Drugs & Alcohol Fact Sheet

Substance Abuse
Written By Jordan McGrath

Facts about Alcohol 

  • Prevalence of Drinking: According to the 2018 NSDUH, 29.8 percent of 15-year-olds report that they have had at least 1 drink in their lives. About 7.1 million people ages 12–2015 (18.8 percent of this age group) reported drinking alcohol in the past month (18.2 percent of males and 19.5 percent of females).

  • Prevalence of Binge Drinking: According to the 2018 NSDUH, approximately 4.3 million people15 (about 11.4 percent) ages 12–20 (11.3 percent of males and 11.4 percent of females) reported binge drinking in the past month.

  • Prevalence of Heavy Alcohol Use: According to the 2018 NSDUH, approximately 861,000 people15 (about 2.3 percent) ages 12–20 (2.6 percent of males and 1.9 percent of females) reported heavy alcohol use in the past month.

  • Consequences of Underage Alcohol Use:
    Research indicates that alcohol use during the teenage years could interfere with normal adolescent brain development and increase the risk of developing AUD. In addition, underage drinking contributes to a range of acute consequences, including injuries, sexual assaults, and even deaths—including those from car crashes.

Facts about Drugs and Prescription Drugs

  1. More teens die from prescription drugs than heroin/cocaine combined.

  2. In 2013, more high school seniors regularly used marijuana than cigarettes as 22.7% smoked pot in the last month, compared to 16.3% who smoked cigarettes.

  3. 60% of seniors don't see regular marijuana use as harmful, but THC (the active ingredient in the drug that causes addiction) is nearly 5 times stronger than it was 20 years ago.

  4. 1/3 of teenagers who live in states with medical marijuana laws get their pot from other people's prescriptions.

  5. The United States represents 5% of the world's population and 75% of prescription drugs taken. 60% of teens who abuse prescription drugs get them free from friends and relatives.

  6. Adderall use (often prescribed to treat ADHD) has increased among high school seniors from 5.4% in 2009 to 7.5% this year.

  7. 54% of high school seniors do not think regular steroid use is harmful, the lowest number since 1980, when the National Institute on Drug Abuse started asking about perception on steroids.

  8. By the 8th grade, 28% of adolescents have consumed alcohol, 15% have smoked cigarettes, and 16.5% have used marijuana.

  9. Teens who consistently learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are up to 50% less likely to use drugs than those who don't.

  10. 6.5% of high school seniors smoke pot daily, up from 5.1% five years ago. Meanwhile, less than 20% of 12th graders think occasional use is harmful, while less than 40% see regular use as harmful (lowest numbers since 1983).

  11. About 50% of high school seniors do not think it's harmful to try crack or cocaine once or twice and 40% believe it's not harmful to use heroin once or twice.

Signs and Symptoms of alcohol/drug use

What are the warning signs?

Substance or alcohol abuse affects all kinds of people, from preteens to the elderly, in every income level and occupation. Sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish normal teenage moodiness or angst from signs of drug and alcohol use.
Drug addiction symptoms or behaviors include, among others:

  • Feeling that you have to use drugs or alcohol while you are doing other activities – on a daily basis

  • Friends, family members, or your employer have expressed concerns about your use of drugs or alcohol

  • Continuing to use alcohol or drugs, even though you know they have a negative effect on any of the following areas of your life:

    • Relationships with family members and others

    • Work responsibilities

    • Physical and mental health

    • Recreational activities

    • Finances, such as spending money on purchasing alcohol or drugs even though you can’t afford it

    • Your legal situation, including charges of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol or even stealing

Behavioral warning signs of drug or alcohol abuse can also include:

  • Significant changes in your personality when you are using drugs or alcohol. You become extremely sad, extremely happy, irritable, and you don’t care about what is happening in your life

  • Doing things that you normally wouldn’t such as embarrassing yourself or others, becoming aggressive or violent toward yourself or others, withdrawing from people or missing work regularly

  • Seeking out activities that will include drug and alcohol use

  • Blackouts or “spaced out”. Trouble remembering periods when you’ve been drinking (the so-called “blackouts”)

  • Increased tolerance for drugs or alcohol. It’s getting harder and harder for you to stop drinking or using drugs once you start and you need more of the substance than you did before to get the same effect.

If you recognize any of the above signs, you or your loved one could have a drug- and/or an alcohol-abuse problem and may benefit from outside help.

Other indications:

In addition to the kinds of personality and behavior changes described above, a person who is abusing alcohol or drugs may experience symptoms that interfere with daily functioning.

  • In the case of alcohol or other depressants such as opiates or benzodiazepines, symptoms can include drowsiness, slurred speech, loss of coordination, lack of energy and motivation, weight loss or gain, red eyes.

  • In the case of stimulants like cocaine and amphetamines, symptoms can include insomnia and appetite loss, a sense of euphoria or feeling “high”, rapid or rambling speech, confusion, irritability, anxiety, or depression as the drug wears off.

Keep in mind that symptoms like these do not necessarily indicate drug or alcohol abuse. They can be caused by a wide range of physical and mental health problems, including strokes, neurological diseases, and depression.

GETTING HELP:

If you or a loved one need help with treatment for drug or alcohol addiction, visit the Adfam website if you’re in the UK, the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) if you’re in the US, or the Lifeline Canada Foundation website if you’re in Canada.

 References:

  1. Toro, Ross. "Prescription Drug Abuse Kills." LiveScience. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.livescience.com/17406-prescription-drug-abuse-infographic.html. ↩︎

  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Sixty percent of 12th graders do not view regular marijuana use as harmful." U.S National Library of Medicine. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2013/nida-18.htm. ↩︎

  3. Hellerman, Caleb. "Is super weed, super bad?." CNN. Accessed February 24, 2014, http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/09/health/weed-potency-levels/. ↩︎

  4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Sixty percent of 12th graders do not view regular marijuana use as harmful." U.S National Library of Medicine. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2013/nida-18.htm. ↩︎

  5. Vogt, Adrienne. "More Teens Smoke Marijuana Reject Synthetic Drugs like k2 and Spice." Bustle. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.bustle.com/articles/10975-more-teens-smoke-marijuana-reject-synthetic-drugs-like-k2-and-spice. ↩︎

  6. Mozes, Alan. "More Teens Abusing Prescription Drugs." Consumer HealthDay. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/addiction-news-6/more-teens-abusing-prescription-drugs-601969.html. ↩︎

  7. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Regular marijuana use by teens continues to be a concern." U.S National Library of Medicine. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2012/nida-19.htm. ↩︎

  8. Martin, Sc.D., M.P.H., Laurie, and Alyssa Milot, B.A.. "ASSESSING SUBSTANCE USE AND ABUSE AMONG ADOLESCENTS: A GUIDE FOR OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME PROGRAM PRACTITIONERS ." Child Trends. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2007-08TeenSubstanceUse1.pdf. ↩︎

  9. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration. "National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings." Results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2012SummNatFindDetTables/NationalFindings/NSDUHresults2012.htm. ↩︎

  10. The U.S. Department of Education, The Drug Enforcement Administration. "Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide to Prevention." Justice.Gov. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/multimedia-library/publications/growing-up-drug-free.pdf. ↩︎

  11. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Regular marijuana use by teens continues to be a concern." U.S National Library of Medicine. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2012/nida-19.htm.

Jordan McGrath
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