Posted on June 15, 2010

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has combined data from several national polls to create one comprehensive report on all substance abuse activity among American adolescents. The report, called A Day in the Life of American Adolescents: Substance Abuse Facts Update, presents information from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), National Survey on Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), and the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) to provide a full look at adolescent initiation of substance use, past year substance abuse, emergency department visits, and receipt of substance abuse treatment services.

The full facts and figures on American teens substance use is startling. According to trends from 2008 data, an average of 508,329 adolescents aged 12–17 consumed alcohol on any given day. For the complete year, an estimated 8 million teens drank alcohol. On any given day, an average of 1,021,853 adolescents aged 12–17 smoked cigarettes—and a total of 4 million tobacco-consuming teens for that year. On any given day, an average of 563,182 teens used marijuana, 36,572 used inhalants, 24,737 used hallucinogens, 16,622 used cocaine, and 2,866 used heroin. A total of 5 million adolescents aged 12–17 are believed to have used an illicit substance for that year.

The SAMHSA report states that almost one-third of American teenagers consumed alcohol, one-fifth used an illicit substance, and one-sixth smoked cigarettes during 2008. Although adolescent alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use has seen a decline since 2004, the number of adolescent admissions to substance abuse treatment facilities and the number of adolescent emergency department admissions have remained relatively the same for the past four years.

These steady numbers of treatment services amid a decline in illicit substance use is due to the rise in legal drug misuse and abuse—such as opioid prescription drugs—among this age group. While the preferred types of drugs used by teenagers may have shifted, adolescent drug abuse still remains a prominent national health concern. SAMHSA hopes that the report’s comprehensive statistics will make families, educators, and public service professionals more cognizant of the extent of current adolescent risk behaviors and how best to coordinate preventative strategies for the growing generation.

From the report, parents can understand just exactly how many teenagers are engaging in risky behavior regarding substance abuse. In addition, the report also indicates the number of adolescents who will use an illicit substance for the first time. On any given day during 2008, an average of 7,540 adolescents consumed alcohol for the first time, 3,845 smoked cigarettes for the first time, 2,466 abused a prescription drug for the first time, and 4,365 used any illicit substance for the first time. Overall, 10.2% of teenagers aged 12–17 drank alcohol for the first time in 2008, and 6.0% used an illicit substance for the first time.

To combat these averages and help lower risk, more prevention and treatment programs for adolescents should be implemented or existing programs and resources should be improved. In 2008, the report estimates that 141,683 adolescents were admitted to substance abuse treatment programs. In an average day of 2008, 76,484 teenagers aged 12–17 received outpatient treatment, 9,219 received non-hospital residential treatment, and 762 received hospital inpatient treatment. The majority of adolescent treatment facility admissions were referred by the criminal justice system. The most commonly treated substance of abuse among adolescents was marijuana (with an average of 263 admissions per day) and alcohol (with an average of 76 admissions per day).

Most jarringly, the report estimates that almost 25 million admissions to emergency departments were adolescents aged 12–17 that year, with 169,600 visits pertaining to drug-related emergencies. Alcohol remained the most common substance related to adolescent emergencies, followed by marijuana and prescription drugs. Unintentional injury remains the leading cause of death among American teenagers—including misuse or abuse of licit and illicit substances. Most disturbing about the rate of American teenage deaths is that the overwhelming majority of them are considered preventable. Drug overdose has never been higher before in the U.S. than it is today. Regarding the entire U.S. population, 26,400 accidental overdose deaths took place in 2006. This figure, which is more than five-fold the overdose death rate of 1990, is primarily due to the surge in prescription drug abuse among the American population.

For the younger age groups in the U.S., accidental overdose has become the second leading cause of unintentional death, following motor vehicle fatalities. Substance abuse among adolescents is not only a common fatal risk behavior, but it costs the nation billions of dollars every year in direct and indirect costs—with the financial burden falling on American families of all socioeconomic backgrounds.