New Report: 15.6 Years Elapse Between When Adults in Treatment First Use and When First Admitted
Oct 06, 2012
A new report released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that, among adults admitted for drug abuse treatment for the first time last year, an average of 15.6 years elapsed since the first time they started using the drug. The study, Length of Time from the First Use to Adult Treatment Admission,revealed a long lag time between a patient’s first use and subsequential treatment for that same drug.
The SAMHSA study shows that substance abuse can go undetected and untreated foryears before the patient gets professional help. The average length of time was longer for males than females at 16.5 years versus 13.8 years. The time between first use and treatment for alcohol was the longest at 20.2 years while prescription painkillers was the shortest at 7.8 years. Non-Hispanic black admissions had a longer length than any other race or ethnicity. The study was based on 669,000 adults admitted for substance abuse.
Learn more: Consequences of Drug Abuse, Treatment, Signs of Drug Use
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Source
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration