Atlanta residents enjoy a wealth of trees and greenery, a quality that has earned the city the nickname “the city in a forest.” The city’s rich Southern culture is diversified by a vibrant arts and recreational scene. The city has a professional ballet, opera, orchestra and theater.
In addition to being the home of the Atlanta Botanical Garden and Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta boasts the world’s largest indoor aquarium, Georgia Aquarium. Sporting enthusiasts also enjoy several major sports teams, including the Atlanta Braves.
Substance use and addiction prevent a significant number of Atlanta residents from enjoying all this city has to offer. Each gender, race and ethnicity is affected by the devastation drug and alcohol use causes. Fortunately, addiction treatment exists that recognizes the unique needs of each client’s life.
Atlanta Addiction Treatment
Before an individualized treatment plan can be created, addiction specialists need to determine the characteristics of the addiction and the unique needs of a person’s life.
A clinical assessment provides treatment providers with insight into a person’s history of substance use, health and life. Specifically, this evaluation will determine:
- The type of drug being used
- The length of addiction
- The severity of addiction
- Any history of treatment or relapse
- If a person has a co-occurring disorder or mental health condition
This assessment should pinpoint if a person has any other health or medical conditions that could affect their treatment. An evaluation will also shed light on any social, behavioral or family issues caused by substance use. Once these factors are identified, treatment clinicians can create a personalized treatment plan.
In Atlanta, a variety of addiction treatment services can help a person find sobriety, including:
- Professional intervention services
- Medical detox programs
- Inpatient addiction treatment
- Outpatient addiction treatment
- Aftercare and alumni support services
Atlanta Intervention Services
When a person is addicted, they may not realize the toll drug or alcohol use is taking on their life. Or, if they do, they may not be willing or able to take steps to seek help on their own. In many cases, close friends and family members are able to see this damage, but struggle to have a constructive conversation with their loved one about it.
Atlanta intervention services give families an opportunity for a structured and intentional conversation about the impact of addiction. A professional interventionist will help close family and friends select treatment options so they’re prepared if their loved one should decide to get help.
Atlanta Drug And Alcohol Detox Programs
Atlanta medical detox programs provide a safe and supervised environment where a person can begin journeying toward sobriety. Cleansing the body of drugs and alcohol is a critical step in building sobriety, however, this treatment isn’t necessary for every addicted individual.
Medications may be provided to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms and help a person stabilize at this time. Nutritional support and IV hydration may also be used to help a person’s body heal.
Atlanta Inpatient Addiction Treatment
Atlanta inpatient drug rehab programs provide a recovery-focused community that offers the highest degree of protection against harmful relapse triggers. This support and accountability fosters personal development, healing and the building of dynamic sober-living skills.
The residential format of inpatient treatment allows a person to live on site for the duration of treatment. This means that each day is centered on sober living and enhanced by daily activities with other people in the recovery community.
Meaningful interactions with treatment staff and fellow treatment participants help guide and inspire a person as they work on building a sober life. These moments occur throughout the day and also during therapy.
Group counseling and therapy sessions aid patients in building better communication skills. These sessions also show a person that they’re not alone and aid them in developing coping and relapse-prevention skills. In addition to group sessions, individual and family therapy sessions may also be integrated into treatment.
Choosing a specialized addiction treatment program can make treatment even more personalized. In Atlanta, these options may include:
- Art or music therapy
- Dual diagnosis
- LGBTQIA+ friendly
- Gender-specific men’s- and women’s-only programs
- Pet or equine therapy
- Religious or faith-based
- 12-step
- Non-12-step
- Wilderness or adventure
Comprehensive treatment for opioid use disorders is available to residents of Atlanta. Medication-assisted treatment programs use medications to help people become sober after an addiction to heroin or prescription painkillers. Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone) and methadone are the primary medications used for this purpose. These programs also use behavioral therapies to help a person learn important recovery principles that support sober living.
Atlanta Outpatient Addiction Treatment
Just because outpatient treatment can be shorter doesn’t mean it’s the quickest way to sobriety. While outpatient programs offer flexible schedules and allow a person to return home after treatment each day, this level of care doesn’t support every treatment need.
People who have relapsed multiple times, who are severely addicted or who have a serious co-occurring disorder may find better results in an inpatient program.
Outpatient treatment may be a better choice for a person who has a mild addiction, who has experienced a minor relapse or who needs to transition from inpatient treatment to sober living.
Atlanta Aftercare And Alumni Services
The most committed treatment programs provide treatment graduates with aftercare and alumni support programs. Like rehab, these programs should be tailored to a person’s unique needs.
In addition to this, many cities have vibrant recovery communities that provide a range of aftercare services. These programs can help a person to stay focused when faced with the challenges of sober life.
In Atlanta, these resources may include:
- Family therapy and support
- Job coaching
- Mentorship programs
- Online recovery groups
- Self-help groups
- Self-improvement classes
- Sober-living homes
- Therapy or counseling sessions
Atlanta Addiction Treatment Program Length
Each person facing recovery has a different set of needs and resources. A person’s family life, career, educational responsibilities and finances can all impact how long a person is able to go to rehab for.
While short-term treatment can be helpful and result in sobriety, longer treatment programs generally produce better treatment outcomes. In Atlanta, these options may include rehab programs lasting:
- 60 days
- 90 days
- 120 days
- Six months
- A year or more
To better ensure that a person remains committed to treatment, some families choose an out-of-town or out-of-state addiction treatment program. These programs increase treatment retention rates and discourage patients from leaving treatment early.
How To Pay For Atlanta Addiction Treatment
Numerous resources are available to help patients pay for treatment beyond what they can afford to pay on their own.
Health insurance coverage can be one of the most helpful resources at this time. In Atlanta, coverage for addiction treatment services may be offered through:
- Aetna
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia
- Cigna
- Coventry Health Care of Georgia
- Kaiser Permanente
Substance Use Trends In Atlanta
Methamphetamine In Atlanta
Out of all the major U.S. cities east of the Mississippi, Atlanta has frequently had the highest rates of methamphetamine use. The National Drug Early Warning System 2018 Atlanta Metro report cites that:
- High rates of use are likely due to increased levels of purity and rates of availability.
- Methamphetamine-related deaths have been increasing since 2015.
- The number of treatments for meth exceeded the number of treatments for cocaine for the first time.
- In 2017, over 10 percent of people seeking public treatment sought help for methamphetamine use.
- White females aged 26 to 44 years used meth more than any other group.
- Over 25 percent of people seeking treatment injected this drug.
- People who used meth also frequently used alcohol and marijuana.
Opioid Use In Atlanta
Opioid drug use includes both heroin and prescription painkillers. In Atlanta, the 2018 report found that:
Rates of heroin use appear to be decreasing.
- Fentanyl and fentanyl analogues are increasingly being found by law enforcement.
- Seven percent of people seeking public addiction treatment did so for prescription opioids.
- Carfentanil and U-47770 showed up for the first time in death reports.
- The number of counterfeit hydrocodone and oxycodone pills that contain fentanyl has been on the rise.
Signs And Symptoms Of Substance Use And Addiction
The pleasurable feeling, high or euphoric state a drug produces is what encourages a person to use a drug again. When a person uses a substance, they will also experience side effects. These may include red eyes, changes in patterns of speech, shifts in energy levels and trouble thinking.
In the beginning, symptoms of drug use may be minor, infrequent and only occur while a person is using the substance. However, as a person begins to use the drug compulsively, side effects often become more severe and may even occur while a person is not actively using a substance. This is because regular use of a drug can create lasting mental, physical and behavioral changes.
At this time, a person may develop the following major signs of a substance use disorder:
- Cravings
- Tolerance
- Dependence
- Withdrawal
As substance use continues, many people keep taking a drug to avoid unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Consuming drugs or alcohol to avoid sickness, pain or discomfort is at telling sign of a substance use disorder.
Drug And Alcohol Use In Atlanta
In addition to alcohol, Atlanta residents struggle with other forms of substance use.
Illicit Drug Use
In 2017, marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug in Atlanta. The following illicit substances may also be used:
- Cocaine, including crack
- Heroin
- Illicit fentanyl
- Methamphetamine
- Synthetic cannabinoids (“fake weed”)
Prescription Drugs
Benzodiazepines: Alprazolam (Xanax) was the most frequently used benzodiazepine in Atlanta in 2017. Other benzodiazepines that may also cause dependence and addiction include:
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- Ativan (lorazepam)
- Klonopin (clonazepam)
- Librium (chlordiazepoxide)
- Restoril (temazepam)
- Valium (diazepam)
Prescription opioid pain medications: Oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet) is the most commonly used prescription opioid in the Atlanta area. Additional prescription painkillers that are highly used include:
- Codeine
- Actiq (fentanyl)
- Duragesic (fentanyl)
- Norco (hydrocodone)
- Vicodin (hydrocodone)
- Dilaudid (hydromorphone)
- Demerol (meperidine)
- Dolophine (methadone)
- Methadose (methadone)
- Duramorph (morphine)
- MS Contin (morphine)
- Opana (oxymorphone)
Prescription ADHD stimulant medications
- Adderall (dextroamphetamine/amphetamine)
- Concerta (methylphenidate)
- Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine)
- Ritalin (methylphenidate)
- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)
Vertava Health offers a range of services for the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. These individualized therapies are offered at multiple facilities across the United States.
Contact Vertava Health today for more information on addiction treatment services in Atlanta.
