Wisconsin is widely known across the United States for its sweeping coasting regions around the Great Lakes as well as its abundant farmland and rolling forests. However, many of its residents still struggle with a declining quality of their lives as well as poor health as a result of the negative effects of drug and alcohol abuse and addiction.
Apart from heroin, there are many other substances of abuse that people take in this state. Patterns of drug abuse and addiction in Wisconsin, on the other hand, tend to be similar to those reported at the national stage.
That said, some of the most common substances of abuse in this state include methamphetamine, marijuana, synthetic marijuana, and cocaine - as well as alcohol and both illicit and prescription opioids.
Although the rates of illicit substance abuse in the state is often lower than averages at the national level, Wisconsin still reports some of the highest rates of alcoholism and alcohol abuse in the United States. Recently, there has also been an increase in the total number of local residents who abuse prescription opioid pain relief medications and heroin.
In 2014, for instance, 47 percent of all the fatalities linked to a drug overdose in the state were associated with prescription opioids. The same year, heroin was associated with 28 percent of these fatalities.
Wisconsin has also seen an increase in the total volume of illicit drugs that travel within its borders, and these substances have been increasing the risk factors for its citizens. Today, many more of these residents lose their lives to a drug related problem than to firearm related incidents, suicide, and motor car accidents.
Among people enrolled in an addiction treatment and rehabilitation center in the state, the substances that are most commonly cited include methamphetamine, heroin, stimulants, marijuana, heroin, opioids, and cocaine.
The NSDUH - the National Survey on Drug Use and Health - reported that between 2013 and 2014, more than 4 percent of the population of the state of Wisconsin above the age of 12 years engaged in perception opioid pain relief medication abuse.
This rate was similar to the levels that were reported at the national stage during the same period of time. However, 9 percent of the total number involved young adults - the segment of the population with the highest rates of prescription opioid abuse.
The state has also seen an increase in the rate of death arising from opioid abuse and addiction. In 2016, for instance, the state lost 15.8 lives among every segment of 100,000 people. This number was higher than that reported at the national level, which was at 13.3 fatalities for every segment of 100,000 people.
The state of Wisconsin has a number of high quality addiction treatment and rehabilitation facilities - most of which are licensed and accredited - that can provide you with the recovery and sobriety services that you need to turn your life around from substance abuse and addiction to health, wellness, and abstinence.