In the United States many see an alarming trend concerning substance abuse and addiction, and recent statistics prove that the current rate of drug and alcohol abuse is much higher than in the past. Some of the alarming statistics for substance abuse and addiction show that:
- Almost 9% of the entire population of the USA aged 12 years old or older have admitted to using drugs or alcohol within the last month.
- In the year 2010 more than 17 million people aged 12 or older used marijuana in some form within the last month.
- Older individuals have also seen an increase in the substance abuse and addiction rates. Many of these individuals abuse prescription drugs but there are many who choose alcohol or street drugs instead.
- More than six and a half million individuals in the USA in 2010 admitted to binge drinking at least once in the last month.
- Over 6 million children live in a household where at least on of the parents has substance abuse or addiction issues, and many of these parents are not receiving any treatment or assistance with this problem at all. That places these 6 million children at a higher risk for neglect or abuse, and they are also much more likely to grow up to struggle with substance abuse and addiction as well.
- 5% of the global population resides in the USA, yet around 65% of the illegal drug supply around the world is consumed in this country.
- Individuals who have been incarcerated in prison and then released are most likely to die from a drug overdose. The top two drugs that are involved in overdose deaths are heroin and cocaine.
