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eNewsletter - September 12, 2007
Rally for Recovery! and Recovery Month 2007
To kick off Recovery Month, the federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) held a press conference and released the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH ).
While the NSDUH did show a significant decrease in drug use for young people between 2002 and 2006, the survey also indicated a significant increase in misuse of prescription drugs among youth 18 to 25; in addition, the survey showed that prescription drugs are now the second most prevalent type drug abused overall. The NSDUH also showed a continuing increase in drug use among individuals in their 50s. Key findings from the NSDUH showed:
- 23.6 million people, or 9.6 percent of the population age 12 or older, needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem. Of these individuals, 2.5 million, or 10.8 percent of those who needed treatment, received it at a specialty facility. 21.1 million people, or 8.6 percent of the population, needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem but did not receive it at a specialty facility in the past year.
- Rates of drug use among youth were stable between 2005 and 2006; however, between 2002 and 2006 drug use by 12 to 17 year olds declined from 11.6 percent to 9.8 percent. Rates of current use of illicit drugs were higher for young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, with 19.8 percent of that age group using illicit drugs.
- Between 2002 and 2006 prescription drug misuse among young people ages 18 to 25 rose 19 percent, from 5.4 to 6.4 percent.
- In 2006, 7 million Americans reported past month non-medical misuse of prescription drugs. The survey estimates that 75 percent of these prescription drugs are pain killers such as OxyContin or Vicodin and that 55.7 percent of individuals reported that they obtained these prescription drugs from friends or family.
- The rate of underage drinking among teenagers has remained largely unchanged between 2002 and 2006.
- Approximately 7.2 million people between the ages of 12 and 20, or 19 percent, were binge drinkers and that 2.4 million, or 6.2 percent, were heavy drinkers. These percentages were essentially unchanged since the 2002 NSDUH.
- The rate of current illicit drug use in 2006 was similar to last year’s rate and has remained stable since 2002 at just over 8 percent.
- Of the 17.9 million individuals currently using illicit drugs who were 18 years old or older, 13.4 million, or 74.9 percent, were employed either full- or part-time.
- The NSDUH found that in 2006 there were an estimated 731,000 people who currently used methamphetamine, 0.3 percent of the population; this estimate did not significantly change between 2002 and 2006.
- The NSDUH also found for a second year that the illicit drug usage rate for people in their 50s has significantly increased; between 2002 and 2006, the rate of drug use for people between the ages of 50 and 54 rose 76 percent, from 3.4 percent to 6.0 percent.
During the press conference, several of the speakers emphasized the need to build on the areas of success in reducing youth drug use and that much work remains. Office of National Drug Control Policy Director John Walters spoke about the importance of parents in reducing teen drug and alcohol use, citing NSDUH questions that found that youth who believed their parents would strongly disapprove of their marijuana use had a much lower rate of usage than those youth who did not feel their parents would strongly disapprove. Director Walters also praised the thousands of people who are in recovery from addiction and highlighted how important it is for the voices of those in recovery to be heard.
In his comments, SAMHSA Administrator Dr. Terry Cline expressed his concern with the rising level of prescription drug misuse. Cline briefly discussed a new SAMHSA initiative that will seek to educate the public about the importance of proper disposal of medications. While noting the declines in youth drug and tobacco use, Cline stated that levels of underage drinking, particularly among 18 to 20 year olds, remain high and emphasized that community coalitions and partnerships at the local level need to be supported so that these rates can decline. Dr. Cline also spoke about the effectiveness of drug addiction treatment .
Dr. Gwendolyn Brown, Chief Executive Officer for Genesis Prevention Coalition, Inc in Atlanta, spoke about how a comprehensive, community-based approach to eliminating youth drug and alcohol use is most effective. Dr. Brown also spoke about Atlanta’s taskforce on underage drinking and how it is necessary to engage all segments of the community, including government, law enforcement and business partners, in order to have a successful youth prevention effort.
Faces & Voices of Recovery staff member, Jared Hess, also spoke.
Thanks to the Legal Action Center for the information above.