Discussion

In 1997, the number of individuals receiving treatment for alcohol or drug abuse was much smaller than the number who reported having problems resulting from their use of substances. Although an estimated 10 million people in the U.S. noninstitutionalized population aged 12 or older reported three or more problems related to their alcohol use in the past year (see Chapter 9), only about 3.1 million reported receiving treatment for that use. Similarly, 1.4% and 0.3% of the population reported three or more problems resulting marijuana and cocaine use, respectively, while only 0.9% of the population reported receiving treatment for illicit drug use. Another important finding from this chapter is that receipt of, and perceived need for, treatment was higher among young and middle adults (i.e., those aged 18 to 34) and among males; the higher rates of treatment among these age groups is probably related to the higher rates of substance use in these age groups.

Finally, one finding that needs further investigation and that has potentially serious implications is the relationship between substance use and employee reports of resources concerning substance abuse in the workplace. Namely, 1997 data show that past month use of illicit drugs decreased with business size, and access to drug and alcohol resources in the workplace tended to increase with business size. These findings may indicate that workplace policies and programs are having a significant and positive effect on preventing or reducing substance use.

 

	Past Year
Type of Treatment	Percentage		Number Receiving (in 1,000s)	Unweighted n
Drug Abuse	0.9		2,003	(24,490)
Alcohol Abuse	1.4		3,117	(24,500)
Any Substance Abuse	1.6		3,387	(24,503)

Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1997.

Table 12.2 Percentage Reporting Having Received Treatment in the Past Year for Drug or Alcohol Abuse, by Demographic Characteristics: 1997
 

	Received
Demographic Characteristic	Drug Abuse Treatment1	(Un-weighted n)	Alcohol Abuse Treatment2	(Un-weighted n)	Any Substance Abuse Treatment3	(Un-weighted n)
Total	0.9	(24,490)	1.4	(24,500)	1.6	(24,503)
Age Group in Years
12-17	1.0	(7,841)	1.0	(7,840)	1.2	(7,844)
18-25	1.4	(6,234)	1.8	(6,238)	2.0	(6,238)
26-34	1.2	(4,387)	2.1	(4,387)	2.2	(4,387)
35+	0.8	(6,028)	1.3	(6,035)	1.4	(6,034)
Gender
Male	1.1	(10,829)	2.1	(10,834)	2.2	(10,835)
Female	0.8	(13,661)	0.8	(13,666)	0.9	(13,668)
Race/Ethnicity4
White, non-Hispanic	0.9	(12,435)	1.4	(12,440)	1.6	(12,442)
Black, non-Hispanic	1.0	(4,635)	1.4	(4,638)	1.6	(4,638)
Hispanic	0.8	(6,257)	1.0	(6,258)	1.2	(6,259)
Population Density
Large metro	0.8	(12,958)	1.0	(12,962)	1.1	(12,963)
Small metro	1.1	(7,132)	1.7	(7,135)	1.9	(7,136)
Nonmetro	0.9	(4,400)	1.8	(4,403)	1.9	(4,404)
Region
Northeast	1.5	(2,904)	1.5	(2,905)	1.8	(2,905)
North Central	0.9	(3,254)	1.2	(3,255)	1.3	(3,255)
South	0.6	(7,550)	1.5	(7,552)	1.6	(7,553)
West	1.0	(10,782)	1.5	(10,788)	1.6	(10,790)

Note 1: The unweighted n's for alcohol abuse treatment and drug abuse treatment are slightly smaller than those shown for any substance abuse treatment because of differing patterns of nonresponse across the demographic groups.
Note 2: Due to improved procedures implemented in 1994, these estimates are not comparable with those presented in NHSDA Main Findings prior to 1994.
Note 3: The percentage receiving treatment includes only those respondents who reported having received treatment in the past year and having used alcohol or illicit drugs in their lifetime. Those who reported receiving treatment but never having used the substance were excluded from the analysis.

¹This category may include some individuals who have also received alcohol abuse treatment.
²This category may include some individuals who have also received other drug abuse treatment.
³This category includes individuals who have received alcohol abuse treatment, drug abuse treatment, or both.
⁴The category "other" for race/ethnicity is not included.
Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1997.

Table 12.3 Percentage of Past Year Users of Marijuana or Cocaine Who Received Treatment in the Past Year for Drug Abuse, by Frequency of Drug Use: 1997

Frequency of Drug Use	Percentage Receiving Treatment1	(Unweighted n)
A. Used Marijuana in the Past Year
Total	5.0	(3,389)
Number Receiving Treatment (in 1,000s)	979
Number of Days Used in Past Year
Fewer than 12 days	2.2	(1,554)
12-50 days (1-4 days per month)	6.9	(633)
51-300 days (1-6 days per week)	8.6	(843)
More than 300 days (daily or almost daily)	7.1	(359)
12 or more days (1+ days per month)	7.7	(1,835)
51 or more days (1+ days per week)	8.1	(1,202)
B. Used Cocaine in the Past Year
Total	13.0	(740)
Number Receiving Treatment (in 1,000s)	544
Number of Days Used in Past Year
Fewer than 12 days	10.4	(485)
12-50 days (1-4 days per month)	6.9	(140)
51-300 days (1-6 days per week)	*	(95)
More than 300 days (daily or almost daily)	*	(20)
12 or more days (1+ days per month)	17.6	(255)
51 or more days (1+ days per week)	*	(115)

Note: Due to improved procedures implemented in 1994, these estimates are not comparable with those presented in NHSDA Main Findings prior to 1994.

*Low precision; no estimate reported.

¹ The percentage receiving drug abuse treatment may include people receiving treatment related to drug abuse, as well as to those in treatment to stop drug use. This category may also include some individuals who have also received alcohol abuse treatment.
Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1997.

Table 12.4 Percentage of Past Year Users of Alcohol Who Received Treatment in the Past Year for Alcohol Abuse, by Frequency of Alcohol Use: 1997
 

Frequency of Alcohol Use	Percentage Receiving Treatment1	(Unweighted n)
Total	1.5	(13,958)
Number Receiving Treatment (in 1,000s)	2,036
Number of Days Used in Past Year
Fewer than 12 days	0.8	(6,221)
12-50 days (1-4 days per month)	1.0	(3,755)
51-300 days (1-6 days per week)	2.6	(3,287)
More than 300 days (daily or almost daily)	2.5	(695)
12 or more days (1+ days per month)	1.9	(7,737)
51 or more days (1+ days per week)	2.6	(3,982)

Note: Due to improved procedures implemented in 1994, these estimates are not comparable with those presented in NHSDA Main Findings prior to 1994.

¹ The percentage receiving drug abuse treatment may include people receiving treatment related to drug abuse, as well as to those in treatment to stop drug use. This category may also include some individuals who have also received alcohol abuse treatment.
Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1997.

Table 12.5 Percentage Perceiving the Need for Treatment for Drug or Alcohol Abuse in the Past Year, by Demographic Characteristics: 1997
 

Demographic Characteristic	Age Group in Years				Total
	12-17	18-25	26-34	35+
Total	0.6	1.1	1.0	0.3	0.6
Gender
Male	0.5	1.5	1.6	0.4	0.8
Female	0.7	0.6	0.4	0.2	0.4
Race/Ethnicity1
White, non-Hispanic	0.6	1.1	1.0	0.2	0.5
Black, non-Hispanic	0.7	1.2	1.4	1.3	1.2
Hispanic	0.7	0.6	0.8	0.3	0.5
Population Density
Large metro	0.5	0.8	0.7	0.3	0.5
Small metro	0.5	1.6	1.2	0.2	0.6
Nonmetro	1.1	0.7	1.3	0.7	0.8
Region
Northeast	0.4	0.3	0.6	0.2	0.3
North Central	0.5	1.6	0.5	0.2	0.5
South	0.4	0.5	1.3	0.4	0.6
West	1.2	2.0	1.4	0.5	1.0
Adult Education2
Less than high school	N/A	1.8	2.9	0.4	0.9
High school graduate	N/A	1.7	0.9	0.3	0.6
Some college	N/A	0.2	0.7	0.4	0.4
College graduate	N/A	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.4
Current Employment3
Full-time	N/A	1.4	0.9	0.1	0.5
Part-time	N/A	0.8	0.8	*	0.4
Unemployed	N/A	1.1	3.0	1.4	1.7
Other4	N/A	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6

Note: Due to improved procedures implemented in 1994, these estimates are not comparable with those presented in NHSDA Main Findings prior to 1994.

N/A: Not applicable.

¹ The category "other" for race/ethnicity is not included.
² Data on adult education are not applicable for youths aged 12 to 17. Total refers to adults aged 18 or older (unweighted n=16,661).
³ Data on current employment are not applicable for youths aged 12 to 17. Total refers to adults aged 18 or older (unweighted n=16,661).
⁴ Retired, disabled, homemaker, student, or "other."
Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1997.

Table 12.6 Percentage of Full-Time Workers Aged 18 to 49 Reporting Past Month Illicit Drug Use and That Their Workplace Provides Drug and Alcohol Information on, a Written Policy for, or Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), by Respondent Age and Business Size: 1997

 

Business Size/Age Group	Used Illicit Drug in Past Month	Workplace Characteristics
		Provides Info Yes DK		Written Policy Yes DK		Access to EAP Yes DK		Test for Drugs Yes DK
1-24 Employees
Total	8.9	48.6	1.0	43.8	5.3	24.1	15.2	24.2	8.3
18-25	14.5	53.7	1.4	48.2	7.1	16.6	24.0	20.4	9.6
26-34	8.3	49.5	1.3	45.4	6.4	25.8	17.2	25.3	8.7
35-49	6.6	45.7	0.5	40.8	3.8	26.6	9.8	25.2	7.4
25-499 Employees
Total	8.0	85.2	1.9	82.7	5.6	57.5	22.3	54.6	12.4
18-25	15.5	81.3	1.5	78.6	6.1	37.8	31.8	48.4	13.7
26-34	7.0	83.5	2.3	80.2	6.4	55.4	21.6	53.4	11.0
35-49	5.6	87.7	1.9	85.6	5.0	66.1	19.1	57.5	12.6
500+ Employees
Total	5.6	92.1	1.9	89.8	5.4	73.2	14.9	71.1	11.1
18-25	9.6	91.2	0.3	90.2	3.5	53.0	27.9	66.5	9.7
26-34	5.8	89.7	2.0	88.1	4.8	71.4	17.9	67.4	11.3
35-49	4.4	93.4	2.3	90.4	6.1	79.7	9.7	74.1	11.3

*Low precision; no estimate reported.

Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1997.