Find a certified drug rehab center or local 12-step support group meeting in the Daytona Beach area. Alcoholics Anonymous chapters host hundreds of meetings across the county every week, and Narcotics Anonymous chapters host about 75 meetings each week.
Law enforcement in Volusia and Flagler counties try to keep people suffering from addiction out of jails by diverting individuals accused of nonviolent offenses to drug courts. The courts are designed to keep participants accountable while providing resources for recovery. Participants of drug and DUI courts in Flagler and Volusia counties receive treatment from the Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare center.
The Volusia County Drug Court is a comprehensive rehab program for nonviolent offenders charged with a drug-related felony. It’s a voluntary program that includes random drug testing, counseling, group therapy and other forms of court-ordered rehab. The program also provides referrals to life-skills and vocational training programs.
Volusia County also has a DUI Court. The court is for people who have been repeatedly charged with alcohol-related offenses, first-time offenders who had a high blood alcohol level at the time of arrest or young offenders. The program includes random urine screenings, counseling and other treatment programs.
“It’s given me motivation to dedicate my life to helping other people with this disease that I have, because it is so beyond real and so nonprejudicial to who we are and where we come from, how much we have and how much we think we know.”
The Flagler County Drug Court accepts referrals from the Seventh Judicial Circuit, the Office of the State Attorney, the Office of the Public Defender, law enforcement agencies and local health care providers. Participants undergo random drug testing, attend court appearances and receive comprehensive addiction treatment, including counseling and group therapy.
“For the first time in my life, I’m living on my own. I have my own apartment. I’m mostly sufficient with bills and everything like that. I’ve never been this successful.”
Drug Courts in the Daytona area also refer male participants to the Open Door Re-Entry and Recovery Ministry in Bunnell, Florida. The Christian-based residential rehab program lasts between six and eight months and is dedicated to providing alcohol and drug offenders with spiritual and physical tools for recovery.
“I chose this in a heartbeat … and this place saved my life 100 percent.”
To maintain lifelong recovery, rehab alumni must access recovery resources and continue to practice the healthy strategies they learned during treatment. The Daytona Beach area has a variety of resources available to individuals recovering from addiction.
Sober living environments provide safe places for people in recovery to live until they’re ready to move to a long-term residence. The Florida Association of Recovery Residences certifies reputable sober living homes in the state, but noncertified homes may also provide adequate living conditions.
Sober living homes in the Daytona Beach area include:
Individuals in recovery from a substance use disorder may need educational classes or vocational training to pursue future educational or career goals. Several programs and institutions in the Daytona Beach area provide the skill-development resources people in recovery require.
Daytona State College provides adult education classes that help students bolster their reading and math skills to earn a GED certificate. The college also offers an Adult High School program that allows students to obtain a high school diploma.
The Neighborhood Networks program at three Daytona Beach Housing Authority locations provides job skills training, basic computer skill development programs, basic adult education classes and GED courses.
The Volusia Literacy Council provides free group and individual tutoring sessions for adults hoping to attain math and reading scores at a ninth-grade level. The council also helps adults apply for jobs and further their careers or academic goals.
The Babe James Center in New Smyrna Beach provides work readiness evaluations, life skills training, resume writing workshops, mock interviewing sessions and GED programs for individuals ages 16 and older.
The Daytona Beach area has a plethora of activities for people in recovery to enjoy. You can find a number of attractions that are safe and free of triggers in Volusia and Seminole counties.
You can lay out on the beach or travel south to Ponce Inlet to see Lighthouse Point Park. Go across the inlet to check out Smyrna Dunes Park in New Smyrna Beach, or head north to Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park in Ormond Beach. You can also head inland to Blue Springs State Park near DeLand to check out the manatees or take a tour of the historic Thursby House.
Daytona Beach International Speedway is arguably more well-known than Daytona’s beaches. The Speedway hosts NASCAR’s Daytona 500, the Ferrari World Finals and events such as the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross championship. The venue is also home to various music festivals and running events.
If you want to visit historic and cultural attractions near Daytona Beach, you can start at the DeBary Hall historic site in DeBary or the Stetson Mansion in DeLand. For an outdoor experience, you can take one of the river boat tours on the St. Johns River or visit the Sugar Mill Ruins in New Smyrna Beach.
Whether you’re a college student concerned about how much alcohol you consume or an adult in recovery going back to school, colleges and universities in the Daytona Beach area have support services for you.
Daytona State College provides short-term individual counseling services such as assessment and crisis stabilization. Registered students can receive up to three free counseling sessions at the college’s counseling services department. For long-term care, the department refers students with substance abuse and mental health disorders to health organizations in the community.
Bethune-Cookman University’s office of Counseling Services provides substance abuse and mental health education and support for students. Students can schedule counseling appointments or walk in to the counseling center at the Texas A. Adams Alumni-Infirmary on campus. Students can also join support groups for issues dealing with depression, anxiety and addiction recovery.
The Counseling Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University provides educational presentations and activities, free online assessments and long-term referral services for students with substance abuse and mental health disorders. The center also offers free individual and couples counseling for students suffering from addiction or feelings of depression, anxiety and confusion.
In nearby DeLand, Stetson University’s Wellness and Recreation department provides a variety of alcohol and drug prevention services. The department’s 21st Birthday Project tries to prevent binge drinking. The Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students program intervenes with students at risk for heavy drinking, and the Think About It program helps students understand overall wellness, including drug and alcohol use.
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Get Help NowThe most commonly abused illicit drugs in Volusia County include prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, cocaine and heroin. Prescription opioids, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and morphine, were the deadliest drugs in Volusia County in 2015, according to the Florida Medical Examiners Commission’s Annual Report. That year, deaths involving illicit drugs included:
Heroin 20 deaths
Cocaine 37 deaths
Benzodiazepines 66 deaths
Prescription Opioids 155 deaths
In 2016, the Daytona Beach Police Department arrested 21 individuals and sought 16 more accused of trafficking cocaine, heroin and prescription medications during a sting operation. The majority of offenders were trafficking cocaine, but Police Chief Mike Chitwood said the heroin arrests were unusual for the area.
“In my 10 years here we really haven’t seen heroin,” Chitwood told the Daytona Beach News-Journal in July 2016. “In this operation there were five, and last week we served a search warrant (at a home) which was all heroin, and I think we are beginning to see the influx of heroin.”
The most recent drug market analysis by the Central Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program cited pill mills and doctors who overprescribe medications as the source of rampant prescription drug abuse in the area. Mexican drug-trafficking organizations were the primary suppliers of cocaine, meth and marijuana in the region.
In a 2014 survey of Volusia County middle and high schoolers, 21 percent of students said they’d tried alcohol in the past 30 days. About 13 percent said they tried marijuana, and more than 5 percent said they smoked cigarettes. The drug abuse rates were comparable to the state average for teenagers.
Compared to previous years, cigarette use continued to decline in the county and across the state.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Julie Barrow of One Voice for Volusia told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “Usually these numbers bring a lot of gloom and doom, but now the numbers are going down.”
About 16 percent of Volusia County middle and high schoolers abused any illicit drug in 2014, down from 18.1 percent in 2012 and almost 20 percent in 2010.
The Daytona Beach community is committed to preventing addiction before it occurs. A number of local coalitions, councils and organizations support awareness and prevention programs throughout Volusia County.
The Too Good for Drugs (TGFD) program is a tobacco, alcohol and drug-prevention program targeted at elementary school students. The program teaches students to have clear boundaries and high expectations and provides them with role models and support resources.
The Volusia County Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program supports anti-crime and anti-drug abuse activity. The program awards grants to community organizations that provide drug awareness educational programs to youth, facilitate education for parents and promote other anti-drug activities. The grant also funds mental health services and alternative courts.
The Volusia County Substance Abuse Policy Advisory Board researches and recommends policy on drug-related issues to the Volusia County Council. SAPAB recommends the allocation of county funds to address substance abuse problems in the community, including but not limited to funding for the JAG program.
The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in DeLand brings police officers to the classroom to teach elementary students to resist peer pressure and avoid dangerous situations. The DeLand Police Department partners with the Volusia County School Board and other community organizations to provide anti-drug education.
One Voice for Volusia is a community anti-drug coalition that promotes anti-drug and healthy lifestyle behavior in Volusia County. The organization hosts several substance abuse prevention initiatives for youth in the community, including programs that provide safe activities for teens on Fridays and teach students about the laws and consequences of illegal behavior.
The Seminole Prevention Coalition promotes a safe and drug-free community in Seminole County. The nonprofit works with businesses and community organizations to reduce risk factors for substance abuse in the county. Its Pitch Your Pills campaign aims to increase awareness about the dangers of the prescription drug epidemic.
The Narcotics Overdose Prevention and & Education task force provides anti-drug educational programs to middle schools, high schools and colleges. The Volusia and Flagler Counties chapter of NOPE works with police departments and parents whose lives have been affected by drug overdose to warn youth about the dangers of illicit drugs. NOPE also provides educational resources for parents.
The Community Partnership for Children provides child protective services for Volusia, Flagler and Putnam counties. The CPC substance abuse task force hosts regular meetings to educate and inform the community about how drugs are affecting the public.
People for Drug Free Youth promotes alternatives to drug and alcohol abuse for teens in Southeast Volusia County. Through educational presentations, the organization raises awareness about the negative effects of drug and alcohol abuse. It also supports a variety of prevention efforts using funds raised through its thrift shop.
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