DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE AMONG TEENS IN KENTUCKY

Kentucky Ranked Highest in Drug Related Deaths

TEEN DRUG ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE IN KENTUCKY

• Approximately 40,000 (11.7 percent) adolescents in Kentucky used an illicit drug in the past month; 27,000 (8 percent) used marijuana, and 23,000 (6.8 percent) used an illicit drug other than marijuana.

• 16,000 males and 20,000 females used pain relievers nonmedically in the 12 months prior to the interview.

• 18.1 percent (61,000) used alcohol in the past month, and 11.6 percent (39,000) engaged in binge drinking.

• 7,000 males and 8,000 females needed but did not receive treatment for drug problems in the past year, and 9,000 females (5.3 percent) and 10,000 males (6.0) needed but did not receive treatment for alcohol problems.

• Kentucky adolescents were similar to the national pattern; that is, rates of major depressive episodes (MDEs) were significantly higher for females than males (13.8 v. 7.9 percent).

ADOLESCENT ALCOHOL USE AND ABUSE IN KENTUCKY

• 18.1 percent of adolescents (61,000) used alcohol in the past month, and 11.6 percent (39,000) engaged in binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as 5 or more drinks on the same occasion on at least 1 day of past 30 days.

• Rates of current alcohol use and past month binge drinking among Kentucky adolescents were similar between males and females; 17.1 percent of males and 19 percent of females currently used alcohol, and 11.4 percent of males and 11.8 percent of females engaged in binge drinking in the 12 months prior to the interview.

ADOLESCENT ALCOHOL AND ILLICIT DRUG DEPENDENCE OR ABUSE IN KENTUCKY
According to the 2003–2006 NSDUH:

• Nationwide nearly 1.5 million adolescents were dependent on or abused alcohol in the past year and more than 1.2 million adolescents were dependent or abused illicit drugs.

• Overall, the rates of past-year abuse or dependence on alcohol were significantly higher for females than males (6.0 v. 5.4 percent), but rates of past year abuse or dependence on illicit drugs were similar between males and females.

• Rates of past year drug or alcohol dependence or abuse were also similar between males and females in Kentucky; 15,000 males and 14,000 females were dependent on drugs or abused alcohol or drugs in the past year.

ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT IN KENTUCKY
State treatment data for substance use disorders are derived from two primary sources: (1) National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), an annual 1-day census of clients in treatment and (2) the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), which provides information on annual treatment admissions.

According to the 2006 N-SSATS survey:
• Kentucky showed a 1-day total of 19,510 clients in treatment, the majority of whom (17,995 or 92.2 percent) were in outpatient treatment. Of the total number of clients in treatment on this date, 1,298 (6.7 percent) were under the age of 18.

According to 2003–2006 TEDS data:

• In Kentucky Adolescent males accounted for 63.7 percent (3,562) of the 5,585 adolescent substance abuse admissions.

• Of the total adolescent male admissions, 35.2 percent were other drugs only admissions, 37.3 percent were alcohol and drugs, and 4.3 percent were alcohol only and 23.2 percent did not report any type of substance used at the time of admission.

• Of the adolescents female admissions, 32.9 percent were drugs only, 36.9 percent were alcohol and drugs, 2.5 percent were alcohol only, and 27.6 percent did not report any type of substance used at the time of admission

Among adolescent admissions in Kentucky, marijuana and alcohol were the most prevalent substances of abuse.

• Of the total male admissions, 68.7 percent (2,448) reported marijuana use and 41.6percent (1,483) reported alcohol use.

• Of the total female admissions, 63 percent (1,274) reported marijuana use and 39.4 percent (798) reported alcohol use.

• Further, 5.8 percent (206) of adolescent male admissions and 8.8 percent (178) of female admissions reported cocaine use.

UNMET NEED FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT IN KENTUCKY
NSDUH 2003–2006 estimates that more than 1.16 million adolescents needed but did not receive treatment for illicit drug problems and more than 1.3 million needed but did not receive treatment for alcohol problems. NSDUH defines “unmet treatment need” as an individual who meets the criteria for abuse of or dependence on illicit drugs or alcohol according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV), but who has not received specialty treatment for that problem in the past year.

In 2003–2006,

• 7,000 adolescent males in Kentucky and 8,000 females needed but did not receive treatment for drug problems in the past year.

• 9,000 females (5.3 percent) and 10,000 males (6.0 percent) needed but did not receive treatment for alcohol problems.

Sources:
Facility Data: National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS)–2006 is available at: http://www.dasis.samhsa.gov.
Center for Mental Health Services Uniform Reporting System Output Tables 2006 is available at: http://mentalhealth.samhsa. gov/cmhs/MentalHealthStatistics/URS2006.asp

Substance Abuse Treatment Data: Treatment Episode Data Set–Concatenated File–is available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive: http://www. icpsr.umich.edu/SDA/SAMHDA.

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