History

Overview

Bloomington, Illinois, founded in 1831, serves as the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, and is a city located 135 southwest of Chicago and 162 miles northeast of St. Louis.^[1] Bloomington and its adjacent town of Normal, Il are home to Illinois State University, Illinois Wesleyan University, and Heartland Community College. Together, they form the Bloomington-Normal Metropolitan Area that is home to 131,416 of McLean County's 170,954 citizens according to the 2020 census.^[2]

Figure 1: Downtown Bloomington, Il

Defining Narcotics Abuse

The term narcotic references a drug used primarily for the treatment of pain and can induce states of euphoria, stupor, and sleep. Originally, the term “narcotic” was used to reference any psychoactive compound with paralyzing or numbing effects but in more recent times has become synonymous with opiates and opioids, including primarily morphine, heroine, fentanyl, and other synthetic compounds. Because of the previously mentioned effects of ingesting these substances, addiction potential is extremely high. This can be seen very clearly in modern times, specifically since the late 1990’s, with a rapid shift upwards in opioid addiction and overdose deaths resulting from both over-prescription and other illegal sources.^[8] The opioid epidemic has and continues to greatly affect the nation and Illinois as well as Bloomington Normal are no exception. Data and statistics reflect a continuously growing percentage in death rates annually, with an especially significant jump in recent years. As many as 1,889 opioid related deaths were reported in Illinois in 2016, a 76% increase from 2013. ^[6] The Bloomington government has recently been granted over 300 million dollars from the federal government to combat opioid addiction.^[7] This money has gone towards efforts in our community, most recently the implementation of the 2022 Illinois State Overdose Action Plan on a state level, and the 3-Year Community Health Improvement Plan enacted by McLean County.

Figure 2: Opioids

Narcotics Abuse in Bloomington-Normal

As far back as Illinois Department of Public Health online records show, in 2013 McLean County reported 3.27 non-fatal opioid overdoses per 10,000 population. By 2020 the metric climbed to 5.33 per 10,000, about 90 cases. In the fatal overdose category statistics saw a similar jump from a 0.63 overdose rate in 2013 to 1.74 by 2018. The table below shows the fatal overdose rate McLean County saw for opioid use over ten years from 2013 to 2022. Spanning this recent decade, the county averaged an increase of about one fatal overdose per year. In 2013, not a single type of opioid caused more than 5 overdose fatalities in McLean County, yet by 2019 synthetic opioids played a hand in 23 individual deaths and that statistic hasn't dropped below 15 since[Figure 4 and Figure 5].^[3] Synthetic opioids most commonly refer to fentanyl, a drug originally used as a painkiller or sedative that is up to 40 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more than morphine.^[4] Fentanyl is known to be playing a substantial part in the synthetic opioid overdose death epidemic in the United States.

On October 9th, 2023, the Bloomington Police Department reported that there had been nine fentanyl overdoses within the previous two weeks. Three cases proved to be fatal.^[5]  Lucas Montesantos, Tom Costigan, and Nick Morario discuss into much further depth how this issue has been affecting the Bloomington-Normal area in their podcast "Narcotics Abuse in Bloomington-Normal". It includes interviews with Judge John Casey Costigan and retired Normal Police Officer Chris Nyman.

Figure 3: McLean County Opioid Trends by Age Group

Figure 4: Mortality Trends By Type of Opioid Involved in McLean County, Il from 2013 to 2022Figure 5: Legend for Figure 4

Signs and Symptoms

Because narcotics/opioid addictions and eventual overdoses often times begin with a medical prescription, pinpointing the beginning signs of overuse and addiction can be difficult. In cases of illegally obtained narcotics as well, warning signs are not always clear especially with the consideration that these habits are often secrets from friends and family. Beginning signs to look for may include changes in behavior such as an increase in anger or rapid mood swings. Emotions in general but specifically large, fast changes in them should are signs to look out for in anyone who may be using and should be monitored carefully for someone taking prescription opioids. 

Consideration should be given as well to the signs of opioid intoxication, which may include:

• Decrease in perception of pain
• Euphoria
• Disorientation
• Confusion
• Lack of energy or tiredness
• Slurred speech
• Shaking/shivering
• Nausea
• Repetitive stimulating movements 
• Head nodding

Treatment

Here in Bloomington, we have Chestnut Health Systems. At Chestnut they offer a variety of different treatment to all adolescents and adults. Their devoted staff will help you and your loved ones through every stage of treatment including the initial assessment, understanding treatment suggestions, guiding financial concerns, learning about family programs, and creating aftercare plans. They understand that getting treatment for anyone is always a difficult process and their mission is to make that easier on you. At Chestnut, physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, counselors, recreation coordinators, and case managers all work together to create a unique treatment plan for each individual. Their treatment plans are all different for every individual, the purpose behind this is to help each patient simultaneously and also offer mental health evaluations for the patients. 

References

1. “Bloomington, Illinois.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2023,   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomington,_Illinois. Retrieved 6 Dec. 2023.

2. “2020 Census.” United States Census Bureau,  United States Government, 29 Nov. 2022,   www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/2020/2020-census-main.html. Retrieved 6 Dec. 2023

3.  “Opioid Data Dashboard.” Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois State Government, 2023, idph.illinois.gov/OpioidDataDashboard/. Retrieved 6 Dec. 2023.

4. “Fentanyl.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Dec. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fentanyl. Retrieved 6 Dec. 2023.

5. "Bloomington Police Notices Recent Spike in Overdoses." WJBC, 9 Oct. 2023, www.wjbc.com/2023/10/09/bloomington-police-noticing-recent-spike-in-overdoses/. Retrieved 9 Nov 2023.

6. " Reports, Data, and Statistics. " McLean County, IL , (n.d.), https://www.mcleancountyil.gov/1829/Reports-Data-and-Statistics

7. Stock, E. (2023, July 5). Bloomington, normal, McLean County plot opioid strategies with settlement money. WGLT. https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2023-06-23/bloomington-normal-mclean-county-plot-o pioid-strategies-with-settlement-money

8. "SUPR Opioid Resources." Illinois Department of Human Services. (n.d.). https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=93882#:~:text=If%20you%20need%20help%2C%20call,place%20to%20address%20new%20challenges.