Hawaii Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Despite it’s remote location, or perhaps because of it, Hawaii has a pretty significant substance abuse problem. In the past couple decades the main problem has been “ice,” which is a crystal-like form of methamphetamine, but there are other drugs that also pose a threat.
With about 12,000 young people reportedly using illicit drugs in the past month in Hawaii and more than three-quarters of them not thinking it is a problem to smoke marijuana once a month, there is a lot of work to be done on the prevention side of things as well.
Overall, there are about 32,000 people in Hawaii who were dependent on or abused illicit drugs within the past year and 95,000 people who abused or were dependent on alcohol. Despite any possible overlap, that still leaves many tens of thousands of people in need of help, although only a small percentage of them actually received it.
On a single day, there were less than 5,000 people enrolled in a treatment program in Hawaii, although it is still a higher amount compared to five years earlier. Of those undergoing rehabilitation, 39% were for drug problems only, 18% were for alcohol only and the remaining 43% were for using both alcohol and other drugs.
Prescription painkiller abuse and heroin use remain relatively low in Hawaii, though it has increased just like the rest of the country. In a single day, there are more than 650 people receiving methadone maintenance treatment and another 75 or more on buprenorphine as an opioid replacement therapy. We believe that people should seek to try and release their dependence from all drugs, when possible, and to only use long-term drugs for daily maintenance if the other options have not worked.
Unfortunately, Hawaii has a very limited number of treatment programs, which leaves many people seeking rehabilitation help on the mainland U.S. We can help locate detox centers and treatment programs that work with your insurance policy to reduce or even eliminate your out-of-pocket costs for treatment, depending on the policy.
Contact us today for more information on addiction treatment resources for people in Hawaii.
Addiction Rehab Treatment Services in Hawaii
Hawaii and The Addiction Issues it is Faced With
The beautiful tropical US state of Hawaii has its fair share of alcohol and illicit drug abuse problems. One of the unique issues facing Hawaii is that it has one of the youngest average age ranges for alcohol and drug use. According to recent statistics, over 10 percent of Hawaii’s population over the age of 12 years old has tried illicit drugs at some point in their lives. Scientists that study addiction believe that the earlier a person begins to experiment with drugs and alcohol, the more likely it is that they will become addicted to the substances in the future.
Hawaii’s Addiction to Statistics Overview
The state of Hawaii has a high prevalence rate of drug and alcohol addiction that places it amongst the nation’s top 10 highest. According to a recently published study, approximately 1,200 people a year check themselves into a rehab facility for alcohol addiction. About 2,200 people per year across Hawaii seek rehabilitation for marijuana addiction. The average number of amphetamines users that seek treatment for addiction per year in Hawaii is approximately 2,100. The number of prescription drug users that attempt addiction treatments in Hawaii per year is roughly 300. Cocaine and heroin addictions are quite low across Hawaii due to it being difficult to smuggle the drugs into the state.
Rehab Stats For Drug and Alcohol Addiction
Researchers believe that over 17 percent of Hawaii’s total population over the age of 12 suffer from light to severe alcohol or illicit drug addiction problem. This statistic is by far, one of the highest in the entire nation. It is thought that only approximately 11 percent of the state’s residents that suffer from addiction regularly seek out help to treat the devasting disorder. Hawaii is another state where machismo is quite rampant, a cultural phenomenon that attaches a stigma to the act of seeking professional help to combat severe alcohol or drug addiction. It is thought that this stigma dissuades many Hawaiian males from getting the professional rehabilitation help that they need.
The Hawaiian Inpatient Situation
There are currently over 200 licensed drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinics within the state of Hawaii. That is a minimal number of facilities when you consider that Hawaii has a total state population of over 1.5 million residents. This puts Hawaii into the same category as the state of Alaska in terms of having far fewer rehabilitation clinics than what is needed to help the massive population. Despite the relatively low number of rehab facilities in Hawaii, the overall rehab industry has a fairly solid reputation for achieving addiction cures and long-lasting drug and alcohol abstinence.
Over 90 percent of Hawaii’s rehab facilities are located in the city of Honolulu. A small handful of rehab clinics operate out of East Honolulu, Pearl City, and Hilo. Thankfully, because Hawaii is a tiny state as far as landmass is concerned, it is typically not a problem for state residents to travel to Honolulu to receive treatment. Most of the inpatient clinics in Hawaii offer outpatient treatment options as well, giving patients the option of choosing the right treatment protocol and environment for their situation. Honolulu’s rehab industry is quite advanced in its technological and professional standards.
Approximately 79 percent of all patients within inpatient clinics in Hawaii are full-time Hawaiian residents. Nineteen percent of the patients are from out of state places such as California, New York, Texas, Oregon, and Washington. The other 2 percent of people that use inpatient rehab care are from international destinations outside of the United States. International rehab patients that seek inpatient treatment in Hawaii typically come from Japan, South Korea, Australia, or throughout Europe. The majority of Hawaii’s inpatient rehab facilities tend to be very high quality, so for that reason, they are very alluring for out of state or internationally based-individuals seeking to break an addiction.
Hawaiian Outpatient Care
Hawaii has a reasonably robust outpatient rehab industry. Nearly all hospitals within the state offer outpatient care to treat most types of drug and alcohol addiction. According to statistics, approximately 32 percent of all rehabilitation care is conducted through outpatient programs. Ninety-one percent of these outpatient programs are voluntary, while 9 percent are necessary state-ordered treatments for individuals that have committed drug or alcohol-related crimes or are facing child custody issues. Severe alcoholism and illicit drug addiction issues are generally not treated through outpatient programs unless the person being treated is too ill or afflicted to reach a proper inpatient clinic.
Most outpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs within Hawaii require the patient to make periodic visits to a rehab facility. At the facility, they are treated by physicians and councilors to both assess their current state of health and to continue to move them forward towards an addiction-free lifestyle. A minority of outpatient programs involve counselors or physicians visiting the patient at their home, as this generally only happens if the patient is unable to reach a proper rehab facility or if they’re willing to pay a high fee to facilitate this type of service.
Hawaii is Attracting a Growing Number of Non-resident Rehab Patients
Drug and alcohol rehabilitation can be a particularly brutal experience, especially if the addiction is severe. Inpatient and outpatient care that is set in a peaceful and beautiful environment can often be a very comfortable asset to any prospective patient. With Hawaii being such a beautiful state, many mainland residents across the greater United States prefer to carry out their rehab program in the state of Hawaii. Each year the number of out of state rehab patients visiting private rehab clinics across Hawaii continues to grow. Hawaii is currently ranked as one of the top 3 states to receive rehab care in for out of state patients.
Cannabis Abuse is Growing
It is thought that in the short term future cannabis will be legalized recreationally across Hawaii. The state has already passed a decriminalization bill for cannabis possession of amounts under 3 grams. Drug addiction specialists across the state are anticipating an increase in marijuana addiction and abuse as the laws become more relaxed. Rehab facilities that cater towards marijuana addiction exclusively are already popping up across Oregon and Colorado states where recreational marijuana use is entirely legal. While many clinical specialists in Hawaii assist marijuana addicted patients solely, the state does not currently possess any marijuana only rehab facilities.
Rehab For Teens
Sadly, a growing number of rehab facilities and programs throughout the state of Hawaii are exclusively offered to Hawaiian teens suffering from alcohol and illicit drug addictions. These programs can assist teens as young as 12 years old overcome light to severe addictions. Hawaii is unique in the sense that its population leads the nation in teen addiction rates. Most of these teens are becoming addicted to alcohol and cannabis; however, amphetamine and cocaine addiction amongst teens is growing quite rapidly as well, especially in the city of Honolulu.
Hawaiian rehab facilities that treat teenage addiction issues are reported to have a very high treatment success rate of approximately 68 percent. This is a far higher success rate than what teen-focused rehabilitation centers in the mainland United States are typically able to achieve. Teenage rehabilitation facilities in Hawaii focus heavily on behavioral therapies the seek to rewire the emotional and cognitive circuitry of a patient’s neurology to make them far less susceptible to relapse in the future.
Additional Hawaii Recovery Information & Help
Hawaii Department of Health
Alcohol & Drug Abuse Division
601 Kamokila Blvd. Room 360
Kapolei, Hawai’i, 96707
808-692-7506
website
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD) is the primary and often sole source of public funds for substance abuse treatment. ADAD’s treatment efforts are designed to promote a statewide culturally appropriate, comprehensive system of services to meet the treatment and recovery needs of individuals and families. Treatment services have, as a requirement, priority admission for pregnant women and injection drug users.
