Drug & Alcohol Rehab For Lebanon, Indiana

Lebanon is a small, incorporated city in central Indiana and it serves as the county seat of Boone County. Situated roughly 30 miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis, the people of Lebanon, Indiana enjoy a comfortable, suburban environment, interspersed with large commemorative buildings and historical architecture. Lebanon is also home to dozens of manufacturing plants from various companies, which provide the bulk of work for the ever-growing population.

As of 2023, the population of Lebanon was 17,252. The city has experienced relatively consistent growth since its founding in 1832. The population grew by roughly 21% over the last two decades alone. Part of this growth has been spurred on by a more comfortable cost of living than cities of similar size in the region, as well as the city’s proximity to Indianapolis. The abundance of job opportunities has also encouraged people to move from all over Indiana and the rest of the country seeking new opportunities. As of the latest census, the median household income in Lebanon falls just below the median for all of Indiana, while the poverty rate in the city is substantially lower — 9.6% in Lebanon and 12.6% in Indiana. [1]

Despite the relative prosperity and easy-going lifestyle in Lebanon, there is a growing crisis that has lurked under the surface for years: substance abuse. While efforts are being made to combat substance abuse, individuals still succumb to drugs and alcohol every year in Lebanon. Addiction tears families apart, and though some of the latest data is promising, hundreds of Lebanon residents continue to struggle every single day. Based on the most recent data, alcohol, marijuana, meth, and heroin are among the most commonly abused drugs in Lebanon, though, prescription opioids and cocaine are not far behind.

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

Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Lebanon

Though Lebanon sits at the center of Boone County, functions as the county seat, and is the only incorporated city in the county, it is still relatively small. Lebanon accounts for roughly 24.3% of the county population, with various towns like Zionsville and Whitestown making up the rest. Due to its small size, Lebanon does not keep records of its own substance abuse cases. Instead, Boone County manages all substance abuse data for Lebanon and the rest of the county’s municipalities.

However, this is not entirely a result of Lebanon’s small population. In fact, it is standard practice in Indiana for counties to organize substance abuse data so that it can be analyzed at the state level. This matters because Lebanon’s substance abuse cases are lumped together with cases from other towns in the area. So, while Boone County offers ample data to evaluate the current substance abuse crisis in Lebanon, the data is not specific to the city of Lebanon alone. That said, it is estimated (based on local coroner’s reports) that nearly one-third of all substance-related arrests, overdoses, and deaths occurring in Boone County originate in the city of Lebanon.

Though overdose deaths are not always the most accurate way to measure the extent of substance abuse in a given county, they do offer very useful insight into the severity of abuse, as well as the ability of local authorities to prevent deaths involving addictive substances. With this information, cities and counties can work to improve their efforts to combat substance abuse and, with time, save many lives. While many counties in Indiana have seen a steady upward trajectory of overdose deaths in recent years, Boone County is a rare exception. [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 is provisional and only accounts for the first half of the year.

As you can see from the table above, overdose deaths were unusually high in 2016, followed by a steep decline the following year. Between 2017 and 2021, overdose deaths increased by 109%. While this upward trend mirrored what was recorded in many surrounding counties, Boone County saw a sudden decline in overdose deaths once again in 2022 — a change that was very similar to the decline recorded between 2016 and 2017. And while the data for 2023 is still preliminary, it may indicate that overdose deaths are once again on the rise, though it is still too early to tell based on provisional data alone.

It’s true that Boone County sees a relatively high number of overdose deaths compared to its total population, and many of these deaths can be attributed to substance abuse that occurs in the city of Lebanon. However, far more people survive drug and alcohol overdoses, often thanks to the intervention of emergency response units and trained medical professionals. This means that non-fatal overdoses can be a more accurate measurement of the severity of a substance abuse epidemic. Additionally, this data can be compared to the number of overdose deaths each year to examine the efficacy of certain local programs and initiatives designed to prevent fatalities. The table below shows the relevant overdose data in Boone County between 2016 and 2023: [3]

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

The number of non-fatal overdoses in Boone County varies substantially from year to year. While there was some consistency between 2016 and 2018, non-fatal overdoses suddenly dropped in 2019, only to rebound again in 2020. Since 2020, non-fatal overdoses in Boone County have remained relatively low — at least compared to the county’s pre-COVID data. 2023’s data is still provisional, but current trends may show continual growth in non-fatal overdoses.

When looking at the relationship between overdose deaths and total overdoses, there’s no clear pattern in Lebanon. Overdose deaths have only accounted for roughly 5% to 10% of total overdoses. Based on the changes from year to year, it’s impossible to say whether or not local efforts are effective in reducing overdose deaths in relation to total overdoses in Boone County.

Types of Substance Abuse in Lebanon

In 2022, meth, alcohol, and heroin were the most abused drugs in Boone County. That said, drug and alcohol abuse varies from year to year. It’s also difficult to track substance abuse with 100% precision, but arrest and re-arrest records do shine a light on the latest trends in addiction and substance abuse. 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 Boone County:

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

The total number of substance-related arrests in Boone County remained somewhat consistent during the period when all arrest records were finalized (2016 through 2022). Since Boone County only has provisional data for 2023 and 2024, it’s unclear if anything has changed more recently. However, based on the data we do have, it would appear that arrests are trending downward.

Between 2016 and 2022, alcohol was the only substance to see a major decline in abuse (at least based on arrest and re-arrest records). Over the same period, Boone County saw annual cocaine arrests triple. Marijuana, prescription opioids, and drug paraphernalia (often associated with heroin abuse) arrests also increased substantially. However, the drug that saw the greatest increase in arrests was crystal meth. From 2016 to 2022, Boone County recorded an increase in annual meth arrests of 220%.