Georgia

Georgia Addiction Treatment Statistics

In 2005, 44,890 people entered treatment programs for alcohol and drug dependence. Of this number, 60.1% of the people were male while 39.9% were female.

During 2006-2007, 212,000 Georgians needed treatment for illicit drugs; unfortunately, they were not able to obtain treatment. There were 277 drug and alcohol rehabs in Georgia as of 2005, the last year for published statistics.

Alcohol Addiction in Georgia

Of the general population, 9,427 people were treated for alcoholism alone. 6,394 people were treated for alcohol abuse as well as a secondary substance in 2005.

Commonly Abused Drugs in Georgia

Drug abuse is a national epidemic and the numbers are continuing to rise. Heroin is becoming the cheaper replacement for opiates as states continue to crack down on the “pill mills” making the cost of opiates too expensive.

Marijuana
Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug in Georgia and is readily available throughout the state. 6,918 people were admitted for drug treatment of marijuana addiction in 2005.

Cocaine
8,545 people smoked cocaine and entered treatment in 2005 with an additional 2,733 who abused cocaine through other means and went to treatment that year as well. Approximately 9% of Georgia’s 12th graders surveyed in 2007 reported using cocaine at least once during their lifetime. Cocaine was the most popularly cited drug among people admitted for addiction treatment in 2005.

Heroin
Georgia is largely deemed a transit site and to a lesser degree, a distribution point for heroin; however, heroin availability remains stable throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area. In comparison with other states, Georgia’s heroin problem is not severe. In 2005, 661 people were admitted for heroin addiction treatment.

Prescription Drugs
The diversion of hydrocodone and oxycodone products continues to be a problem in Georgia. Xanax® and Vicodin® were also identified as being among the most commonly abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in Georgia. A new trend also indicates methadone replacing oxycodone due to physicians increasingly switching from oxycodone to methadone in the treatment of pain and the lower cost of methadone compared to oxycodone products.

Amphetamines
5,685 people in 2005 entered drug rehab for amphetamines, a significant increase from 2004.

Georgia Drug and Alcohol Fatalities, Injuries and Drug Court Statistics

Georgia is the final destination before distribution on the trafficking route for the East coast. It is easily located between New York City and Miami. As of 2009, there were 67 operational drug courts in Georgia. Forty-three drug courts had been operating for at least two years, 15 have recently been implemented with another 9 in the planning stages.

Meth lab seizures in Georgia rose 91% from 2007 to 2009 mirroring the national trend.

During 2007, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported 513 arrests for drug violations in Georgia.

In 2008, 26% of federally sentenced defendants in Georgia had committed a drug offense with 44% of those involving cocaine. The numbers have fluctuated greatly for methamphetamine seizures starting in 2004 with 175 lab incidents, 2005 with 131, 2006 with 156, 2007 with 55, and finally, 2008 with 78. Meth lab seizures in Georgia rose 91% from 2007 to 2009 mirroring the national trend.

There were 3,011 juvenile arrests for marijuana possession in Georgia during 2008. 21% of all inmates in Georgia reported having a drug problem with an additional 14% suffering from both a drug and alcohol problem. The highest percentage of drivers in fatal crashes who had BAC level .08 or higher was for drivers ages 21 to 24.

During 2008, 26% of the federally sentenced defendants in Georgia had committed a drug offense. Approximately 44% of the drug offenses involved powdered cocaine. 973 persons died of drug related consequences compared to 1,745 motor vehicle related deaths and 1,244 deaths from firearms in the state of Georgia.

Georgia 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 Georgia)
• Narcotics Anonymous
• Alanon and Alateen Family Group