Characteristics of Adults Aged 18 Years Evaluated for Substance Use and Treatment Planning United States, 2019 MMWR

Perceptions of great risk of harm among adults aged 26 or older declined slightly from 2015 to 2019 for daily binge drinking (from 70.4 to 69.3 percent), smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day (from 74.2 to 72.7 percent), and weekly cocaine use (from 88.8 to 86.9 percent). In addition, the perceived great risk of harm from weekly heroin use among this population declined slightly from 2017 (95.8 percent) to 2019 (95.2 percent). Among young adults aged 18 to 25, the number of past year initiates of prescription pain reliever misuse declined from 596,000 people in 2015 to 404,000 people in 2019 (Figure 32 and 2019 DT 7.43).

Among people aged 12 or older in 2019 who misused prescription pain relievers in the past year, the most common source for the last pain reliever they misused was from a friend or relative in some way (i.e., being given them, buying them, or taking them without asking) (Figure 23). More than half (50.8 percent) of people who misused pain relievers in the past year obtained the pain relievers the last time from a friend or relative in some way. More than one third of people who misused pain relievers in the past year (37.5 percent) obtained pain relievers the last time through prescription(s) or stole pain relievers from a health care provider, typically getting the pain relievers through a prescription from one doctor (35.7 percent). About 1 in 15 people who misused pain relievers in the past year (6.2 percent) bought the last pain reliever they misused from a drug dealer or other stranger.

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Among young adults aged 18 to 25, the percentage who were past year illicit drug users increased from 37.5 percent in 2015 to 39.1 percent in 2019 (Figure 11 and 2019 DT 7.11). However, the percentage of young adults in 2019 who were substance abuse in older adults past year illicit drug users was similar to the percentages in 2016 to 2018. Among adults aged 26 or older, the percentage who were past month heavy alcohol users remained stable between 2015 and 2019 (Figure 9 and 2019 DT 7.15).

These estimates in 2019 were similar to the estimates in most years from 2002 through 2018. Among adolescents aged 12 to 17 in 2019, 3.6 percent (or 894,000 people) had an illicit drug use disorder in the past year (Figure 38 and 2019 DT 7.47). These estimates in 2019 were higher than the estimates in 2017 and 2018, but they were similar to the estimates in 2015 and 2016. Among people aged 12 or older, the number of past year initiates of prescription tranquilizer misuse declined from 1.4 million people in 2015 to 949,000 people in 2019 (Figure 26 and 2019 DT 7.40). The number of people aged 12 or older in 2019 who initiated prescription tranquilizer misuse in the past year averaged to about 2,600 people each day (Table A.3A). Among people aged 12 or older, the number of past year initiates of prescription stimulant misuse declined from 1.3 million people in 2015 to 901,000 people in 2019 (Figure 26 and 2019 DT 7.40).

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This number in 2019 who initiated alcohol use in the past year averaged to approximately 560 adults aged 26 or older each day (Table A.3A). Consistent with the pattern of cigarette smoking initiation, relatively few people https://ecosoberhouse.com/ start to use alcohol after age 25. Among young adults aged 18 to 25, the number of past year alcohol use initiates increased from 1.2 million people in 2002 to 2.4 million people in 2019 (Figure 27 and 2019 DT 7.43).

This number in 2019 who initiated cocaine use in the past year averaged to about 370 adults aged 26 or older each day (Table A.3A). Among young adults aged 18 to 25, the number of past year initiates of marijuana use increased from 733,000 in 2002 to 1.2 million in 2019 (Figure 28 and 2019 DT 7.43). This number in 2019 was higher than the numbers in most years from 2002 to 2016, but it was similar to the numbers in 2017 and 2018. The number of young adults in 2019 who initiated marijuana use in the past year averaged to about 3,400 young adults each day (Table A.3A). Among young adults aged 18 to 25 in 2019, 1.0 million people initiated cigarette smoking in the past 12 months (2019 DT 7.43), which was higher than the numbers in 2002 to 2004, was similar to the numbers in 2005 to 2008, and was lower than the numbers in most years from 2009 through 2018.

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Then it presents estimates of the misuse of subtypes of pain relievers among people who used that subtype in the past year. Among people aged 12 or older, the percentage who misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in the past year declined from 2.6 percent (or 7.0 million people) in 2015 to 2.1 percent (or 5.9 million people) in 2019 (Figure 19 and 2019 DT 7.2). Among adolescents aged 12 to 17 in 2019, 1.7 percent (or 430,000 people) misused prescription stimulants in the past year (Figure 18 and 2019 DT 7.5). Among people aged 12 or older, the percentage who misused prescription psychotherapeutic drugs in the past year declined from 7.1 percent (or 18.9 million people) in 2015 to 5.9 percent (or 16.3 million people) in 2019 (2019 DT 7.2).

Both the percentage of adults aged 26 to 49 in 2019 who received prescription medication in the past year for a mental health issue and the percentage who received outpatient mental health services were higher than the corresponding percentages in each year from 2002 to 2018 (2019 DT 10.16). The percentage in 2019 who received inpatient mental health services in the past year was similar to the percentages in most years from 2002 through 2018. Among adults aged 26 to 49, the percentage who received mental health services in the past year increased from 14.5 percent (or 14.5 million people) in 2002 to 17.8 percent (or 17.9 million people) in 2019 (2019 DT 10.7). These estimates in 2019 were higher than the estimates in each year from 2002 through 2018.

These sorts of injuries can pose a greater risk to health than in younger adults and coincide with a possible longer recovery time. They offer a safe and comfortable space to talk freely and openly about one’s experiences. They can provide an opportunity for older adults to connect with peers who have gone through similar struggles, providing a forum to share advice and strategies that have proven successful in managing their addiction. Trained Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) staff reviewed medical records (charts) of emergency department (ED) visits on an ongoing basis at a nationally representative sample of hospitals to find drug-related ED visits that met the DAWN case criteria. The estimates presented in this report were based on the drug-related visits made by patients aged 65 or older found through a review of 5.2 million charts for ED visits occurring in calendar year 2011 in 233 hospitals. Seek a trusted member of your local church, or speak with a licensed mental health professional about your desire to recover from an addiction.