A Day in the Life of Teen Substance Abuse

If you still think it's not possible for your teen to be involved in substance abuse, you might want to check out the latest figures from a new national survey. On any given day, hundreds of thousands of adolescents are drinking, using illegal drugs and smoking cigarettes, creating a public health challenge.

The survey was sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The study was called, "A Day in the Life of American Adolescents: Substance Use Facts Update," and is drawn from previous national surveys conducted and analyzed by SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies.

Here are some of the major findings of the study:

An Average Day for American Adolenscents

• 508,000 drink alcohol.
  
• 641,000 use illicit drugs
  
• 1,000,000 smoke cigarettes.

On An Average Day in 2008 Teens Used Illegal Drugs

• 563,000 adolescents used marijuana.
  
• 37,000 used inhalants.
  
• 24,000 used hallucinogens.
  
• 16,000 used cocaine.
  
• 2,800 used heroin.

On Any Given Day (in 2008) Teens Use Substances for the First Time

• 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.
  
• Approximately 2,500 adolescents abused pain relievers for the first time.

On an Average Day Adolescents Are in Treatment for Substance Abuse

• Over 76,000 in outpatient treatment.
  
• More than 9,000 in non-hospital residential treatment.
  
• Over 700 in hospital inpatient treatment.

On an Average 2008 Day, Teens Visited Emergency Rooms

• 151 visits involved alcohol.
  
• 129 involved marijuana.
  
• 86 involved prescription or nonprescription pain relievers.

SAMHSA officials said the new report is a wake-up call about the extent to which today's youth is involved in risky behaviors.

The full report is available online.

Related Information:

• Is Your Teenager Using Drugs or Alcohol?
  
• Teen Drinking - Not Just a Phase
  
• How to Talk to Kids about Alcohol

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