Alcohol and Drug Facts

Presented by Allen Broadman for

Green Meadow Waldorf School

Topics

• Statistics and facts about alcohol & drug usage

• Drug and Alcohol Effects and Risks

• Most common substances used

• Alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs

• Driving Under the Influence (DUI)

Statistics and Sources

• Statistics are all national, based on United States • Sources include:

– CDC: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention – SAMSAH: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

– NIDA: National Institute on Drug Abuse, a division of the National Institutes of Health

– University of Michigan: Monitoring the Future Survey, funded by National Institutes of Health

– National Vital Statistics System: a division of the CDC

• Most statistics based on self-reported usage by anonymous surveys

Statistics and Sources

• Interpreting statistics – National U.S. statistics do not necessarily reflect local

community patterns of behavior

– There are variations based on geography, gender, race, ethnicity, and other categories

– Some results are conflicting across different organizations/surveys

• Alcohol being included with drugs

• Tobacco mostly being excluded

Use vs. Misuse vs. Abuse

• Use – Most general term, includes all others

– Often specifies last 30 days, last year, or lifetime

• Misuse – Incorrect usage of a legitimately needed or

prescribed substance

• Abuse – Addiction, binging, negative impacts on health,

social life, mental & emotional well-being

Alcohol and Drug Effects and Risks Short Term

• Physical impairment

– drowsiness, confusion, and slowed reaction times

• Impaired judgment

• Increased risk of injury from accidents

• Higher risk of DUI or unwanted sexual activity

• Overdose (can be fatal or permanent injury)

Alcohol and Drug Effects and Risks Long Term

• Addiction

• Depression and other mental & emotional health problems

• Reduced cognitive function

• Increased health risks including:

– Various cancers

– Cardiovascular disease

– Liver disease

Major Trends9

• As of 2015, e-cigarettes now have the highest prevalence of use for all tobacco products9

• Between 2009 and 20141:

– Alcohol use is down 15-20%

– Marijuana use steady but up 20% for ages 18-25

– Heroin use is very low but has doubled in the 18-25 age group

– Heroin overdose deaths have tripled

Substances and Usage Most commonly used drugs by

8th and 12th graders (2015)2

7%

10%

2%

13%

11%

5%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

Marijuana Alcohol Inhalants

past 30 days

past year

35%

21%

6%

58%

35%

19%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Alcohol Marijuana PrescriptionDrugs

past 30 days

past year

8th Grade

Past 30-Day and Past Year Use

12th Grade

Substances and Usage

Alcohol and Marijuana use increases steadily from 8th through 12th grades (2015)2

Past 30-Day Use

Substances and Usage

Drug use correlates with mental & emotional duress1

Alcohol

Major reasons teens give for drinking alcohol12

– Peer Pressure

– Stress Relief

– To see what it’s like

– Easy access

Alcohol

Young adults the most likely to binge drink1

(Binge drinking defined as 5 or more drinks on one occasion)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Ages 12-17 Ages 18-25 Ages 26+

Past 30-Day Binge Drinking (2014)

Marijuana

• We are in the midst of a major cultural shift

– Availability is increasing

– Potency is increasing

– Perception as risky is decreasing

Marijuana

• Recreational use fully legal in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and the District of Columbia. May be legalized in the near future in California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York.

• Average potency of marijuana has over tripled in the past two decades14

– THC levels in marijuana have increased from an average 3.5% to over 12%.

– Hash Oil used for “dabbing” can have 70%-90% levels of THC, over 20 times the average potency of 1993

• Many methods of use: smoking, vaping, edibles, ingestible

oils, and tinctures

Marijuana

Perception of risk to usage is dropping2

Prescription Drugs

• Pain Relievers – Opioids including Hydrocodone (Vicodin) and

Oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet)

• Tranquilizers – Diazepam (Valium), Alprazolam (Xanax), Zolpidem

(Ambien), Eszopicolone (Lunesta)

• Stimulants – Amphetamine (Adderall), Methlyphenidate

(Ritalin)

Prescription Drugs

• Since 2006, nonmedical use is up 10%-20% for ages 12-251

• Since 2000, pharmaceutical sales of prescription opioid

pain relievers have quadrupled13

• Overdose deaths have risen dramatically4,15

– More people died from drug overdoses in the United States in 2014 than during any previous year on record.

– From 2000 to 2014, the number of deaths from overdoses of prescription opiates over tripled

– Deaths from opioid pain relievers exceed those from all other illegal drugs

Prescription Drugs

Reasons for Nonmedical Prescription Drug Use8

Reasons for Teens

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Parents don't care as much if caught

Can be used as study aids

Safer than illegal drugs

Cheap

Can claim to have prescription ifcaught

Not illegal

Easy to get from parent's home

Reasons for College Students

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Decrease anxiety

Help sleep

Experimentation

To get high

Relieves Pain

Prescription Drugs

Where are prescription drugs obtained? 8

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Free from Friend orRelative

Doctors Bought/Took fromFriend or Relative

Drug Dealer orStranger

Inhalants1,2

• Examples:

– nitrous oxide, amyl nitrite, nail polish remover, paint thinner, butane, glues, correction fluids

• Only category of drug with higher use among younger grades

• Very low rates of use, but potentially serious health consequences

• Easily available to young children

Driving Under the Influence

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among young people ages 16 to 1917

• New York State has a tougher BAC standard for underage DUI drivers: .02% instead of .08%

Driving Under the Influence

• Young drivers (ages 16-20) are 17 times more likely to die in a crash when they have a BAC of .08% than when they have not been drinking2

• High school seniors who smoke marijuana and then drive are 65% more likely to get into a car accident11

Driving Under the Influence

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

16 17 18 19 20 21-25 26-29 30-33

Drove Under the Influence of Alcohol or Illicit Drugs in the Past Year (by Age: 2013)

3

Driving Under the Influence

Legal Consequences

• For the driver:16

– Fines, driver’s license suspension, car registration cancellation, and forced alcohol awareness programs are all possible results

– First offense DUI is a criminal misdemeanor, punishable by up to 6 months in jail (NYS does not have minimum jail sentences)

• For social hosts (New York State)10

– Anyone injured by an intoxicated person under 21 years old has a right to recover damages against any person who:

“…knowingly causes intoxication or impairment of ability by unlawfully furnishing to or unlawfully assisting in procuring alcoholic beverages for that [underage] person with knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that person was under the age of 21 years”

References

• (1) SAMSAH 2014 Behavioral Health Trends in the United States: Results from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

• (2) MTF 2015 Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use 1975-2015: 2015 Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use (National Institute on Drug Abuse at The National Institutes of Health)

• (3) SAMSAH 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2012 and 2013 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

• (4) NVSS 2014 National Vital Statistics System, Mortality File 2014

• (5) MMWR CDC 2014 Increases in Drug and Opioid Overdose Deaths - United States, 2000-2014 (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report MMWR, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• (6) FDA CHI 2010 Combating Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Drugs July 2010 (Federal Drug Administration, Consumer Health Information)

References

• (7) VITAL 2012 Vital Signs Teen Drinking and Driving October 2012 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• (8) NIDA 2014 Popping Pills - Prescription Drug Abuse in America (National Institute on Drug Abuse)

• (9) SAMSAH 2015 Behavioral Health Trends in the United States: Results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

• (10) NYS GO New York State General Obligations Section 11-100 Compensation for injury or damage caused by the intoxication or a person under the age of twenty-one years

• (11) AJPH 2013 Driving after drug or alcohol use by US High School Seniors, 2001-2011 (O'Malley and Johnston, American Journal of Public Health November 2013)

• (12) NIH 2016 Underage Drinking Factsheet (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcholism, National Institutes of Health 2016)

References

• (13) ASAM 2016 Opioid Addiction 2016 Facts and Figures (American Society of Addiction Medicine 2016)

• (14) NIDA 2016 Research Report Series on Marijuana (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2016)

• (15) NIDA 2015 Drug Facts on Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2015)

• (16) NOLO 2016 DUI or DWI Punishments and Penalties (NOLO Press 2016)

• (17) DRUG 2015 Drug Facts - Drugged Driving (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2015)