April 26, 2002 |
New and Repeat Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment |
In Brief |
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Relapse to substance use after a period of abstinence is a common pattern among alcoholics and drug abusers. Many substance abusers are readmitted to treatment multiple times before they are able to achieve long-term abstinence. The Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) collects data primarily on the 1.6 million annual admissions to substance abuse treatment facilities that receive some public funds. TEDS records represent admissions rather than individuals; a person may be admitted to treatment more than once in a given time period. TEDS data include the number of prior treatment episodes and the age at first use of the primary substance (or first alcohol intoxication). This report compares first-time, or new, treatment admissions with readmissions of persons admitted to treatment 1 to 4 times, and 5 or more times, before the current episode. |
Number of Prior Treatment Episodes In 1999, more than 40 percent of treatment admissions (some 660,000 admissions) were first treatment episodes (data not shown). More than 45 percent (about 730,000 admissions) were readmissions of people who had been in treatment 1 to 4 times previously. Thirteen percent, or some 200,000, had been in treatment 5 or more times before the current episode. Primary Substance Alcohol accounted for almost half of all 1999 new and repeat admissions (Figure 1).
The proportion of admissions for opiates was greater with more treatment episodes; 9 percent of new treatment admissions were for opiates compared with 34 percent for those admitted to treatment 5 or more times before. The proportion of admissions for marijuana decreased as the number of treatment episodes increased. The proportion of admissions for cocaine was fairly constant among new and repeat admissions. |
Age at Admission There was a strong association between age and number of prior treatment episodes for all primary substances in 1999 (Figure 2). The association was most marked for alcohol and marijuana. For new and repeat admissions, the average age at admission for alcohol, cocaine, and opiates was between 35 and 40 years old, and it was 30 years old for stimulants. The average age for first-time admissions for marijuana was 22 years of age compared with 29 years for those admitted 5 or more times previously. Age at First Use There was little difference in the age at which use of the primary substance began (or first alcohol intoxication occurred) among first-time and repeat 1999 treatment admissions (Figure 3). However, TEDS data indicate that persons readmitted to treatment after 5 or more previous admissions first used the problem substance 6 months to a year earlier than first-time admissions. There was little difference in the age at which use of the primary substance began (or first alcohol intoxication occurred) among first-time and repeat 1999 treatment admissions (Figure 3). However, TEDS data indicate that persons readmitted to treatment after 5 or more previous admissions first used the problem substance 6 months to a year earlier than first-time admissions.
Duration of Use
There was considerable variation in the average duration of use of different substances before first entering treatment among 1999 admissions, ranging from 8 years for marijuana to 18 years for alcohol. Source of Referral The criminal justice system accounted for a high proportion (47 percent) of first-time treatment admissions in 1999, but it was less important as a referral source among readmissions (data not shown). The proportion of criminal justice referrals was 34 percent among readmissions of persons admitted for treatment 1 to 4 times and 12 percent among readmissions of persons admitted 5 or more times. |
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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 may be downloaded from Other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are also available on-line at the OAS home page: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. |
This page was last updated on December 31, 2008. |