Drinking and drug use increases an individual's risk of poor health outcomes, including motor vehicle crashes and unintentional injuries, and is often a contributing factor in child abuse, domestic violence, suicide and homicide. The availability of treatment can be a critical factor in helping people recover from addiction.

While overall admissions to substance abuse treatment have been fairly flat over the past decade, admissions related to heroin use skyrocketed 211% in the region, rising from about 2,000 in 2007 to almost 7,000 in 2017. That was a larger increase than seen at the state level, where heroin-related admissions rose 47% over the time frame. The percentage increase was even larger in the counties surrounding Monroe, at nearly 500%, growing to more than 2,500 in 2017. However, alcohol admissions were still the largest share at 33% of the total admissions in the region, followed by heroin admissions at 32%, marijuana-related admissions at 18%, cocaine 9% and other opioids 6%.

National data were not available. People may or may not live in the counties where they go for treatment for substance abuse. Changes in the number of treatment admissions can reflect a number of factors, including the need for treatment, availability of programs, and payer policies.