Millions of people who once suffered from a substance use disorder, as well as their family and friends, have seen their lives improve through treatment and recovery. A substance use disorder is when a person is dependent on alcohol and/or drugs, including prescription drugs.1 National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month), now in its 20th year, continues to celebrate recovery and help those who continue to suffer.
The 2009 Recovery Month theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Together We Learn, Together We Heal,” emphasizes the need to use all available resources, in our communities and on the Internet, to educate people about the disease and to help those with substance use disorders, and those close to them, get support. In 2007, 23.2 million people aged 12 or older needed treatment for a substance use disorder, yet only 3.9 million received treatment in some form.2 The chart below illustrates some of the key facts about substance misuse and treatment.
Substance Use Disorders: A Snapshot of Addiction and Treatment in the United States3,4,5
| Substance |
Other Names14 |
Intoxication Effects15 |
Negative Health Effects16, 17 |
Average Age of First Use in 200718 |
Number of People Who Used it in the Past Month in 200719 |
| Stimulants: Affect the nervous system by increasing alertness and mental and motor activity20 |
| Cocaine |
Coke, snow, toot, white lady, C, blow |
Feelings of exhilaration, increased energy, mental alertness |
Rapid or irregular heartbeat, insomnia, strokes, abdominal pain |
20.2 years |
2.1 million people |
| Crack cocaine (a rock-crystal form that is heated and smoked) |
Rock, crack |
Feelings of exhilaration, increased energy, mental alertness |
Rapid or irregular heartbeat, insomnia, strokes, abdominal pain |
20.2 years for cocaine |
610,000 people |
| Ecstasy (MDMA) |
XTC, adam, eve, decadence, M&M, X |
Mild hallucinogenic effects, increased sensitivity, empathic feelings |
Impaired memory and learning; sharp increase in body temperature (hyperthermia); liver, kidney, cardiovascular system failure |
20.2 years |
503,000 people |
| Methamphetamine |
Meth, crank, speed, chalk, ice |
Aggression, violence, psychotic behavior, increased physical activity |
Impaired memory and learning, neurological and cardiac damage, high blood pressure, anxiety, delusions |
19.1 years |
529,000 people |
| Depressants: Affect the central nervous system by decreasing awareness and capacity to function; used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders21 |
| Tranquilizers – a class of drugs used to relax or calm, relieve anxiety, or relax muscle spasms (benzodiazepines) |
Benzos (Xanax®, Ativan®, Valium®, Librium®) |
Reduced anxiety, lowered inhibitions, feeling of well-being |
Seizure, respiratory depression, decreased heart rate |
24.5 years |
1.8 million people used tranquilizers nonmedically |
| Sedatives – a class of drugs used to help with sleep or relaxation |
Haldol®, Thorazine®, Navane®, Prolixin®, Mellaril®, and Trilafon® |
Reduced anxiety, lowered inhibitions, feeling of well-being |
Seizure, respiratory depression, decreased heart rate, reduced mental alertness |
24.2 years |
346,000 people used sedatives nonmedically |
| Opioids: Includes drugs derived from morphine; most often prescribed to treat pain22, 23 |
| Pain relievers (hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, codeine, fentanyl) |
Vike (Vicodin®), Oxy, O.C. (Oxycontin®), M (roxanol), Captain cody, Schoolboy (empirin with codeine), China white, dance fever (Actiq®) |
Pain relief, feeling of sedation, euphoria, drowsiness |
Seizure, respiratory depression, decreased heart rate |
21.2 years |
5.2 million people used pain relievers nonmedically |
| Substance |
Other Names24 |
Intoxication Effects25 |
Negative Health Effects26, 27 |
Average Age of First Use in 200728 |
Number of People Who Used it in the Past Month in 200729 |
| Opioids: Includes drugs derived from morphine; most often prescribed to treat pain |
| Heroin |
Big H, dope, smack, white horse |
Feeling of euphoria, flushing of the skin, dry mouth, feeling of heavy extremities, fluctuation between awake and drowsy states |
Collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, liver disease, pulmonary complications |
21.8 years |
200,000 people |
| Cannabinoids: Hemp plant drugs made from shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers30, 31 |
| Marijuana |
Pot, weed, hash, Mary Jane, grass, reefer, ganja |
Euphoria, slowed thinking and reaction time, impaired balance and coordination |
Respiratory infections, increased heart rate, impaired memory, anxiety |
17.6 years |
14.4 million people |
| Hallucinogens: Cause changes in a person's perception of reality32 |
| LSD |
Acid, boomers, yellow sunshines |
Altered state of perception and feeling; changes in senses, mood, body temperature |
Persistent mental disorders, increased blood pressure and heart rate |
18.3 years |
145,000 people |
| Inhalants: Volatile substances that produce chemical vapors that can be inhaled to induce a psychoactive, or mind-altering, effect33 |
| Gases, nitrites, aerosols |
Ether, chloroform, nitrous oxide, isobutyl, isoamyl (poppers, snappers, whippets, laughing gas) |
Stimulation, loss of inhibition, loss of motor coordination, slurred speech |
Memory impairment, muscle weakness, depression, cardiovascular and nervous system damage |
17.1 years |
616,000 people |
| Other Substances |
| Alcohol |
Booze, sauce, drink |
Reduced sensitivity to pain, taste, and odor; impaired vision; decreased attention and memory; interference with REM sleep |
Damaged vital organs (such as the liver, heart, pancreas, and brain), high blood pressure, gastrointestinal irritation |
16.8 years |
126.8 million people |
| Tobacco products |
Cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, snuff, spit tobacco, bidis, chew |
Increased adrenaline and metabolism, feelings of increased alertness and concentration |
Breathing paralysis, damaged lungs and cardiovascular system, cancer, high blood pressure, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis |
16.9 years for cigarette use |
70.9 million people |
Click here for more details about commonly misused substances. Refer to http://www.samhsa.gov/treatment or call 1-800-662-HELP for further treatment-option resources.
SOURCES
1 Results From the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings. DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 08-4343. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies, September 2008, p. 71.
2 Ibid, p. 77.
3 Ibid, pp. 16, 50, 52, 77, 79, 254.
4 NIDA: Commonly Abused Drugs Chart. Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Sciences, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, updated July 2004.
5 Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use. American Council for Drug Education Web site: http://www.acde.org/educate/signs.htm. Accessed August 23, 2008.
6 NIDA: Commonly Abused Drugs Chart, updated July 2004.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid.
9 Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use. American Council for Drug Education Web site: http://www.acde.org/educate/signs.htm. Accessed August 23, 2008.
10 Results From the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, pp. 50, 52. 11 Ibid, pp. 16, 17.
12 Categories of Commonly Misused Substances. Parts Hangar Inc., Integrated Publishing Web site: http://www.tpub.com/content/armymedical/MD0549/MD05490009.htm. Accessed September 2, 2008.
13 Ibid.
14 Opioids/Heroin. Ceida Web site: http://www.ceida.net.au/depressants/heroin.asp. Accessed October 17, 2008.
15 NIDA InfoFacts: Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse. August 2008. NIDA Web site: http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofacts/PainMed.html. Accessed September 2, 2008.
16 NIDA: Commonly Abused Drugs Chart, updated July 2004.
17 Ibid.
18 Ibid.
19 Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use. American Council for Drug Education's Web site: http://www.acde.org/common/System.htm. Accessed August 23, 2008.
20 Results From the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, pp. 50, 52.
21 Ibid, pp. 16, 17.
22 Opioids/Heroin. Ceida Web site: http://www.ceida.net.au/depressants/heroin.asp. Accessed October 17, 2008.
23 NIDA InfoFacts: Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications. NIDA Web site: http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofacts/PainMed.html. Accessed September 2, 2008.
24 NIDA InfoFacts – Marijuana. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse. July 2008. NIDA Web site: http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofacts/marijuana.html. Accessed September 2, 2008.
25 Marijuana Facts & Figures – Drug Facts. Washington, D.C.: The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Web site: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/marijuana/marijuana_ff.html. Accessed August 23, 2008.
26 Ibid.
27 Inhalants Facts & Figures – Drug Facts. Washington, D.C.: The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Web site: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/inhalants/inhalants_ff.html. Accessed August 23, 2008.