“Recovery Month” Delivers Promising Statistics
Posted by admin on December 2nd, 2009 in Alcohol Addiction, Drug Abuse, Drug Education, Drug Rehab, Drug Usage, Recovery
This September drug rehab professionals from all over the country came together to celebrate Recovery Month. In early September SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) and the ONDCP (the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy) released findings on drug abuse trends between 2002 and 2008.
Overall, these findings were very encouraging with steady declines in drug abuse and drug addiction across the board. Among 12 to 17 year olds, there was a decline in illicit drug use from 11.6% in 2002 to 9.3% in 2008. Other positive trends show a decrease in alcohol abuse in college students and decreases in prescription drug abuse.
This is fantastic information for anyone who has been affected in some way by drug and alcohol abuse and shows that we are moving in the right direction. As treatment professionals it is a validation of the hard work that we do on a daily basis. That being said, there is still work to do. Countless Americans are under the impression that they don’t need treatment or that they don’t have a problem. By raising awareness through events like Recovery Month we have a much better chance of reaching these people and opening their eyes to the life that they can have by shedding their dependance on substance abuse.
Sources
www.samhsa.gov/samhsanewsletter
