|
|
Substance
Abuse (Adults)
|
 |
Increase
the proportion of adults in need of comprehensive substance abuse
treatment who receive treatment.
Target:
30,184 persons or 8.8 percent.
Baseline, 1995: 15,092 or 4.4 percent of adults, 18 and
older, in need of substance abuse treatment, received substance
abuse treatment in past year.
Target Setting Method: 100 percent improvement.
Reduce
the prevalence of heavy* alcohol use in the past year among individuals
45 years and older.
Target:
3.0 percent.
Baseline, 1995: 4.0 percent of adults, 45 and older,
with heavy alcohol use in past year.
Target Setting Method: 25 percent reduction.
Reduce
the prevalence of adults, age 18 and older, using any illicit drugs
during the past year.
Target:
5 percent
Baseline, 1995: 7.2 percent of adults, 18 years and older,
used illicit drugs during the past year.
Target Setting Method: Better than the best. Represents
31 percent improvement.
*Heavy
alcohol use in the past year was defined as consumption for five
or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women in a 24-hour
period at least once a week in the past 12 months. (Source: Substance
Use and Need for Comprehensive Treatment and Services in North Carolina’s
Adult Household Population, 1995.)
|
 |
| |
|
Health Promotion
-
Substance Abuse (Adults)
|
Substance abuse is one of North Carolina’s
most expensive health problems. It is estimated that substance abuse
problems are costing North Carolina $5 billion in health care costs,
premature death, reduced productivity, criminal justice, motor vehicle
crashes, etc. There is substantial research evidence indicating that
comprehensive substance abuse treatment can greatly reduce substance
abuse and dependence. Managed care and lack of substance abuse parity
in health insurance has contributed to a decrease in funding capacity
in the private sector in spite of evidence suggesting that an increasing
number of our citizens are abusing substances. This means that more
people need substance abuse services at a time when capacity in the
private sector is declining. Thus, citizens in need of services are
increasingly turning to the public sector for care. Even those with
the most severe problems often encounter long waiting periods before
they receive the appropriate level of care needed to address their
problems.
In 1995, six percent of North Carolina
adults were in need of comprehensive substance abuse treatment yet
only 10 percent of those had a lifetime history of receiving substance
abuse treatment. Adults in need of treatment in North Carolina were
most likely to be White males, particularly White males between
the ages of 25 and 44. Nearly 166,000 White males aged 18 to 44
were in need of treatment in North Carolina in 1995. These are conservative
estimates because the survey excluded people who were not living
in households, such as homeless people or people who were incarcerated.
According to a recent report submitted to the North Carolina General
Assembly by the North Carolina Alcohol and Drug Council, 9.1 percent
of the available substance abuse treatment Certificate of Need beds
in the state have closed during the 1999/2000 State Fiscal Year.
Alcohol
Abuse Among Older Adults
Substance use and abuse has substantial
health consequences in the older population. It is reported that
the misuse of drugs and alcohol affects 17 percent of older Americans.
In addition, 15 percent of male alcoholics report that their first
symptoms of alcoholism occurred between the ages of 60-69. For women,
the percentages are even higher, with 24 percent reporting their
first signs of alcoholism between ages 60 and 69. Alcohol abuse
can result in elevated risk for falls and osteoporosis. Alcohol
also interacts negatively with many medications that older persons
use to deal with chronic health problems. Many cases of memory deficit
and dementia now are understood to result from alcoholism. As with
illicit drugs, availability of resources and access to clinically
appropriate and effective treatment for alcohol problems are limited.
Older North Carolinians also overuse psychotropic drugs.
|
| |
|
Disparities
|
According to the 1995 Research Triangle Institute
Household Survey, the need for alcohol or other drug treatment was
more common among men than women in North Carolina. About 10 percent
of all North Carolina adult men in 1995 were classified as being in
need of comprehensive treatment, compared with only 3 percent of women.
These higher percentages of men in need of treatment held across all
age and racial/ethnic groups. Within groups defined by age and gender,
similar percentages of White and African-American adults were in need
of comprehensive treatment. Higher percentages of younger adults (ages
18 to 24) were in need of treatment compared with percentages of adults
in other age groups. Approximately 19 percent of young males (ages
18 to 24) in North Carolina were in need of treatment. African-American
women in the 18 to 24 and 25 to 44 age groups appeared to have lower
rates of treatment need compared with White females in these age groups.
|
| |
|
Determinants/Risk
factors
|
Males and young adults are at greater risk, lack
of available treatment, lack of knowledge or skepticism about the
effectiveness of treatment, and lack of insurance and personal resources
to pay for treatment |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Health
Promotion - Substance Abuse (Adults) |
|
|
