Deaths From Substance Use Disorders
Alcohol disorders have the highest death toll amongst substance use disorders
In the visualization we see the breakdown of deaths from substance use disorders by substance type. Note that these figures include only direct deaths from drug dependence.
Collectively, all substances shown in red are classified as illicit drugs.
We see that globally alcohol has the highest death toll amongst substance use disorders. Deaths from opioid overdoses have increased significantly in recent years and now exceed 100,000 globally.
This data can be explored for any country or region using the change country toggle on the interactive chart.
Deaths from alcohol are high across Eastern Europe illicit drug deaths are high across North America
In the interactive visualization we see death rates from alcohol and drug use disorders, measured as the number of deaths per 100,000 individuals.
We see much higher rates in the USA and across several countries in Eastern Europe. In the USA, this was dominated by illicit drug dependence, whereas alcoholism was much more common in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Related charts number of deaths from substance use disorders.This map shows the number of deaths from substance use disorders each year. This chart shows the breakdown of annual deaths between alcohol and illicit drug use disorders.
Many who die from substance use disorders are young
Statistics By Geographical Location
According to Vladimir Poznyak, a researcher for the WHO who focuses on gaming disorder, geographical location has little to no impact on an individuals likelihood of getting addicted to gaming.
Still, the numbers of gaming addicts will vary by country. In less developed countries of Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America, the number of gaming addicts may be lower than in Europe, North America, and parts of Asia such as Japan, China, and South Korea due to greater access to technology.
However, less developed countries are quickly catching up with global smartphone penetration estimated to be 78% or higher. With technology continuing to accelerate globally, we may see a boom of gaming addicts in the coming years and decades.
There arent many statistics that tell us more about gaming disorder and its correlation to location, but these are some of the more interesting ones that are available:
The bottom line is that gaming addiction is present worldwide. In developing countries, mobile gaming addiction is likely to be higher than computer or console game addiction, and the number of gaming addicts in developing countries is anticipated to grow in the years to come.
Video Game Addiction Statistics: United States
The most popular games for American gamers include Super Mario Bros, Angry Birds, Grand Theft Auto series, , Minecraft, Fortnite, Mortal Kombat, and Roblox.
Video Game Addiction Statistics: Canada
Video Game Addiction Statistics: United Kingdom
Cocaine Abuse And Addiction Statistics
Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug that is illegal to buy, possess, and sell in the United States. In recent years, the rate of deaths involving cocaine has sharply increased.
About 1 in 10 drug-related deaths in the United States involve psychostimulants like cocaine, methamphetamine, or amphetamine.
Overview of cocaine abuse rates:
- About 671,000 people over the age of 12 started using cocaine in 2019.
- Five and a half million people in the U.S. reported using cocaine at some time in the past year in 2019.
- About one million people meet the criteria for cocaine use disorder.
Rates of cocaine-involved overdose deaths:
- Cocaine-involved deaths increased by 26.5 percent in the June 2019-May 2020 study period from the previous year.
- Cocaine-involved overdose deaths are driven largely by a combination of cocaine with synthetic opioids other than methadone.
- Cocaine is involved in an estimated 1 in 5 drug overdose deaths.
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Statistics On Alcohol Addiction And Abuse
Alcohol is the most widely-abused substance in the US, yet alcoholism is often left untreated. An addiction to alcohol can be detrimental to a persons physical, mental, and social wellbeing.
- Every year, worldwide, alcohol is the cause of 5.3% of deaths .
- About 300 million people throughout the world have an alcohol use disorder.
- On average, 30 Americans die every day in an alcohol-related car accident, and 6 Americans die every day from alcohol poisoning.
- About 88,000 people die as a result of alcohol every year in the United States.
- About 6% of American adults have an alcohol use disorder only about 7% of those people ever get treatment.
- Men between the ages of 18 and 25 are most likely to binge drink and become alcoholics.
Effects Of Videogame Addiction Facts
The usage rate of video games may not be as striking as those of smartphones and social media, but the effects of excessive play are nothing to be scoffed at. Videogame addiction, if left unchecked, can ruin lives, friendships, careers, and ones health. It can also lead to violence should the exchanges of insults on the games chat function go overboard or if money is involved. While theres no conclusive evidence to prove it, a lot of adults believe that the violence in video games can influence a gamers behavior.
- Videogame addiction can lead to poor sleeping habits and insomnia, a disruption in eating habits, reduced social skills, losing friends, and a heightened risk for seizures. It can also affect ones scholastic or professional success.
- Excessive video gameplay may be a coping mechanism for those who have depression, anxiety, ADHD, and autism.
- 6 in 10 American adults believe that violent video games contribute to the countrys gun violence problem.
- Symptoms of excessive gameplay include fatigue, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, and a lack of personal hygiene.
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What Causes Nicotine Addiction
Tobacco is a combination of hundreds of chemicals and most of them are highly toxic. Researches claim that as many as 70 chemicals in tobacco used in cigarettes can cause some form of cancer. But of all the chemicals, toxic or nontoxic, what causes the addiction is the nicotine. An owner of a tobacco company had once said infamously that they are into the nicotine delivery business. Sadly, they did not just deliver nicotine but several carcinogens or chemicals that were known to be causes of cancer. They did that quite deliberately to get more people addicted and those addicted to be addicted further so the tobacco company can get more sales. That is the sad reality of economics and commercial enterprises.
Beyond the world of economics and more than $50 million spent on advertising and promotions of tobacco products on a single day, there are far-reaching consequences for the ordinary smoker and even nonsmokers. Nicotine along with tobacco are causes of several diseases. The habit of smoking can reduce as much as thirteen years of an ordinary personâs lifespan in comparison with a nonsmoker or one who had smoked only a few times in his or her life.
What Is Naloxone And How Can It Help With An Overdose
Available as an injection or nasal spray, naloxone is a lifesaving medication that can rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. If you happen to have naloxone when responding to an overdose, call 911 and administer the medication according to the package instructions.
Access to naloxone is expanding on a state-by-state basis. It can be prescribed by a physician, is often carried by police officers and emergency medical responders, and is increasingly available over the counter at some pharmacies.
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How Does Nida Use The Terms Drug Use Misuse And Addiction
Drug use refers to any scope of use of illegal drugs: heroin use, cocaine use, tobacco use. Drug misuse is used to distinguish improper or unhealthy use from use of a medication as prescribed or alcohol in moderation. These include the repeated use of drugs to produce pleasure, alleviate stress, and/or alter or avoid reality. It also includes using prescription drugs in ways other than prescribed or using someone elses prescription. Addiction refers to substance use disorders at the severe end of the spectrum and is characterized by a persons inability to control the impulse to use drugs even when there are negative consequences. These behavioral changes are also accompanied by changes in brain function, especially in the brains natural inhibition and reward centers. NIDAs use of the term addiction corresponds roughly to the DSM definition of substance use disorder. The DSM does not use the term addiction.
Incarceration Doesnt Address Mental Health
One of the most prevalent issues among individuals battling with a substance use disorder is underlying mental health conditions often referred to as co-occurring disorders. A well-known dual diagnosis is PTSD and alcohol use disorder or substance abuse among active-duty military and veterans.
According to SAMHSA, approximately 9.2 million adults are living with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. Those who have experienced mental health issues or suffer from serious mental illnesses are significantly more likely to use cigarettes, illicit drugs, and marijuana, to misuse opioid pain relievers, and to engage in binge alcohol use, compared with individuals without mental illness. Individuals who struggle with underlying trauma, depression, anxiety, and other factors are far more susceptible to substance dependency. Without proper support and scientific-based therapy, many are hard-pressed to find a life away from drugs.
According to the Epidemiologic Catchment Area study, an estimated 45% of individuals with alcohol use disorders and 72% of individuals with drug use disorders had at least one co-occurring psychiatric disorder.
Jail and prisons are not equipped or trained to address these common dual diagnoses. Drug incarceration statistics, in fact, indicate that more individuals are less likely to access mental health care. To make matters worse, due to criminal records, damage to employment prospects increases the likelihood of recurring criminal sentences.
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The Impact Of Drug Addiction On The United States Of America
Drug addiction in the United States of America is a problem that the country is unable to tackle and in recent years the situation seems to be deteriorating that the US’s former president, Donald Trump, suggested that the authorities should introduce the death penalty for drug dealers.
Once addicted to cocaine, drug addicts often switch to cheaper street drugs, including heroin and its synthetic analogs.
The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs has provided data on which the country has the highest number of people affected by drug addiction, with 28.6 million newly identified drug addicts aged 12 and over. This suggests that drug-related deaths are increasing at a relatively young age.
The effect of hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin, etc, is causing concern to society and governments throughout the world but that of the United States of America is evidence of human waste and destruction.
According to experts, this is due to a systemic failure in the American justice and health care system and also it turned out some of the drug addicts in the United States of America blamed the police, who help distribute drug shipments.
Once hooked on drugs, they can’t do without them. The more they use it, the more they want it. To satisfy their demand, junkies resort to stealing, committing serious crimes, and laying hands on anything that comes their way to raise money for drugs.
# The Basic Psychology And Neuroscience Of Addiction
Warren Bickel provides a very useful overview of addiction theories in psychology and neuroscience. He describes four broad theories, with considerable overlap among them. These are:
Dopamine-related theories
Self-control failure theories
Dual decision system theories
These overarching theories have subsidiary theories as well. Bickel evaluates these four main theories according to their ability to answer six benchmarks questions:
Why are some commodities or behaviors addictive while others are not?
Why does addiction follow some common developmental trends?
Why do some individuals decrease their valuation of non-addictive commodities?
Why do individuals with addictions engage in self-defeating patterns of behavior?
Why do individuals with addictions engage in other unhealthy behaviors?
What interventions are implied by the theories?
The dopamine-related theories emphasize the role of dopamine pathways as accounting for the allegedly rewarding effects of addictive substances or behaviors. In particular, addictive substances and behaviors are hypothesized to cause a spike in dopamine release in the mesolimbic DA pathway linking the ventral tegmental area with the nucleus accumbens, as well as other DA pathways . For many years it was thought that DA was itself a pleasure neurotransmitter. Now, DA is hypothesized to heighten the salience of stimuli, leading to a craving for the addictive substance or activity.
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Heroin And Addiction: How Long It Takes
Heroin addiction can develop fairly quickly in certain circumstances however, it usually takes several uses and a regular habit to be in place before addiction will happen. The addiction process begins with the person using the drug more than once to get high. After a few uses, the individual may discover that the same dose of the drug doesnt give quite as potent a high. As a result, the person might take a higher dose to have the same experience. This is a condition called tolerance, and it is the first step toward the individual developing dependence and addiction.
An article from the AAPS Journal delves into the mechanisms by which addiction to opioids, including heroin, develops. While addiction is still not fully understood, the effects that the drug has on the brains chemical pathways appear to have a great deal to do with developing tolerance to and dependence on a drug. Heroin disrupts the behavior and use of certain natural chemicals in the brain, resulting in these pathways becoming dependent on the use of heroin to continue functioning. This dependence can then lead to the individual being unable to control heroin use, including the amounts used and the frequency of use, and being unable to stop use. This is the hallmark of addiction.
Current Prevalence Of Drug Use In America
Being that drugs are illegal and many individuals are not likely to openly speak about their drug habits, determining the exact scope of drug use in the U.S. is nearly impossible. There are, however, several surveys, studies and reports that suggest that American drug use is extremely high, perhaps even approaching historic levels.,,,,
While we now know more than ever about the dangers of drug abuse, it appears that this knowledge has failed to act as a deterrent. Heroin use and overdoses have skyrocketed, more people are using and abusing prescription drugs than ever before and the rise of synthetic drugs has created a potentially more dangerous threat.
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What Is The Difference Between Physical Dependence Tolerance And Addiction
Physical dependence can occur with the regular use of any substance, legal or illegal, even when taken as prescribed. It occurs because the body naturally adapts to regular exposure to a substance . When that substance is taken away, symptoms can emerge while the body re-adjusts to the loss of the substance. Physical dependence can lead to craving the drug to relieve the withdrawal symptoms. Tolerance is the need to take higher doses of a drug to get the same effect. It often accompanies dependence, and it can be difficult to distinguish the two. Addiction is a chronic disorder characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, despite negative consequences.
Why Does Nida Use The Term Misuse Instead Of Abuse
NIDA uses the term misuse, as it is roughly equivalent to the term abuse. Substance abuse is a diagnostic term that is increasingly avoided by professionals because it can be shaming, and adds to the stigma that often keeps people from asking for help. Substance misuse suggests use that can cause harm to the user or their friends or family.
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Rising Debt In America
Consumer debt is a significant problem in the United States. Recently on average debt by age shows that Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 now collectively owe over a trillion dollars in debt. Young adults arent the only ones carrying a massive debt-load. Americans in their 30s owe a total of $2.9 trillion, and those in their 40s, $3.4 trillion.
Most of the debt is comprised of student loans, mortgages and car loans. However, high-interest credit card debt is also a top contributor. The average American credit card debt is $5,808 in people 35 and under, with the highest in the 4554-year old age group at $9,096.
Why Do People Become Addicted To Opioids
Opioids can make your brain and body believe the drug is necessary for survival. As you learn to tolerate the dose youâve been prescribed, you may find that you need even more medication to relieve the pain or achieve well-being, which can lead to dependency. Addiction takes hold of our brains in several ways â and is far more complex and less forgiving than many people realize.
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The Prevalence Of Sud Is 10% Among Native Americans As Substance Use Disorder Statistics Find
Native Americans are more likely to report drug abuse in the past month or year than any other ethnic group. Furthermore, around 4% of Native Americans have an illicit drug use disorder. Moreover, the percentage of Native Americans who have an alcohol use disorder is 7.1%, and almost 25% report binge drinking in the past month.
% Of People Who Have Abused Heroin Started By Abusing Prescription Opioids
Stats on heroin addiction rate report that 4%6% of people who suffer from prescription drug use disorder switch to heroin. However, heroin is usually the first opioid people use. To add, it enters the brain quickly and binds to opioid receptors, especially the ones located in areas that control heart rate, sleeping, and breathing, as well as the feelings of pain and pleasure.
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