Useful Resources

Substance Abuse: High Costs

October 2, 2008

An estimated 22.6 million persons aged 12 or older were classified with substance dependence or abuse problems in the United States in 2006, representing 9.2 percent of that age group. Of these, 3.2 million had problems with both alcohol and illicit drugs, 3.8 million had problems with drugs, and 15.6 million were dependent on alcohol. For people who seek treatment, alcohol is by far the most common reason, followed by marijuana, cocaine, pain relievers, heroin, stimulants and hallucinogens. One promising trend is that U.S. government surveys found decreases between 2002 and 2007 in the percentages of youths who used marijuana, Ecstasy, LSD, alcohol, cocaine and cigarettes in their lifetimes, the past year, and the past month. However, illicit inhalant use held steady. The overall cost of substance abuse in the United States—including health- and crime-related costs and losses in productivity—exceeds half a trillion dollars annually, according to the National Institutes of Health. About 120,000 deaths and 40 million serious injuries or illnesses each year are reported as a direct result of substance abuse, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Understanding Substance Abuse
National Institutes of Drug Abuse

Original resources and external links from a U.S. government institute.

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DSM-IV-TR: Substance Dependence/Abuse

Formal definitions of substance abuse and dependence.

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Statistics, Trends and Research
SAMHSA Office of Applied Statistics

Exhaustive directory of survey data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS)

Statistics published by Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

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Addiction research

Facts and links to research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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Public Policy
U.S. Office of Drug Control Policy

The White House perspective on illegal drug use.

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Treatment Information

Facts about substance abuse and treatment programs from an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, including nationwide data on treatment admissions.

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California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs

The state of California’s central substance abuse resources site.

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Advocacy
Voices and Faces of Recovery

Nonprofit that works to increase access to health care resources for people with substance abuse problems.

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Doctors Specialized in Addiction Issues

Web site of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

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Guidance for Consumers
Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator

Easy to use directory of treatment facilities in the United States, mappable by ZIP Code, city, county or state.

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Alcoholics Anonymous

The first and largest 12-step recovery program, primarily for alcoholics.

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Narcotics Anonymous

A 12-step recovery program for substance abusers.

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Medline Plus

Drug abuse links from the National Institutes of Health.

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Partnership for a Drug-Free America

Nonprofit that helps parents recognize and prevent drug and alcohol abuse by their children.

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Blogs
About.com Alcoholism Blogs

The community forum area of this Web site is popular with bloggers who are fighting alcoholism.

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Women and Substance Abuse

A blog by and about women with substance abuse problems, sponsored by a recovery program.

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Research
The University of North Carolina – Medication Error Quality Initiative

This center tracks medical errors in North Carolina nursing homes.

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