Substance Use Prevention
While young adults ages 18-25 have the highest rates of drug use across the board, drug use among adults ages 26-49 is on the rise. Following are some statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
- The percentage of adults age 26 and older using marijuana daily or almost daily has nearly doubled since 2015.
- Cocaine use and death rates have risen; cocaine-involved overdose rates in the U.S. have risen annually since 2012.
- Meth use and overdose death rates climbed more than five-fold for those ages 25 to 54 between 2011 and 2018.
Crush the Crisis
- Prescription drug misuse is a public health crisis in the United States. Encouragingly, for the first time since 2018, national prescription drug misuse is decreasing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2023 – decreasing 3% from 111,029 deaths estimated in 2022.
- According to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 5 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.8 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives, and 4.3 million people misused prescription stimulants in 2022. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
Know the Risks of Using Drugs
All drug use comes with risk. Know the facts before letting drugs take their toll on you and your family.
- Drug use—including marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, as well as prescription drug misuse and illicit opioids—among adults is on the rise.
Different drugs pose different dangers. Drug use can lead to dependence and addiction, injury and accidents, health problems, sleep issues, and more. Drug use affects you and those close to you. Know there is help.
Do you or someone you know hide their drugs?
The Risks are Real
The pressures on adults are real. Building careers, buying homes, getting married, having kids, and trying to do it all well comes with a lot of pressure. Some turn to drugs to cope. Just because some drugs are legal, doesn’t mean they are less dangerous.
Over time, the regular or habitual use of drugs becomes a crutch and only adds to the stress. Drugs can also cause other harms, including:
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- Cocaine: Highly addictive, cocaine is involved in nearly one in five overdose deaths; its health effects include asthma, bowel decay, and increased risk of HIV.
- Methamphetamine (Meth): Meth causes devastating health effects, and sometimes death, even on the first try. Meth speeds up the body’s systems to dangerous levels. Chronic users experience anxiety, confusion, insomnia, paranoia, aggression, and more.
- Prescription and illicit opioids: Highly addictive, the substances are the top cause of overdose deaths; health effects include confusion, nausea, constipation, coma, and brain damage.
- Marijuana: Even though it is legal in many states, studies link marijuana use to various negative outcomes.
- Cocaine: Highly addictive, cocaine is involved in nearly one in five overdose deaths; its health effects include asthma, bowel decay, and increased risk of HIV.
Before the risks become real and before drugs turn your life—and your family—upside down, know there is help. You can quit.
