Alcohol and Drug Statistics for Waterloo, IA
Iowa ranks relatively low among U.S. states for overall issues related to drugs and alcohol. But in recent years, the state has seen a jump in drug and alcohol use and deaths involving alcohol and drugs, an increase that also affects Waterloo and Black Hawk County.1
Although Iowa ranked 45th among U.S. states for illicit drug use and overdose deaths in 2021, it also ranked eighth in binge drinking and fifth in misuse of opioid pain medications.2 And in 2019, record numbers of Iowans ended up in hospital emergency rooms for drug and alcohol-related injuries. Here are a few more recent statistics on alcohol and drug use affecting the health and well-being of residents in Black Hawk County and the state of Iowa:3
Between 2019 and 2020, Iowa’s rate of drug overdose deaths jumped 19%.
Although drug overdose death rates are rising in Iowa, those rates are nearly half the national average.
In the same period, the number of deaths related to opioid drugs, including fentanyl, rose by 35%.
In a single year (2019-2020), Iowa’s opioid death rate among those younger than 24 rose 180%.
In 2020, one in five Iowa residents was classified as a binge drinker.
In the same year, alcohol consumption in the state exceeded national averages by about 10%.
More than 1,000 annual deaths in Iowa are related to excessive alcohol consumption.
Traveling to and Within Waterloo, IA
If you’re looking for alcohol and drug rehab in Waterloo, IA, or if you’re visiting someone who’s having treatment at an alcohol and drug rehab in the area, you may want to know a few things about activities, lodging, and travel in and around the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area:
- Waterloo has various activities and attractions, including casinos, golf courses, restaurants, and a waterpark.
- The city’s arts and culture scene include the Waterloo Center for the Arts and the Grout Museum District.
- Waterloo has its own commercial airport, Waterloo Regional Airport.
- Waterloo is about 55 miles from the larger city of Cedar Rapids on Highway 380.
- Travel options between Waterloo and Cedar Rapids include intercity buses and Amtrak.
- Waterloo has 17 hotel and motel options, including popular national chains Comfort Inn, Best Western, and Baymont.
Resources
- Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy. (2021). Drug Trends in Iowa.
- National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. (2019). Iowa Alcohol Abuse Statistics.
- Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy. (2022). Iowa Drug Control Strategies & Drug Use Profile.
