Drug & Alcohol Rehab For Evansville, Indiana

Evansville is a mid-sized city that rests along the northern border between Indiana and Kentucky. Bordering the beautiful Ohio River, Evansville is the largest city in southern Indiana and the third-largest city by population in the state. For years, Evansville served as a commercial and cultural hub in the region. However, its status as a strong economic center has waned, especially as the population began to decline in the early 1990s.

Today, Evansville has a population of 115,749 full-time residents. Serving as the county seat of Vanderburgh County, the city accounts for more than half of the county population. However, Evansville’s population is slowly shrinking while Vanderburgh County’s population is on the rise. This is partially due to the economic situation in the city, which has led many residents to seek out better opportunities elsewhere. Despite having a cost of living that is roughly 2% higher than the state average, Evansville’s median household income is 25.7% lower than the rest of Indiana at $49,853. To make the situation even worse, 18.6% of the population lives at or below the poverty line, compared to 12.6% in all of Indiana. [1]

The economic outlook in Evansville worsened further during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sadly, the ever-growing economic anxiety has only added to the ongoing addiction crisis. Evansville has been a hotbed for drug and alcohol abuse for many years, and the latest data only shows that the abuse of various substances — including alcohol, cocaine, prescription opioids, and illicit drugs like marijuana, crystal meth, and heroin — is continuing unhindered. That said, the most recent data may offer a glimmer of hope, as overdose deaths, overdose hospital discharges, and drug and alcohol arrests appear to be declining.

Continue reading to learn about substance abuse and addiction in Evansville, Indiana. If you or a loved one are fighting addiction in Evansville, you can always reach out to Addiction Rehab Centers for help.

Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Evansville

Like most cities in Indiana, Evansville relies on county-level data to manage and assess the extent of drug and alcohol addiction within its borders. Since Evansville is the largest urban center in Vanderburgh County, it also accounts for the vast majority of countywide substance abuse cases. Based on death records in Vanderburgh County, drug and alcohol abuse has increased since 2016, with the highest figures occurring during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. [2] The table below shows how deaths involving all drugs have changed in the area over the past few years:

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

Since the final numbers for 2023 have not been recorded, it’s most useful to see how annual drug overdose deaths have changed in Evansville between 2016 and 2022. During this period, the number of annual overdose deaths increased by 55.3%, peaking at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. This aligns very closely with the records in many other cities and counties throughout Indiana.

One positive sign is that the number of overdose deaths appears to be declining, but once again, it’s too early to know for sure. As of right now, the only recent decline occurred between 2021 and 2022. Once more data comes out of the county for 2023 and 2024, it will be easier to evaluate the state of substance abuse in post-pandemic Evansville.

Overdose deaths are one of the most important factors to consider when determining the severity of substance abuse in a given city or county. However, deaths are certainly not the only statistic that matters. Hospital discharges following a drug or alcohol overdose also show how often people experience overdoses and survive. The table below shows the hospital discharges involving drug overdoses in Vanderburgh County between 2016 and 2023: [3]

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

While drug overdose hospital discharges did increase slightly during the COVID-19 pandemic (from 2019 to 2020 and from 2020 to 2021), they decreased in every other year since 2016. This trend is difficult to reconcile with the overdose deaths recorded in Vanderburgh County, which have risen pretty steadily over the same period. While there’s not always a direct correlation between overdose deaths and hospital discharges, it is generally a good sign that both figures seem to be decreasing since 2021.

Types of Substance Abuse in Evansville

As of 2023, marijuana, meth, and alcohol appear to be the three most commonly abused drugs in the county, though data also shows that a variety of controlled substances and prescription drugs have been heavily abused in Evansville and the rest of Vanderburgh County in recent years. Here is the latest data from Indiana’s Next Level Recovery program showing the arrests involving different kinds of addictive substances between 2016 and 2023 in Vanderburgh County:

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

As you can see from the table above, drug and alcohol arrests increased between 2016 and 2018. However, 2019 to 2021 saw a decline in total arrests. Though this trend has not been true for every city or county in Indiana, many areas where people were more inclined to “shelter in place” during the pandemic saw fewer arrests in general. Sadly, the arrests have climbed back up again in the years since. Even though the data for 2023 is just preliminary, drug and alcohol arrests for the year already far outpaced those recorded in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

It’s important to examine the kinds of substances that people are being arrested for using, possessing, or distributing, and how these figures have changed over the years in Vanderburgh County. Between 2016 and 2023, alcohol arrests declined by 56.9%, while marijuana and meth arrests increased by 19.7% and 34.7%, respectively. Surprisingly, opioid arrests declined by 63%, while cocaine arrests remained relatively stagnant. Drug paraphernalia arrests, which are often linked with meth and heroin abuse, did not see a significant increase over the same time period. While it is not part of the data outlined above, it’s important to mention that controlled substance abuse, which can include a wide range of prescription and illicit drugs, has increased over the years in the county.

Evansville Substance Abuse Resources

Evansville does not have as many resources to combat substance abuse as larger cities like Indianapolis or Fort Wayne. That said, the city does have the Mayor’s Substance Abuse Task Force, an initiative that manages and oversees various aspects of substance abuse, including “law enforcement, prevention, addiction treatment, healthcare, behavioral health, public health, [as well as] neighborhood and family support.” [4]

Beyond this task force, Evansville largely relies on programs organized at the county level. As of this writing, Vanderburgh County offers a substance abuse council to help law enforcement and guide people toward addiction treatment, and a Naloxone first responder training program to help prepare EMTs to save lives during opioid overdoses.

Evansville Drug Rehab & Alcohol Rehab

Evansville is a truly beautiful riverside city that offers a combination of Midwest and Southern charm. Sadly, the city has been hit hard by larger economic forces that have made it difficult for many residents to make ends meet. The complicated situation has only made substance abuse worse for many individuals and families in the city.

Fortunately, if you or a loved one live in Evansville and are looking for addiction treatment options, Addiction Rehab Centers is just a phone call away in nearby Indianapolis. At Addiction Rehab Centers, you can access all the resources you need to detox and rehabilitate in a safe, comfortable, and discreet environment. We create a personalized care plan for each individual, and we help you learn the tools you need to stay sober for the long term. If you’re struggling with a co-occurring mental health issue, we can also help treat your condition and your addiction simultaneously. 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.