Drug & Alcohol Detox Centers in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Addiction & Detox Statistics

• During the nationwide prescription drug epidemic, which was before the “heroin epidemic” had occurred, Massachusetts was consistently named among the top ten states for rates of substance abuse and addiction. Since the heroin problem escalated several years ago, Massachusetts has been devastated; in addition to other large cities in proximity to Massachusetts, Boston has been found to be a major source of the deadly drug.
• Statistics have shown a continuous, year-over-year increase in both heroin addiction as well as addiction in general. Each of the past several years has set new records, and the number of unintentional overdoses is the highest it’s been in eleven years. In other words, heroin abuse has escalated to such a level as to surpass the effects of the prescription drug epidemic in the 2000s and early 2010s.
• Compared to other states, Massachusetts has had a continuing problem with cocaine. Elsewhere in the U.S., rates of cocaine abuse and overdose have been in a decline, but cocaine use in Massachusetts has remained constant in recent years. In fact, it’s only recently that heroin has been detected in more overdose deaths than cocaine.
• Over a two-year period, rates of heroin overdoses in Massachusetts increased by 76 percent, the most dramatic increase in overdose rates the state has seen in recent history.
• The Massachusetts Department of Health put together a task force that consisted of public officials, members of law enforcement, individuals with addicted loved ones, and community volunteers. The purpose of the task force was to assess the status and efficacy of the state’s prevention and intervention efforts, the quality of treatment, and the level of recovery support offered. Since the task force released its report, there have been a number of policies put into place — such as the requirement that all emergency responders carry Naloxone — in the hope of curbing the opioid epidemic.