Fewer Seek Treatment for Alcohol Only

Tuesday May 18, 2010
Fewer people are seeking treatment for alcohol-only problems and for alcohol and drugs together, but treatment for drugs alone has increased significantly in the past 10 years. Treatment admissions for drug abuse alone has increased from 26% to 37%, while admissions for alcohol alone fell from 27% to 23%.
These figures are the result of a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The SAMHSA report showed that treatment admissions for the co-abuse of substances dropped from 44% to 38% between 1998 and 2008, although the concurrent abuse of both alcohol and drugs has remained a widespread problem.

A Rise in Opiate Treatment

Some of the other findings of the study included:


•A rise in opiate admissions from 16% of admissions to 20% in 2008.

•A decline in cocaine admissions from 15% in 1998 to 11% in 2008.

•An increase in marijuana admissions from 13% in 1998 to 17% in 2008.

•A rise in stimulant admissions from 4% in 1998 to 6% in 2008.

In regarding treatment for teens, admissions for treatment increased from 1998 until 2002, but then declined between 2002 and 2008. Of those teens seeking treatment, 79% of those admissions was for marijuana and about half of those were ordered by the criminal justice system.