Maine is a very pleasant and welcoming state, but addiction has increasingly become a serious issue. Since it is such a rural state, there aren't a large number of detox centers. The southern half of the state has a good assortment of detox programs but there are none north of Saint Stephen. Depending on if someone is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, a certain type of detox center may be recommended. For alcohol and certain prescription drugs, a medical detox is often necessary. Other drugs such as opioids and methamphetamine may not require a medical detox, but it may be helpful.
Once detox is completed, it is highly recommended to seek aftercare in the form of substance abuse treatment. Maine has many more drug and alcohol rehab programs than it does detoxes. There are a total of 181 SAMHSA-approved drug addiction treatment centers in the state. Of these rehab facilities, 18 provide residential treatment while 165 provide outpatient treatment. There are only 3 inpatient treatment centers in Maine, one near Lewiston, one near Bangor, and another near Camden.
Mental health issues are also fairly common along with substance abuse. According to a 2020 study by Mental Health America, Maine ranked number 8 in the nation. This means there are relatively few mental health issues in the general population. It also means that mental health services are readily accessible. That being said, people with substance use disorders face mental health challenges at a higher rate than average. Getting dual diagnosis care for both of these issues can be crucial to someone's chances of successful recovery. Maine has 95 treatment providers that offer dual diagnosis care. These facilities provide treatment plans that utilize more behavioral therapy than a standard drug rehab center. If you or a loved one is struggling with dual diagnosis issues, then these treatment options will generally be most effective.
Drug Abuse in Maine
The state of Maine may not seem like it has a drug problem at first glance. This is not the case. Maine's small population camouflages the true depth of the problem. In 2018, Maine healthcare providers wrote 48.1 opioid prescriptions for every 100 people. This is lower than the national average but is still nearly one out of every two people in Maine.
Maine placed in the top 10 states for both fentanyl and prescription opioid overdose deaths in 2016. It landed at 8th place for fentanyl overdoses and 3rd place for prescription overdoses. Aside from traditional opioid overdose deaths, there was a 71.4% increase in the number of cocaine overdoses in Maine from 2015 to 2016. Fentanyl was involved in over half of all the cocaine overdose deaths in Maine in 2016. This is representative of the disturbing trend of drug traffickers or dealers using fentanyl to cut non-opioid drugs. Even if someone thinks they are not using an opioid drug, there is no way to tell until it is too late.
The drug overdose problem had seen a slight improvement in 2018. In 2017 there were 360 drug overdose deaths in Maine. This dropped to 202 overdose deaths in 2018. This trend worsened again in 2019, with a jump up to 371 drug overdose deaths in Maine that year. This number may not seem significant, but Maine only has a total population of just over 1.3 million people. This equals 29.9 opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 people in Maine.
While these trends are worrying, there is help available if someone wants to stop using drugs or alcohol.
