Detox Centers in Bay Pines, Florida

Bay Pines is part of Pinellas County, which is located on the west-central coast of Florida. In the fall of 2021, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded Pinellas County a $2 million grant to help reduce the number of deaths from opioid and drug misuse.¹

The funding supports a community outreach program to better connect residents with substance use treatment and help implement quick response teams.¹ These teams contact residents who overdosed and were revived by EMS and, with their consent, conduct wellness checks, connecting these residents with a treatment program.¹ These outreach efforts can continue for up to 3 months after the overdose.¹

This grant comes at a critical time. In 2020, 524 Pinellas County residents died from a drug overdose.² Almost half of them were between the ages of 35 and 54 years old, with 73% having been men.² Of those drug overdose deaths, 84% were opioid-related.² The number of opioid-related overdose deaths in the county has gone up 220% from 2015 to 2020.²

Pinellas County is 1 of the top 5 counties in the state for fentanyl-related deaths.³ This synthetic opioid is up to 100 times stronger than heroin and is often used in combination with other drugs because it’s cheap to make and very potent.⁴

Statistics show that fewer Bay Pines residents, as well as those living in Pinellas County, are entering substance use treatment. In 2021, there were 1,356 adults in Pinellas County enrolled in a treatment program.² Compare that number to 2018 when 4,648 adults were enrolled in an addiction program.² That’s a decline of 70%.

A Bay Pines drug or alcohol rehab program can help people with a substance use disorder start the recovery process. Whether they require more intense inpatient services or need the flexibility of outpatient treatment, a Bay Pines treatment facility is the first step to sobriety.

There are several types of rehabs available in and around Bay Pines. The first step is often detoxification, followed by inpatient or outpatient treatment. Several options can fall in between those two.

There are 37 rehab facilities within 25 miles of Bay Pines that make up the more than 700 drug rehab centers located around the state.^5,6 The facilities include⁵:

• 11 centers that offer detox, a supervised withdrawal from substances.
• 3 hospital inpatient programs that offer continuous care connected to a hospital.
• 13 residential or inpatient facilities where you can receive live-in care for as long as a month or up to a year.
• A transitional housing facility where you can live temporarily after inpatient treatment.
• 23 facilities that offer co-occurring mental health and substance use treatment.
• 30 outpatient rehab centers.

Of all the rehab options listed, an outpatient facility near Bay Pines offers patients the most flexibility. Outpatient treatment can vary in type and intensity and may be a fit for people who work or go to school and have a strong support system at home.⁷ In many outpatient programs, group therapy is a significant element.⁷

A drug or alcohol support group is typically integrated into rehab treatment, whether it’s part of the treatment itself or recommended as an aftercare program. Two of the best-known 12-Step programs are Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). Support groups bring people together who have gone through similar experiences, such as addiction.

People can share their experiences and feelings, coping strategies, or just listen. While there are no AA or NA meetings open to the public in Bay Pines, there are meetings available in nearby St. Petersburg and Seminole.^8,9

Support groups cannot replace more structured and formal addiction treatment. They are designed to complement treatment and help people maintain their sobriety once they’ve left rehab.

Sources:

1. Parker, M. (2021, October 13). County receives $2 million to counter opioid crisis.
2. Florida Department of Health. (n.d.). Substance use dashboard.
3. The Pinellas County Opioid Task Force. (n.d.). The opioid epidemic in Pinellas County.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, February 16). Opioid basics – fentanyl.
5. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n.d.). FindTreatment.gov.
6. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018). National survey of substance abuse treatment services.
7. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020, June 3). Types of treatment programs.
8. Narcotics Anonymous. (n.d.). NA meeting search.
9. Pinellas County Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous. (n.d.). Seminole meetings.