此篇文章轉錄自Medical News Today(點此連結)；文章主要呈現美國青少年藥物濫用的數據（藥物濫用或物質濫用：substance abuse）。以心理實務的角度，當然會注意到藥物使用族群的人數估計和接受治療族群統計間的落差，到底有多少人會尋求協助戒斷？不可否認，這篇文章是以醫學病理的觀點來看藥物濫用，因而有將藥物濫用的行為與心理健康的關聯擺在一起，但是許多物質使用者可不認為他們使用物質（或藥物）就代表心理不健康或他們生活有什麼需要改變的地方，的確，把藥物使用和心理衛生連在一起可能需要更細緻一點，尤其是要連到精神病理的部份，也所以在心理實務上，面對物質使用者或濫用者，首先要釐清的就是：為什麼需要改變。
New Report Provides Startling Look At Substance Abuse On An Average Day In The Life Of American Adolescents
03 Jun
2010
On an average day, 508,000 adolescents aged 12-17 in the United
States drink alcohol; 641,000 use illicit drugs; and more than 1 million
smoke cigarettes, according to a national survey sponsored by the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The report, which highlights the substance abuse behavior and addiction
treatment activities that occur among adolescents on an average day,
draws on national surveys conducted and analyzed by SAMHSA's Office of
Applied Studies.
The study, A Day in the Life of American Adolescents: Substance Use
Facts Update, presents a stark picture of the daily toll substance
abuse takes on America's youth and is part of SAMHSA's Data, Outcomes,
and Quality Strategic Initiative, designed to create an integrated data
strategy that provides key public health information on a wide range of
behavioral health issues.
Among the report's major findings is that on any given day during 2008,
563,000 adolescents used marijuana, nearly 37,000 used inhalants, 24,000
used hallucinogens, 16,000 used cocaine and 2,800 used heroin.
"This report is a wake up call about the extent to which our nation's
youth engage in risky behavior by using illegal and potentially
dangerous substances everyday," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S.
Hyde, J.D. "Parents, families and people working in the public health
and public safety professions can prevent substance abuse and promote
emotional health. In the long run our efforts can improve health status
and lower costs to families, businesses and governments."
"The burden of substance abuse casts a tragic shadow on the lives of far
too many young people," said HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Dr.
Howard K. Koh. "We must meet this public health challenge head on and do
everything we can to promote prevention and treatment programs for
youth that will ensure the overall health, success and well-being of our
nation's next generation."
The report also sheds light on how many adolescents used illegal
substances for the first time. On an average day in 2008:
- Approximately 7,500 adolescents drank alcohol for the first time;
- Approximately 4,360 adolescents used an illicit drug for the first
time;
- Around 3,900 adolescents smoked cigarettes for the first time;
- Nearly 3,700 adolescents used marijuana for the first time; and
- Approximately 2,500 adolescents abused pain relievers for the first
time.
In addition, the report also highlights how many people under age 18
were receiving treatment for a substance abuse problem during an average
day in 2008. These numbers included:
- Over 76,000 in outpatient treatment;
- More than 9,000 in non-hospital residential treatment; and
- Over 700 in hospital inpatient treatment.
The study showed that in 2008, there were about a quarter of a million
drug-related emergency hospital visits among adolescents of which
170,000 visits involved the use of illicit drugs, alcohol or intentional
misuse or abuse of pharmaceuticals. On an average day in 2008:
- 151 visits involved alcohol;
- 129 involved marijuana; and
- 86 involved prescription or nonprescription pain relievers.
This report was drawn from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and
Health, Treatment Episode Data Set and the National Survey of Substance
Abuse Treatment Services, and the Drug Abuse Warning Network, and
contains many other important facts about adolescent substance abuse,
treatment and treatment admissions patterns.
The full report is available here.
Source
SAMHSA
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