Bloomington, Minnesota has a population of  85,172 with an average household size of 2.30¹ and is located in Hennepin County.

Bloomington is home to Indiana University established in 1820. Thomas Gaines, landscape artist, named IU one of the five most beautiful campuses in his book, The Campus As a Work of Art.

Bloomington is known for its rock quarries, a rich theatre culture and is home to a large folk punk music scene. And unfortunately, Bloomington has an ongoing drug problem.

Bloomington Minnesota's Drug Source
The DEA (The US Drug Enforcement Administration)² reports that marijuana remains the most readily available and commonly used drug in Minnesota, according to public health officials. The importation of bulk marijuana shipments into the state is controlled by Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Hispanic street gangs are the major distributors of marijuana at the retail level. Marijuana is readily available from local cultivators in addition to the supplies emanating from the southwest border.

The methamphetamine threat in Minnesota is a two-pronged problem. First, large quantities of methamphetamine produced by Mexican organizations based in California or Washington are transported into and distributed throughout the state. These traffickers typically send methamphetamine from California via bulk transportation and courier with some smaller amounts being sent through the U.S. mail or Federal Express. Second, methamphetamine is being produced in small laboratories, capable of producing only a few ounces at a time.

The majority of cocaine available in Minnesota is purchased from sources of supply in California, Chicago, and Detroit. Some traffickers obtain cocaine directly from sources of supply along the southwest border and transport the cocaine to Minnesota themselves.

Heroin distribution and use have not been significant problems in Minnesota, but recent reports indicate there has been an increase in heroin use, especially in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. At the wholesale level, sources of supply include Mexican traffickers operating from the southwest border and from Chicago, Nigerian/West African traffickers operating from Chicago and New York, African American street gangs with ties to Chicago. At the retail level, heroin is distributed primarily by Hispanic and African American street gangs.

Club drugs, including MDMA (ecstasy), Ketamine, GHB, GBL, Rohypnol, LSD, PCP, and, to a lesser extent, psilocybin mushrooms, have been reported in Minnesota. Club drugs are most prevalent in Minneapolis' gay population, and to a lesser extent, among young people at raves and nightclubs in suburban areas.

Current investigations indicate that diversion of OxyContin® and Vicodin® continues to be a problem in Minnesota. Primary methods of diversion being reported are illegal sale and distribution by health care professionals and workers, and “doctor shopping” (going to a number of doctors to obtain prescriptions for a controlled pharmaceutical). Benzodiazepines, methylphenidate, and Ritalin® were also identified as being among the most commonly abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in Minnesota. 

The Dwindling Spiral Will Continue
One thing is for certain, for a drug addict, the dwindling spiral will continue on its downward path unless action is taken. NOW is the time to do something before the addicted person winds up in jail or dead of an overdose or accident. Unfortunately past failed attempts to overcome addiction only further depress the individual so it comes as no surprise that fear and hesitation. 
In the city of Bloomington, there is an increased need for effective drug and alcohol rehab and addiction treatment centers as drug and alcohol use continues to escalate. Drug use erodes the quality of life not only for the user, but for their families and communities. Marriages and families are torn apart by mistrust, betrayal, fear and anger. Careers are ruined; companies lose millions of dollars in lost production time; cities and suburbs become degraded by the increased crime and violence that goes with drug trafficking and drug addiction. To do nothing for the addict, should not be an option. Something can be done; help is available.

The Damage to Society
In the State of Minnesota, and specifically in the city of Bloomington, the effects of drug and alcohol abuse goes way past the the damage done to the addicts themselves. In terms of time lost on the job, to the health system inundated by illness and overdoses to communities harmed by the crime rate caused by addicts looking to steal anything in order to get their next fix, to families living a nightmare as they watch helplessly as their loved one goes further down the chutes. The rollercoaster of emotions, concern and anger seems like a never ending  ride the abuser puts his friends and family through. Failures in the past with drug rehab centers further numb the addict to any hope of a future without drugs. It truly can appear hopeless.

Treatment Center Changes Needed
Just in the state of Minnesota, there are many different types of drug rehab and treatment facilities. In the United States, there are thousands of drug rehab and treatment centers. Of course the common goal of all addiction treatment programs is to help end addiction for the individual. In Minnesota and across the United States, a variety of techniques and methods are being used. Some of the well known treatment methods in Minnesota include the twelve step method, relapse prevention, one-on-one counseling, drug rehabilitation, behavioral modification, cognitive therapy, support groups, sober living, therapeutic communities, AA , NA, inpatient, and outpatient drug rehab programs. There are many types of treatment centers available in Minnesota, so making a decision can be difficult. Unfortunately, many uninformed people in Minnesota go from rehab to rehab looking for the one that is right for them.
In Minnesota, there are many attempts being made to meet the needs of drug addicts, but statistics show success rates to be dismally low. What is needed and wanted is a drug treatment which not only handles physical addiction, but finds the underlying reasons why a person turns to drugs in order to free the person forever. What Minnesota addicts, alcoholics and their family, friends and loved ones need is a real and effective drug rehab treatment center. One where they are not on a time schedule or use other drugs to get the addict off the original drugs. The addict needs a reliable proven program where when they are done, their drug addiction is a thing of the past and they are now able to live full productive lives free of the stronghold of drugs or alcohol.

Choosing a Drug Rehab and Addiction Treatment Program
What should the goal be of a drug rehab center? Clean and sober for 30 days? While that might be a good short term goal, many treatment centers and 12 step programs still leave the drug addict fighting a continuing battle with addiction. Once an addict always an addict; or it's a mental disorder they can do nothing about. When choosing a drug rehab center for yourself or a loved one from Bloomington, Minnesota, it is important to become educated on the different types of drug rehab and what the end results are. 

Should the Drug Rehab Location Matter When it Comes to Finding a Solution to Addiction?
Drug and alcohol addiction typically involves habitual routines in the environmental scope of the individual, i.e. the locations of their drug or alcohol use, the people they associated with in the activities of drug or alcohol use, etc. Drug or alcohol addiction is not just drug and alcohol use, it revolves around people and things in their immediate environment which help to trigger the addictive behavior. The abusers location & routines of drug and alcohol use further trigger drug and alcohol use. It is the constant and seemingly unstoppable drug or alcohol use and the hopelessness of day to day existence which perpetuates the problem and inhibits the native desire to stop ruining their life through the use of drugs and alcohol.

The above factor should not be over looked when considering a treatment center location. The first 2 weeks of treatment are always the most difficult & There many factors at work to make this so. In addition to what has been covered above, a more basic factor is this; people are creatures of habit.

Drug or alcohol addiction is not just drug and alcohol use, it revolves around people and things in their immediate environment which help to trigger the addictive behavior.

Even overwhelmingly positive & beneficial changes in life, such as the birth of a child or a new job does not guarantee the individual will have no thoughts of missing past negative activities such as, drug or alcohol use, drug or drinking acquaintances and other associated activities. Factually this is the normal reactive auto response of most human beings; to do what they are familiar with; good or bad. It is not really that they yearn for these things, it is just all that they have known for some time. If the abuser is close to home when overwhelming feelings manifest themselves, there is a good chance he or she will leave and get back to what they know, drug addiction, as it is not very far away . Due to these factors, attending a drug rehab close to home is seldom the correct treatment option for chronic drug or alcohol abusers. It is extremely therapeutic to be distanced from their former association with drug dealers, bars, the cabinet where the alcohol was kept, the cigar box where the cocaine was stored, etc. All these triggers make the task of sobriety seem insurmountable to the chronic drug or alcohol abuser as these triggers continuously stimulate a reminder of their past addictive behaviors.

For individuals with a severe drug or alcohol addiction problem, choosing a long term inpatient treatment program is another key to a successful outcome.

By providing a new, safe trigger free environment, distanced from past negative associations and surroundings for an extended period of time, the chance for success increases dramatically.

Our program provides people with positive circumstances to increase their chances for a successful recovery. The vast majority of students entering our program, around (80%), are from out of state or from other countries.

• Who has completed the Narconon drug rehab program;
• Who knows he is, in fact, capable of living a drug-free life thereafter;
• Who has improved his or her ability to learn and thus can accept new ideas on how to change life for the better;
• Who has personally absorbed the fundamentals of ethics and morality well enough that he or she can be productive and contributive to society and will have no further troubles with the justice system;
• Who knows how to solve the problems of life in a rational manner to the best of his ability, without the use of mind-altering drugs.