Report Examines Trends in Adolescent Substance Use and Treatment
The age of an individual when they first use alcohol or drugs can have a significant impact on their likelihood of developing dependence later on in life. The Federal Government’s Healthy People initiative highlights the importance of preventing or delaying substance use among adolescents.
A recent report out of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), Trends in Substance Use, Dependence or Abuse, and Treatment among Adolescents: 2002 to 2007
examines trends in substance use, dependence or abuse and treatment among adolescents.
According to this report, there was little change in past month use of cigarettes, alcohol and illicit drugs among adolescents between 2006 and 2007. The good news is the rates in use generally declined between 2002 and 2007. This decline can be attributed to a decline in marijuana use as 8.2 percent of adolescents were using marijuana in 2002, compared with 6.7 percent in 2007.
In addition to marijuana, the other most commonly used illicit drugs among this age group included inhalants and nonmedical use of prescription-type drugs. Inhalant usage rates remained stable, while the use of prescription-type drugs declined from 4.0 percent to 3.3 percent over the same time period.
There appeared to be little change in the dependence on or abuse of alcohol among this age segment between 2002 and 2007 as rates were measured at 5.9 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively. A decline was measured in past year dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs as it was captured at 5.6 percent in 2002 and 4.3 percent in 2007.
Adolescents who sought treatment for alcohol use in the past year at a specialty facility was 5.9 percent in 2002 and 8.1 percent in 2007, with fluctuations in between years. Those individuals in this age group who sought treatment for illicit drug use also fluctuated in the study time period, between 8.5 percent and 11.3 percent.
The findings included in this report really deliver a mixed bag. The positive result is past month use of cigarettes, alcohol and illicit drugs declined among adolescents between 2002 and 2007. During this same time period, dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs also declined.
The less than positive results show rates of alcohol dependence or abuse remained fairly steady. When considering the rate of adolescents receiving specialty treatment remained unchanged between 2002 and 2007, it is imperative that policymakers, treatment practitioners, local communities, and parents identify ways to engage adolescent problem users who either cannot or will not go to specialty substance use treatment programs.
