Drug Taking Behavior
Part 2

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Drugs impact every facet of our lives
- fetus / children / adolescents / college students / young adults / homemakers / poor people / the affluent / the elderly
Drugs are deeply embedded in the human psyche
- there is a tendency to use drugs to deal with all of our problems and fears
- pain / frustration / personal problems / social interactions / disappointments
Drug abuse is an expensive problem
- Office of National Drug Control Policy
- health and social costs: $67 billion annually

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Fill anywhere from a low of 10% to a high of 50% of hospital beds nationwide
- mostly for treatment secondary to the addiction
Of all persons admitted to general hospitals
- 20% to 40% have alcohol-related problems
The economic cost of alcohol abuse in the United
States is estimated at over $185 billion
- US Department of Health and Human Services
- medical / work loss / abuse / neglect / criminal

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The federal government monitors ER visits for drug abuse
- both for non-lethal ER visits and fatal arrivals
Today, the most common are:
- methamphetamine
- cocaine
- heroin
- an alcohol-combination
Over 10,000 drug-abuse deaths annually

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More than ¾’s of all prison inmates had been involved with drugs to some extent
More than 500,000 people are in American jails on any given day for violating a drug law
Almost $28 billion was spent in 2011 to combat drug abuse
Two-thirds of this money will be used for domestic law enforcement
- in an attempt to reduce the drug supply
- this increases the importation of drugs

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Over 2 billion prescriptions are dispensed in the US every year
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- and most prescriptions have several refills
Prescriptions drugs total $85 billion yearly
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- with over-the-counter drugs costing $13 billion
Pharmaceutical companies spend more on marketing than on research and development
Student Involvement:
Watch television this evening and list the number and types of drug commercials seen.

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Among Americans 60 years of age and older, drug abuse is becoming an epidemic
Older adults are not necessarily abusing illicit substances
- it is abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs
- this is one of the fastest growing health problems in the United States
Misuse affects up to 17% of older Americans
- 2.5 million have alcohol-related problems
- misuse of over-the-counter drugs with a high alcohol content, such as cough suppressants

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Drug abuse costs American employers $120 billion annually
8% of full-time workers used an illicit drug during the previous month
- 9% of part-time workers did
9% of workers drank heavily the previous month
Alcoholism results in 500 million lost work days annually
- chemically dependent 3.6 times more likely to have accidents in the workplace

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Employee Assistance Programs (EAPS)
- help workers deal with personal problems and substance abuse
- many are voluntary
- some are mandatory with a choice of being fired
EAPS use in companies has shown great promise
- it has reduced absenteeism by 29%
- it has reduced injuries by 82%
- it has increased the number of employees in rehab

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The President’s Commission on Organized Crime in
1986 advocated all federal workers be drug-tested
- federal contracts were to be withheld from private companies who did not drug test
Just how effective is drug testing?
- among full-time workers (ages 18 to 49)
- 35% tested at time of employment
- 20% were subject to random testing
- 28% if supervisor had reasonable suspicion
- 23% following a work-related accident

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Illicit drug use higher in small businesses (1 – 24)
- smaller companies are testing more
70% of illegal drug users are employed full-time
- 77% of the above are heavy drinkers
Highest rate:
- construction workers: handlers, helpers, laborers
Lowest rate:
- child protective services
Police officers have high rates of heavy drinking and alcoholism

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Drug use has not been proven to increase marital separation and divorce
- but an association does exist
Women with alcohol-dependent partners do have significantly more family and marital problems
Women subjected to violence have higher rates of alcohol dependence
- as well as other drug abuse problems
Adolescents who are emotionally close to their mothers are less likely to drink alcohol
- closeness to father does not have same effect

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People between the ages of 28 and 31 are less likely to use drugs if:
- they married in their early 20’s and stay married
- married in late 20’s
- those who had children
Marriage and alcohol
- reduced their use during first year of marriage
- decreased significantly after parenthood
- women whose husbands died, more likely to use
3. Marijuana: more likely to delay marriage/children

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6% of children have one parent in need of illicit drug treatment
4% have a parent who is dependent on illicit drugs
8% have a parent dependent on alcohol
50% have at least one parent who smokes
Parental substance abuse: almost 2/3’s have a child in the welfare system
It is a prominent factor in child abuse and domestic abuse
- 30% of all substantiated child abuse cases