Drugs and Our Society Drug Taking Behavior Part 2

Personal and Social Concerns 1. Drugs impact every facet of our lives -fetus / children / adolescents / college students / young adults / homemakers / poor people / the young adults / homemakers / poor people / the affluent / the elderly affluent / the elderly 2. Drugs are deeply embedded in the human psyche -there is a tendency to use drugs to deal with all of our problems and fears -pain / frustration / personal problems / social interactions / disappointments 3. Drug abuse is an expensive problem -Office of National Drug Control Policy -health and social costs: $67 billion annually

Untreated alcohol and drug users 1. Fill anywhere from a low of 10% to a high of 50% of hospital beds nationwide -mostly for treatment secondary to the addiction 2. Of all persons admitted to general hospitals -20% to 40% have alcohol-related problems 3. The economic cost of alcohol abuse in the United States is estimated at over $185 billion -US Department of Health and Human Services -medical / work loss / abuse / neglect / criminal

Drug Abuse Warning Network DAWN 1. The federal government monitors ER visits for drug abuse -both for non-lethal ER visits and fatal arrivals 2. Today, the most common are: -methamphetamine -cocaine -heroin -an alcohol-combination 3. Over 10,000 drug-abuse deaths annually

Jails and Prisons 1. More than ¾’s of all prison inmates had been involved with drugs to some extent 2. More than 500,000 people are in American jails on any given day for violating a drug law 3. Almost $28 billion was spent in 2011 to combat drug abuse 4. Two-thirds of this money will be used for domestic law enforcement -in an attempt to reduce the drug supply -this increases the importation of drugs

Prescription Drug Use in the US 1. Over 2 billion prescriptions are dispensed in the US every year -and most prescriptions have several refills 2. Prescriptions drugs total $85 billion yearly -with over-the-counter drugs costing $13 billion 3. Pharmaceutical companies spend more on marketing than on research and development Student Involvement: Watch television this evening and list the number and types of drug commercials seen.

Drug Abuse by the Elderly 1. Among Americans 60 years of age and older, drug abuse is becoming an epidemic 2. Older adults are not necessarily abusing illicit substances -it is abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs -this is one of the fastest growing health problems in the United States 3. Misuse affects up to 17% of older Americans -2.5 million have alcohol-related problems - misuse of over-the-counter drugs with a high alcohol content, such as cough suppressants

Drugs in the Workplace 1. Drug abuse costs American employers $120 billion annually 2. 8% of full-time workers used an illicit drug during the previous month -9% of part-time workers did 3. 9% of workers drank heavily the previous month 4. Alcoholism results in 500 million lost work days annually -chemically dependent 3.6 times more likely to have accidents in the workplace

How to Cope with Drugs in the Workplace 1. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPS) -help workers deal with personal problems and substance abuse -many are voluntary -some are mandatory with a choice of being fired 2. EAPS use in companies has shown great promise -it has reduced absenteeism by 29% -it has reduced injuries by 82% -it has increased the number of employees in rehab

Drug Testing 1. The President’s Commission on Organized Crime in 1986 advocated all federal workers be drug-tested -federal contracts were to be withheld from private companies who did not drug test 2. Just how effective is drug testing? -among full-time workers (ages 18 to 49) -35% tested at time of employment -20% were subject to random testing -28% if supervisor had reasonable suspicion -23% following a work-related accident

Drug Testing, cont. 1. Illicit drug use higher in small businesses (1 – 24) -smaller companies are testing more 2. 70% of illegal drug users are employed full-time -77% of the above are heavy drinkers 3. Highest rate: -construction workers: handlers, helpers, laborers 4. Lowest rate: -child protective services 5. Police officers have high rates of heavy drinking and alcoholism

Drugs and the Family 1. Drug use has not been proven to increase marital separation and divorce -but an association does exist 2. Women with alcohol-dependent partners do have significantly more family and marital problems 3. Women subjected to violence have higher rates of alcohol dependence -as well as other drug abuse problems 4. Adolescents who are emotionally close to their mothers are less likely to drink alcohol -closeness to father does not have same effect

Study of Married People 1. People between the ages of 28 and 31 are less likely to use drugs if: -they married in their early 20’s and stay married -married in late 20’s -those who had children 2. Marriage and alcohol -reduced their use during first year of marriage -decreased significantly after parenthood -women whose husbands died, more likely to use 3.Marijuana: more likely to delay marriage/children

Parents in Need 1. 6% of children have one parent in need of illicit drug treatment 2. 4% have a parent who is dependent on illicit drugs 3. 8% have a parent dependent on alcohol 4. 50% have at least one parent who smokes 5. Parental substance abuse: almost 2/3’s have a child in the welfare system 6. It is a prominent factor in child abuse and domestic abuse -30% of all substantiated child abuse cases