Million Adults Over The Age Of 26 Suffered From A Substance Use Disorder In 2017
That makes up 6.4% of the age group. In addition, 5% of those aged 26 and over suffered from an alcohol use disorder. That translates to 10.6 million adults, according to addiction facts. Also, 2% of adults, or approximately 4.3 million, had an illicit drug use disorder.
Note that men of all ages are more likely to abuse drugs than women. However, women are just as prone to addiction when they start abusing drugs.
Top 10 Hardest Addictions To Kick
Different drugs, whether prescription medications or illegal substances can all elicit a wide range of sensations for its users. From relaxed, calming moods, to high energy and feelings of euphoria, most drugs can create a false sense of security. Users may feel empowered with these substances, which can quickly lead them to overuse, abuse, or even addiction. But are there substances that are more prone to abuse and addiction? In this article, were discussing some of the most common drugs and the hardest addictions to kick.
Mood regulation, memory, willpower, and decision-making processes can be severely impacted by these common drugs. And once drug dependency is formed, it can be incredibly difficult or impossible to safely refrain from continued use.
If you or someone you know is struggling with misuse, overuse, or addiction of any substance including alcohol and prescription medications, its important to contact a professional that can offer compassionate support and effective methodology for safely detoxing. AspenRidge Recovery in Colorado treats a wide range of addictions and offers a dual-diagnosis approach to help clients through the traumatic experiences that may have contributed to the addiction.
Contact us directly at for more information on recovery centers in: Lakewood , Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, and Online Treatment options.
How Are Other Countries Dealing With Opioid Addiction
Netherlands. The Netherlands permits the sale and use of small amounts of cannabis to steer users away from so-called hard drugs , such as cocaine and heroin, and has implemented harm-reduction policies. In the 1990s the country began offering heroin at no cost, and the rate of high-risk or problem use was halved from 2002 to some fourteen thousand cases in 2012, according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, which estimates that the total has since leveled off. Proponents of decriminalization point to the Netherlands for evidence that these policies work, though critics claim they have not curbed organized crime.
Canada. Amid its own opioid crisis, Canada has authorized the opening of supervised consumption sites and partnered with China to curb fentanyl flows into the country. British Columbia and Alberta, two of Canadas most populous provinces, declared a public health emergency and crisis, respectively, boosting funding for addiction treatment and increasing access to the drug naloxone, which can counteract opioid overdoses in emergencies. Additionally, in 2018, the health ministry called on drug manufacturers and distributors to halt most marketing and advertising for opioids. Opioid-related deaths in the country declined modestly in 2019, butlike in the United Statesthe total jumped amid the pandemic in 2020, to more than six thousand.
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Statistics On Addiction To Specific Substances
Cocaine:
- About 966,000 American adults struggled with a cocaine use disorder in 2017.1
- That same year, 637,000 people age 12 and older received treatment for a cocaine use disorder either in their last or current stay in rehabilitation.7
Heroin:
- About 652,000 people age 12 and older had a heroin use disorder in 2017.1
- Almost a quarter of people who abuse heroin will become addicted to it.12
- Heroin use has risen in most demographic groups in the United States over the past 2 decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.4
- Individuals addicted to alcohol are 2 times more likely to also be addicted to heroin, while those addicted to marijuana are 3 times more likely, individuals addicted to cocaine are 15 times more likely, and people addicted to prescription drugs are 40 times more likely.4
- The highest at-risk population for heroin addiction is non-Hispanic white males between the ages of 18 and 25 who live in large cities.4
Prescription drugs:
- Approximately 4.1 million American adults over the age of 12 battled a marijuana use disorder in 2017.1
- The majority of people struggling with in 2017 were between the ages of 12 and 25.1
- Almost 6% of full-time college students in the United States were daily marijuana smokers in 2014. This is more than triple the number of daily smokers in this population 20 years prior.14
Alcohol:
Are There Free Rehab Centers In The Us
âï¸ There are a variety of affordable addiction treatment options for individuals across the country who are low income or do not have insurance. View our list of the top ten free or low-cost rehab centers in the United States.
Free rehab centers often have long waiting lists. Putting yourself on multiple lists may help you get in sooner.
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Drug Prevention And Treatment
The devastating consequences of drug use know no geographic, economic, social, or ethnic boundaries. Each year hundreds of thousands of people around the globe rich, poor, educated, illiterate, male, female, and even young children die from substance use disorders, and many are victims of drug-fueled violence. Beyond the toll drugs take on health and welfare, substance use disorders undermine economic development, diminish social and political stability, and reduce security in countries and regions around the world.
For over four decades INL has responded boldly to this global challenge with innovative, evidencebased drug demand reduction programs which have set the standard in many countries worldwide. Efforts include drug prevention and drug treatment services that have had a tremendous impact and have saved countless lives.
INL, through cross-border dialogues and joint projects with foreign partners, shares programming ideas and proven approaches that treat and prevent drug use. We conduct training that strengthens clinical skills raise standards of treatment and care and support long-term recovery. Equally important, INL also conducts long-term evaluations of programs as part of a process of continuous improvement and refinement. As a result, INL-sponsored programs have demonstrated increasingly effective reductions in use and drug related crime.
The specific goals of INLs International Demand Reduction Program are to:
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Worst Drug In The World
When posing the question, what is the worst drug in the world, theres not really a clear-cut answer as any drugs from illicit substances to something as basic as Concerta can be abused.
The worst one is personal. Its the one that has the most dire effect on you or a loved one.
In 2017, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime issued a Global Overview of Drug Demand and Supply and revealed some surprising statistics. The UNODC estimated that globally, a quarter of a billion people, or 5 percent of the worlds adult population, used drugs at least one time in 2015. Of that number, 29.5 million had a drug use disorder.
Opioids have the most negative impact, and in terms of addictive pain medications, they are the most problematic. An estimated 70 percent of the global burden of disease can be blamed on opioids .
Cannabis is the worlds most-used illicit drug. Its estimated that 3.8 percent of the worlds adult population or about 183 million people regularly use marijuana.
Amphetamines such as diet pills are the second most-used drug. An estimated 35 million people have used amphetamines.
Drug use especially among those who inject substances makes users more likely to contact viruses such as hepatitis C and HIV. Left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to a slew of other conditions, including liver cirrhosis and cancer.
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While Much Of The Coverage Of The Opioid Epidemic Has Focused On White Rural Populations The Epidemic Affects White Black And Latinx People Proportionally
In fact, overdoses are rising more quickly among communities of color. The annual growth rate from 2018 to 2020 for Black individuals and Latinx individuals well surpassed the rate of white individuals during the same period . What’s more, overdoses among Native Americans are above the national average, and the rate continues to grow.
% Of The People Who Misuse Opioids Become Addicted To Them
The opioid addiction facts show that most people dont think its a big deal to frequently share their unused pain relievers, apparently oblivious to the hazards of non-medical opioid use. When a friend or relative gives opioids to an adolescent, theres a good chance they will misuse the prescription pain relievers and possibly even develop an addiction.
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Around 34 Million Americans Smoke Cigarettes
This is partly because cigarettes are relatively easy to buy once youre over 18 years of age. The drug abuse statistics also report that the proportion of Americans smoking cigarettes fell from 21% in 2005 to 14% in 2017. About 604,000 Americans aged 1217 and about 1.2 million Americans aged 1821 smoked their first cigarette in 2017.
Drug Abuse Is A Major Public Health Problem
Americans Perceive Drug Abuse as a Major Public Health Problem
Many of America’s top medical problems can be directly linked to drug abuse:
- Cancer: Tobacco contributes to 11-30% of cancer deaths.7
- Heart Disease: Researchers have found a connection between the abuse of tobacco, cocaine, MDMA , amphetamines, and steroids and the development of cardiovascular diseases. Tobacco is responsible for approximately 30% of all heart disease deaths each year.8
- HIV/AIDS: Approximately one-third of AIDS cases reported in 2000 and most cases of hepatitis C in the United States are associated with injection drug use.9& 10
- Approximately half of pediatric AIDS cases result from injection drug use or sex with injection drug users by the child’s mother.11
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Young People Aged 18 To 25 Are The Most Likely To Have Problems With Prescription Drug Abuse
According to opioid abuse statistics and statistics about other prescription drugs, over 20% of people over the age of 12 take prescription medicine for a nonmedical reason. But why do people use drugs? This age group does it for various reasons. For instance, some think theyll study better, and others use them to get high.
Statistics On Nicotine Addiction And Abuse
As of 2019, anyone over the age of 21 in the US can easily purchase a box of cigarettes. Although cigarettes are legal and accessible, they cause a variety of fatal health conditions and are also addictive.
- About 34 million Americans smoke cigarettes.
- Each day, roughly 1,600 young people smoke a cigarette for the first time.
- About 15% of American men and about 13% of American women smoke cigarettes.
- People who are disabled, live below the poverty line, or lack a college education are more likely to smoke cigarettes.
- Over 16 million Americans have a smoking-related illness.
- Smoking cigarettes is the cause of over 480,000 deaths every year in the United States.
Common Questions About Rehab
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What Are The Demographics Of The Opioid Crisis
The vast majority of those who overdose on opioids are non-Hispanic white Americans, who made up more than 75 percent of the annual total in 2018. Black Americans and Hispanic Americans accounted for about 13 and 9 percent of cases, respectively. Economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton have argued that the rise in what they call deaths of despairwhich include drug overdoses, particularly among white Americans without college degreesis primarily the result of wages stagnating over the last four decades and a decline in available jobs.
U.S. military veterans, many of whom suffer from chronic pain as a result of their service, account for a disproportionately high number of opioid-related deaths. Veterans are twice as likely as the general population to die from an opioid overdose, according to a study commissioned by the National Institutes of Health.
What Are Some Efforts To Restrict Domestic Supply
Federal agencies, state governments, insurance providers, and physicians all influence the supply of opioid medications.
Federal regulators have introduced new limits on opioid prescriptions, reducing the total nationwide in 2019 by nearly 40 percent from the peak in 2012, according to the CDC. Current CDC guidelines advise physicians not to prescribe opioids as a first-line therapy. Meanwhile, the DEA has required pharmaceutical companies to reduce their production of certain opioids, including oxycodone, fentanyl, and morphine, by at least 25 percent. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the agency allowed production boosts for substances including codeine, fentanyl, and morphine.
The Justice Department has ramped up efforts to prosecute those involved in overprescribing and trafficking. In 2018, it partnered with nearly all state attorneys general to share opioid prescription information in order to investigate drug crimes and soon after brought charges against more than 150 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and others for their alleged roles in distributing opioids. Two years later, the department filed a civil suit against Walmart for allegedly failing to stop hundreds of thousands of improper prescriptions.
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The District Of Columbia
Washington, D.C. ranks highest in the country for drug and alcohol addiction. Drug overdose deaths in D.C. increased by 31 percent from 2014 to 2015 the majority of which were caused by prescription painkillers. With the second highest rate of teen and adult drug abuse in the country, the District of Columbia suffers mainly from lack of addiction treatment leaving thousands of local residents without help and support in the form of medical care for their chemical dependencies and behavioral disorders.
The most commonly abused substances in Washington, D.C. are alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. PCP use is also higher in D.C. than in other states, but more adults test positive for cocaine than any other drug. Opioid abuse rates are also high in D.C. like in many other states, and has led the District to link its prescription drug monitoring program with Maryland and Virginia in an effort to reduce the overprescribing of opioids.
Experts say addiction rates are highest in D.C. due to the citys large population of politicians and other individuals in high positions who may use substances to escape feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression triggered by their careers. These individuals may abuse substances to cope with lifes everyday stressors, or may frequently attend events at which alcohol and substances are present and easily accessible.
Rates Of Drug Use In The Us
Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, prescription stimulants, and methamphetamines are the most widely used drugs in the country. Heres a closer look at US drug use rates, and which substances are most commonly used, according to NCDAS research:
- Alcohol: 139.8 million people
- Prescription sedatives: 319,000 people
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How Do Health Care Professionals Diagnose Alcoholism
The diagnosis of alcohol use disorder is generally made by reviewing the person’s behavior except when the person has symptoms of withdrawal or damage to organs that is clearly the result of alcohol consumption.
Alcohol use disorder is defined as the consumption of alcohol to the point at which it interferes with the individual’s life from an occupational, social, or health standpoint. It follows that behavior exhibited by an individual with this disorder can be interpreted in different ways by different people. This often makes the diagnosis of alcoholism somewhat difficult.
- Several screening tests are routinely employed to identify people at risk for alcoholism. Such tests usually consist of one or more questionnaires. Commonly used tests are the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test , the CAGE questionnaire, and the TACE questionnaire.
- The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test is a 22-question quiz often used in a clinical counseling setting.
- The CAGE questionnaire, for example, asks the following four questions. “Yes” answers to two or more of these questions indicate a high likelihood of alcoholism.
- Have you felt you should Cut down on your drinking?
- Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
- Have you felt bad or Guilty about your drinking?
- Have you ever had to drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover ?
Drug Health Issues & Rehab Total Points: 25
- Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities per 100,000 People Using Illicit Drugs: Double Weight Note: This metric considers people aged 12 or older.
- Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment Services per 1,000 People Using Illicit Drugs: Full Weight Note: This metric considers people aged 12 years or older.
- Drug Treatment Programs Availability for Pregnant Women: Full Weight Note: This binary metric measures the availability or absence of drug treatment programs for pregnant women in a state.
- Narcotics Anonymous & Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings Accessibility: Full Weight
- Substance Abuse & Behavioral Disorder Counsellors per Capita: Full Weight
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Alcohol And Marijuana: Highest Rate Of Drug Abuse
Alcohol and marijuana have the highest rate of abuse among all drugs.
In the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health , the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported:
- 14.5 million Americans aged 12 or older had experienced alcohol dependence or abuse.
- 12 million Americans aged 12 or older used marijuana.
- It is a common misconception that marijuana is not addictive. 4.8 million Americans aged 12 or older met the criteria for dependence or abuse.
- The number of Americans with a marijuana use disorder was more than three times the number for dependence/abuse of prescription pain relievers and nearly five times times the number for dependence/abuse of cocaine .
- Marijuana also comprises nearly half of all cases of Illicit Drug Use Disorder .
The reasons alcohol and marijuana are so much more likely to be misused and abused are two-fold:
- Both are easier to access, despite the age limitation for purchasing alcohol and the fact that marijuana is illegal in 20 states
- Both are cheaper to come by. Even in a recession, alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are purchased in high numbers because of the low price compared to other more expensive habits.
