DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE AMONG TEENS IN NEW MEXICO

Overdoses in Arriba County, NM Highest in State

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: ADOLESCENT DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION IN NEW MEXICO
• Approximately 27,000 (15.2 percent) adolescents in New Mexico used an illicit drug in the past month; 19,000 (11.1 percent) used marijuana, and 13,000 (7.4 percent) used an illicit drug other than marijuana.

• 19.6 percent (34,000) of adolescents used alcohol in the past month, and 12.5 percent (22,000) engaged in binge drinking.

• 6,000 males and 5,000 females in New Mexico needed but did not receive treatment for past-year drug problems.

• 8,000 females and 6,000 males needed but did not receive treatment for alcohol problems.

• Adolescent males and females showed similarities on all measures except for major depressive episodes (MDEs).

• Adolescent females in New Mexico were more than twice as likely as males to have experienced an MDE in the past year (14.4 v. 5.4 percent).

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.

TEEN ILLICIT SUBSTANCE USE IN NEW MEXICO
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States.3 According to the combined 2003–2006 NSDUH:

• Approximately 27,000 (15.2 percent) of the 175,000 adolescents in New Mexico used an illicit drug in the past month; 19,000 (11.1 percent) used marijuana, and 13,000 (7.4 percent) used an illicit drug other than marijuana.

• There were no significant differences in illicit drug use between adolescent males and females in New Mexico.

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

• In New Mexico, 8,000 adolescent males and 8,000 adolescent females used pain relievers nonmedically in the 12 months prior to the interview.

• There was no significant difference in rates of nonmedical pain reliever use between females and males (6.9 v. 5.2 percent).

Adolescent Alcohol Use and Abuse in New Mexico

• 19.6 percent (34,000) of adolescents used alcohol in the past month, and 12.5 percent (22,000) 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 New Mexico adolescents were similar between males and females; 19.4 percent of males and 19.8 percent of females currently used alcohol, and 12.8 percent of males and 12.3 percent of females engaged in binge drinking in the month prior to the interview.

ADOLESCENT ALCOHOL AND ILLICIT DRUG DEPENDENCE OR ABUSE IN NEW MEXICO
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 New Mexico, rates of alcohol and drug dependence or abuse were similar between males and females; 9,000 males and 11,000 females abused or were dependent on alcohol or drugs in the past year.

ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT IN NEW MEXICO
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:

• New Mexico showed a 1-day total of 12,634 clients in treatment, the majority of whom (11,908 or 94.3 percent) were in outpatient treatment. Of the total number of clients in treatment on this date, 1,484 (11.7 percent) were under the age of 18.

UNMET NEED FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT IN NEW MEXICO
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,

• There were no significant differences in rates of the unmet need for treatment between males and females.

• 6,000 males and 5,000 females in New Mexico needed but did not receive treatment for past year drug problems.

• 8,000 females (8.8 percent) and 6,000 males (6.2 percent) needed but did not receive
treatment for alcohol problems.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Teen Addiction Help: 1-888-757-6237

Addiction Treatment for Young Adults and Adults : 1-888-387-6237
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

or e-mail us.