Substance Abuse Preferences Evolving from Alcohol to Drugs

For many years now there has been a need for large numbers of people to get treatment for substance abuse. There are different types of substance abuse however, and historically more people were seeking treatment for alcohol than drugs. That is no longer true.

Thomas Goldsmith who is a Staff Writer for The News and Observer has posted an article on newsobserver.com that indicates the majority of people getting treatment for substance abuse are doing so because of an addiction to drugs.

Goldsmith's article, "Most substance abusers seek treatment for drugs," focuses on North Carolina to give us a basis to start our own exploration into the situation.

In 1992 people being treated for alcohol substance abuse was over 2 in 5 while in 2006, which is the most recent year available, the number had dropped to just one.

In North Carolina unmet needs for treatment for alcohol abuse has been the lowest in the country and even in the country that particular issue has not been a problem.

However getting treatment for drugs is a different story. The percentages quoted by Goldsmith are 25% increasing to 35% over the same period of time as the alcohol treatment numbers decrease.

The problem with drug treatment facilities is that they are not able to keep up with the demand.

That's not the only problem that exists in getting treatment.

I researched the question of how one would get drug treatment in my hometown and I used the same drugs as cocaine and opiates as examples.

The major problem with getting treatment is that there is not standardized comprehensive medical insurance coverage. Therefore people have to pay for their own treatment which can be in the thousands of dollars in some cases.

The numbers tend to be a little better all-around than the United States as a whole.

However, in looking at the problem of substance abuse, we can't just simplify the problem as the decision to use a substance that hurts us.

Substance abuse all too frequently comes as a result of misuse of a prescription drug such as codeine. Further, there are often overtones of mental or emotional illness such as depression present. Finally, there can be problems in the home that lead a person or child to the cusp of substance abuse.

When I was in Vietnam most everyone was a user of some type of substance that would deaden the feelings. Most frequently this was marijuana with younger troops and liquor with older troops. Most everyone smoked cigarettes.

What the study in North Carolina shows us is that just as treatment facilities have caught up to the need of alcohol abuse, the "high of choice" has become drugs for which we are not nearly as well prepared.

References:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1399352.html

http://ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/facts.aspx?topic=175