More U.S. Teens in Substance Abuse Treatment -Report
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Mark_ProbertBLOC ...@hotmail.com (Mark Probert)
Thursday December 27 5:52 PM ET More U.S. Teens in Substance Abuse Treatment -Report NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The number of US teens admitted to substance abuse treatment rose 20% during the late 1990s, federal health officials reported Thursday.
Marijuana abuse accounted for a growing proportion of these admissions, increasing from 43% in 1994 to 60% in 1999, according to data released by the US Department of Health and Human Services (news
- web sites) (HHS).
The numbers come from the latest Treatment Episode Data Set, which tracks US admissions to state-approved facilities for substance abuse treatment. These centers see an estimated 1.6 million admissions each year.
Among all Americans treated in 1999, four drugs of abuse accounted for nearly all admissions: alcohol (47%), opiates such as heroin (16%), cocaine (14%) and marijuana (14%).
COMMENT: Let's see. that is 47%+16%+14%+14%=91%...
Gee whillikers, it seems that the "epidemic of Ritalin addicts" predicted by such Anti-Medication Nazi as Frager/FARTie/Kolnick/PhoneyDoc has not come about...I wonder why??// Oh, I know, they were wrong...
Between 1994 and 1999, treatment admissions rose 20% among adolescents ages 12 to 17, with marijuana use accounting for a growing number of cases. Many who entered treatment for marijuana were referred through the criminal justice system.
``While we can all be thankful that people who need help are getting it, this report shows some of the real-life consequences of marijuana use,'' John P. Walters, director of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, said in a statement releasing the statistics.
``In recent years,'' he added, ``too many people have said that marijuana is a 'harmless' drug. That is a lie.'' HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said: ``The good news in this report is that more young people are getting help. Treatment can help them end dependence on addictive drugs.'' In other findings, heroin admission rates remained stable across the US between 1994 and 1999. However, they at least doubled in 15 states, including Alabama, Delaware, the District of Columbia, New Hampshire and Wisconsin.
Marijuana admissions rose in many states, with the overall rate for teens and adults climbing from 69 per 100,000 people in 1994 to 103 per 100,000 in 1999.
Alcohol remained the top reason for treatment admissions, although admissions declined 19% between 1994 and 1999--from 418 per 100,000 to 337.
More than half of Americans who sought substance abuse treatment reported using more than one drug.
ban ...@todayslastword.org (Bush Stole The Election)
The American taxpayers are being robbed to pay this crackpot?
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I think. Therefore, I am not a conservative!
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m ...@earthlink.net (Emma Anne)
While I generally agree with what you are saying, I suspect many of these patients have more than one drug in their system. For example, I doubt many people need to go to the emergency room for *just* marijuana.
Norma some...@nowhereelse.com
Yes they are.
No, marijuana is not a harmless drug. But the fallacy in this is ***uming that there are some drugs that are harmless. As I've said, drugs in their proper place, would depend on the individual. But alcohol is still one of the top substances to be abused, even if it's illegal for minors to consume, something to think about.
How about trying to find out what's causing the addiction in the first place. Standard treatment would only help the neurotypical person, while the other addicts will appear to be "rehabilitated" but fall back into the same ole pattern, later on.
That's what usually happens with everybody who abuses drugs. How are you sure what does what to a person, unless you are sure they are just abusing one drug?
Bottomline, treatment options are still better than incarceration.
Incarceration won't fix the problem for many.
Norma -- Follow the white rabbit... But don't get lost!
Norma some...@nowhereelse.com
I think that also. Often people use marijuana *with* alcohol, etc.
Norma -- Follow the white rabbit... But don't get lost!
Ann ann...@thecia.net
Alcohol is a social norm in our society. It's been my experience, however, that alcohol does many users far more harm than marijuana does, ultimately. I know far more people getting treatment for alcohol misuse than for marijuana misuse, and that's not for lack of knowing enough smokers.
I've thought for a long time they've got the wrong drug outlawed.
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Ann ann...@thecia.net
Norma some...@nowhereelse.com
It makes me wonder that, also. In addition to the social norm, another thing is also, people who have parents who are foreigners, or Americans that may have spent time living in other countries, are more than likely to not stick to the "no alcohol till 21" rule.
Besides, a kid can die for their country at 18, they can vote, marry, etc, but they can't drink till 21? Stupid law, I think.
But still, one should be kept legal and the other should be made legal. There are responsible drug users on either side.
Whether or not usage is "healthy" is irrelavant. If we outlawed everything that was potentially unhealthy, there wouldn't be anything left to enjoy.
That includes many different foods, as well. I don't know about you, I would revolt if they got rid of icecream, or chocolate, just because it's not "healthy for me".
Norma -- Follow the white rabbit... But don't get lost!
nknisley nknis...@bcpl.net
But, Norma, haven't you heard, chocolate is a health food!
I recently read, somewhere, that at least one study showed that moderate amounts of chocolate daily was healthy.
My water jogging instructor says she came across similar information some years ago. She always says to me, "Eat chocolate! It's healthy!" And if you don't believe it, well, if it's in the comics, it *must* be true, right? <g> http://www.non-sequitur.net/index.php3?inmonth=12&inday=28&inyear=200... Nancy Unique, like everyone else
Ann ann...@thecia.net
Chocolate is a *vegetable*, dontcha know? It's from a plant, after all. Fulfills one of those veggie pyramid thingies we need every day!!
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Ann ann...@thecia.net
Norma some...@nowhereelse.com
I like to think of chocolate as being a health food, but my doctor may disagree :) Norma -- Follow the white rabbit... But don't get lost!
Ann ann...@thecia.net
What I find sad is that people want to escape via drugs (alcohol, weed, coke, etc). Many think they can't have a good time without being high. I gave up everything years ago in support of my husband.
Even though he's gone, I'm still abstaining. It's caused too much grief in my life to go back to it. I can have lots of fun without altering my consciousness in the process. I know, and that may be coming. People need to be able to make up their own minds about what they do to themselves!!
Give me chocolate and no one gets hurt........... :o)
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Ann ann...@thecia.net
Christopher EmpireMas...@mediaone.net
I agree, but what does it really mean to "make up your own mind"?
People do very self-destructive things all by themselves and there are scammers who push all kinds of harmful ideas onto people.
A doctor's role may be to help ensure that people are making up their own mind, fully informed, and with the influence of scammers and ignorance properly balanced.
There are doctors who treat people this way, at least when they are convinced that the patient is capable of and wants to be treated this way.
julian9 ...@aol.com (Julian9EHP)
If chocolate is a health food, my husband made me *very* healthy today. :-) I am now 41 years old.
E. P.
Nessa ladybug0...@home.com
On Sun, 30 Dec 2001 16:06:03 -0500, Julian9EHP wrote (in message <20011230160603.04961.00000...@mb-fr.aol.com>): Happy Birthday. I will be 42 in March.
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Nessa I wanna talk about ME!!
http://www.geocities.com/nsm314/
virgin ...@aol.commentary (Virginiaz)
Happy Bday!
Subject: Re: More U.S. Teens in Substance Abuse Treatment -Report From: julian9...@aol.com (Julian9EHP) Date: Sun, Dec 30, 2001 9:06 PM Message-id: <20011230160603.04961.00000583@mb-fr.aol.com> If chocolate is a health food, my husband made me *very* healthy today. :-) I am now 41 years old.
\\ - - // ( @ @ ) +--------oOOo-(_)--oOOo----+ +-------------------Oooo---+ oooO ( ) ( ) ) / \ ( (_
Caitriona Mac Fhiodhbhuidhe kit...@whitepine.com
Hey, happy birthday, Capi! My bday was a couple weeks ago.
Kitten
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Hill Country Light & Lather - Handcrafted Candles and Soaps http://www.whitepine.com/HillCountry/hcl&l.html
Ann ann...@thecia.net
But we're not talking about doctors, we're talking about using drugs to alter our consciousness, as in drinking and smoking weed. "That's the tangent Norma and I were on, you are, of course, free to introduce your own :o)
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Ann ann...@thecia.net
Christopher EmpireMas...@mediaone.net
It is never my intention to introduce new tangents; but I do jump in without reading everything from earlier ;-) My main point still stands, I think. I have no problem with people making their own choices, but some kind of framework to help ensure that these choices have been thought through is a good idea.
Norma some...@nowhereelse.com
Yummy! What kind of cake? German chocolate is among my favorites. But I like other kinds as well.
Norma -- Follow the white rabbit... But don't get lost!
Norma some...@nowhereelse.com
Oh, forgot to say, Happy Birthday from me too!
Norma -- Follow the white rabbit... But don't get lost!
Norma some...@nowhereelse.com
See that's what I think also. I think people should be able to make up their mind about what they do to themselves. There already are laws in place to protect against public intoxication, child neglect due to irresponsible parents, and that sort of thing.
As for snacks, especially chocolate...
By the way they should realize what happened in CA when "Governor Ding Dong" (Pete Wilson :) ) tried taxing snacks! It wasn't popular at all.
Norma -- Follow the white rabbit... But don't get lost!
Norma some...@nowhereelse.com
On Mon, 31 Dec 2001 04:38:51 GMT, Christopher I see what you mean, in that case I woudn't want there to be easy access to the hard drugs that can cause an almost immediate danger to the user's health. So I believe those can still stay illegal.
Norma -- Follow the white rabbit... But don't get lost!
julian9 ...@aol.com (Julian9EHP)
Congratulations!
E. P.
julian9 ...@aol.com (Julian9EHP)
My mother made the cake; plain vanilla. Husband can't eat chocolate, only give it.
Thanks, people.
E. P.
twhite4 ...@cs.com (TWhite4AOG)
I think many of these teens are self-medicating for ADD. It has been documented that a greater paercent of the prison population have ADD.
It was interesting that you can have "lucid" dreams. I have never met anyone besides myself that can change their own dreams.
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