Individuals and families affected by drug and alcohol addiction in Florida have access to a range of different organizations, foundations, and healthcare providers across the state. These programs vary in structure and content, offering different levels of care that may include medical detox, inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, and aftercare services. Some organizations specialize in treating designated populations such as military personnel and veterans, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and students at local colleges and universities.
Drug Statistics in Florida
Addiction Nonprofits in Florida
House of Hope
This non-profit organization provides residential and outpatient addiction recovery treatment for adults in Florida. In addition to individual and group counseling, 12 step programming, and life skills training, they also help clients access psychiatric, medical, and clinical services as needed to address co-occurring mental health conditions. After treatment, they offer aftercare services to help clients secure transportation, housing, career opportunities, and related resources.
Hanley Foundation
Located in Palm Beach, this organization supports Florida adults in addiction recovery, with specialized services available for seniors. Their treatments incorporate an array of evidence-based modalities to address the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of substance use disorder (SUD). Levels of care include age- and gender-specific medical detox, residential treatment, and outpatient treatment.
Foundation for Life Ministries
This non-profit provides residential treatment services for men in central Florida seeking help for drug and alcohol addictions. The program lasts 12 months and covers three phases: Orientation/Transition (Phase 1), Active Recovery (Phase 2) and Ongoing Recovery/Re-entry (Phase 3). At the center, clients can participate in individual and group therapy, 12 step meetings, life skills training, and spiritual growth consultations. They are also required to find and maintain full-time employment throughout their treatment.
Peer Support Coalition of Florida
This is a peer-run non-profit organization that helps build networks of addiction recovery support throughout the state. They currently operate more than 10 local and regional networks, as well as four designated recovery organizations. They provide SUD-related education, advocacy, support, and networking opportunities. Individuals can visit their website to learn about local peer support groups near them.
The Salvation Army Florida Division
The Salvation Army provides free programs including rehabilitation services, disaster recovery services, holiday assistance, and related resources for residents across Florida. Individuals with drug or alcohol addictions can visit a designated Adult Rehabilitation Center to find individual and group counseling, social and emotional support, residential housing, work opportunities, and aftercare services.
Harm Reduction Programs
I Save FL
This group aims to reduce the opioid epidemic in Florida by helping individuals find free harm-reduction resources across the state. Their website includes a comprehensive directory of local providers that offer naloxone medication, overdose awareness education, and addiction recovery services, including medication assisted treatment (MAT) and general SUD treatment.
Florida Harm Reduction Collective
In partnership with NEXT Distro, this organization operates the state’s mail-in naloxone distribution program. They also partner with the Florida Department of Health to offer self-testing for HIV, available via mail or at local peer outreach centers. In addition, the collective provides technical assistance to more than 20 counties across Florida that offer harm reduction or syringe service programs (SSPs).
Miller School of Medicine SUD/Syringe Exchange
A division of the University of Miami, the Miller School of Medicine teams with the Jackson Health System to facilitate the Miami branch of the statewide Infectious Diseases Elimination Act (IDEA) Exchange initiative. This program includes an SSP that exchanges up to 10,000 syringes each week, with three fixed and five mobile locations available throughout Miami-Dade County.
NEXT Distro: Florida
This organization helps individuals in Florida receive the harm reduction supplies they need. They operate a delivery system that allows individuals in recovery or persons close to them to request certain supplies, including Narcan nasal spray and HIV self-testing kits, by mail. They also maintain an up-to-date database on local naloxone distribution sites throughout the state
Infectious Disease Elimination Act (IDEA Exchange)
In addition to a main site in Miami, IDEA Exchange also operates six mobile units around the city. They provide training, health education services, and a one-for-one syringe exchange program for residents in addiction recovery. Additional available services include anonymous HIV and Hepatitis C testing, wound care supplies, safe injection kits, safer sex supplies, and overdose prevention medication. They can also give referrals to community providers for additional rehabilitation and treatment.
Government Grants & Resources
Florida Department of Children and Families: SAMH Program
This department operates the state’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) program, which connects individuals to verified social services providers offering assistance with food, transportation, legal, and healthcare services. Adolescents and adults with behavioral health or addiction-related needs can visit this program to find detoxification, treatment, and recovery support resources near them.
Florida Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) Network
This group is a collaborative effort among the state’s Department of Health, Department of Children and Families, and Agency for Health Care Administration. Together, they mobilize addiction treatment providers across the state as soon as an individual in a designated CORE county calls 911 for a suspected overdose. These providers coordinate to deliver life-saving care, crisis stabilization, and multi-specialty long-term treatment including mental health, primary, and social services.
Miami-Dade County Community Action and Human Services Department (CAHSD)
The CAHSD offers many different resources for residences in Miami-Dade County including child development, social, and senior services. They also operate a Rehabilitative Services Division, which offers residential and outpatient treatment for adults with SUD. Following an initial assessment, clients can participate in services that include MAT, case management, individual and group counseling, relapse and overdose prevention training, and similar programs.
Florida Medicaid
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration implemented the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) program in 2014. This program enrolls most Medicaid participants in an individualized health plan. Many addiction treatment facilities across the state accept Medicaid as a form of payment.
Florida Department of Health: Substance Abuse
The Florida Department of Health provides resources for residents who are seeking treatment for drug and alcohol addictions. Their website includes information and links to local support services, including information on drug use during pregnancy and preconception health. The Department also operates the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program, which brings local providers and health systems together to study overdose-related data and develop prevention activities.
College Addiction Resources
Florida State University: Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP)
The CRP operates a program called Living Intentionally, Finding Togetherness, (LIFT). Through LIFT, students can connect with SUD treatment services and find substance-free environments to support their recovery. Available resources include peer-based meetings and activities, scholarships, and internship opportunities.
University of Central Florida: Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC)
The CRC provides addiction recovery, treatment, and prevention services for students at the University of Central Florida. Students can access this resource to find support meetings, connections to mental health professionals, addiction education, and direct access to SUD treatments including individual and group counseling, MAT, relapse prevention training, and similar services.
University of Miami: Campus and Community Resources
The University of Miami offers an array of services to help students in addiction recovery. These include the Personalized Feedback Index (PFI), an automated tool that provides recommended treatments and strategies based on a self-assessment of the individual’s alcohol use, as well as one-on-one counseling, peer support groups, and harm reduction supplies through the Student Health Safety Kit Pickup Program. Students can also receive referrals to local treatment providers and access to URecovery, a collegiate recovery community and peer-to-peer network.
University of Florida: Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC)
The CWC provides recovery support services for students at the University of Florida. They offer programs to help students understand the extent of addiction and its impact on their lives. Available services include self-assessments, individual and couples therapy, peer support groups, case management, crisis intervention, and psychiatry services for individuals with co-occurring mental health conditions.
Florida International University: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
The university’s Student Health Center manages CAPS, which provides mental health services to support students’ emotional well-being and academic progress. After attending an initial appointment, students will begin their recommended treatment which may include short-term individual or group counseling. Providers can make referrals to outside resources if longer-term addiction recovery support or psychiatry services are required.
LGBTQ+ Resources
Q Space Detox LLC
This facility specializes in SUD treatment for members of the LGBTQ+ community. They provide medical detox services as well as inpatient rehab services tailored to each client’s self-identified gender. Their programs incorporate evidence-based therapies and holistic approaches including individual and group therapy, peer support groups, and aftercare services.
ACLU of Florida
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida seeks to uphold and maintain the rights of all residents across the state, including individuals who identify as members of the LGTBQ+ community. They ensure laws related to addiction recovery apply to everyone regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Individuals can contact the ACLU to learn more about and support their latest campaigns, cases, and projects.
Inspire Recovery
Inspire Recovery is an alcohol and drug rehab center located in West Palm Beach. They provide LGBTQ-specific addiction treatment services including individual and group therapy and peer-based support groups. They also offer complementary, evidence-based modalities such as dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), trauma therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Clients can participate in intensive outpatient (IOP) or general outpatient (OP) programs, which also include holistic treatments such as meditation and yoga.
Veterans Programs
Florida VA Healthcare Systems
Multiple VA Healthcare Systems in Florida offer SUD treatment services. This includes the Bay Pines, Miami, and North Florida/South Georgia locations. Here, veterans, military personnel, and their families can participate in intensive outpatient (IOP) and general outpatient (OP) programs for addiction recovery.
VA Outpatient Clinics (OPC)
The VA operates four designated OPCs that deliver SUD treatment, including campuses at Jacksonville, Lake Baldwin, Viera, and Daytona Beach. In addition to recovery resources, veterans may also access myriad other services at these locations including primary care, mental health care, dental services, surgical services, and nursing support.
Florida Department of Veterans Affairs
The Florida Department of Veterans Affairs provides a wide range of programs designed to support the physical, mental, and emotional health of military members, veterans, and their families. This includes designated support for veterans with mental health or substance use conditions. Their website includes links to local and nationwide resources, including the Veterans Crisis Line.
James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital
Located in Tampa, this hospital provides OP and IOP treatment services for veterans in addiction recovery. Treatments are customized to meet each client’s needs and may include individual and group therapy.
Indigenous & Tribal Programs
Seminole Tribe of Florida: Center for Behavioral Health
This center provides integrated mental and behavioral health services for members of Florida’s Seminole Tribe. They use a host of culturally sensitive services including SUD treatment, mental health assessments, individual, group, and family therapy, crisis intervention, and addiction education. They can also make referrals to community providers for additional support.
JourneyPure Center for Native Americans
This center provides addiction and mental health treatment services for indigenous peoples throughout Florida, including members of the Miccosukee and the Seminole tribes. They offer tailored treatment plans based on each individual’s needs, all designed under the Wellbriety Movement that combines elements of wellness and sobriety. Services include evidence-based therapies such as DBT, as well as peer support groups, 12 step meetings, and linkages to local community resources.
Miccosukee Health Clinic
Operating under the Indian Health Service, the Miccosukee Health Clinic is located in Miami. They support local members of the Miccosukee tribe, offering various health and wellness services. Some of the available treatments include pharmaceutical services, primary nursing care, counseling support, and dental care. Clients in addiction recovery can work individually with a counselor to address their condition and take steps toward sobriety.
Drug Laws in Florida
Good Samaritan Law
Under this law, any Floridian who seeks emergency medical help for a person experiencing or believed to be experiencing an alcohol- or drug-related overdose cannot be arrested, charged, or prosecuted for drug-related violations.
Naloxone Standing Order
Florida law allows pharmacies to order and dispense naloxone medication to any patient or caregiver who requests it, even if that individual does not have a prescription. In addition, law enforcement personnel, child protective investigators, and correctional officers can also carry, store, and administer naloxone, and public schools can purchase the medication to keep on campus.
Florida Marchman Act
Enacted in 1993, the Marchman Act is also known as the state’s Substance Abuse Impairment Act. It requires that all addiction treatment facilities treat clients with respect and confidentiality and outlines methods for involuntarily admitting residents through programs such as drug courts. It also created protocols for inpatient and outpatient providers to follow when developing their programs, including medical detox.
House Bill 807: Sober Living Law
HB 807 is one of Florida’s sober living laws. It imposes criminal penalties on individuals who operate sober living homes under false pretenses. If someone fraudulently markets an unlicensed facility or runs a sober living facility without a license, they can face legal consequences. This bill also requires all operators to undergo stringent background checks before opening such a facility.
Sources
- Addressing Excessive Alcohol Use: State Fact Sheets. (2024, February 26). Www.cdc.gov.
- Substance Use Dashboard: Overview. (n.d.). Www.flhealthcharts.gov.
- Dec 13, P., & 2021. (2021, December 13). Mental Health and Substance Use State Fact Sheets. KFF.
- Executive Office of the Governor State Report 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey. (n.d.). Report.