FAQ

...because no family should face the disease of addiction alone

10/01/2008

FACTS

National Alcohol and Drug Recovery Month recognizes the accomplishments of people in recovery, the contributions of treatment providers and advances in substance abuse treatment and recovery throughout the nation. Electronic versions of Recovery Month materials are available at recoverymonth

The kit is available Recovery Kit

Marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug (14.6 million past month users).

T 6.4 million persons aged 12 or older who used prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs non medically in the past month.

Of these, 4.7 million used pain relievers, 1.8 million used tranquilizers, 1.1 million used stimulants

Among persons aged 12 or older who used pain relievers nonmedically in the past 12 months, 59.8 percent reported that the source of the drug the most recent time they used was from a friend or relative for free.

Slightly more than half of Americans aged 12 or older reported being current drinkers of alcohol in the 2005 survey (51.8 percent). or an estimated

126 million people,

Survey Result

Illicit Drug Use in the U.S.

2007 National Survey on Drug Use & Health:

This survey provides the latest data on prevalence and correlates of substance use, serious mental illness, related problems, and treatment in the civilian population aged 12 or older in the U.S.

Results from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings

in 2006 about 3.1 million persons aged 12 to 25 (5.3%) had ever used an over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medication to get high; that is, used it nonmedically. Nearly 1 million persons aged 12 to 25 (1.7%) had used an over-the-counter cough and cold medication to get high in the past year. Young adults aged 18 to 25 were more likely than youth aged 12 to 17 to have used OTC cough and cold medications nonmedically in their lifetime

National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that about 510,000 youth aged 12 to 17 (2%) used stimulants (including methamphetamines) nonmedically in the past year in 2006. Nonmedical use is defined as the use of prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs that were not prescribed for the respondent by a physician or were used only for the experience or feeling they caused. Over 71% of youth who used stimulants nonmedically in the past year compared with 34% of youth who did not use stimulants nonmedically also engaged in at least one of the six types of delinquent behaviors in the past year. Youth who used stimulants nonmedically in the past year were also more likely than youth who did not use stimulants nonmedically to have experienced a major depressive episode in the past year (23% vs. 8.1%).

3.2% of the persons aged 12 or older who first used alcohol 13 to 24 months prior to the survey interview were dependent on alcohol in the past 12 months. Of those who first used marijuana in the 13 to 24 months prior to the survey interview, 5.8% were dependent on marijuana in the past year. Among new users of crack cocaine in the 13 to 24 months prior to the survey interview, 9.2% were dependent on any type of cocaine in the past year; and 13.4% of the new users of heroin in the 13 to 24 months prior to the survey interview were dependent on heroin in the past year.

2006 National Survey on Drug Use & Health indicated that more than a fourth of the persons under the legal age for drinking actually drank in the past month; that is, there were 10.8 million current underage drinkers. Over a half (53.4%) of the current underage alcohol users drank at someone else's home the last time they used alcohol and another 30.3% drank in their own home.

Based on SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) on substance abuse treatment admissions in 2006, repeat admissions aged 18 to 25 were more likely than first-time admissions of the same age group to report heroin and other opiates as the primary substance of abuse (27% vs. 12%) and to report the use of multiple substances (67% vs. 56%).

Parental Involvement

SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health includes a sample of parents and their children who live in the same household. These parent-child pairs are composed of a child aged 12 to 17 and his or her biological, step, adoptive, or foster parent. Based on SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, mothers were more likely than fathers to be aware of their child's substance use in the past year regardless of the household having only the mother or both parents. Fathers in two parent households were more likely than fathers in father-only households to be aware of their child's substance use in the past year. The older the child, the more likely that parents were aware of their child's alcohol and cigarette use in the past year. Past year substance use by youth was higher in one-parent households than those with both parents. Within one-parent households, substance use by youth was generally higher among youth in father-child pairs than mother-child pairs.

Youths aged 12 to 17 were asked a number of questions related to the extent of support, oversight, and control that they perceived their parents exercised over them in the year prior to the survey. In 2005, among youths aged 12 to 17 enrolled in school in the past year, 79.2 percent reported that in the past year their parents always or sometimes checked on whether or not they had completed their homework, 79.5 percent reported that their parents always or sometimes provided help with their homework, and 68.7 percent reported that their parents limited the amount of time that they spent out with friends on school nights.

Parents the Anti Drug

Ever find yourself wanting a “teen compass”…something to help you navigate through the sea of MP3 players, social networking sites and questionable clothing choices?

What teens do versus what parents know are often two different things. The same is true for drugs and alcohol. The AntiDrug.com is here to get parents up-to-speed on what they need to know.

The "Open Letter to Parents" and its message are being supported by leaders in the fields of education, health, and youth drug prevention, including the Center for College Health and Safety, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, National Association of Asian and Pacific-American Education, United Negro College Fund, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American School Counselor Association, National Student Assistance Association, and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

"Young people who begin marijuana use at an early age when the brain is still developing are more vulnerable to problems with memory, attention span, and learning," said Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Smoking marijuana causes some changes in the brain that are like those caused by cocaine, heroin, and alcohol."

Research also shows that teens with an average grade of "D" or below are more than four times more likely to have used marijuana in the past year as youth who reported an average grade of "A." The more a student abuses substances, the lower his or her grade point average is likely to be. In fact, teenagers who drink underage or use drugs are up to five times more likely than their peers to drop out of high school.

The "Marijuana and Learning" outreach effort is part of a larger marijuana education initiative launched by ONDCP to dispel myths and misconceptions about the drug among teens and their parents. For more information about marijuana's negative impact on teen learning and other media campaign efforts that you can bring to your community Click Here.

Treatment Facts

The public cost of untreated alcohol and drug addiction is a nearly $280 billion a year; $1,000 in unnecessary costs for every man, woman, and child in America.

Prevention and treatment saves lives and costs less: Millions of people and their families are in recovery from addiction and leading productive lives. Over $7.00 is saved in medical and social costs for every dollar invested in treatment.

For every dollar spent on alcohol and drug prevention, communities can save up to $5.00 in future costs for treatment and counseling.

School Facts
	Over half of all students in the U.S. say their school is not drug free. Teens who attend schools where illicit drugs are used or sold are twice as likely to have marijuana offered to them, and three times more likely to smoke cigarettes and marijuana. They are also two times more likely to know a teenager who uses LSD, cocaine, or heroin.