Lakeside, CA Detox and Rehab Centers

Lakeside is a census-designated place in San Diego County, California, with nearly 22,000 residents.¹ The community is in the foothills of the Cuyamaca Mountains, approximately 21 miles inland from downtown San Diego.² Despite growth in the past years, Lakeside, CA has maintained its rural origins with small-scale farming operations and is comprised of mostly residential areas.²

Despite the beauty of California, it is facing a drug and alcohol addiction epidemic. According to the latest health barometer report issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), during 2017-2019, the annual average of past-year illicit drug use disorder in the state was 3.4%, considerably higher than the national average of 2.9%.³

Furthermore, in San Diego County, at least 22.74% of people aged 12 or older reported past-month binge alcohol use.⁴ There’s also been a significant increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths.⁵ In San Diego County, there were 152 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in 2019, but through the first week of August 2020, that number had already escalated to 233 deaths.⁵

Despite being a somewhat rural community, there are at least 90 addiction treatment facilities within 25 miles of Lakeside, CA.⁶ These facilities provide several detox and rehab treatment services, including:⁶

• Detox: Medically supervised treatment to manage withdrawal from substance use.
• Outpatient: Treatment at a rehab facility while patients live independently.
• Hospital inpatient: Treatment connected to a hospital or clinic to provide 24/7 care.
• Residential: Live-in care at a rehab facility, often including other services such as detoxification.
• Co-occurring mental health and substance use treatment: Integrated care that addresses substance use and mental illness.

While the number of treatment services and facilities varies significantly in California, the San Diego area has the most residential treatment beds per location.⁷

Drug and alcohol support groups are meetings where people in recovery voluntarily gather to provide and receive support by sharing coping strategies and experiences.⁸ Although these support groups offer nonprofessional and nonclinical assistance, they’ve shown effectiveness in helping with treatment engagement, maintaining sobriety, and more.⁸

There are many support group organizations, but the most popular is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) which helps people break free from alcoholism.⁸ Narcotics Anonymous (NA) uses a similar approach but focuses on narcotic addiction.⁸

The Alcoholics Anonymous, San Diego chapter hosts AA meetings in Lakeside, CA, daily.⁹ There are 14 meetings at a club at 9940 River St, Lakeside, happening every day at 8:00 am, 3:00 pm, 5:30 pm, and 6:30 pm.⁹ There are also some meetings held at churches and community centers.⁹ While all meetings are open to the public; some have certain restrictions. For example, on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm PST, there is a women-only meeting at a community center on 9841 Vine St.⁹

According to the Narcotics Anonymous meeting locator, there are about 204 NA meetings within 20 miles of Lakeside, CA.¹⁰ There are open meetings every day at multiple locations at different times of the day. Some places, like the Normal Heights Community Center at 4649 Hawley Boulevard, San Diego, Normal Heights, CA 92116, also host hybrid meetings that occur both in-person and online.¹⁰

Always double-check with your closest meeting location to verify the format, language, time, and accessibility.

Sources:

1. United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). QuickFacts: Lakeside CDP, California.
2. Niche.com. (n.d.). Lakeside, CA.
3. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2020). Behavioral health barometer: California, volume 6.
4. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Data Archive. (n.d.). Interactive NSDUH substate estimates.
5. Health and Human Services Agency. (2020, August 21). Fentanyl overdose deaths related to illicit drug use.
6. California Health Care Foundation. (2022, January). Substance use in California: Prevalence and treatment.
7. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). FindTreatment.gov. (n.d.). Results.
8. Tracy, K., & Wallace, S. P. (2015). Benefits of peer support groups in the treatment of addiction.
9. Alcoholics Anonymous San Diego. (n.d.). Lakeside meetings.
10. Narcotics Anonymous. (n.d.). Narcotics Anonymous meeting search results.