This recent research, which was lead by Dr. Wilson M. Compton of the U.S. Institute on Drug Abuse and published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, includes about one in 50 who has been dependent on drugs at some point.
Researchers gathered data by telephone interviews with 43,093 people in 2001 and 2002 and found that that 10.3 percent of U.S. adults abused drugs at some point in their lifetimes. Approximately 2.6 percent of these become addicted to the drugs.
According to the research, men were more likely than women to abuse drugs and it was found that approximately 13.8 percent of men and 7.1 percent of women reported abusing drugs so at some point in their lives. The younger population was more likely to report drug abuse, with the most common age of abuse being twenty.
"With few exceptions, 12-month and lifetime drug abuse and dependence were positively and significantly related to alcohol use disorders, nicotine dependence and mood, anxiety and personality disorders," the researchers found.
Also, Caucasians were more likely than African-American or Hispanic participants to report drug problems. It was also found that American Indians were also prone to drug abuse, as well. Alcohol use disorders and nicotine dependence were also highly correlated with drug use disorders, the researchers found.
It was also found that 81 percent who reported drug abuse sought help compared with 37.9 percent of those who reported drug dependence. Expressing concern over the lack of treatment, researchers added, "We need to do something to educate the public about the availability and utility of treatment interventions...There are a lot of new interventions that can make a big difference."
