This report presents results from the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) for 2000, and trend data for 1992-2000. The report provides information on the demographic and substance abuse characteristics of the approximately 1.6 million annual admissions to treatment for abuse of alcohol and drugs in facilities that report to individual State administrative data systems.
TEDS is an admission-based system, and TEDS admissions do not represent individuals. Thus, for example, an individual admitted to treatment twice within a calendar year would be counted as two admissions.
TEDS does not include all admissions to substance abuse treatment. It includes facilities that are licensed or certified by the State substance abuse agency to provide substance abuse treatment (or are administratively tracked for other reasons). In general, facilities reporting TEDS data are those that receive State alcohol and/or drug agency funds (including Federal Block Grant funds) for the provision of alcohol and/or drug treatment services.
Major Substances of Abuse
Four substances accounted for 91 percent of all TEDS admissions in 2000: alcohol (45 percent), opiates (17 percent; primarily heroin), marijuana/hashish (15 percent), and cocaine (14 percent).
Polydrug Abuse
In 2000, use of more than one drug was reported by 53 percent of all TEDS admissions. Alcohol, marijuana/hashish, and cocaine were the most commonly reported secondary substances. Alcohol and opiates were reported more often as primary substances than as secondary substances. However, the reverse was true for marijuana/hashish and cocaine; more admissions reported these drugs as secondary substances than as primary substances.
Adolescent Substance Abuse
Adolescent admissions for substance abuse increased from 1992 to 2000. The increase was attributable to both increased admissions involving marijuana and increased referral to treatment through the criminal justice system.
Alcohol
Alcohol accounted for nearly half (45 percent) of all TEDS admissions in 2000, down from 59 percent in 1992. However, 43 percent of primary alcohol admissions reported secondary drug abuse as well.
Alcohol admission rates generally were highest in the Pacific Northwest, North Central, and Northeast. For the United States as a whole, alcohol admission rates declined by 28 percent between 1992 and 2000, from 443 per 100,000 population aged 12 and over to 320 per 100,000. This rate of decline was equaled or exceeded in 15 States.
Heroin and Other Opiates
TEDS admissions for primary opiate abuse increased from 12 percent of all admissions in 1992 to 17 percent in 2000, exceeding the proportion of admissions for primary cocaine abuse for the fourth consecutive year.
Heroin admission rates were highest in the Pacific, Northeast, and some Middle Atlantic States. The overall rate for the United States increased by 33 percent over the period 1992-2000. Heroin admission rates increased by 100 percent or more in 18 States during this time.
Nearly half (47 percent) of primary heroin admissions were White, followed by 25 percent of Hispanic origin and 24 percent Black.
Admissions for heroin inhalation and smoking increased between 1992 and 2000.
Cocaine/Crack
The proportion of admissions for primary cocaine abuse declined from 18 percent in 1992 to 14 percent in 2000.
Cocaine admission rates were generally highest in the Northeast, Middle Atlantic, and some Southern States. Trends indicated stable or declining admission rates for primary cocaine abuse. Cocaine admission rates decreased from 1992 to 2000 by 25 percent or more in 15 States.
Smoked cocaine (crack) represented 73 percent of all primary cocaine admissions in 2000, a proportion that remained fairly stable from 1992 to 2000.
Marijuana
The proportion of admissions for primary marijuana abuse increased from 6 percent in 1992 to 15 percent in 2000.
Marijuana treatment admission rates showed substantial increases across a large number of States. The U.S. admission rate for primary marijuana abuse increased from 45 per 100,000 population aged 12 and over in 1992 to 104 per 100,000 in 2000. In 30 States, 2000 rates were at least 100 percent higher than 1992 rates.
More than half (56 percent) of primary marijuana admissions were referred to treatment through the criminal justice system.
Marijuana admissions were generally male (76 percent), White (57 percent), and young (46 percent were under 20 years of age).
Marijuana use began at an early age among primary marijuana admissions—26 percent had first used marijuana by the age of 12, and 56 percent by the age of 14.
Methamphetamine/Amphetamine and Other Stimulants
The proportion of admissions for abuse of methamphetamine/amphetamine and other stimulants increased from 1 percent to 5 percent between 1992 and 2000.
Since 1992, methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates increased by 100 percent or more in 31 States, spreading east from the Pacific States into the Midwest and South.
Methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions were predominantly White (79 percent), followed by persons of Mexican origin (8 percent). Females made up 47 percent of methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions.
The main routes of administration for methamphetamines/amphetamines were smoking (40 percent), injection (27 percent), and inhalation (21 percent).
Inhalants
The majority of inhalant admissions were male (72 percent) and White (66 percent).
Over half (56 percent) of inhalant admissions had used inhalants by the age of 14.
Discharge Data
About half of the Year 2000 discharges represented positive treatment outcomes, defined here as those who completed treatment (42 percent) and those who transferred to another treatment program (9 percent). One in four (24 percent) left against professional advice, while the treatment of an additional 18 percent was terminated by the facility.
Admissions for different primary substances were likely to be admitted to different types of service. Discharges reflected this variation, and there were different treatment completion rates for the different service types.
- The median length of stay for persons completing treatment ranged from 5 days for detoxification to 91 days for outpatient
treatment.