuse crisis in Monticello and the surrounding area.

Similar to most smaller populations in Indiana, the city of Monticello and White County do not record a high number of fatal overdoses most years. In fact, the total number of annual fatalities has declined since 2016. The table below shows how deaths involving all drugs (including alcohol) have changed in the county over the past few years. [2]

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

Partly due to its small population, White County doesn’t see many fatal overdoses each year. However, there is a clear upward trend between 2016 and 2020. Overdose deaths in White County more than doubled over this period. This aligns (to a certain degree) with many other counties in Indiana, where fatal overdoses peaked during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently declined. Since 2020, fatal overdoses decreased substantially in White County, eventually reaching levels lower than they were in 2016. Though the data for 2023 and 2024 is still provisional, it indicates that overdose deaths may continue to remain low in Monticello and the rest of White County in the years to come.

It’s difficult to gauge the severity of a substance abuse epidemic based on fatal overdoses alone, particularly when the number of annual deaths is low. However, non-fatal overdoses are far more common and provide a more accurate barometer for measuring substance abuse in a given city or county. As a general rule, it’s also easier to calculate non-fatal overdoses with near-perfect accuracy, as they can be attained via hospital discharges and emergency department visits involving addictive substances. The table below shows the relevant overdose data in White 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.

Similar to fatal overdoses, non-fatal overdoses generally declined between 2016 and 2024. While the most recent data is still provisional, the number of overdoses that didn’t result in a fatality was nearly cut in half between 2016 and 2022. This could be an indication that the substance abuse crisis in Monticello is easing, or that local efforts to combat substance abuse have improved in recent years.

However, it’s also vital to evaluate the correlation between fatal overdoses, non-fatal overdoses, and total overdoses (fatal plus non-fatal). In 2016, there were a total of 87 overdoses in White County. Just over 4.5% of those overdoses were fatal. By 2022, there were a total of 50 overdoses in White County. 6% of those overdoses were fatal. This shift is not substantial, as it is common for fatality rates to increase when total overdoses decline dramatically. As a result, the correlation between fatal and non-fatal overdoses doesn’t show any clear sign of a worsening epidemic in Monticello or White County.

Types of Substance Abuse in Monticello

In 2023, 2024, and the beginning of 2025, alcohol and marijuana were the most abused substances in White County. We came to this conclusion based on data provided by the county and state. More specifically, the dataset focuses on arrest and re-arrest records involving addictive substances. This is not a perfect method, as it excludes those who abuse substances and do not commit crimes, as well as those who evade arrest. However, it does help us understand the general trends in substance abuse and how they change over time.

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 White County:

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

Though arrests declined in White County between 2016 and 2022, they saw a sudden increase in 2023 and 2024. The data for the two most recent years is still provisional, so it is subject to change. In any case, alcohol arrests have been consistently high in White County since 2016. Both prescription opioid and cocaine arrests have been consistently low, though they have risen somewhat in recent years. Both meth and marijuana arrests have gradually increased, with marijuana arrests increasing dramatically between 2022 and 2023. Drug paraphernalia arrests have generally remained high over the years, and these are most often associated with meth or heroin abuse.