Substance Abuse Facts

SUBSTANCE ABUSE FACTS

During my tenure as the Director of a leading Alcohol/Drug Treatment facility specifically targeting American Indians in Los Angeles, California, and as a Psychologist, myself, I had the opportunity to cull the following statistics from the client files, observation of client behaviors during counseling sessions and case management sessions with facility staff and wish to share some of my observations with you.

Of the leading causes of death for American Indians, most are attributable to alcohol/drug abuse/addiction.
Tobacco and inhalants (e.g. glue, gasoline, nail polish remover, etc) tend to be gateway drugs in youths (although tobacco may remain one drug of choice once addicted).
The heaviest drinking seems to occur among Indians who are most closely associated with non-Indian values and the lowest levels occur among youth who express an ability to adapt comfortably both Indian and non Indian values (biculturality)
It is estimated that 69% of all reservations in the US have some form of alcohol prohibition. Prohibition may act in two ways to produce alcohol related problems for American Indians. First, it necessitates long drives to obtain alcohol and therefore creates more opportunity for traffic injuries and secondly, puts drinking behavior within an often; hostile non-Indian environment Indian drinking patterns tend to be characterized by binge drinking and flamboyant alcohol consumption.
Three out of four women in an alcohol/drug facility are court ordered to treatment and are there only to regain custody of their children from the Department of Children's Services. Once their children are remanded to their or another family member's custody, three fourths of these women (or nine sixteenths of all women) will do anything and everything to leave the treatment program. Only one fourth of these women will complete the program.
Nearly one half of all persons in a substance abuse treatment facility present with a dual diagnosis. Most commonly, the second diagnosis is of a Mood Disorder (depression, bi-polar [a.k.a. manic depressive] or single manic episode).
Nearly one half of all persons who go through substance abuse treatment will go through it more than twice. One eighth of these persons will go through treatment four or more times. These persons are referred to as Institutionalized Alcoholics/Addicts.
One out of four persons will enter a substance abuse treatment facility with a dual diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effects (IF these individuals were previously diagnosed as such). However, most of these persons are not caught and tend to slip through an already highly overburdened treatment system, which is why this statistic is often thought to be much higher. FAS is 33 times higher in Indians than in Caucasians. For more information on FAS click to our FAS/FAE Facts Sheet.
One tenth of American Indians in substance abuse treatment will present with a diagnosis of Alcoholic Psychosis and must be referred to a hospital for medical treatment.
In an urban substance abuse treatment facility specifically targeting American Indians, it is often much easier to bring in clients from reservations in other states than it is from the urban area in which the treatment facility operates. One out of sixteen persons will be from the area of the facility's operation and the remainder from other areas.
Often when a client comes to a mental health professional or to a substance abuse program from a reservation, he/she will present with a flat affect. That is, he/she will appear to have no emotions at all about anything. A counselor's arduous task is to break through this and get to the underlying emotions.
When a client leaves a substance abuse treatment program, it is customary to provide a six-month to one-year follow-up on the client to evaluate the program's effectiveness and determining the client's maintenance (or not) of sobriety. On the average, only one of four persons are tracked for more than two months, most are lost after the first month. Of all program graduates, only one of thirty-two are tracked all the way through the six month follow-up period.
Prevention programs are working, especially with American Indian youth, but there really needs to be a more pervasive, constant prevention/education program for American Indians and their families.

ASK YOURSELF:

If you, your friend or loved one has one or more of the following signs, he or she may have a problem with drugs or alcohol:

Getting high on drugs or getting drunk on a regular basis.
Lying about things, or the amount of drugs or alcohol they are using.
Avoiding you and others in order to get high or drunk.
Giving up activities they used to do such as sports, homework, or hanging out with friends who don't use drugs or drink.
Having to use more marijuana or other illicit drugs to get the same effects
Constantly talking about using drugs or drinking
Believing that in order to have fun they need to drink or use marijuana or other drugs.
Pressuring others to use drugs or drink
Getting into trouble with the law.
Taking risks, including sexual risks and driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
Feeling run-down, hopeless, depressed, or even suicidal.
Suspension from school for an alcohol- or drug-related incident
Missing work or poor work performance because of drinking or drug use.

Referrals

Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA/ACoA)
P.O. Box 3216
Torrance, CA 90510
310-534-1815

Alanon/Alateen
Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
P.O. Box 862, Midtown Station
New York, NY 10018-0862
1-800-356-9996 (Literature)
1-800-344-2666 (Meeting Referral)

Alcoholics Anonymous, World Services, Inc.
475 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10115
212-870-3400 (Literature)
212-647-1680 (Meeting Referral)

CDC National AIDS Hotline
1-800-342-AIDS
1-800-344-SIDA - Spanish
1-800-AIDS-TTY - TDD

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Service
1-800-662-HELP
Referrals To:
1-800-ALCOHOL
1-800-COCAINE
1-800-448-3000 BOYSTOWN

Children of Alcoholics Foundation, Inc.
555 Madison Avenue, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10022
212-754-0656 or 800-359-COAF

Cocaine Anonymous
World Service Office
3740 Overland Avenue, Ste. C
Los Angeles, CA 90034
1-800-347-8998

Families Anonymous
P.O. Box 35475
Culver City, CA 90231
1-800-736-9805

Hazelden Educational Materials
Pleasant Valley Road
P.O. Box 176
Center City, MN 55012-0176
1-800-328-9000

Marijuana Anonymous, World Services
P.O. Box 2912
Van Nuys, CA 91404
1-800-766-6779

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
511 E. John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 700
Irving, TX 75062
214-744-6233
Victim Hotline: 800-438-6233 (GET MADD)

NAFARE Alcohol, Drug, and Pregnancy Hotline
200 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60601
1-800-638-BABY

Nar-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
P.O. Box 2562
Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 90274
310-547-5800

Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
World Service Office
P.O. Box 9999
Van Nuys, CA 91409
818-773-9999

National Association for Children of Alcoholics
11426 Rockville Pike, Suite 301
Rockville, MD 20852
301-468-0985

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
P.O. Box 2345
Rockville, MD 20847-2345
301-468-2600
1-800-729-6686
www.health.org

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
12 West 21st Street, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10010
1-800-NCA-CALL (will refer you to your local treatment information center)

National Families in Action
2296 Henderson Mill Road, Suite 204
Atlanta, GA 30345
770-934-6364

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
400 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-9550
Auto Safety Hotline: 1-800-424-9393

National Women's Health Network
514 10th Street, NW, Ste.400
Washington, DC 20004
202-682-7814

Rational Recovery Systems
P O. Box 800
Lotus, CA 95651
1-800-303-CURE

Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS)
P.O. Box 5
Buffalo, NY 14215
716-821-8430

Women for Sobriety
P.O. Box 618
Quakertown, PA 18951
1-800-333-1606

(Source: American Indian Eagle Lodge, Long Beach, CA 1983-1997)

Of the leading causes of death for American Indians, most are attributable to alcohol/drug abuse/addiction.

Tobacco and inhalants (e.g. glue, gasoline, nail polish remover, etc) tend to be gateway drugs in youths (although tobacco may remain one drug of choice once addicted).

The heaviest drinking seems to occur among Indians who are most closely associated with non-Indian values and the lowest levels occur among youth who express an ability to adapt comfortably both Indian and non Indian values (biculturality)

Nearly one half of all persons in a substance abuse treatment facility present with a dual diagnosis. Most commonly, the second diagnosis is of a Mood Disorder (depression, bi-polar [a.k.a. manic depressive] or single manic episode).

Nearly one half of all persons who go through substance abuse treatment will go through it more than twice. One eighth of these persons will go through treatment four or more times. These persons are referred to as Institutionalized Alcoholics/Addicts.

One tenth of American Indians in substance abuse treatment will present with a diagnosis of Alcoholic Psychosis and must be referred to a hospital for medical treatment.

Prevention programs are working, especially with American Indian youth, but there really needs to be a more pervasive, constant prevention/education program for American Indians and their families.