Mississippi Drug and Alcohol Use Statistics
In 2019, 3,000 individuals (0.11% of the MS population) aged 12 and older had a heroin use disorder.1
In the same year, approximately 96,000 individuals (3.9% of the MS population) aged 12 and older experienced prescription pain reliever misuse.1
Approximately 2.4% (58,000 individuals) of the MS population aged 12 and older had an illicit drug use disorder.1
In 2019, 4.4% (107,000) of individuals aged 12 and older had an alcohol use disorder.1
How Much Does Alcohol and Drug Rehab in Mississippi Cost?
The cost of rehab in Mississippi depends on the type of rehab you attend (such as inpatient vs. outpatient), the duration of your stay during treatment, and the treatments you receive while in rehab.
For example, receiving inpatient treatment after a medical detox for 60 days would be more expensive than receiving weekly outpatient therapy sessions for 30 days. Ultimately, you can expect to pay between $0 (if you have insurance or attend free rehab) and tens of thousands of dollars (if you choose luxury rehab or attend long-term inpatient).
How to Find Low-Cost and Free Rehabs in Mississippi
If you find that the cost of drug and alcohol rehab centers in Mississippi prevents you from seeking treatment, you may have low-cost or even free rehab options. One of the best options is a state-funded rehab. This type of facility receives financial grants from the government to provide addiction treatment at a low or no cost to those who can’t afford it.
State-funded drug and alcohol rehab centers are usually available to those with low income or no insurance. To find a Mississippi state-funded alcohol and drug rehab, you can contact the Mississippi Department of Mental Health.
Does Private Insurance Cover Addiction Treatment?
By law, private insurance is required ot cover the cost of addiction treatment services, though the extent may vary depending on your plan and provider. For example, your provider may cover 50% of inpatient rehab but 100% of outpatient treatment.
While your private insurance must cover alcohol and drug rehab, it is always best to contact your health insurer directly to find the extent of your coverage and make sure that you choose from a list of in-network providers.
Do Medicare and Medicaid Cover Drug Rehab?
Both Medicare and Medicaid are required by law to cover drug and alcohol rehab. This is because the Affordable Care Act and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act expanded coverage to substance use disorders. Both of these laws also mandated that health insurers pay for substance use disorder treatment in the same way that they would any other medical or surgical issue.
The Rehab Process: What to Expect
When starting rehab, you may not be sure what to expect, but don’t let that keep you from seeking the care you need. Demystifying the process can help you feel comfortable when enrolling in a treatment program.
Substance Abuse Assessment
When you first decide to seek out alcohol or drug rehab, you may contact your healthcare provider or the rehab facility of your choice to start the screening process. While you may not need a referral from your healthcare provider to enter into rehab, it is best to keep in contact with your provider.
After contacting your rehab of choice or your doctor, you will then go through a screening process using the Screening to Brief Intervention (S2BI) or Brief Screener for Alcohol, Tobacco, and other Drugs (BSTAD) or another tool used to determine the severity of your disorder and the best course of treatment.2
After completing the screener, your rehab professional will use the findings to determine what type of treatment will work best for your needs, such as whether or not you will benefit from medical detox if inpatient rehab is appropriate for you.
Medical Detox
Medical detox is often the first step on your long-term recovery path. This treatment is used to help you manage distressing and potentially life-threatening withdrawal symptoms that come from suddenly stopping substances.
Medical detox helps you stay safe and comfortable during the withdrawal period, which can be overwhelming and potentially fatal if done on your own without medical assistance.
Medical detox is not a substitute for comprehensive rehab treatment since it only manages your withdrawal symptoms, while comprehensive rehab, like therapy, addresses the underlying causes of substance abuse while giving you the tools to stay on the road to long-term recovery.
Inpatient Drug Rehab in Mississippi
Inpatient rehab is a type of treatment that requires you to spend the entirety of your rehab treatment in a residential facility, offering you a highly structured environment, free of triggers.
Therapies offered in inpatient rehab may include group therapy, individual therapy, and therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy or dialectical behavior therapy.
Some reasons you might choose inpatient treatment include:3
- 24/7 support and care
- A complete focus on your recovery with no outside influences to distract you
- Strict schedule and routine, which helps you to focus on recovery
- A nurturing substance and alcohol-free environment
- Longer treatment times, which have been linked to better outcomes
Step-Down Care
After you complete your inpatient rehab program, you or your professional rehab team may decide that it is best for you to enter into another treatment program like a partial hospitalization program, intensive outpatient program, or standard outpatient rehab. Step-down care aims to help you continue on your path to recovery by improving and building upon the skills you learned during inpatient care in a structured environment.
A partial hospitalization program is a treatment model that allows you to receive comprehensive care while leaving the facility and returning home in the evenings. Instead of going to work or school, your day would be spent partaking in the therapies offered in your partial hospitalization program.
Partial hospitalization programs offer both individual and group therapy. The benefits of a partial hospitalization program include:
- A high level of support and intense therapy
- A semi-controlled daytime environment to keep you motivated as you work toward recovery
- Support as you enter into a new phase of recovery
- Ability to return to your own home each night
If a partial hospitalization program isn’t right for you, your rehab professionals may suggest an intensive care outpatient program, which . An intensive care outpatient program is a treatment model that gives you intense therapy while also allowing you to return home each night. Intensive outpatient therapy offers at least nine hours of therapy a week in the forms of group counseling, individual counseling, drug and alcohol use monitoring, and medication management.
Standard outpatient treatment gives you comprehensive therapy on a more flexible schedule. With outpatient therapy, you can usually go to work or school and also spend your nights in your own home.
Aftercare and Relapse Prevention
Staying on the road to recovery is a lifelong process. Completing addiction treatment is a major first step to long-term recovery but is it crucial to have a plan in place that helps you prevent a relapse. This is where aftercare support comes in to help.
With aftercare support, you can work together with your professional treatment team to create a plan that allows you to continue toward recovery while also taking your needs and desires into consideration.
Some aftercare options that are available include AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), NA (Narcotics Anonymous), Smart Recovery, sober living homes, and ongoing therapy.
What to Consider When Choosing the Right Mississippi Rehab for You
Choosing the right Mississippi alcohol rehab and drug rehab is an important first step on your road to recovery. When choosing the right rehab for you, you should consider the distance of the rehab facility from your place of residence, whether you would like to travel to your rehab location or stay closer to home, the cost of rehab, the amenities offered by the rehab facility, the population that the rehab facility focuses on working with, and the type of treatment options available.
For example, if you have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, then you would want to enter a rehab that offers dual diagnosis treatments because substance use disorders and mental health disorders require different types of therapy.
You should also consider what types of treatment approaches you value. For example, you may wish to enter a rehab that offers meditation and art therapy or one that emphasizes a relationship with a higher power as a cornerstone to recovery.
Other factors that you should consider include whether you would like to choose a rehab that allows you to have visitors or excursions from the facility during the course of treatment. These factors can come into play when choosing the right rehab for you.
What to Look for in a Quality Treatment Program
Program Accreditation
Program accreditation is a process that rehab facilities go through to ensure you can trust them to provide high-quality services. The accreditation process usually involves a number of evaluations that the rehab facility must undergo set forth by an accrediting agency like the Joint Commission or the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Services. Program accreditation lets you know that your rehab program of choice has met the standards set forth by accreditation bodies and, therefore, is able to provide high-quality services.
Credentialing of Staff
Staff credentials show that your rehab team has had the proper training to give you the best care. A quality rehab facility will have certified staff since Mississippi doesn’t currently offer licensing for substance use disorder counseling.5
Staff certified in addiction treatment are also more understanding of your disorder and will be better equipped to give you the necessary tools, therapies, and treatment to get you on the road to long-term recovery.
Utilizing Individualized Treatment Plans
A quality rehab uses individualized treatment plans tailored to meet your needs and address your specific triggers and stressors so that you can develop and implement a plan to help you stay on the road to recovery.
Staff-to-Patient Ratio
A low staff-to-patient ratio allows you to get the individualized care that you need without feeling as if you are being neglected, ignored, or rushed in your rehab experience.
A low staff-to-patient ratio allows your rehab team to actually get to know you and your needs as an individual. You will also get to know and trust your team, which is crucial for the recovery process to continue.
Financing Options
The cost of rehab can be a huge factor in preventing you from getting the treatment you need. High-quality alcohol and drug rehab will understand this and work with you to make sure that finances aren’t stopping you from journeying toward recovery.
Financing options that your rehab may offer could include payment plans, a sliding scale, medical loans, rehab scholarships, and in-clinic financing.
Aftercare Planning
A quality rehab may offer an aftercare plan that includes employment options, educational goals, a plan to prevent relapse, and continued support from both your rehab team and your peers.
Alumni Programs
Staying connected to your support system is important in your recovery journey. A quality rehab understands and appreciates the bonds and connections that you make with your peers as you go through rehab together. As such, they often offer alumni programs that celebrate the milestones in your recovery journey as well as allow you to stay in contact with those you met in treatment.
Should I Travel to Mississippi for Alcohol and Drug Treatment?
When deciding whether you should travel to rehab, you should consider whether or not you have the financial means to travel, if you have a support system in place once you return, how being in a different environment will affect your substance abuse, and whether or not Mississippi is where you would like to have your rehab experience.
Regional Considerations in Mississippi: North vs. South and City vs. Rural
Mississippi is a vibrant and charming state with many different locations and environments for you to explore. Whether you find a bustling city or a quiet beach an important part of your recovery journey, you will find what you’re looking for in Mississippi.
If you are a history lover and find exploring history to be a part of your recovery, then consider cities like Vicksburg and Natchez, MS. Vicksburg houses the Vicksburg National Military Park, which shows off historical monuments while Natchez is famous for the Natchez Trace Pathway. The Natchez Trace Pathway runs through three different states and offers access to historical gems like the Meriwether Lewis Museum.
If music and the arts are more important to your recovery, then consider Meridian, MS, which houses the Riley Center also called the Grand Opera House where you can take in a show. You also wouldn’t want to miss a visit to Tupelo, MS, where you can visit the birthplace of Elvis Presley.
If you find that a day at the beach is more important to your recovery, then consider Biloxi, MS, to soak up the sand and enjoy the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Drug and Alcohol Laws in Mississippi
Possessing and/or using illegal drugs in Mississippi is a crime. Mississippi has strict drug laws, and if you are found guilty of possessing, selling, and/or using illegal drugs, you can be sentenced to prison time and/or a hefty fine.
The length of your sentence depends on the amount and type of drug possessed.
In Mississippi operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and drugs is considered a crime punishable by jail or prison time, fines, or both. You may also lose your driver’s license for up to 120 days.
With a first-offense DUI, you can be sentenced to up to 48 hours in jail and a fine of up $1,000. Second offenses can require up to six months of community service and participation in an alcohol or drug rehab program.
Whereas most Mississippi laws are hard on illegal drugs and alcohol misuse, the Mississippi Medical Emergency Good Samaritan law is one that works to save the lives of those who may be experiencing a drug overdose. The law states that a person can call 911 to save the life of someone experiencing a drug overdose without fear of being prosecuted for drug use.
Resources
- HHS Publication No. SMA–20–Baro–19–MS. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2020. Behavioral Health Barometer: Mississippi, Volume 6: Indicators as measured through the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
- Screening and Assessment Tools Chart | National Institute on Drug Abuse. National Institute on Drug Abuse.
- de Andrade, Dominique; Elphinston, Rachel A.; Quinn, Catherine; Allan, Julaine; Hides, Leanne. 2019. The effectiveness of residential treatment services for individuals with substance use disorders: A systematic review. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 201, 227-235.
- Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Substance Abuse: Clinical Issues intensive Outpatient Treatment. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 47. 2006. DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 06-4182. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
- US Department of Health and Human Services. 2019. Credentialing, Licensing, and Reimbursement of the SUD Workforce [Ebook] (p. viii).
