DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE AMONG TEENS IN ALASKA

Alaska Teen Drug Rehab

Adolescence (12 to 17 years) is a critical and vulnerable stage of human development, during which males and females experience different biological, social, and cognitive changes. During this life stage, millions of adolescents experiment with substance use and engage in behaviors that can affect healthy neurological and psychological development. Understanding the behavioral health differences between adolescent males and females can help to inform public health policy and build prevention and intervention programs that strategically target the different needs of adolescent males and females.

HIGHLIGHTS: ADOLESCENTS IN ALASKA

• Approximately 9,000 (14 percent) adolescents in Alaska used an illicit drug in the past month; 7,000 (11.1 percent) used marijuana, and 4,000 (5.7 percent) used an illicit drug other than marijuana.

• Approximately 9,000 (14 percent) adolescents in Alaska used an illicit drug in the past month; 7,000 (11.1 percent) used marijuana, and 4,000 (5.7 percent) used an illicit drug other than marijuana.

• 16.3 percent of adolescents (11,000) used alcohol in the past month, and 10.6 percent (7,000) engaged in binge drinking.

• Rates of alcohol dependence were significantly higher for adolescent females than adolescent males.

• 4,000 adolescents in Alaska needed but did not receive treatment for drug problems in the past year.

• Alaska females were more than four times as likely as males to have experienced a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year (15.2 v. 3.6).

The data described in the Adolescent Behavioral Health reports derive principally from national surveys conducted by the Office of Applied Studies, a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Sources for all data used in this report appear at the end.

ILICIT SUBSTANCE USE

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. According to the
combined 2003–2006 NSDUH:

• Approximately 9,000 (14 percent) of the 67,000 adolescents in Alaska used an illicit drug in
the past month; 7,000 (11.1 percent) used marijuana, and 4,000 (5.7 percent) used an illicit
drug other than marijuana.

• There were no significant differences in illicit substance use between adolescent males and females in Alaska.

The misuse of pain relievers among youth is also a major public concern

• In Alaska, 3,000 males and 3,000 females used pain relievers nonmedically in the 12 months
prior to the interview.

• There were no significant differences in nonmedical pain reliever use between females and males in Alaska (7.0 v. 4.8 percent).

ADOLESCENT ALCOHOL AND ILLICIT DRUG DEPENDENCE OR ABUSE IN ALASKA

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.

• In Alaska, rates of alcohol dependence were significantly higher for adolescent females than adolescent males; 2,000 females and 1,000 males were dependent on alcohol during the 12 months prior to the interview. Males and females were similar on other measures of abuse or dependence.

ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT IN ALASKA

State treatment data for substance use disorders are derived from two primary sources:
(1) National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS),6 an annual 1-day census of clients in treatment and (2) the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS),7 which provides information on annual treatment admissions.

According to the 2006 N-SSATS survey:

• Alaska showed a 1-day total of 2,683 clients in treatment, the majority of whom (2,355 or
87.8 percent) were in outpatient treatment. Of the total number of clients in treatment on this date, 310 (11.6 percent) were under the age of 18.

According to 2003–2006 TEDS data:

• Of the 421 adolescent substance abuse treatment admissions in Alaska; 67.4 percent (284) of the total admissions were male.

• Of the total male admissions, 13 percent were alcohol only, 27.5 percent were other drugs only, and 59.5 percents were alcohol and drugs.

• Of the total female admissions, 29.9 percent were alcohol only, 13.1 percent were other drugs only, and 56.2 percent were alcohol and drugs.

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

• Of the total male admissions, 77 percent (2,827) reported alcohol use and 86.5 percent
(3,178) reported marijuana use.

• Of the total female admissions, 68.6 percent (94) reported marijuana use, and 86.1 percent (118) reported alcohol use.

• Further, 3.8 percent (16) of total adolescent admissions reported methamphetamine use,
8 (2.8 percent) male admissions and 8 (5.8 percent) female admissions; 2.9 percent (12) of
total admissions reported cocaine use, 2.8 percent (8) of male admissions and 2.9 percent (4) of female admissions.

UNMET NEED FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT IN ALASKA

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:

• Rates of unmet need for past-year alcohol problems and rates of unmet need for past-year
drug problems were similar between adolescent males and females in Alaska.

• 4,000 adolescents in Alaska (2,000 males and 2,000 females) needed but did not receive
treatment for drug problems in the past year.

• 2,000 females (5.3 percent) and 2,000 males (5.7 percent) needed but did not receive treatment for alcohol problems in the past year.

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

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