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National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week
It’s National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week.
This week serves to educate many about drug and alcohol facts.
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week links students with scientists and other experts to counteract the myths about drugs and alcohol. Teens primarily get their information from the internet, social media, TV, movies, music, or friends. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) launched this program in 2010 to stimulate educational events in communities. In this format, teens learn what science knows about drug use and addiction.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism became a partner starting in 2016. For this reason, alcohol has been added as a topic area for the week. NIDA and NIAAA are part of the National Institutes of Health.
The content of this blog comes from addictioncenter.com and drugabuse.gov.
The Facts About Drug and Alcohol Use
- Over 20 million Americans over the age of 12 have an addiction (excluding tobacco).
- 100 people die every day from drug overdoses. This rate has tripled in the past 20 years.
- Over 5 million emergency room visits in 2011 were drug related.
- 2.6 million people with addictions have a dependence on both alcohol and illicit drugs.
- 9.4 million people in 2011 reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs.
- 6.8 million people with an addition have a mental illness.
- Rates of illicit drug use is highest among those aged 18 to 25.
- Over 90% of those with a addiction began smoking or using illicit drugs before the age of 18.
- Binge drinking is more common in men. 9.1% of men 12 and older reported heavy drinking 5 or more days in a month. 2.6% of women reported this.
- Over 11% of Americans have driven under the influence.
- Out of 16.6 million people with alcoholism, 2.6 million were also dependent on an illicit substance.
- It is estimated that over 95% of those who need treatment for alcoholism do not feel they need treatment.
- More people receive treatment for alcohol than any other substance.
Emerging Drug Trends
- Emerging drugs, which include designer drugs and new psychoactive substances, are substances that have appeared or become more popular in the drug market in recent years.
- Emerging drugs have unpredictable health effects. They may be as powerful or more powerful than existing drugs, and may be fatal.
- Because drug markets change quickly, NIDA supports the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS), which tracks emerging substances. NIDA also advances the science on emerging drugs by supporting research on their use and on their health effects.
Wear Red for Substance Abuse Prevention
The color red represents substance abuse. To support this cause, wear red pins, wristbands and fabric ribbons to raise awareness about drug and alcohol addiction.
Personalized Cause® and National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week
Raising awareness of things that are preventable, such as driving under the influence or taking drugs that have the potential for long-term addiction, is a proactive approach to awareness. Sometimes just wearing a pin engraved with the words, “Designated Driver” may be what someone needs to see to remind them about the importance of preventing the consequences of drunk or impaired driving. Help remind others without nagging or saying a thing when you wear a red enamel engraved awareness pin with an important message.
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