Drug use, including the use of alcohol, is one of the main killers of young people around the globe. Unfortunately, the United States is at the center of the battle and we lose people at a higher rate than almost any country in the world. Is it our work and life balance? Maybe it’s our inability to connect on a deeper level and reach people before it’s too late? Regardless of the reasoning, we have a problem, and the statistics are here to prove it»
Tobacco Statistics
- In 2015, an estimated 52 million people ages 12 and older were current cigarette smokers.
- Anti- Cigarette Advertising increased by 185% from 2002-2015 and that led to a steady decline in the number of cigarette smokers.
- Electronic cigarettes are becoming an alternative, but some studies aren’t sure they’re much healthier than traditional cigarettes. They can still cause respiratory diseases.
Alcohol Statistics
- In 2015, 138 million Americans Ages 12 and older reporting using alcohol with 66.7 million reporting binge alcohol use.
- Binge alcohol use for a male is considered 5 or more drinks on at least ONE occasion in the past thirty days.
- For women, it is 4 or more drinks on at least ONE occasion.
- Binge drinking amongst young adults is becoming a problem in the United States. Underage drinking arrests are up in local municipalities and this is no surprise considering 7.7 million people ages 12-20 reporting using alcohol in the past month.
- Of that 7.7 million, 13.4% were binge drinking.
Illicit Drug Use Statistics
- The good news is, nearly 90% of Americans who participated in the survey did NOT use illicit drugs in the past month.
- The bad news is, the remaining 10% of the population counts for 27 million people who used an illicit drug in the past month.
- Of those 27 million, 22 million used marijuana– 4% painkillers- 2% Cocaine– 1% Hallucinogens- 1% Methamphetamine
Treatment Statistics
- As we stated earlier, nearly 27 million people needed treatment for illicit drug use in 2015.
- Of those 27 million, only 10% were admitted to a treatment facility– or about 2.7 million people.
- That treatment gap is far too large and it contributed to over 100,000 overdose deaths that year.
- Almost 34,000 deaths were related to heroin overdose.
At National Drug Screening, we are not a treatment facility, we are not counselors, but we ARE people who care about this country. We have drug testing facilities in all 50 states and we truly feel that our work against drug use in the workplace is making a difference. If you need to stop drugs to have a job, you’ll likely be off those drugs for good!
To learn more about a Drug-Free Workplace, call National Drug Screening at 866-843-4545 or click around on our website!
