The Challenge
The impacts of Substance Use Disorders reverberate throughout our community. In Yellowstone County:
- More than 50% of residents say their life has been negatively impacted by a Substance Use Disorder (either their own or someone else’s)
- 4,000 adolescents and adults are dependent on or abusing illicit drugs.
- 9,500 adolescents and adults are dependent on or abusing alcohol.
- Methamphetamine is the #1 illicit drug of choice for patients in treatment.
- The violent crime rate grew 81% in Yellowstone County from 2010-2017.
- Child neglect cases grew 149% from 2014-2018.
- 80% of neglect cases are due to substance use
“In Billings, meth is cheap and the high lasts for a long time….Crime and meth go hand in hand. I wasn’t in trouble for the first 24 years of life, but soon after starting meth, I got 10 felonies and 32 misdemeanors….Once you start using meth it will take everything from you.”
“Alcohol is what really starts people using in a lot of cases too. People start getting high because they start getting high when they’re drunk.”
“Methamphetamine use happens in family systems and social networks that are very hard to break free from.”
33.33%
One in three high school students personally knows an adult who has used marijuana, cocaine or other drugs in the last year. (2018 PNA)
20%
One in five teens personally knows at least one adult who has dealt or sold drugs in the past year. (2018 PNA)
16.67%
One in six teens reports that it would be easy to get a illicit drugs if they wanted to (2018 PNA)
85.70%
Based on focus group participants, 6 out of 7 first substance use was between age 10-12)
Community Data Resources
Community Health Needs Assessment Report - Yellowstone County, Montana
Billings Police Department Crime Data Hub
Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey
Montana Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Montana Prevention Needs Assessment Survey
Treatment Episode Data Set
