Right now over 23.5 million people abuse drugs in the country. Another 10 million mis-use prescriptions. And we have 16 million people with alcoholism issues. And the worst part is that these numbers show no indication of declining.
In fact, since 2001, we have seen a shocking 70% increase in diagnosed drug addiction and alcoholism cases in the U.S. While some seem to feel that this statistic is a positive one (due to more people getting the care they need), majority of experts believe that substance abuse diagnosis increasing in the country is nothing more than an indication that our national drug epidemic is worsening.
Reason for Evolution of Drug and Alcohol Abuse in America
In the 1980s and 1990s, drug abuse and alcoholism cases were limited to street drugs—cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and eventually meth each took lives and overtook families. No trend or statistic of these early time periods, however, even comes close to those of later years when prescription drugs exploded as America’s fastest-growing addiction problem.
As opiate painkillers became more popular, children and teens began experimenting with their stimulant ADD/ADHD drugs as well as any other pharmaceutical pills they could find in the home medicine cabinet. As frightening as this sounds, it is a mere slice of the whole picture.
Between 2001 and 2003, there were 10.6 million doctor visits related to drug and alcohol abuse. Between 2007 and 2009, this number shot up to a staggering 18 million Americans seeking help for substance abuse. Further, over the same time frame, the number of painkiller abuse-related visits shot up from 772,000 to nearly 4.5 million—a six-fold increase. This illustrates the massive problem of prescription drug abuse; an issue which, in and of itself, is a war.
Prescription Drug Abuse—A Large Piece of the US War on Drugs
Substance abuse diagnosis increasing in US communities is largely due to the explosive increase in prescription drug abuse. America, statistically speaking, consumes more than 80% of the world’s global manufactured opiates. This adds up to 110 tons of powerful prescription drugs, consumed by a country that makes up only 4.6% of the world’s population.
Annual prescriptions for such powerful painkillers have increased over 600% in the past decade, leaving many to point fingers at the “pill mill” doctors who carelessly and excessively prescribe drugs for financial kickbacks. Addictive prescriptions like Hydrocodone, Vicodin and Oxycontin are among some of the most habit-forming substances available from doctors.
Effective Drug and Alcohol Treatment Saves Lives
It cannot be discounted that as drug and alcohol abuse continues to be steadily on the rise, effective long-term and residential treatment facilities continue to develop across the country. There are literally thousands of different treatment modalities and recovery programs available in this country, assisting with proper diagnosis and treatment of addiction and alcoholism. As the drug problem grows, programs make themselves available for those in desperate need of treatment.
This cycle of addiction and treatment, however, is not enough. The rate at which substance abuse diagnosis is increasing in the United States makes it very clear to us all that a trio of preventative education, rehabilitative treatment and global awareness campaigns are the bare minimum of what it will take to put even the smallest dent in this dangerous public health issue.
Parent should take it upon themselves to educate their teens to not use drug; especially those proven to be gateway substances like marijuana and prescriptions. Schools should use drug prevention as a standard practice to deter young people from use.
In addition, those addicted should seek professional help to permanently handle substance abuse issues. For more information contact Narconon Arrowhead.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/10/23/substance-abuse-diagnoses-increasing-in-us/