Substance abuse: closer to home than you think

On June 25, 2009, the world celebrated "International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking”.  Although international and national celebrations are important, such large scale references often leave the average person with the impression that drug abuse is an impersonal issue: an issue they will never encounter.

The truth is over 50% of American adults have a close family member who suffers from alcoholism. In the normal course of the day, an individual could interact with someone who is an active addict and/or alcoholic and not even know it.

How can that be?

Drugs and alcohol have no prejudices. They affect every occupation, socio-economic level, ethnic background, and educational level. A lot of people believe that drug abuse is not their problem. When they think of a drug abuser, they think of a segment of society quite different than their own, located in some remote unknown area but certainly not near where they live and work.

What a surprise when they discover that 70% of drug abusers are employed full time.

Substance abuse, whether alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, or nicotine, is a major American problem. About 6% (7.1 million) of persons age 12 or older who drank alcohol in the past month also reported using an illicit drug during or within 2 hours of their last alcohol drink (National Survey on Drug Use and Health – NSDUH).  See Figure 1 Table below. 

 Figure 1 Table.  Illicit Drug Use Concurrent with Last Alcohol Use among Past Alcohol Users Aged 12 or Older, by Type of Illicit Drug:  206 and 2007 (NSDUH)

Addiction carries a significant social stigma unlike many other chronic diseases. For this reason, families are hesitant to disclose any history of substance abuse. With statistics indicating widespread use and abuse, the importance of increasing awareness about substance abuse cannot be denied.