SAMHSA "Short Reports" on Statistics

SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies (OAS) recently released several "short reports" based on statistics and data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), formerly known as the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, and from the Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS).

Substance Abuse Treatment Among Veterans

The proportion of substance abuse treatment admissions among veterans declined from 10 percent in 1995 to 7 percent in 2000, according to a new SAMHSA report. However, the proportion of veteran admissions among females increased from 4 percent in 1995 to 6 percent in 2000. The report also points to an important change in the age of veterans seeking treatment.

Alcohol Use and Risks by College Enrollment Status

Full-time college students age 18 to 21 had higher rates of binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks on the same occasion at least 1 day in the past 30 days) than non-students in the same age group. Full-time students also were more likely to drive while under the influence of alcohol than non-students. However, non-students were less likely than full-time students to use seat belts while driving.

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Quantity and Frequency of Cigarette Use

Data from the 2002 NSDUH survey showed that 26 percent of respondents age 12 or older were current smokers, and 63 percent of current smokers were daily smokers. Current smokers age 26 and older were more likely to be daily smokers than smokers age 18 to 25 or smokers age 12 to 17. A higher percentage of current female smokers smoked on a daily basis than current male smokers.

Substance Use in the 10 Largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas

SAMHSA reports that the rate of past- month illicit drug use was higher than the national average in the Boston, Detroit, and Chicago metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) during the combined years of 1999 to 2001. Among the 10 largest MSAs, the Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia MSAs had higher rates of binge drinking than the national average. Only the Detroit MSA had a rate of past-month cigarette use that was higher than the national average.

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Substance Use Among School Dropouts

In 2002, approximately 3.2 million 18- to 24-year-olds were considered to be school dropouts. The 2002 NSDUH data show that more than half of school dropouts smoked cigarettes during the past month. School dropouts were less likely to have used alcohol during the past month than non-dropouts, but rates of illicit drug use were similar among the two groups.

Discharges from Outpatient Treatment: 2000

Data from the 2000 Treatment Episode Data Set reveal that 34 percent of outpatient substance abuse treatment episodes involved individuals who completed treatment while 8 percent involved those who were transferred to further treatment. The outpatient treatment completion rate was highest, at 41 percent, for episodes where alcohol was the primary substance. The median length of stay for completed outpatient treatment episodes was 91 days.

The full text of each report is available online in both PDF and HTML format at www.oas.samhsa.gov.

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