Drug & Alcohol Rehab For Merrillville, Indiana

Merrillville is a mid-sized town in northwest Indiana, just a 15-minute drive from the southernmost shores of Lake Michigan. Located in the Ross Township of Lake County, Merrillville is one of the largest towns in the state of Indiana. In fact, it was the most populous town in 2015, though several other towns have since surpassed it. Despite its size, Merrillville is a relatively quiet, peaceful community that enjoys beautiful Midwestern landscapes and secure suburban neighborhoods.

As of the latest census, Merrillville recorded a population of 36,233. The population has grown at a consistent rate, having had just over 27,000 residents in 1990. Sadly, the economy in Merrillville has not grown at the same pace as the town’s bustling population. The median household income in Merrillville is $62,221, which is about 7.4% lower than the state average. To make matters worse, roughly 14.5% of the local population lives below the poverty line, compared to 12.6% in all of Indiana. It is also more expensive to live in Merrillville than many other towns in the state; the median rent for a house or apartment in Merrillville is $1,240, compared to an average rent of $967 statewide. [1]

The comparatively high cost of living and low wages put a great deal of economic stress on many residents of Merrillville. This, combined with the anxiety of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused substance abuse to increase in recent years. Alcohol and marijuana are among the most commonly abused drugs, though prescription opioids, cocaine, and heroin are not far behind.

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

Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Merrillville

Like most towns and cities throughout Indiana, Merrillville relies on the county to collect and report its substance abuse data. This means that the town’s substance abuse cases are reported together with the cases that occur in other towns and cities throughout Lake County, such as Gary and Hobart. While this makes it slightly harder to evaluate individual cases in Merrillville, it still provides an overview of the ongoing addiction crisis in the region.

Based on death records in Lake County, overdose deaths have steadily risen in Merrillville and other cities in the area, particularly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. [2] The table below shows how deaths involving all drugs (including alcohol) have changed in Lake County over the past few years:

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

Between 2016 and 2022, annual overdose deaths in Lake County increased by 83.9%. Overdose deaths peaked in 2022 and have since been in decline, though it is unclear if the county will continue to see fewer deaths in 2023 and beyond. While it could be a positive sign that deaths have begun to decline, overdose deaths are not the only indication of a substance abuse crisis. Hospital discharges provide further evidence of addiction among those who overdose and survive. The table below shows the hospital discharges involving drug overdoses in Lake County between 2016 and 2023: [3]

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

Lake County hospital discharges involving drug or alcohol overdoses are not as easy to interpret as the figures for substance abuse deaths. Hospital discharges did spike during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the worst year for hospital discharges was actually 2017. That said, hospital discharges involving overdose seem to be following a similar trend as overdose deaths in Lake County, to a degree; since the height of the pandemic, these figures have been in decline. However, it’s important to remember that the data from 2023 is still provisional.

Types of Substance Abuse in Merrillville

Lake County is one of the largest counties in the state and also happens to be one of the worst counties for substance-related arrests. As of 2023, alcohol and marijuana are the two most commonly abused drugs in Merrillville. 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 Lake County:

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

Between 2016 and 2019, total arrests involving drugs or alcohol increased substantially. In 2020, when many people were staying at home and avoiding crowds, arrests dropped by nearly 25%. However, they increased once again in 2021, only to decline somewhat in the years since. Though this gives us an idea of how drug arrests and abuse have waxed and waned over the years in Lake County, it’s even more important to look at different drug trends between 2016 and 2023.

Over this period, alcohol arrests have declined and accounted for a much smaller percentage of total arrests in Lake County. At the same time, cocaine, marijuana, and opioid arrests have increased. Perhaps most surprisingly, meth arrests increased from just 12 in 2016 to 302 in 2023 (though 2023’s data is still provisional). It’s also important to note that drug paraphernalia arrests have increased, and these are often associated with higher rates of heroin abuse.