National Drug Use Survey Claims Mixed Results for Recovery Month

September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, which is an annual observance sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) celebrating those who are able to overcome addiction.

Each year during Recovery Month SAMHSA also releases the results from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. This past year shows mixed results, claiming an overall decline in illicit drug use among youth ages 12-17 over the past three years. The numbers slid from 11.6 percent in 2002 to 9.9 percent in 2005.

By initial glance this does seem like very good news, a 1.7 percent less kids using drugs. After all, a drop is a drop. The problem is that the population grew more than that, meaning there are actually more kids using drugs in total number than there were three years ago, as the annual growth is slightly less than one percent.

Add to that the fact that drug use among the baby boomer generation (ages 50-59) jumped from 2.7 percent in 2002 to 4.4 percent in 2005.

The story line continues for prescription drug abuse. Past-month non-medical use of prescription drugs has increased from 5.4 percent in 2002 to 6.3 percent in 2005 for the highest-risk age range of young adults, those ages 18-25. Narcotic painkillers are the drugs most abused in this category, which also includes sedatives and amphetamines.

“Our young people are getting mixed messages,” comments Lucas A Catton, CCDC, director of the international Drug-Free Alliance, “They are led to believe that prescription drugs aren’t as dangerous as street drugs and they are bombarded with advertisements through all forms of media.”

The Drug-Free Alliance seeks to enlighten individuals, families and groups on the true dangers of drug use and to what extent drugs negatively impact our society. It promotes drug-free living and supports effective drug education and rehabilitation practices.

“People need to know that all drugs are toxic and have side effects,” Catton continues, “There is a big difference between a medical emergency requiring a drug and thinking prescriptions drugs are safe because they’re legal.”

The statement is supported by a figure posted on a website devoted to sharing independent news about natural health and medicine called Newstarget.com. A figure is posted on the index page stating that more than 530,000 Americans have been killed by FDA-approved pharmaceuticals since 9/11.

For more information about the Drug-Free Alliance visit www.drug-freealliance.org. To view all of the statistics from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health go to www.samhsa.gov.

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