New Mexico
It should be noted that these pages are not intended as an academic reference. The data collected is from State and Federal sources.
New Mexico Addiction Treatment Statistics
There were 10,018 people who entered drug and alcohol addiction treatment in the year 2009 in New Mexico. Of that number 65.8% were males and 32.8% were females.
The number of drug and alcohol rehabs in New Mexico has remained constant over the last few years with 120 facilities in operation as of 2006. 31 treatment centers offer some form of residential treatment and 10 offer opiate addiction treatment.
Drug only admissions increased from 10% in 1992 to 22% in 2005. However, the rate of unmet treatment needs for drug addiction declined to below the national average. Unmet treatment needs for alcohol dependence remained above the national average.
For the year 2007-2008, New Mexico ranked first among all states for illicit drug dependence among age group12-17 years of age.
According to 2009 States in Brief report, the number of people admitted for addiction treatment with psychological problems has doubled since 1992.
Alcohol Addiction in New Mexico
In 2006, New Mexico’s Department of Human Services published a fact sheet on substance abuse. The report indicated that excessive alcohol use cost an estimated $2.5 billion in lost productivity, health care expenditures, related motor vehicle crashes, criminal justice system costs and social welfare costs.
New Mexico also ranked the highest in the nation for underage drinking and for use of marijuana for children below the age of 13.
In 2009, 3,689 people entered alcohol rehab for alcohol being the primary substance of abuse. An additional 1,242 people were admitted for alcohol dependency combined with a secondary drug of abuse.
Approximately 75% of all those admitted for alcohol dependency (including alcohol with a secondary drug) were male. 60% of that total number was white. The largest demographic going into treatment for alcohol addiction was between the ages of 26-30.
Commonly Abused Drugs in New Mexico
According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, New Mexico’s rates for alcohol and illicit drug use has remained at or above the national average for the year 2006. One of biggest threats to New Mexico comes from the shipment of drugs into the country from Mexican drug trafficking organizations.
In an overview published by New Mexico Human Services Department, it was stated that approximately 25,000 people are addicted to heroin and other opiates.
Cocaine/Crack
In 2009, there were 559 people admitted for crack/cocaine abuse. This number included those who smoked the drug and those who ingested cocaine by other means. New Mexico ranked among the highest in the nation for cocaine use among 12-17 year olds.
Heroin
Heroin is on the rise across the country due to the rising cost of opiates on the street. In 2009, 778 people entered a drug rehab for heroin addiction.
Marijuana
In 2009, 658 people were admitted for marijuana addiction treatment in New Mexico. Marijuana use among 12-17 year olds during 2006 placed New Mexico among the highest ranking states in the nation.
Amphetamines/Methamphetamines
There has been a marked increase in the number of admissions for methamphetamine addiction treatment though the exact numbers have not yet been reported. In 2009, 695 people were admitted for addiction to amphetamines.
Other Drugs
There were 1,958 admissions for addiction treatment for other drugs in 2009. The number of people admitted for addiction to other drugs such as hallucinogens and PCP were not as significant as those admitted for sedative abuse or inhalant addiction.
New Mexico Drug and Alcohol Fatalities, Injuries and Drug Court Statistics
Drug use led to 471 deaths in 2007 compared to 379 deaths due to motor vehicle accidents and 295 deaths from firearms incidents in 2007. New Mexico drug related deaths equaled 23.9 per 100,000 compared to the national rate of 12.7 per 100,000 in 2007.
New Mexico drug related deaths equaled 23.9 per 100,000 compared to the national rate of 12.7 per 100,000 in 2007.
Methamphetamine arrests and seizures remained low for 2007, but while the numbers of marijuana and cocaine seizures were lower during that year, they were significantly higher than meth related seizures.
In 2006, there were 34 meth lab seizures, a significant reduction from 2003 when there were 188 meth lab seizures.
In 2006, there were 556 drug violation arrests.
New Mexico Drug and Alcohol Addiction Resources
- Alcoholics Anonymous (go to the AA main page, click on find a meeting, follow link to state pages, click on New Mexico)
- Narcotics Anonymous
- Alanon and Alateen Family Group
