Drug & Alcohol Rehab For Vincennes Indiana

Walking or driving through Vincennes, the long and storied history of the city is immediately evident. Located in southwestern Indiana, along the Wabash River and the state border with Illinois, Vincennes is a mid-sized city that is among the oldest settlements in the state. For thousands of years, the area was inhabited by indigenous peoples; in the early 18th century, French fur traders established what would become the oldest and longest-standing European settlement in Indiana. The city still has many historical buildings and districts standing today, along with museums dedicated to its significance during the Revolutionary War.

Setting aside the fascinating history of the city, Vincennes serves as the county seat of Knox County and the largest city in the region. Today, the city boasts a population of 16,588, which accounts for nearly half of the county. Sadly, the city’s riverside views and historical buildings belie the real state of the economy and the local population. The median household income in Vincennes is $47,376, which is far below the median income for all of Knox County ($58,173), as well as the rest of Indiana ($67,173). Moreover, 20% of Vincennes residents live below the poverty line, compared to 14.6% in Knox County and 12.6% statewide. [1]

The poor economic situation has exacerbated the ongoing substance abuse crisis. While cases of overdoses and deaths have been in decline, street drugs are more accessible than ever. With the prevalence of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, the chances of younger residents experimenting with drugs and facing fatal consequences are increasing all the time. Based on the most recent data, alcohol and meth are among the most commonly abused drugs in Logansport, though marijuana, heroin, opioids, and cocaine are not far behind.

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

Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Vincennes

Vincennes accounts for the majority of substance abuse cases in Knox County. Even though there are various towns that contribute to substance abuse statistics in the area, most overdoses, arrests, and deaths related to addiction and substance abuse originate in Vincennes. And while the city does not collect its own substance abuse data, the data available at the county level still provides a very accurate picture of the current crisis in the city.

Overdose deaths are often used as the standard for measuring the severity of the substance abuse crisis in a given city, county, state, or region. Knox County is not particularly large, so the sample size is quite small. As a result, it’s not quite as useful as other statistics, such as non-fatal overdoses (more on that later). Despite the small number of deaths recorded each year, there has been a noticeable downward trend in overdose deaths since 2016. [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 quarter of the year.

Since Knox County is much smaller than other counties in Indiana, such as Marion County, there are very few addiction-related deaths on record each year. Nonetheless, it’s evident that deaths are in decline. Between 2016 and 2023, overdose deaths decreased by 62.5%. However, the data for 2023 is provisional and could change in the near future. Therefore, it’s not possible to draw any firm conclusions about the future of substance abuse in Vincennes or Knox County based on overdose deaths alone.

Contrary to popular belief, most overdoses do not result in death. For this reason, it is easier to evaluate substance abuse trends by examining non-fatal overdoses. These are generally recorded as hospital discharges or emergency department visits involving drug or alcohol abuse. The table below shows the relevant overdose data in Knox County between 2016 and 2023: [3]

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

Both fatal and non-fatal overdoses show similar patterns in Knox County. Between 2016 and 2023, non-fatal overdoses declined by 19.5%. This figure dropped even further in 2023, but once again, the statistics for 2023 are still provisional. Nonetheless, the available data for overdose deaths and non-fatal overdoses indicates that the substance abuse crisis is subsiding or, at the very least, loosening its grip on the people of Vincennes and Knox County.

Types of Substance Abuse in Vincennes

In 2022, alcohol and meth were the most abused drugs in Knox County. However, this doesn’t mean that other drugs are not also heavily abused, as this conclusion is largely based on arrest and re-arrest records in the area. In any case, 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 Knox County:

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

The total number of arrests in Knox County has declined dramatically since 2016. Alcohol arrests have seen the most substantial decline, decreasing by about 64.9% between 2016 and 2023. Cocaine abuse is relatively uncommon in Knox County (based on arrest data), and there are also relatively few arrests related to prescription opioids. Over the same period, marijuana, meth, and drug paraphernalia arrests have all declined by smaller margins. The latter statistic can be linked to a wide range of drugs, though it is most often associated with meth or heroin abuse.