Trends in Initiation of Drug/Alcohol Use

Psychotherapeutics (nonmedical use of pharmaceutical drugs)

This category includes nonmedical use of any prescription-type pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or sedative. It does not include over-the-counter substances. Among the psychotherapeutics, pain relievers had the highest number of new users in 1999, a total of approximately 1,469,000 persons. This number has been increasing since the mid-1980s, when there were fewer than 400,000 initiates annually (Figure 5.2). Youths aged 12 to17 constitute the majority of this increase, from 78,000 in 1985 to 722,000 in 1999. The number of young adult initiates aged 18 to 25 increased from 166,000 to 492,000 during the same period.

The number of new users of stimulants was about 646,000 in 1999. This number is similar to the estimates for 1997 and 1998 (about 700,000 new users in each of those years). Since 1994, there have been more new users among youths aged 12 to 17 (322,000 in 1999) than among young adults aged 18 to 25 (213,000 in 1999).

There were approximately 642,000 new users of tranquilizers in 1999. While the number of new users of all ages in 1999 appears to be slightly lower than the number in 1998 (814,000), both the numbers of users for youth and young adults were similar to corresponding numbers in 1998. For youth, these estimated numbers of new users are the highest since 1965.

The estimated number of new initiates of sedatives was the smallest among the psychotherapeutics, at 143,00 new users in 1999. The number of new users of sedatives was significantly higher in the early 1970s (about 300,000 to 500,000). The number of initiates has been relatively lower since the early to mid 1980s with a reported low of about 42,000 in 1991.

Marijuana
Cocaine
Alcohol
Other Substances

Source: SAMHSA 1999 NHSDA.

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"In the United States, approximately three-fourths of all deaths among persons aged 10--24 years result from only four causes: motor-vehicle crashes, other unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide. Results from the 1999 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey demonstrate that numerous high school students engage in behaviors that increase their likelihood of death from these four causes...[including alcohol and illicit drug use]" Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), Centers for Disease Control, Risk Youth Behavior Surveillance.