Alcohol Remains the Most Commonly Abused Substance in America

The annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health released its findings last week and revealed that over 22 percent of the American population (55 million people) ages 12 and older were binge drinkers in the past month. Binge drinking is defined as having five or more alcoholic beverages on the same occasion. More than 7 million binge drinkers were under the age of 21.

The report also said that over 16 million people were heavy drinkers, which is defined as binge drinking at least five days in the past month. These statistics were similar to the national estimates for the two previous surveys as well, showing little change in our nation's alcohol consumption.

The survey showed that the age range that participated in the most illicit drug use (18-25) also had the highest rates of alcohol abuse. In this group just over 41 percent were binge drinkers and 12 percent were heavy drinkers.

Due to these statistics, the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse created a website with information about college binge drinking. A fact sheet on this site reports that there are 1,700 deaths each year from alcohol-related accidents, nearly 600,000 injuries, almost 700,000 assaults, close to 100,000 sexual assaults and another 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 who reported being too drunk to even know if they consented to having sex.

"Alcoholism can often be more difficult to overcome than what some people consider to be harder drugs, like cocaine, meth or heroin," comments Luke Catton, supervisor at the drug rehabilitation center Narconon Arrowhead. Catton speaks from first-hand experience, having beaten his own addiction to alcohol more than six years ago. "Being a legal drug that is socially acceptable, it takes a lot of work to change behavioral patterns in our culture, and making people more aware of the dangers is a first step."

Narconon Arrowhead is one of the nation's largest and most successful alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs and it uses the proven drug-free approach developed by American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health is an annual estimate of the substance abuse problem in the United States conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The results of the survey are released each year at the beginning of September, which is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.

For more information on drugs and addiction or to find help for a loved one in need of effective rehabilitation, contact Narconon Arrowhead today at 1-800-468-6933 or visit www.stopaddiction.com.

Alcohol Remains the Most Commonly Abused Substance in America

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Alcohol Remains the Most Commonly Abused Substance in America

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