The 2009 Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drug Abuse Trends in Washington State report has been released by the state's Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR).
This annual report makes it possible to track trends that can mark the success of legislative efforts, a new intervention or change in public health practice, or changes in behavior. The trends may also point the way toward increased need for surveillance, research and analysis, or changes in how public services are delivered.
New and changing trends revealed in the 2009 report:
- Prescription-type opiates are an increasing problem in the state. Washington State's drug-induced death rate is increasing rapidly, reaching 961 people in 2007, more than twice the number who died in 1997. Some of this increase stems from the misuse of prescription-type opiates. Washington's rates of prescription drug abuse are among the highest in the nation, and in King County alone, deaths from prescription opiates rose from 29 in 1998 to 153 in 2008.
- One out of eight 12th graders report using prescription pain relievers to get high in the past 30 days. In 2008, almost 4 in 10 admissions to publicly funded treatment for prescription-type opiate addiction were for young adults ages 18-25.
- Alcohol abuse and underage drinking continue to be the state's biggest drug problems, with 1/5th of Washington's 12th graders reporting being drunk or high in school in the past year and more than a quarter reporting recent binge drinking. Almost a third of our 6th graders have at least tried alcohol once, as well. Adult binge drinking has also increased in the past three years, and adult heavy drinking rates are higher in Washington State than elsewhere in the nation.
- In better news, the number of people who enter treatment within 30 days of completing detox has increased 37% since 2001, most likely due to an increase in the availability of state-funded treatment. Also, while prescription opiate use is rising, use of methamphetamine and tobacco has decreased.
Find more in the 2009 Trends Report, available free online:
www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/HRSA/DASA/2009%20Trends%20Report.pdf
