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Basic InformationLatest NewsPot Use Rises as Year Goes on: StudyU.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Reach Record HighsADHD Medication ODs Rising in U.S. Kids, TeensWill Pot or CBD Make You a Worse Driver?Opioid Deaths in Young Americans Often Involve Other DrugsNurse Practitioners Key to Opioid Treatment in Rural U.S.: StudyYes, Pot IsĀ Stronger Now Than in Decades Past, Study FindsOverdose Deaths From Cocaine Rising DramaticallySigns America's Opioid Epidemic Might Finally Be WaningThe Real Reason for 2018 Drop in Fatal U.S. Drug OverdosesMany Deaths Labeled 'Cardiac Arrest' Could Be Drug ODs: Study'Iso,' a Deadly New Synthetic Opioid, Has Hit American StreetsHigh-Potency Pot Tied to Big Rise in Psychiatric IssuesHeavy Pot Use Linked to Mental Problems, Even After QuittingMarijuana Withdrawal Is Real, Study ShowsFor Addicts in Recovery, Technology Preserves Bonds Despite COVID-19 CrisisCoronavirus Crisis Could Help Trigger Relapse Among Those Fighting AddictionMeth Use, Addiction on the Rise Among Americans: CDCOpioid OD Deaths Fall Despite Growing Use of Synthetic Drugs: CDCOne Joint May Cause Psychotic Symptoms: StudyDo Any Medications Help Ease Marijuana Dependence?Anti-Addiction Meds Key to Saving Lives of People Hooked on OpioidsPot Use Among U.S. Seniors Nearly Doubled in 3 YearsUse of Club Drug 'Special K' Could Be UnderreportedU.S. Heroin Use Nearly Doubled Over Two DecadesFamily Members Are Swiping Hospice Patients' Painkillers: StudyWhen Pharmacists Allowed to Give Anti-Opioid Med Without Rx, Access SoarsJust 1% of Doctors Prescribe Nearly Half of Opioids in U.S.Could You Save a Life From Opioid Overdose?Opioid Addiction Med Under-Used in Younger People, Study FindsSimple Tweak to Hospital Computer Program Cuts Opioid Prescriptions Links |
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Drug Addiction: How Big a Problem Is it?A. Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP, Kaushik Misra, Ph.D., Amy K. Epner, Ph.D., and Galen Morgan Cooper, Ph.D. , edited by C. E. Zupanick, Psy.D.We have discussed that drug addiction is a specific type of addiction. The financial cost of addiction to the citizens of the United States is staggering. We can do no better than to quote the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), retrieved from their website: http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/understand.html
 "Drug abuse and addiction have negative consequences for individuals and for society. Estimates of the total overall costs of substance abuse in the United States, including productivity and health- and crime-related costs, exceed $600 billion annually (emphasis added). This includes approximately $181 billion for illicit drugs, $193 billion for tobacco, and $235 billion for alcohol. As staggering as these numbers are, they do not fully describe the breadth of destructive public health and safety implications of drug abuse and addiction, such as family disintegration, loss of employment, failure in school, domestic violence, and child abuse."
Data reported for 2010 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2011):
- 8.9% of the U.S. population aged 12 or older would meet the diagnostic criteria for a drug or alcohol use disorder (substance use disorder). This was an estimated 22.1 million persons. Of these, 2.9 million were classified with a substance use disorder of both alcohol and illicit drugs. 4.2 million were classified with a substance use disorder for illicit drugs but not alcohol. 15.0 million were classified with a substance use disorder for alcohol but not illicit drugs.
- Between 2002 and 2010, the number of persons with substance use disorders was stable.
- 23.1 million persons aged 12 or older needed treatment for an alcohol or substance use disorder. Of these only 2.6 million people received treatment at a specialized addiction facility.
- Of the 20.5 million persons aged 12 or older in 2010 needing substance use treatment but not receiving it, 1.0 million persons (5.0 percent) reported that they felt they needed treatment for their drug or alcohol use problem. Of these 1.0 million persons who felt they needed treatment, 341,000 (33.3 percent) reported that they made an effort to get treatment, and 683,000 (66.7 percent) reported making no effort to get treatment.
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