Disturbing addiction patterns in Oregon
From our weekly issue dated March 26, 2008
Cigarette and marijuana smoking are down among Oregon middle and high school students, and alcohol use remains the same for 11th-graders, but has increased 28 percent for eighth-graders.
That’s according to the Oregon Dept. of Human Services (DHS) Addictions & Mental Health Division in the agency’s recently released reports for each of Oregon’s 36 counties covering 2000-2006 consumption of alcohol, illicit drugs and tobacco.
The epidemiological profiles are used by planners to develop customized prevention programs. The reports are available at www.oregon.gov/DHS/addiction/ad/main.shtml
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According to DHS researchers, one in five young adults 18 to 25; 9 percent of youth age 12 to 17; and 7 percent of adults 26 or older abuse or are dependent on alcohol or other drugs. Many require treatment to kick the habit. More than 40 percent of children taken into protective custody each year come from families with alcohol or drug abuse problems.
“These epidemiological profiles show some disturbing patterns of substance abuse in Oregon, and we know that the consequences of continued use mean years of poor health or early death,” said Bob Nikkel, DHS assistant director for addictions and mental health. “As Oregonians we cannot allow ourselves to become complacent about substance abuse and addictions.”
More Oregonians consume alcohol each month than any other addictive substance, according to DHS. Although 66 percent of men and 54 percent of women drink alcohol, far fewer report problem drinking. Surveys of adults indicate that 22 percent of men and 8 percent of women are binge drinkers. And some 6 percent of both sexes are heavy drinkers.
Each year there are more than 1,000 alcohol-related deaths in Oregon. One-third of all motor vehicle fatalities involve alcohol.
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Alcohol use starts young. In survey results, 32 percent of Oregon’s eighth-graders and 44 percent of 11th-graders drank alcohol within the past month. Young people who drink heavily, even occasionally, risk damaging their still-developing brains, according to the American Medical Association.
Oregon has a goal of reducing eighth-grade alcohol use to less than 17 percent by 2010, but no county has yet to reach this mark.
Despite the dramatic decline in cigarette use during the past 10 years, smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in Oregon. Adult cigarette smoking rates vary by county, from a low of approximately 10 percent to a high of 30 percent. Males are more likely to use tobacco, which results in higher tobacco-linked death rates for men.
Approximately 9 percent of Oregon’s eighth-graders and 16 percent of 11th-graders smoked tobacco during the past month.
More information on smoking is available at www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/tobacco/index.shtml
Nine percent of eighth-graders and 16 percent of 11th-graders used marijuana during the past month. Other drug use included inhalants by 6 percent of eighth-graders and 3 percent of 11th-graders; illegal prescription drugs by 5 percent of eighth-graders and 8 percent of 11th-graders; and stimulants by 2 percent of eighth-graders and 2 percent of 11th-graders.
Josephine County figures listed
Figures for Josephine County show that men use alcohol considerably more than women. The latter are at 54 percent for alcohol use, the same as the Oregon average; while 62 percent of Josephine County men use alcohol; the state average is 66 percent.
For binge drinking in the county: women are at 8 percent/same as the state figure; men are at 24 percent vs. 22 for the state.
“Heavy use” is shown in the county by 8 percent of women, and 10 percent of men. The state average is 6 percent for men and women.
It is conservatively estimated that 4,289 county residents abuse or are dependent on alcohol or need treatment. This involves 343 persons 12 to 17; 1,243 18 to 25; and 2,703 26 and older.
“At least” 1,922 residents 12 and older abuse or are dependent on illicit drugs. This includes 346 12- to 17-year-olds; 711 persons 18 to 25; and 865 who are 26 and older.
