More Than 9 Million Kids are Affected by a Parent’s Drug or Alcohol Abuse

A recent SAMHSA report found that almost 12% of children in the United States live with a parent that either is dependent on or abuses drugs or alcohol. The finding comes from an analysis of results from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2002 – 2007. Specifically, about 2.1 million children lived with a parent who was dependent on or abused illicit drugs, and almost 7.3 million children lived with a parent who was dependent on or abused alcohol.

According to the report, “Substance use disorders can have a profound influence on the lives of individuals and their families, particularly their children…These data highlight the potential breadth of needs for the whole family—from substance abuse treatment for the affected adults to prevention and supportive services for the children.”

Another recently released report from SAMHSA shows that new mothers seem to be rapidly resuming the use of alcohol, cigarettes or drugs right after giving birth. The report, which analyzed data from the same national surveys at the above-mentioned report, found non-pregnant women with children under 3 months old in the household had much higher rates of past month alcohol use than women in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy (6.2% vs. 31.9%). Similar results were found in binge alcohol use (1% vs. 10%), cigarette use (13.9% vs. 20.4%) and marijuana use (1.4% vs. 3.8%). The report also noted that while more women seem to be heeding warnings about using drugs and alcohol during pregnancy, especially during the 3rd trimester, the number of women who drink alcohol during pregnancy is still high. According to the report, “Effective interventions for women to further reduce substance use during pregnancy and to prevent postpartum resumption of use could improve the overall health and well-being of mothers and infants.”

These 2 recent reports clearly illustrate the need to address the effects a person’s substance use has on the people around her, especially children. Those that grow up with a parent or parents that abuse alcohol or drugs are profoundly affected throughout their lives. Addressing these effects are important for the well-being of the friends, family members and others around the addicted person. Crossroads for Women will be holding its last educational series of the year for friends and family members affected by addiction on June 2nd at its outpatient office in Portland, ME. The 4-week series will focus on the basics of addiction, the recovery process and how to be supportive of an addicted loved one while also taking care of you. Find out more about the educational series or services for friends and family members of addicted loved ones.

Read the full reports
Children Living with Substance-Dependent or Substance-Abusing Parents: 2002 – 2007
Substance Use among Women During Pregnancy and Following Childbirth

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Illicit Drug Use Stays the Same in 2007

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) on Thursday at the start of the 19th annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. The survey, based on interviews with about 67,500 people, shows little change in illicit drug use since the previous year. Illicit drug use by Americans ages 12 and older went down only slightly from 8.3% in 2006 to 8% in 2007.

Some interesting findings, good and bad:

• Cocaine and meth use declined. Cocaine use among 18-25 year-olds dropped 23% (to 1.7%), and methamphetamine use among young adults fell by a third (to 0.4%) between 2006 and 2007.
• Youth are using less drugs. Among youth ages 12-17, there was a significant decline in overall past month illicit drug use (for nearly every type of drug), from 11.6% in 2002 to 9.5% in 2007.
• Baby-boomers are using more illicit drugs. Current illicit drug use among those aged 55 – 59 more than doubled, to 4.1% in 2007.
• Nonmedical prescription drug use by young adults is rising. Among young adults ages 18 – 25, the level of current nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers has risen 12% (to 4.6% in 2007).
• Substance abuse and mental health issues go hand in hand. In 2007, adults 18 and older who had experienced a major depressive episode in the past year were more than twice as likely as other adults to have used illicit drugs during that time (27.4% vs.12.8%).

FMI
View the complete 2007 NSDUH findings
Read SAMHSA’s press release on the NSDUH
Read the AP article, “Report: US drug use shows little change in 2007″

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Survey shows underage drinkers get alcohol from adults, younger girls drinking more than boys

A nationwide survey, being released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), shows that more than half of the teens surveyed admitted to underage drinking and 40% of those teens got free alcohol from an adult. Among the youngest teens, girls were found to drink slightly more than boys, consistent with other findings of girls catching up to boys when it comes to underage drinking. (Read “Gender Equality in Teenagers Not Always Good for Girls”)

The survey asked detailed questions about the behavior and social situations involved in underage drinking and is based on combined data from the 2002 – 2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) involving responses from 158,000 people ages 12 – 20 throughout the United States.

Notable findings included:

• More than half (53.9%) of all people aged 12 – 20 engaged in underage drinking in their lifetime, ranging from 11.0% of 12 year olds to 85.5% of 20 year olds.

• An average of 3.5 million people aged 12 – 20 each year (9.4%) meet the diagnostic criteria for having an alcohol use disorder (dependence or abuse).

• About 1 in 5 people in this age group (7.2 million people) have engaged in binge drinking – consuming 5 or more drinks on at least one occasion in the past month.

• Rates of current and binge alcohol use among 12 – 20 year olds were higher in the Northeast and Midwest than in the South or West.

• Over half (53.4%) of underage current alcohol users were at someone else’s home when they had their last drink, and 30.3% were in their own home; 9.4% were at a restaurant, bar or club.

• Among youths aged 12 – 14 the rate of current drinking was higher for females (7.7%) than males (6.3%), about equal for females and males among those aged 15 – 17 (27.6% and 27.3%, respectively), and lower for females than males among those aged 18 to 20 (47.9% vs. 54.4%)

• The vast majority of current underage drinkers (80.9%) reported being with two or more people the last time they drank. Those who were with two or more people consumed an average of 4.9 drinks on that occasion, compared with 3.1 drinks for those who were with one other person and 2.9 drinks for those who were alone.

• Rates of binge drinking are significantly higher among young people living with a parent who engaged in binge drinking within the past year.

“In far too many instances parents directly enable their children’s underage drinking — in essence encouraging them to risk their health and well-being,” said acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson. “Proper parental guidance alone may not be the complete solution to this devastating public health problem — but it is a critical part.”

The findings from this study are being incorporated into the Underage Drinking Prevention campaign, an ongoing public outreach effort by the Office of the Surgeon General, SAMHSA and the Ad Council encouraging parents to speak with their children early and often about the negative effects of underage drinking. Find out more about this campaign at www.stopalcoholabuse.gov.

Read More

From SAMHSA: New Nationwide Report Estimates that 40 Percent of Underage Drinkers Received Free Alcohol from Adults Over 21
From CNN.com: Survey: Underage drinkers get alcohol free from adults
From this blog: New Study Shows Parents Are Giving Kids Their First Alcoholic Drinks

Technorati Tags: underage drinking, teens, alcohol, parents, adults, SAMSHA, survey