Wayne County has an unavoidable problem with substance abuse and it is very serious. It is divided into many categories, such as alcohol abuse, the opioid epidemic, and other drugs that have created a whole lot of damage in Wayne County. Thankfully though, there are several programs and services available to the community for either the treatment or the prevention of substance abuse, because everyone dealing with an addiction deserves to get the help they need to be free from it.
Substance Abuse Issues in Wayne County
First, let’s look at drug overdoses, which have sadly led to a lot of deaths in Wayne County. Between 2015 and 2017, there were 25 deaths caused by drug overdoses per 100 000 population, according to County Health Rankings. As for excessive drinking, 19% of those surveyed in Wayne County have reported binge or heavy drinking. Another thing that has brought lots of deaths in the county is alcohol-impaired driving. Between 2013 and 2017, there were 8 deaths caused by alcohol-impaired driving, which amounts to 15% of all driving deaths in the county in those years. The opioid epidemic is a crisis that has brought about a great deal of harm and damage in Wayne County. Just in 2018, there were 62 emergency department visits, 19 hospitalizations, and 16 deaths caused by opioid overdoses.
Wayne County’s Programs for the Fight Against Substance Abuse
There are lots of organizations that offer programs and services to Wayne County residents to help in the fight against alcohol & drug abuse. We will go over a few of them. First, there is the Council on Alcoholism and Addictions (CAA) of the Finger Lakes, which provides programs not only for adults and families but also for the county’s youth. For adults, the programs are given with the aim of them preventing substance abuse in their own kids, by either having tools to identify unhealthy behaviors, but also by learning how to talk to their kids about substance abuse and giving them enough self-esteem to resist peer pressure. And for youth, the programs provide these kids tools in order to reduce the risk factors and promoting the protective factors regarding substance abuse. The Sheriff’s Office of Wayne County put in place the STOP-DWI program, for those convicted or arrested for a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) offense. It provides them with information and lessons so that this does not happen again. This program is fully funded by fines paid by those arrested or convicted of such offenses, this way, no taxpayer dollar has to be used.
Here is a list of the different treatment centers in Wayne County, New York. The list can be incomplete so please do not hesitate to contact one of our treatment specialists at 1-800-304-2219.
