Drug, Alcohol and Treatment Resourcesin Tacoma, Washington
Need help overcoming substance abuse? Use our guide and directory of treatment resources in Tacoma, Washington to start a path to recovery.
It was only two years ago that Pierce Country was declared an “opioid crisis area.”
But it hasn’t always been that way. Between 2002 and 2004, the state death rate from heroin was only 0.965 per 1,000 residents. Now no deaths are obviously ideal, but that’s not even 1/1,000.
Ten years later, in 2016, that rate jumped over 600 percent. It went from 0.965/1,000 to 4.2/1,000. That’s a huge increase in a small amount of time (in the scheme of things).
So what’s the issue in Tacoma? Are there not enough treatment centers, are they not high quality enough, or is the drug epidemic just that bad?
It’s a mix of all three, even though the centers there are doing their best. There’s just too much need in one area. Learn about the current treatment resources in Tacoma, Washington — and a few options in the surrounding areas (like Seattle).
How Many Treatment Centers are in Tacoma, Washington?
There are about 10, at least 10 that are large-scale enough to list. Those 10 centers are doing their best as we said. But when there’s a 600 percent increase in addicts (and those are just the deaths) that’s a lot of pressure.
Here are some of the centers that are working in Pierce County:
- Bayview Recovery Center: Alcohol and Drugs
- Center for Discovery, Tacoma: Mental Health, Eating Disorders, Substance Abuse
- F.H. Counseling & Associates: Outpatient, Substance Abuse
- The Clearing: Addiction Treatment through Counseling
- The Evergreen at Northpoint: Drug and Alcohol Abuse
- Tacoma Treatment Center: Medication-assisted, Addictions (general)
- Substance Abuse Rehab at Cascade Behavioral Health
- Mission Recovery Treatment Center
- The Recovery Village
- Teen Treatment at Evolve Agoura Hills
Choosing the center that’s right for you is an essential step to you or a loved one’s recovery. Some people do well, attending rehab in a town where they already live.
But others are either too embarrassed to seek treatment close to home or are too close to their using-network to succeed.
If either of the above situations sounds like you, consider looking into treatment centers just 41 minutes away in Seattle. These inpatient centers will give you a home away from home, so you can come back stronger and sober.
What Types of Treatment Centers Are in Tacoma?
There are two main types of treatment centers: inpatient and outpatient.
An inpatient program is more inclusive and has a better success rate. They are usually housed in campuses or group homes, where everyone in the building (except for the staff) is working toward sobriety.
You eat there, you sleep there, and you attend counseling there. In some instances, you can get time off to go to work if needed, but it’s not always possible (it depends on the program).
But for those who can’t take that time off of work or have familial duties, there are outpatient programs. Those are more like traditional therapy, where you go to a center or an office, discuss problems and seek solutions.
You can think of outpatient therapy like AA meetings, but a little more comprehensive. If you can’t stop working for a while and or need to take care of your family, these are the right choice for you.
However, you have to be much more self-motivated in an outpatient program. There’s no one there to stop you from going off and using when you’re not at the meeting.
You’ll still be drug tested if that’s what you’re at the meetings for — but if you don’t care, then you won’t succeed.
If you’re court-ordered into a program, it’s usually out-patient. They’ll accept in-patient programs too, but they consider out-patient to be more accessible.
What Programs are Offered in Tacoma?
Like we mentioned earlier, there are in-patient and out-patient programs. But within those programs, there are sub-divisions. For example, you have the 12-step program, which is very well known.
That program doesn’t work for everyone, so don’t be ashamed if you’ve tried it with no success. No one’s recovery looks 100 percent like someone else’s.
To succeed in the 12-step program, you’ll need some sort of connection to god. That’s not everyone’s reality.
Medication Assisted Treatment
Getting off drugs or alcohol isn’t a pleasant process. If getting sober was easy, more people that tried would succeed.
It not only comes with emotional challenges, but there are uncomfortable physical symptoms too. Those symptoms can be the difference between getting through the first week of recovering and relapsing.
Medically assisted treatment aims to get you through those symptoms with minimal suffering. They’re not going to ease you off the drugs — you still have to quit.
But they will help you get through your withdrawal symptoms by using non-psychoactive medication. To learn about the withdrawal process of alcohol (as an example), look at this timeline.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Most addicts didn’t start and keep doing drugs because they just felt like it one day. Most people seek out substances as relief from something they’re experiencing in their life.
And while drugs don’t help (they only hurt) in the long run, they make them feel better for a few hours. Those drugs can’t treat the underlying problem that they’re trying to escape from.
That problem is often a mental health issue, which is why it’s called a dual diagnosis. Recovery is most successful when you treat both the underlying mental issue and substance abuse behaviors.
Treatment Resources in Tacoma, Washington: Are They Right for You?
You have a lot of research to do as there are a lot of treatment resources in Tacoma, Washington. But just because there are many to choose from, it doesn’t mean you’ll find the right fit.
Don’t be afraid to look at outside options, like our center.
