Substance use disorders affect every demographic across our state. It does not discriminate against gender, race, economic status, or education. These facts also apply to minors in Kentucky.

 Breaking the stigma around substance use disorders can be quite difficult. When you add the additional barriers that minors encountered while struggling with substance use disorders we must factor in the inequity in access to resources. When researching there aren’t as many statistics available regarding minors. Adults have much more access to resources. In Kentucky alone, there are 450 behavioral health services and rehab, 400 outpatient centers, 100 detox centers, and 60 long-term residential programs. When I looked up how many there are for minors in Kentucky there aren’t readily available options, aside from The Ridge in Lexington, Ky.   According to the Child Crime and Safety Center,It is estimated that 1.9 to 2.4 million minors have struggled or still struggle with substance use disorder. In Kentucky, 7.03 percent of minors are still using. These numbers are increasing alarming rate. 

Also, Kentucky has been impacted and devastated by the opioid epidemic. The Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet and Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP) announced that 2020

Overdose Fatality Report indicates more than 1,964 Kentuckians died from drug overdoses in

2020, a 49% increase in drug overdose deaths compared with the year prior. Having a Recovery Ready Community takes several different steps for individuals to have a chance at being clean and sober. The importance of a recovery community center is it helps rebuild social skills, decreases isolation, provides support through many aspects of life, and gives access to peers, just to name a few. 

Recovery-ready community discussions generally speak only to adults. Most recovery options are for 18 years old and older. Minors don’t have access to 12-step fellowship meetings, recovery community centers, or the same recovery options as adults. As we continue to have difficult conversations around substance use disorders, if we allowed minors the same access, we as a community could address issues much sooner. This could have a huge impact on building a healthy community.