Auburn is a small city in northeastern Indiana, about 30 minutes north of Fort Wayne. Perhaps best known for its National Auto & Truck Museum, which features a variety of historic and vintage cars, Auburn is a fun tourist stop with various monuments, museums, and historical districts. While the population has steadily grown over the past few decades, Auburn is home to roughly 13,412 residents, per the latest census data.
The median household income in Auburn ($58,635 per year) is less than what you could find in larger cities throughout the state like Indianapolis. However, the cost of living in Auburn is relatively affordable, which helps attract new residents most years. Additionally, the poverty rate in Auburn rests at about 11.5%, which is still lower than the state average of 12.6%. [1]
Despite the relatively tranquil and easy-going life in Auburn, the city faces a growing trend of substance abuse. With limited resources, Auburn and the rest of Dekalb County have struggled to rebuff the rising number of overdose deaths. Based on the most recent data, alcohol is the most commonly abused drug by far in Auburn, with meth coming in a distant second. The city also sees the abuse of other substances, such as marijuana, prescription opioids, and cocaine, albeit less frequently.
Continue reading to learn about substance abuse and addiction in Auburn, Indiana. And remember, if you or a loved one are fighting addiction in Auburn or the surrounding area, you can always reach out to Addiction Rehab Centers for help.
Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Auburn
Auburn is a small city and doesn’t have the resources to collect and maintain its own substance abuse data. This is commonplace throughout the state of Indiana, as most towns and cities depend on county-level administrators and departments to aggregate the data from all municipalities within its borders. As a result, the data collected from Auburn, Indiana is combined with data from other nearby cities, like Butler, Garrett, and Waterloo.
That said, Auburn serves as the county seat and accounts for a little over 30% of the entire county population. It also contributes as much as half of all overdoses that are recorded in the county, though the exact figure is difficult to calculate due to insufficient data. In any case, evaluating the current numbers in Dekalb County can help provide a fairly accurate picture of the state of substance abuse in the city of Auburn.
Fatal overdoses are often the first figure that comes to mind when people think about the severity of a substance abuse epidemic. Dekalb County is somewhat rural with a small population compared to counties closer to the state capital. Consequently, the county sees fewer deaths than counties like Marion or Hamilton County. Nonetheless, deaths have been consistently high when compared to the total population of Dekalb County, particularly 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:
Year | Total Deaths | % Change From Previous Year |
2016 | 3 | N/A |
2017 | 5 | Increased by 66.7% |
2018 | 5 | Increased by 0.0% |
2019 | 11 | Increased by 120.0% |
2020 | 14 | Increased by 27.3% |
2021 | 4 | Decreased by 71.4% |
2022 | 3 | Decreased by 25.0% |
*2023 | 3 | Decreased by 0.0% |
*Data for 2023 is provisional and only accounts for the first half of the year.
If only looking at 2016 and 2023 (or 2022), it would appear that there’s been no change in the number of annual overdose deaths in Dekalb County. However, it’s important to note that the data for 2023 is still provisional and could be updated in the near future. Moreover, there were substantial increases in the years in between. 2020 was the worst year by far, with 14 deaths, which aligns with data from many other counties throughout the state. Unlike other counties, however, Dekalb County saw a very fast decline in deaths in 2021, while the COVID-19 pandemic was still having a negative impact on overdose data in many other parts of Indiana.
Fortunately, the total number of deaths caused by substance abuse in Dekalb County is relatively low. The downside is that this data makes it more difficult to evaluate whether or not the county (or the city of Auburn) is experiencing any kind of change — for better or worse — in the battle against addiction. For this reason, it’s extremely important to examine non-fatal overdoses, as they typically outnumber fatal overdoses by a wide margin. Dekalb County is no exception, as shown by the comparatively high number of hospital discharges and emergency department visits involving overdose. The table below shows the relevant overdose data in Dekalb County between 2016 and 2023: [3]
Year | Total Hospital Discharges & Emergency Department Visits | % Change From Previous Year |
2016 | 96 | N/A |
2017 | 96 | Increased by 0.0% |
2018 | 99 | Increased by 3.1% |
2019 | 90 | Decreased by 9.1% |
2020 | 88 | Decreased by 2.2% |
2021 | 95 | Increased by 8.0% |
2022 | 90 | Decreased by 5.3% |
*2023 | 54 | Decreased by 40.0% |
*Data for 2023 is provisional and only accounts for the first half of the year.
Between 2016 and 2022, Dekalb County recorded a slow but steady decline in non-fatal overdoses, with a temporary, albeit slight increase in 2021. Once again, the data for 2023 is still provisional, but it could indicate an even greater drop in non-fatal overdoses. In general, this is a sign that substance abuse cases are in decline. However, it’s also important to consider both fatal and non-fatal overdoses together — and how these two figures have changed over the same period of time.
For example, Dekalb County recorded 99 overdoses (fatal and non-fatal) in 2016. That year, fatal overdoses accounted for just over 3.0% of all overdoses. By 2022, the total number of overdoses dropped to 93, and fatal overdoses accounted for 3.2% of that figure. This indicates that total overdoses are, in fact, declining, while fatalities have seen almost no change in comparison.
Types of Substance Abuse in Auburn
In 2023 and 2024, alcohol was the most abused drug in Dekalb County. This is based on arrest and re-arrest records in the area. While arrest records do not account for all or even most cases of substance abuse, they do help show trends in the types of substances being abused. 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 Dekalb County:
Year | Total Arrests | Alcohol | Cocaine | Marijuana | Meth | Opioid | Drug Paraphernalia |
2016 | 712 | 788 | 2 | 215 | 179 | 8 | 249 |
2017 | 978 | 850 | 12 | 338 | 332 | 18 | 381 |
2018 | 910 | 870 | 7 | 272 | 391 | 13 | 385 |
2019 | 1001 | 772 | 8 | 288 | 546 | 23 | 503 |
2020 | 591 | 449 | 11 | 138 | 297 | 20 | 241 |
2021 | 498 | 374 | 11 | 105 | 225 | 16 | 207 |
2022 | 361 | 429 | 9 | 42 | 129 | 6 | 140 |
2023* | 325 | 304 | 7 | 71 | 117 | 13 | 112 |
2024* | 294 | 182 | 1 | 46 | 40 | 7 | 50 |
*Statistics for 2023 and 2024 are still preliminary and do not account for the entire calendar year(s).
The total number of arrests involving addictive substances has declined substantially, even when accounting for the provisional data of 2023 and 2024. However, it’s important to note how prevalent alcohol abuse is in Dekalb County. For example, in 2016 and 2022, the number of alcohol offenses outnumbered the total number of arrests in the county for those years. This means that many arrests involved multiple alcohol-related offenses, such as public intoxication and traffic violations, and many also involved substances other than alcohol.
When looking at trends, it would appear that alcohol abuse is in decline, but this apparent downward trend corresponds with the declining arrests. The same is true of the downward trend in marijuana, meth, and drug paraphernalia arrests (the latter is often associated with meth or heroin). Cocaine and prescription opioid arrests are relatively uncommon in Dekalb County, and neither figure has shown a significant upward or downward trend since 2016.
Auburn Substance Abuse Resources
Auburn does not offer any substance abuse resources at the city level. Like many smaller cities in Indiana, Auburn depends on the county and state to help curb overdoses and educate younger citizens on the dangers of substance abuse and addiction. Dekalb County, for example, offers various mental health resources via its website, as well as contact information for those in need of immediate medical attention.
Additionally, of the 7 state-approved programs for combatting substance abuse, Dekalb County participates in just one: First Responder Naloxone Training. Naloxone is a substance used to prevent death when someone is experiencing an opioid overdose. Since opioid overdoses are among the most fatal, particularly when they involve powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl, Naloxone is a vital tool in the battle against overdose deaths. This program helps train first responders in the proper administration of Naloxone and ensures that emergency departments and health clinics throughout the county are supplied with it.
Auburn Drug Rehab & Alcohol Rehab
At first glance, Auburn is a sleepy little city with beautiful historic districts and plenty of attractions for locals and tourists alike. While most residents of Auburn enjoy a peaceful way of life, substance abuse is a problem that has plagued the city and the rest of Dekalb County for more than a decade. Since there are relatively few local resources to help guide those in need toward recovery programs, many residents feel lost in their battle with addiction.
Fortunately, if you or a loved one live in Auburn and are looking for addiction treatment options, Addiction Rehab Centers is just a phone call or a two-hour drive away. Located in Indianapolis, Addiction Rehab Centers offers premier detox and rehabilitation treatment services for those struggling with a substance use disorder. We help you through every step of the process, ensuring that you’re comfortable and prepared for the next steps in your journey. We even specialize in dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders. 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.
