Detox Centers in Tallahassee, FL

While drug arrests have significantly decreased in Leon County, according to the Florida Department of Health,¹ a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that drug overdose deaths are rising in Florida.² The report estimates a 14.9% increase in deaths from June 2020 to June 2021. In fact, according to news reports, Florida made over 8% of the country’s overdose deaths in the past year.³

Tallahassee was no exception. There was an exponential increase in drug poisoning deaths in Leon County during the pandemic. From 2019 to 2020, drug poisoning deaths went from a rate of 11.2 per 100,000 population to 16.3 per 100,000 population — that’s a 45.53% increase.⁴

Being that Tallahassee is a college town, it’s not surprising to read that residents of Leon County also struggle with drinking problems. The Florida Department of Health’s (DOH) 2019 statistics found that 22.1% of adults in Leon County, including Tallahassee, engage in binge drinking or drink heavily.⁵ That number is considerably higher to the rest of Florida, which averages around 18%.⁵

Leon County has various mental health services and programs available to support residents in crisis. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), at least 12 detox and rehab facilities are within 25 miles of Tallahassee. Other resources available include:

• 211 Big Bend: A human service information and assistance hotline provide 24/7 emotional support, crisis counseling, suicide prevention, and referrals.
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: A free and confidential support line for people in distress.
• Veterans Crisis Line: A free and 24/7 crisis support line for veterans. You don’t have to be enrolled in VA healthcare or registered with VA to connect through this crisis line.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): A nationwide mental health organization that provides information, resources, and assistance for finding help.

Support groups for addiction range from 12-step programs to substance-specific groups. Drug and alcohol support groups provide recovering addicts with a safe space to share their personal experiences with substance abuse. There are several support groups for addiction, the most popular ones being Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). In Tallahassee, there are many support group meetings available.

To find Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in Tallahassee, visit the District 5 website, www.intergroup5.org/meetings, to find AA meetings in your area. For Narcotics Anonymous meetings in Tallahassee, check the Big Bend Area website, www.bb.naflorida.org, for recent meetings. Keep in mind that meeting dates and times are constantly changing. Many of these chapters also offer virtual meetings, so check for their latest updates.

Sources:

1. Florida Department of Health. (2022, January 25). Substance Use Dashboard: Consequences.
2. Ahmad FB, Rossen LM, Sutton P. (2022). Provisional drug overdose death counts. National Center for Health Statistics.
3. Sam Sachs. (2021, July 14). 8% of 2020 US overdose deaths in Florida, according to CDC data.
4. Florida Department of Health. (2022, January 25). Drug Poisoning Deaths.
5. Florida Department of Health. (2022, January 25). Adults who engage in heavy or binge drinking.