Drug & Alcohol Rehab For Scottsburg, Indiana

Nestled in the heart of southern Indiana, Scottsburg is located at the crossroads of Highway 56 and Interstate 65. Roughly 30 minutes due north of Louisville, Kentucky, Scottsburg is a relatively small city that serves as the seat of Scott County. Like many small Indiana cities, Scottsburg’s economy depends on a combination of manufacturing, retail, and construction.

While the population has steadily grown over the years, the economy has struggled to find its footing recently, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The median household income in Scottsburg is just $38,027, compared to $70,051 throughout all of Indiana. At the same time, the poverty rate in the city is 24% — which is nearly double the state average. [1]

While a slowing economy is not completely to blame for the ongoing substance abuse crisis, addiction has only grown more common in Scottsburg and the rest of Scott County as the economic outlook has worsened. Based on the most recent data, meth and alcohol are the two most commonly abused substances in Scottsburg, Indiana. The city also sees the abuse of other addictive substances, such as marijuana, prescription opioids, cocaine, and heroin.

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

Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Scottsburg

Scottsburg — like nearly every city in Indiana — relies on the county to collect and evaluate its substance abuse data. Scott County is among the smallest counties in Indiana, and Scottsburg’s population (approx. 7,373) accounts for roughly 30% of the county population. This means that a large percentage of substance abuse cases collected at the county level originate in the city of Scottsburg.

Nonetheless, we must consider that the county-level data includes cases collected from all corners of the county, including cities like Austin (pop. 4,272), as well as townships like Finley (pop. 1,469) and Jennings (pop. 6,347). So, while evaluating the data available through Scott County provides an overview of the substance abuse crisis in Scottsburg, the data does not match the precise number of cases coming out of the city.

In relatively low-population areas like Scottsburg and Scott County, fatal overdoses are not as common. This is easy to see when comparing the number of deaths in more densely populated areas like Indianapolis or Fort Wayne. However, Scott County appears to be an exception to the rule, as it records a very high number of deaths most years compared to its small population. This is why it’s so important to look at how the number of substance abuse deaths has changed over the years in Scott County and other counties throughout the state, regardless of their size. The table below shows how deaths involving all drugs (including alcohol) have changed in the county over the past few years. [2]

*Data for 2023 and 2024 is provisional and may be subject to change. The last date that data was collected was 09/04/2024.

As you can see, the number of deaths has varied substantially from year to year in Scott County. Fatal overdoses began high at the beginning of the dataset in 2016 and declined until 2019, dropping from 21 fatal overdoses to just 8 overdoses over the course of 3 years. However, the COVID-19 pandemic saw a sudden and drastic increase in fatal overdoses in 2020. While fatal overdoses declined in the years that followed, they still hovered around 14 to 15 deaths per year between 2021 and 2023.

It’s important to note that the data for 2023 and 2024 is still provisional. However, 2024 may represent a steep decline in fatal overdoses, if the provisional data does not change substantially. This could mean that fatal overdoses are once again in decline since the heights reached during the pandemic.

Due to the surprisingly high fatal overdoses in Scott County, it stands to reason that the non-fatal overdoses would be even higher. Based on the available data, we’ve found this to be true. Throughout the country, non-fatal overdoses far outnumber fatal overdoses, and Scott County is no exception. In small population areas like Scott County, non-fatal overdoses also form a clearer picture of substance abuse. They tend to be easier to calculate, as they can be collected via hospital discharges and emergency department visits involving addictive substances. The table below shows the relevant overdose data in Scott County between 2016 and 2024: [3]

*Data for 2023 and 2024 is provisional and may be subject to change. The last date that data was collected was 09/04/2024.

Between 2016 and 2020, the annual number of non-fatal overdoses increased by 9%. However, much like fatal overdoses, non-fatal overdoses started to decline in 2021. The provisional data for 2024 shows a substantial decline, though it’s too early to know for sure if the final numbers will closely reflect the available data. If they do, both fatal and non-fatal overdoses will be in decline in the most recent four years of data.

It’s also vital to look at the correlation between fatal, non-fatal, and total overdoses, and how these relationships have shifted over time in Scottsburg and the rest of Scott County. In 2016, there were a total of 121 overdoses (fatal plus non-fatal). 21% of those overdoses were fatal. By 2022 (the most recent year with finalized data), there were a total of 107 overdoses. 13% of the overdoses in 2022 were fatal. This indicates that non-fatal overdoses, fatal overdoses, and the rate of fatal overdoses are all in decline. However, the number of overdoses — fatal or non-fatal — is still quite high for an area of Scott County’s size and population. 

Types of Substance Abuse in Scottsburg

In 2023 and 2024, meth and alcohol were the most abused substances in Scott County. This is common throughout many counties in southern Indiana. Much of the region struggles with meth addiction, while the entire state of Indiana has a higher-than-average rate of alcohol abuse. The data for Scott County was collected from arrest and re-arrest records involving different addictive substances. While this doesn’t reflect exactly how many cases of abuse can be attributed to each substance, it does provide a solid overview of which substances are being obtained and abused in the county and, to a lesser degree, in the city of Scottsburg.

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 Scott County:

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

The total arrests involving addictive substances in Scott County remained consistent between 2017 and 2021, which is somewhat unusual for any county. Most counties in Indiana see larger disparities in total arrests from one year to the next. However, there was a sudden drop in arrests starting in 2022, and even though the data for the most recent years is still provisional, it shows that arrests continue to be far lower than they were during and before the pandemic.

Alcohol arrests have seen a slight decline, but not in proportion to the total number of arrests. Alternatively, the number of annual meth arrests has actually increased since 2016, even as total arrest numbers have plummeted. Comparatively, there’s been little change in opioid arrests, which are relatively high for such a small population. And, even though cocaine accounts for the lowest number of arrests of any substance, the arrests are also high given the population of Scott County. Lastly, it’s also important to consider the high number of drug paraphernalia arrests in the county, which are most often linked to meth or heroin abuse.