New Findings on Substance Use and Dependence Following Initiation of Alcohol or Illicit Drug Use

Each week, the Higher Education Center showcases recent developments in the field of AOD abuse and violence prevention in higher education that may include new data and resources, upcoming events and programs, funding opportunities, and learning opportunities. To see a listing of previous This Week! features, visit the This Week! archive.

June 6, 2008

A series of recent research reports has examined the characteristics associated with the development of dependence soon after the initiation of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and hallucinogen use. These studies suggest that each drug class has a different trajectory from first use to cessation of use, continuation of use without dependence, or dependence upon the drug.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asked persons aged 12 or older to report on their use of alcohol and illicit drugs during their lifetime and in the past year. Illicit drugs refer to marijuana/hashish, cocaine (including crack), inhalants, hallucinogens, heroin, or prescription-type drugs used nonmedically. Respondents who reported use of a given substance were asked when they first used it; responses to these questions were used to determine the number of months since they initiated use of the substance.

NSDUH also asked questions to assess symptoms of substance dependence during the past year. NSDUH defines substance dependence using criteria specified by the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It includes such symptoms as withdrawal, tolerance, unsuccessful attempts to cut down on use, and continued use despite health and emotional problems caused by the substance.

Highlights include the following:

  • Among persons who initiated alcohol use 13 to 24 months prior to the survey interview (“year-before-last initiates”), 3.2 percent were dependent on alcohol in the past 12 months (“past year”).
  • Among year-before-last marijuana initiates, 5.8 percent were dependent on marijuana in the past year.
  • More than one-tenth (13.4 percent) of year-before-last heroin initiates were dependent on heroin in the past year, and 9.2 percent of year-before-last crack initiates were dependent on any type of cocaine in the past year.

The NSDUH is an annual survey of approximately 67,500 people conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Office of Applied Studies. The survey collects information from residents of households, residents of noninstitutionalized group quarters, and civilians living on military bases.

For more information, visit the SAMHSA Web site to read the full report or order online (publication number: NSDUH08-0327).