Chapter 3

This chapter highlights important findings in the 2001 TEDS data. The tables include all items in the TEDS Minimum Data Set [Tables 3.1a-3.5] and Supplemental Data Set [Tables 3.6-3.9] for 2001. Data are tabulated as percentage distributions of treatment admissions according to primary substance of abuse.

The Minimum Data Set consists of 19 items that include:

• Demographic information
   
• Primary, secondary, and tertiary substances and their route of administration, frequency of use, and age at first use
   
• Source of referral to treatment
   
• Number of prior treatment episodes
   
• Service type, including planned use of methadone

The Supplemental Data Set consists of 15 items that include psychiatric, social, and economic measures.

Definitions and classifications used in the Minimum and Supplemental Data Sets are detailed in Appendix B.

Not all States report all data items in the Minimum and Supplemental Data Sets. Most States report the Minimum Data Set for all or nearly all TEDS admissions. However, the items reported from the Supplemental Data Set vary greatly across States. Tables 4.3 and 4.4 indicate, by State, the item response rates for the Minimum and Supplemental Data Sets.

The charts in this chapter represent counts of admissions for each primary substance of abuse by sex, age, and race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic of Mexican origin, and Hispanic of Puerto Rican origin; admissions of Mexican and Puerto Rican origin made up 77 percent of Hispanic admissions [Table 3.1b]).

All Admissions

• White males made up 41 percent of all treatment admissions in 2001, followed by White females (18 percent), Black males (17 percent), and Black females (8 percent) [Table 3.2a].
   
• The overall average age of TEDS admissions was 34 years [Table 3.1a].

Alcohol Only

• Admissions for abuse of alcohol alone, with no secondary drug abuse, represented 24 percent of TEDS admissions in 2001 [Table 3.1b].
   
• Alcohol-only admissions were likely to be male (76 percent) and White (72 percent) [Table 3.1a], with White males making up 54 percent of all alcohol-only admissions [Table 3.2a]. White females made up an additional 18 percent [Table 3.2a]. The average age at admission was 39 years.
   
• Abuse of alcohol alone was the problem most likely to be reported by admissions aged 35 and older [Table 3.1b].
   
• Eighty-eight percent of alcohol-only admissions reported that they first became intoxicated before age 21, the legal drinking age. About a third (32 percent) had first become intoxicated by age 14 [Table 3.3].
   
• About half (51 percent) of all alcohol-only admissions reported no prior treatment episodes, while an additional 20 percent reported one prior admission to treatment [Table 3.3].
   
• The criminal justice system referred 40 percent of alcohol-only admissions to treatment; 31 percent were referred by themselves or another individual [Table 3.4].

  Figure 13
  Alcohol only
  Admissions by sex, age, and race/ethnicity: TEDS 2001

  

  SOURCE: Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) - 5.31.03

   

Alcohol with Secondary Drug Abuse

• Admissions for primary abuse of alcohol with secondary abuse of drugs represented 20 percent of TEDS admissions in 2001 [Table 3.1b].
   
• Admissions for alcohol with secondary drug abuse were less likely to be White than alcohol-only admissions (59 percent vs. 72 percent). Also, the average age at admission was lower, at 34 years versus 39 years [Table 3.1a].
   
• White males accounted for 44 percent of admissions, followed by Black males (19 percent) and White females (16 percent) [Table 3.2a].
   
• Almost all admissions (94 percent) for alcohol with secondary drug abuse reported first being intoxicated before age 21 (the legal drinking age), with 49 percent first intoxicated by age 14 [Table 3.3].
   
• Admissions for alcohol with secondary drug abuse were less likely to be in treatment for the first time than alcohol-only admissions (39 percent vs. 51 percent) [Table 3.3].
   
• Marijuana was the most frequently reported secondary substance by alcohol admissions (26 percent), followed by smoked cocaine at 13 percent and non-smoked cocaine at 8 percent [Table 5.6].

Heroin

• Heroin and other opiates were the leading illicit drugs responsible for treatment admissions in 2001, accounting for 18 percent of TEDS admissions [Table 3.1b]. Eighty-eight percent of opiate admissions were for heroin [Table 3.1a].
   
• Almost half (47 percent) of heroin admissions were White, followed by 26 percent of Hispanic origin, and 24 percent Black [Table 3.1a]. Half (51 percent) of all admissions of persons of Puerto Rican origin were for primary heroin abuse [Table 3.1b]. Twenty percent of all heroin admissions were aged 45 or older [Table 3.1a].
   
• Injection was the most common route of administration for heroin (62 percent). However, 33 percent reported inhalation as their usual route of administration [Table 3.3]. Daily use of heroin was reported by 82 percent of heroin admissions [Table 3.3].
   
• Most heroin admissions (78 percent) had been in treatment prior to the current episode, and 27 percent had been in treatment five or more times [Table 3.3].
   
• Methadone use was planned for 35 percent of primary heroin admissions [Table 3.4].
   
• Heroin admissions were most likely to report secondary abuse of alcohol (25 percent) and non-smoked cocaine (21 percent) [Table 5.6].

Other Opiates

• Opiates other than heroin accounted for 2 percent of TEDS admissions in 2001 [Table 3.1b]. These drugs include non-prescription use of methadone, codeine, morphine, oxycodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, opium, and other drugs with morphine-like effects.
   
• Admissions for other opiates were 47 percent female. The majority of admissions were White (88 percent) [Table 3.1a].
   
• The most frequent route of administration for opiates other than heroin was oral (76 percent) [Table 3.3].
   
• Thirty percent first used opiates other than heroin after age 30 [Table 3.3].
   
• Half of admissions (51 percent) for opiates other than heroin were self- or individual referrals [Table 3.4].
   
• Methadone use as part of treatment was planned for 17 percent of admissions for opiates other than heroin [Table 3.4].
   
• Forty-three percent of admissions for opiates other than heroin reported no abuse of other substances, while approximately one-quarter (24 percent) reported secondary abuse of alcohol. Secondary abuse of marijuana was reported by 16 percent and of tranquilizers by 10 percent [Table 5.6].

Smoked Cocaine (Crack)

• Cocaine (including both smoked and other routes of administration) was the third most common illicit drug responsible for treatment admissions in 2001, accounting for 13 percent of TEDS admissions [Table 3.1b]. Almost three-quarters (73 percent) of cocaine admissions were for smoked cocaine (crack) [Table 3.1a].
   
• Smoked cocaine admissions were 59 percent Black. A large proportion (42 percent) were female [Table 3.1a]. Black males accounted for 35 percent of smoked cocaine admissions, followed by Black females (25 percent), White males (18 percent), and White females (14 percent) [Table 3.2a].
   
• Daily use was reported by 43 percent of smoked cocaine admissions [Table 3.3].
   
• Fifty-eight percent of smoked cocaine admissions did not use the drug until age 21 or older [Table 3.3].
   
• The main sources of referral for smoked cocaine admissions were self- or individual referrals (40 percent) and the criminal justice system (25 percent) [Table 3.4].
   
• Seventy-one percent of smoked cocaine admissions reported abuse of other substances. The most commonly reported secondary substances abused were alcohol (56 percent) and marijuana (31 percent) [Table 5.6].

Non-Smoked Cocaine

• Non-smoked cocaine accounted for 4 percent of TEDS admissions in 2001 [Table 3.1b].
   
• Admissions for cocaine taken by routes other than smoking were more likely to be White (47 percent) and male (66 percent) than were smoked cocaine admissions (32 percent White, 58 percent male) [Table 3.1a].
   
• White males accounted for 29 percent of non-smoked cocaine admissions, followed by Black males (24 percent), White females (17 percent), and Black females (12 percent) [Table 3.2a].
   
• About two-thirds (71 percent) of admissions for non-smoked cocaine reported inhalation as the route of administration, followed by injection (14 percent) [Table 3.3].
   
• Forty-three percent of non-smoked cocaine admissions reported first using the drug by age 18 [Table 3.3].
   
• One-third (34 percent) of non-smoked cocaine admissions were individual referrals to treatment facilities, with an additional one-third (33 percent) by the criminal justice system [Table 3.4].

Marijuana/Hashish

• Marijuana was the second most common illicit drug responsible for treatment admissions in 2001, accounting for 15 percent of TEDS admissions [Table 3.1b].
   
• Marijuana admissions were generally male (76 percent), White (56 percent), and young (46 percent under the age of 20) [Table 3.1a]. Marijuana accounted for more than half of all admissions for persons under the age of 15 (55 percent) and for persons aged 15-19 years (54 percent) [Table 3.1b].
   
• First use of marijuana began at an early age among primary marijuana admissions—26 percent had first used marijuana by age 12, 56 percent by age 14, and 92 percent by age 18 [Table 3.3].
   
• Sixty-one percent of marijuana admissions reported no prior treatment episodes [Table 3.3].
   
• More than half (57 percent) of marijuana admissions were referred to treatment through the criminal justice system [Table 3.4].
   
• Two-thirds of admissions for primary marijuana abuse (66 percent) reported abuse of additional substances as well. Alcohol was most common, reported by 53 percent of primary marijuana admissions [Table 5.6].

Methamphetamine/Amphetamine and Other Stimulants

• Methamphetamine/amphetamines and other stimulants were reported as the primary substance for 6 percent of 2001 TEDS admissions [Table 3.1b]. Ninety-nine percent of all stimulant admissions were for methamphetamine or amphetamine abuse [Table 3.1a].
   
• Methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions were predominantly White (77 percent). The next largest racial/ethnic group was persons of Mexican origin (9 percent) [Table 3.1a].
   
• Females made up 46 percent of methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions [Table 3.1a].
   
• The main routes of administration for methamphetamines/amphetamines were smoking (45 percent), injection (26 percent), and inhalation (19 percent) [Table 3.3].
   
• Almost half (48 percent) of methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions were referred to treatment by the criminal justice system [Table 3.4].
   
• Seventy-one percent of primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions reported secondary use of other substances, primarily marijuana (44 percent) or alcohol (42 percent) [Table 5.6].

Tranquilizers

• Tranquilizers were reported as the primary substance by 0.4 percent of 2001 TEDS admissions [Table 3.1b].
   
• Admissions for abuse of tranquilizers tended to be female (54 percent), White (86 percent), and older; 57 percent were aged 35 or more [Table 3.1a].
   
• Among primary tranquilizer admissions, 64 percent reported daily use of tranquilizers [Table 3.3].
   
• Thirty-two percent of tranquilizer admissions first used tranquilizers after age 30 [Table 3.3].
   
• Forty-four percent of tranquilizer admissions did not have prior treatment admissions [Table 3.3].
   
• More than one-quarter (28 percent) of tranquilizer admissions who were 18 and over had more than 12 years of education [Table 3.5].
   
• Secondary abuse of another substance was reported by 65 percent of primary tranquilizer admissions. Secondary abuse of alcohol was reported by 33 percent, 17 percent reported abuse of marijuana/hashish, and 15 percent reported abuse of opiates other than heroin [Table 5.6].

Sedatives

• Admissions for primary sedative abuse were responsible for 0.2 percent of TEDS admissions in 2001 [Table 3.1b].
   
• Sedative admissions showed patterns similar to those for abuse of tranquilizers. They tended to be female (54 percent), White (83 percent), and older; 53 percent were aged 35 or more [Table 3.1a and Figure 22].
   
• Over half (52 percent) of sedative admissions reported daily use of sedatives [Table 3.3].
   
• Twenty-eight percent of sedative admissions first used sedatives after age 30 [Table 3.3].
   
• Nearly one-third (30 percent) of sedative admissions who were 18 and over had more than 12 years of education [Table 3.5].
   
• Sixty-one percent of primary sedative admissions reported abuse of other substances as well, primarily alcohol (31 percent) and marijuana/hashish (19 percent) [Table 5.6].

Hallucinogens

• Hallucinogens were responsible for 0.2 percent of TEDS admissions in 2001 [Table 3.1b]. Hallucinogens include lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), dimethyltryptamine (DMT), dimethoxy-phenylethylamine (STP), mescaline, psilocybin, peyote, etc.
   
• Admissions for hallucinogen abuse occurred primarily among young White males [Figure 23]. Approximately three-quarters (72 percent) of hallucinogen admissions were male; 78 percent were White. Forty-one percent were between ages 15 and 19, and 27 percent were between ages 20 and 24 [Table 3.1a].
   
• Forty-four percent of hallucinogen admissions reported not using the drug in the past month [Table 3.3].
   
• Fifty-seven percent of hallucinogen admissions reported first using hallucinogens by the age of 16 [Table 3.3].
   
• The criminal justice system was the source of referral for 40 percent of hallucinogen admissions [Table 3.4].
   
• Eighty percent of hallucinogen admissions reported abuse of drugs in addition to hallucinogens. Marijuana/hashish and alcohol were the most commonly reported secondary substances (50 percent and 35 percent, respectively), followed by non-smoked cocaine (12 percent) and methamphetamines/amphetamines (11 percent) [Table 5.6].

Phencyclidine (PCP)

• Phencyclidine (PCP) was reported as a primary substance by 0.2 percent of TEDS admissions in 2001 [Table 3.1b].
   
• PCP admissions were 36 percent Black males, 13 percent White males, 13 percent Black females, 8 percent males of Mexican origin, 7 percent females of Mexican origin, and 6 percent White females [Table 3.2a].
   
• The usual route of administration for PCP was smoking, reported by 87 percent of admissions [Table 3.3].
   
• The criminal justice system referred 47 percent of PCP admissions [Table 3.4].
   
• Seventy-four percent of PCP admissions reported abuse of other substances. Alcohol was reported by 41 percent, marijuana/hashish by 38 percent, and smoked cocaine by 10 percent [Table 5.6].

Inhalants

• Inhalants were reported as the primary substance of abuse by 0.1 percent of 2001 TEDS admissions [Table 3.1b]. Inhalants include ether, glue, chloroform, nitrous oxide, gasoline, paint thinner, etc.
   
• Admissions for inhalant abuse were generally male (73 percent). Seventy-one percent of inhalant admissions were non-Hispanic White, followed by persons of Mexican origin (11 percent) and American Indians/Alaska Natives (7 percent) [Table 3.1a].
   
• The predominant characteristic of inhalant admissions was youth [Figure 25]. Almost half (46 percent) of admissions were younger than age 20 [Table 3.1a].
   
• Twenty-nine percent of inhalant admissions reported daily use of inhalants [Table 3.3].
   
• More than one-quarter (27 percent) of inhalant admissions had used inhalants by the age of 12, and another 28 percent by the age of 14 [Table 3.3].
   
• The primary sources of referral for inhalant admissions were the criminal justice system (32 percent) and self- or individual referral (30 percent) [Table 3.4].
   
• Sixty percent of primary inhalant admissions reported abuse of other drugs as well, primarily alcohol (37 percent) and marijuana/hashish (34 percent) [Table 5.6].