Benzodiazepines are a class of central nervous system
depressant drugs commonly prescribed for short-term treatment of anxiety or
insomnia. Proprietary names for drugs in this group include Valium, Xanax,
Librium, and Halcion.1
In 2000, benzodiazepines as a primary substance of abuse accounted for
about 4,400 substance abuse treatment admissions. The "primary" substance of
abuse is the main substance abused at the time of admission, while the
"secondary" substance is another substance of abuse also reported at the
time of admission. "Primary" benzodiazepine admissions constituted about 0.3
percent of the 1.6 million admissions in the Treatment Episode Data Set
(TEDS). This report provides an overview of primary benzodiazepine
admissions and compares selected characteristics with those of other
admissions reported to TEDS in 2000.
TEDS is an annual compilation of data on the demographic characteristics and
substance abuse problems of those admitted for substance abuse treatment.
The information comes primarily from facilities that receive some public
funding. TEDS records represent admissions rather than individuals, as a
person may be admitted to treatment more than once.
Secondary Substances of Abuse
Benzodiazepines were more likely to
be reported as secondary to the use of alcohol or another drug than as a
primary substance. Of the 23,000 admissions that involved benzodiazepines,
only 19 percent were for primary benzodiazepine use, while 81 percent were
for secondary use. Of those admissions with a benzodiazepine as primary
substance, 30 percent reported no secondary substance. The most frequently
reported secondary substances of primary benzodiazepine admissions were
alcohol alone (16 percent) and non-heroin opiates2
alone or in combination with another substance (15 percent) (Figure 1).
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Figure 1. Secondary Substances Reported for Primary Benzodiazepine
Admissions: 2000 |
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| Source:
2000 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). |
Demographics
The average age of primary
benzodiazepine admissions was older than other admissions (37 vs. 34 years).
The age at first use for benzodiazepine admissions was also older than for
other admissions (25 vs. 18). Females constituted more than half (59
percent) of benzodiazepine admissions.
Benzodiazepine admissions were more likely to be White than other
admissions (88 vs. 59 percent) (Figure 2). Three percent of benzodiazepine
admissions were Black, and 3 percent were Hispanic, compared with 23 and 12
percent, respectively, of other admissions.
Compared with all other admissions, benzodiazepine admissions were more
likely to be married (35 vs. 24 percent) as well as divorced (24 vs. 18
percent).3
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Figure 2. Primary Benzodiazepine Admissions, by Race/Ethnicity: 2000 |
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| Source:
2000 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). |
Socioeconomic Characteristics
Primary benzodiazepine admissions reported
a higher level of education than other admissions. They were more likely to
have some college education (32 vs. 21 percent), and less likely to have
dropped out before completing high school (29 vs. 36 percent) (Figure 3).
They were, however, less likely than other admissions to be employed full
time (19 vs. 26 percent).
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Figure 3. Primary Benzodiazepine Admissions, by Education: 2000 |
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| Source:
2000 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). |
Psychiatric Problem
Primary benzodiazepine admissions were more
than twice as likely as other admissions to have a psychiatric problem in
addition to substance abuse (40 vs. 17 percent), which is consistent with
the use of benzodiazepines in the treatment of some psychiatric disorders.4
Females admitted for abuse of benzodiazepines were more likely to have a
psychiatric problem than males admitted for benzodiazepine abuse (42 vs. 37
percent).
Source
of Referral
Primary benzodiazepine
admissions were less likely than other admissions to be referred by the
criminal justice system (18 vs. 36 percent) (Figure 4). They were more
likely than other admissions to be self- or individually referred (39
vs. 33 percent) or referred by a health provider (34 vs. 19 percent).
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Figure 4. Primary Benzodiazepine Admissions, by Source of Referral: 2000 |
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| Source:
2000 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). |
End Notes
1Benzodiazepines
include generic drugs such as diazepam, flurazepam, chlordiazepoxide,
clorazepate, lorazepam, alprazolam, oxazepam, temazepam, prazepam,
triazolam, clonazepam, halazepam, and other unspecified benzodiazepines.
2 Opiates
include codeine, Dilaudid, morphine, Demerol, opium, oxycodone, and any
other drug with morphine-like effects.
3"Marital
status" is a Supplemental Data Set item reported at the 75 percent response
level in 2000 by 43 States and jurisdictions, including AL, AK, AZ, AR, CO,
DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO,
NE, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, WA, and
WY.
4"Psychiatric
problem in addition to the substance abuse problem" is also a Supplemental
Data Set item reported at the 75 percent response level in 2000 by 28 States
and jurisdictions, including AL, CA, CO, DE, DC, GA, ID, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME,
MD, MA, MI, MS, MO, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, RI, SC, and TN.
The Drug and Alcohol
Services Information System (DASIS) is an integrated data system
maintained by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). One component of DASIS is the
Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). TEDS is a compilation of data on the
demographic characteristics and substance abuse problems of those
admitted for substance abuse treatment. The information comes primarily
from facilities that receive some public funding. Information on
treatment admissions is routinely collected by State administrative
systems and then submitted to SAMHSA in a standard format. Approximately
1.6 million records are included in TEDS each year. TEDS records
represent admissions rather than individuals, as a person may be
admitted to treatment more than once.
The DASIS Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies,
SAMHSA; Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Arlington, Virginia;
and RTI, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
Information and data for this issue are based on data reported to
TEDS through April 1, 2002.
Access the latest TEDS
reports at:
www.oas.samhsa.gov/dasis.htm
Access the latest TEDS public use files at:
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/SAMHDA.htm
Other substance abuse reports are available at:
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov
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| The DASIS Report is
published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be
reproduced or copied without permission from
SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report or other reports from the
Office of Applied Studies are available on-line: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the source is
appreciated. |
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This page was last updated on December 30, 2008.
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