Bluffton, Indiana, serves as the county seat of Wells County and is located about 25 miles south of Fort Wayne. The city is known for its inclusivity campaigns implemented over the years, as well as its history as one of the first cities to have paved streets during the Trenton Oil Boom. Today, Bluffton is home to 10,308 residents, as of the latest census data. While the median household income in Bluffton ($57,929 per year) falls well below many other cities in Indiana, the city enjoys a below-average cost of living. Consequently, Bluffton has a poverty rate of just 9.9%, compared to 12.3% statewide. [1]
Despite the city’s comfortable way of life, Bluffton has struggled in the fight against addiction for years. Bluffton and the rest of Wells County have very few programs to help those seeking treatment for substance use disorders, and the lack of initiatives has only made the situation worse. Based on the most recent data, alcohol and marijuana are the most commonly abused substances in Bluffton, 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 Bluffton, Indiana. And remember, if you or a loved one is fighting addiction in Bluffton or the surrounding area, you can always reach out to Addiction Rehab Centers for help.
Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Bluffton
As of 2025, Bluffton is the only incorporated city in Wells County. It’s also the largest municipality in the county. Bluffton’s population accounts for 36.5% of Wells County’s 28,180 residents. The next largest municipality is the town of Ossian, which has just 3,266 residents — less than one-third of Bluffton’s population.
This matters because substance abuse data, including overdoses, arrests involving addictive substances, and fatalities, are collected at the county level. The county aggregates this data so that individual cases are not linked to specific towns or cities. This makes it more challenging to know exactly how many substance abuse cases originate in the city of Bluffton.
However, the city accounts for a large part of the county, and by some estimates, more than half of all substance abuse cases in the county originate in the city of Bluffton. For this reason, we feel confident evaluating the ongoing substance abuse crisis in Bluffton by examining county-level data.
We begin our research by looking at the number of fatalities involving addictive substances in Wells County. Overdose fatalities were on the rise in Wells County prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this statistic has since declined. The table below shows how deaths involving all drugs (including alcohol) have changed in the county over the past few years. [2]
Year | Total Deaths | % Change From Previous Year |
2016 | 3 | N/A |
2017 | 2 | Decreased by 33.3% |
2018 | 6 | Increased by 200.0% |
2019 | 10 | Increased by 66.7% |
2020 | 4 | Decreased by 60.0% |
2021 | 6 | Increased by 50.0% |
2022 | 5 | Decreased by 16.7% |
2023 | 4 | Decreased by 20.0% |
*2024 | <5 | N/A |
*Data for 2024 is provisional and may be subject to change. The last date that data was collected was 05/21/2025.
As you can see, overdose fatalities increased dramatically between 2016 and 2019. However, given Bluffton and Wells County’s populations, these figures are still relatively low. Many smaller counties in Indiana have recorded higher fatality rates. From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, fatalities decreased by more than half and remained steady, ranging from 4 to 6 fatalities per year between 2020 and 2023. The data for 2024 is still provisional, but thus far, there have been fewer than 5 deaths recorded, which indicates that the figures will likely remain consistent with data from the past few years.
Non-fatal overdoses are far more common than fatal overdoses. In fact, there are roughly 50 non-fatal overdoses for every 1 fatal overdose, according to national data from the CDC. [3] This makes non-fatal overdoses a better metric for evaluating the severity of a substance abuse crisis. This remains true in Bluffton and the rest of Wells County.
Additionally, non-fatal overdose data is often more accurate, as it’s taken directly from hospital discharges and emergency department visits involving addictive substances. The table below shows the relevant overdose data in Wells County between 2016 and 2024: [4]
Year | Total Hospital Discharges & Emergency Department Visits | % Change From Previous Year |
2016 | 71 | N/A |
2017 | 87 | Increased by 22.5% |
2018 | 62 | Decreased by 28.7% |
2019 | 53 | Decreased by 14.5% |
2020 | 44 | Decreased by 17.0% |
2021 | 40 | Decreased by 9.1% |
2022 | 60 | Increased by 50.0% |
2023 | 44 | Decreased by 26.7% |
*2024 | 43 | N/A |
*Data for 2024 is provisional and may be subject to change. The last date that data was collected was 05/21/2025.
While 2017 and 2022 saw abrupt increases in non-fatal overdoses, all other years since 2016 have seen a decline. Between 2016 and 2023, fatal overdoses declined by 38% in Wells County. Even the provisional data for 2024 indicates that the latest figures will be similar to those recorded in 2023, potentially a bit lower.
It’s also important to look at the correlation between fatal overdoses, non-fatal overdoses, and total overdoses (fatal + non-fatal), and how these relationships shift over time. In 2016, Wells County recorded 74 total overdoses, 3 of which were fatal (4%). In 2020, Wells County recorded 48 total overdoses, 4 of which were fatal (8.3%). By 2023, the most recent year with finalized data, Wells County recorded 48 total overdoses, 4 of which were fatal (8.3%). This shows that, while total overdoses have declined, the fatality rate has increased and has remained consistent at around 8% since 2020.
Types of Substance Abuse in Bluffton
In 2023 and 2024, alcohol and marijuana were the most abused substances in Wells County. This is somewhat unusual, as many other counties have seen a decline in alcohol abuse and an increase in abuse of hard drugs like crystal meth and heroin. That said, alcohol is still the most abused substance in all of Indiana, and has been for many years, so it’s not completely unexpected.
We calculate trends in the types of substances abused using arrest and re-arrest data. While this doesn’t account for all cases, it does provide a broad picture of the kinds of substances being abused in Bluffton and the rest of Wells County. 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 Wells County:
Year | Total Arrests | Alcohol | Cocaine | Marijuana | Meth | Opioid | Drug Paraphernalia |
2016 | 172 | 97 | 2 | 41 | 17 | 15 | 55 |
2017 | 237 | 147 | 5 | 86 | 13 | 14 | 88 |
2018 | 292 | 148 | 4 | 129 | 32 | 9 | 118 |
2019 | 406 | 140 | 16 | 153 | 94 | 27 | 185 |
2020 | 259 | 100 | 4 | 101 | 59 | 19 | 112 |
2021 | 271 | 94 | 4 | 121 | 68 | 29 | 122 |
2022 | 264 | 88 | 3 | 127 | 55 | 22 | 110 |
2023 | 201 | 81 | 2 | 74 | 33 | 13 | 77 |
2024* | 245 | 90 | 7 | 58 | 43 | 19 | 98 |
*Statistics for 2024 are still preliminary and do not account for the entire calendar year.
Similar to the county’s overdose and fatality data, arrests involving addictive substances increased between 2016 and 2019, and have since declined slowly. Over this same period, alcohol and marijuana have remained the most “popular” substances, while meth has seen the greatest growth in abuse. Cocaine and prescription opioid abuse are comparatively uncommon in Wells County. Drug paraphernalia arrests, which are often linked to meth or heroin abuse, have remained high over the past decade.
While the data for 2024 is still provisional, it shows a sudden increase in arrests from the previous year, with alcohol, meth, and drug paraphernalia accounting for the largest increases. Once again, it’s important to note that this data could change in the near future. Additionally, arrests do not account for all instances of substance abuse, specifically those where no law has been broken or no arrests have taken place.
Bluffton Substance Abuse Resources
Bluffton is a mid-sized city, but it still doesn’t have any programs or initiatives to combat substance abuse. Instead, like nearly all cities in Indiana, Bluffton depends on the county and state for support. Fortunately, Wells County has several programs to try to mitigate substance abuse and reduce fatalities going forward. The county has a committee, Citizens Against Drug Abuse (CADA), that meets once a month and seeks funding to combat substance abuse. [5]
Additionally, the Wells County Comprehensive Community Plan, under the umbrella of The Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse, offers the following Vision Statement:
“CADA strives to raise awareness and reduce substance abuse through education and collaboration.”
As well as the following Mission Statement:
“The mission of Wells County Citizens Against Drug Abuse (CADA) is to investigate alcohol, tobacco, and other drug problems in our community; coordinate efforts to reduce these problems; and examine funding of programs designed to achieve this goal.” [6]
The state of Indiana supports 7 programs and encourages counties to participate. Of the 7 programs available, Wells County only participates in one: the LHD Naloxone County Program. This program helps educate the general populace on the importance of Naloxone in the fight against opioid overdoses. Naloxone is used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses and helps save lives every day. The program also works with local councils, like CADA, to ensure grants and proper funding to distribute Naloxone to clinics and emergency departments in the area.
Bluffton Drug Rehab & Alcohol Rehab
Bluffton is a thriving city that benefits from being a short drive from Fort Wayne. It also serves as the commercial hub of Wells County. Sadly, these benefits have not prevented the dark cloud of substance abuse from taking hold in the city. Every year, hundreds of Bluffton residents battle substance abuse, and many succumb to their addiction. While Wells County has some programs to help residents of Bluffton, it offers little guidance for those actively seeking proper treatment at a detox or rehabilitation facility. As a result, many residents of Bluffton feel as if they have nowhere to turn for help.
Fortunately, if you or a loved one lives in the town of Bluffton, Indiana, and is 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 is one of the top detox and rehab facilities in the state of Indiana. We offer very comfortable facilities to ensure that you can begin your recovery in peace, starting with the first days of detoxification. We then guide each patient through inpatient and outpatient rehab (as well as aftercare support) based on their specific needs and circumstances. We even specialize in dual-diagnosis treatments 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 needs 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.
