A new national report released this week shows that rehab admissions for opiates, alcohol and marijuana increased significantly in the decade from 1999 to 2009.
The most alarming statistics were for opiate addiction treatment, which include the painkillers oxycodone (OxyContin) and hydrocodone (Vicodin).
In 2009 (the most recent year with available figures), prescription drugs accounted for 33 percent of the nearly 500,000 admissions for opiate addiction treatment, compared to 8 percent in 1999.
Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic
The report, which identified substance abuse trends over the past decade, was released by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). According to U.S. Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, the report underscores the severity of the nation’s prescription drug abuse epidemic and the need for increased education to raise public awareness about the dangers of drug abuse.
Commenting in USA Today on the surge in prescription drug abuse, Lynn Webster of the American Academy of Pain Medication said that doctors contributed to the problem by writing more prescriptions for opiate-based painkillers in the past decade. Doctors saw opiates as a safe and effective solution for pain but were naïve about the risk of addiction, especially for individuals who have existing mental health and substance abuse issues. Webster called on doctors to help combat prescription drug abuse by increasing their assessment and monitoring of patients when prescribing opiate-based narcotic painkillers.
Treatment Breakdown by Substance
In 2009, there were nearly 2 million admissions of people age 12 and over to rehab treatment facilities, representing about a 10 percent increase since 1999. These are the percentage breakdowns by substance:
• Alcohol – 42 percent
• Opiates – 21 percent
• Marijuana – 18 percent
• Cocaine – 9 percent
• Methamphetamine and Amphetamines – 6 percent
Alcohol continues to represent the largest segment of admissions, but the report stated that almost half of all admissions for alcohol abuse also involved other types of substance abuse. SAMHSA Administrator Pamela Hyde cited the problem of multiple addictions as a challenge for the nation’s health care system.
Males accounted for about 60 percent of heroin treatment and 75 percent of marijuana treatment, but the percentages for prescription painkiller treatment was almost even, with women accounting for 46 percent of treatment admissions.
Substance Abuse by Teenagers
For adolescents in 2009, marijuana and alcohol abuse represented 86 percent of treatment admissions. Almost half of teenagers entered treatment through the criminal justice system. Across all age groups, treatment for marijuana abuse rose from 13 percent of admissions in 1999 to 18 percent in 2009.