Drug Rehab for Alcohol Addiction

Locating a alcohol drug rehab facility can mean life or death.

People who are not alcoholic sometimes do not understand why an alcoholic can’t just “use a little willpower” to stop drinking. However, alcoholism has little to do with willpower. Alcoholics are in the grip of a powerful “craving,” or uncontrollable need, for alcohol that overrides their ability to stop drinking. This need can be as strong as the need for food or water.

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Locating Drug Rehab for alcohol

The majority of alcoholics need drug rehab and are not able to recover on their own. With drug rehab and support, many individuals are able to stop drinking and rebuild their lives.

The 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) enables an examination of the rates of heavy alcohol use among young adults aged 18 to 25. Heavy alcohol use was defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion at least 5 different days in the month before the survey. The survey also examines the relationship between heavy alcohol use and the use of illicit drugs. "Any illicit drug" refers to the use of marijuana/hashish, cocaine (including crack), inhalants, hallucinogens (including LSD and PCP), heroin, or any prescription-type psycho-therapeutic used nonmedically during the 30 days prior to the interview.

According to the 1999 NHSDA, more than 13 percent of young adults aged 18 to 25 were heavy alcohol users (Figure 1). This percentage translates to approximately 4 million young adult heavy drinkers. The rate of heavy alcohol use among young adults aged 18 to 25 was higher than rates observed either for youths aged 12 to 17 (2 percent) or for adults aged 26 or older (5 percent).

Among young adults, men were more likely to be heavy drinkers (20 percent) than women (7 percent). Whites had the highest rate of heavy alcohol use (16 percent) of any racial/ethnic group, followed by American Indians/Alaska Natives and Hispanics (both at 10 percent), and blacks and Asians (both at 6 percent).

Heavy Alcohol Use Among College Students

Among persons aged 18- to 22-years-old, 18 percent of full-time undergraduates were heavy drinkers compared with 12 percent of those who were not full-time undergraduates (Figure 2). Rates of heavy alcohol use were higher for both men and women who were full-time undergraduates compared with other persons aged 18 to 22. More than 1 in 4 men who were full-time undergraduates were heavy drinkers compared with 1 in 10 women who were full-time undergraduates.

Alcohol Dependence

Heavy alcohol use may be associated with alcohol dependence. According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), alcohol dependence is characterized by increased tolerance, withdrawal symptoms when alcohol is not used, unsuccessful efforts to cut down on alcohol use, and interference with everyday life. In 1999, approximately 9 percent of persons aged 18 to 25 (an estimated 3 million) were dependent on alcohol. The rate of alcohol dependence for persons aged 18 to 25 was higher than for persons aged 12 to 17 (4 percent) and for persons 26 or older (3 percent). Both heavy drinking and alcohol dependence peaked at age 21 (Figure 3).

Heavy Alcohol Use and Illicit Drug Use

Among young adults aged 18 to 25, the rate of past month illicit drug use was higher with increasing levels of past month alcohol use (Figure 4). Among heavy drinkers, 44 percent had used illicit drugs in the past month compared with 26 percent of "binge" drinkers (persons who had five or more drinks on the same occasion at least once in the past month), 11 percent of nonbinge drinkers, and 5 percent of nondrinkers. This association between heavy drinking and illicit drug use was found for marijuana as well as for illicit drugs other than marijuana.

Summary

According to the 1999 NHSDA, an estimated 4 million young adults aged 18 to 25 engaged in heavy alcohol use in the month before the survey. The rate of heavy alcohol use was higher among young adults aged 18 to 25 than in any other age group. The rates of heavy alcohol use among young adults were highest for males, whites, and full-time college undergraduates. Rates of alcohol dependence were also higher for young adults than for other age groups, and the rates of both heavy alcohol use and alcohol dependence peaked at age 21. Finally, young adults who reported heavy drinking were more likely to have used marijuana and other illicit drugs in the past month compared with young adults who were not heavy drinkers.