The NSDUH Report: Nonmedical Use of Adderall® among Full-Time College Students

Nearly 90% of the full-time college students who had used Adderall® nonmedically in the past year also were past month binge alcohol drinkers and more than half were heavy alcohol users.

From the Office of Applied Studies (OAS) - Among persons aged 18 to 22, full-time college students were twice as likely to use Adderall® nonmedically in the past year as those who had not been in college at all or were only part-time students.

Students under the legal drinking age who used Adderall® were also more likely to be binge drinkers or heavy drinkers than their underage counterparts who had not used Adderall® nonmedically.

For more interesting statistics from OAS and to read the National Survey on Drug Use and Health report click here.

To learn more about risks and consequences, signs and symptoms of the abuse of prescription drugs like Adderall and Ritalin click here to visit Parents. The Anti Drug.

Why are college students abusing stimulant drugs? For some insight to this question click here to visit the website of University of Miami's student newspaper The Miami Hurricane or click here to read an interesting article from Canada's McLean's Magazine.

Report: Alcohol Laws Save Lives

It is estimated that zero-tolerance and purchase/possession laws save 732 lives each year.

From Join Together - Laws that prevent alcohol purchases and possession by youth are the most effective at preventing drunk-driving fatalities, according to a new report that also praises as effective license suspensions for underage alcohol offenses and zero-tolerance laws for drivers under 21 found with alcohol in their system.

HealthDay News reported April 6 that researcher James C. Fell of the Pacific Institute on Research and Evaluation estimated that zero-tolerance and purchase/possession laws save 732 lives each year, and that another 165 lives could be saved annually if all states adopted the most effective laws.

'Use-and-lose' laws cut alcohol-related traffic crashes by 5 percent, according to the study, which looked at national databases on drunk driving and six state laws aimed at reducing underage drinking and four other laws that addressed drunk driving in general.

To read the complete story visit Join Together here.

SAMHSA Report: Exposure to Substance Use Prevention Messages and Substance Use among Adolescents 2002 to 2007

Survey Finds a Decrease in the Percentage of Adolescents Seeing Substance Use Prevention Messages in the Media

SAMHSA News Release - A new national report issued during National Alcohol Awareness Month provides both discouraging and encouraging news about the state of efforts to inform young people about the risks of underage drinking and illicit substances.

The report, based on a series of national surveys, finds that a smaller percentage of adolescents (age 12-17) were exposed to substance use prevention messages in 2007 (77.9 percent) than in 2002 (83.2 percent). Similarly, a smaller percentage of adolescents are participating in out of school substance use prevention programs (from 12.7 percent in 2002 to 11.3 percent in 2007), according to the report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

However, the report shows a significant rise during this same period in the level of adolescents who engaged in substance abuse-related conversations with at least one parent (from 58.1 percent in 2002 to 59.6 percent in 2007). The report shows that these conversations are associated with lower rates of current substance use by an adolescent.

To view the complete SAMHSA press release and to access the full report click here.

Report: Treatment Admissions for Prescription Pain Killers on the Rise

Largest share of treatment admissions is still for alcohol abuse, but a significant decrease seen over the past decade

Released March 17, 2009 from SAMHSA - Treatment admissions for prescription pain killer misuse has risen dramatically over the past decade – from constituting 1 percent of all admissions in 1997 to now representing 5 percent, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) 2007 Highlights report also indicates that although alcohol-related admissions still account for the largest share (40 percent) of the 1.8 million treatment admissions occurring throughout the country during 2007, this reflects a reduction from 50 percent in 1997.

The TEDS 2007 Highlights report is the latest in a series of yearly reports, developed by SAMHSA, providing demographic and other information on substance abuse treatment admissions from state licensed treatment facilities (most of them publicly-funded) across the country. Although it does not include information on all treatment admissions, it is the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind and provides a vast array of specialized data on the characteristics of substance abuse treatment in the United States.

To read the complete release in the SAMHSA Newsroom click here.

Is it an epidemic? Click here to learn more about prescription drug abuse.

Study: Alcohol Images Increase Consumption

"Money, not morality, is the principle of commerce and commercial nations." -Thomas Jefferson

From Marin Institute - There have been numerous studies evaluating the media’s influence and portrayal of alcoholic beverages. But until now, there has never been research conducted on whether alcohol in commercials, television or the movies have an actual effect on drinking behavior.

A new study published in Oxford Journals: Alcohol and Alcoholism shows that alcohol images directly influence drinking. Participants of the study increased alcohol consumption when watching films and commercials featuring alcohol.

The study’s findings are timely, considering Absolut Vodka’s recent ad which ran during the Grammy Awards, reaching a primetime audience of underage youth. Paris-based, global alcohol giant Pernod Ricard was the first to disregarded the long-established voluntary liquor ad ban on U.S. TV.

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) maintains an up-to-date gallery of print and television alcohol advertising. To view the gallery click here.

To view CAMY's recent report "Youth Exposure to Alcohol Advertising on Television, 2001 to 2007" click here.

2008 PATS: Teen Study Shows Significant Declines in Meth and Marijuana Use

From The Partnership for a Drug-Free America (February, 24, 2009)- The Partnership for a Drug-Free America today announced the findings from the 2008 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, (PATS) which revealed the first major increase in the number of teens who reported “learning a lot” about the risks of drugs from their parents. Research consistently shows that teens who learn a lot about the risks of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely to use.

According to the study, teen meth use has experienced a steep three-year drop, with past-month use down to 3 percent of teens – a significant 25 percent decline versus 2005. Teen attitudes about meth use corroborate this drop – 83 percent of teens see great risk in using meth regularly, about 85 percent see great risk in “getting hooked on meth” and more than half of teens, (54 percent) see trying meth once or twice as very risky.

While marijuana remains the most widely used illegal drug among teens, PATS indicates marijuana use has been declining for a decade, with past-year use down 24 percent since 1998, and past-month use down a full 30 percent (from 23 percent of teens down to 16 percent) over the same time period. Teen attitudes also reflect growing social disapproval of the drug, with 35 percent of teens agreeing strongly they “don’t want to hang around with anyone who uses marijuana,” up from 28 percent a decade ago.

The 20th annual national study of 6,518 teens in grades 7-12 is nationally projectable with a +/- 1.3 percent margin of error. PATS Teens 2008 was conducted in private, public and parochial schools for the Partnership by the Roper Public Affairs Division of GfK Custom Research.

For more key findings and the complete report click here.