Drug Treatment of Addictive Diseases

摘要

An estimated 22.5 million individuals in the United States were diagnosed with substance abuse or dependence in 2009, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Of this number, an estimated 15.4 million were depen-dent on or abused alcohol alone, 3.9 million were dependent on or abused illicit drugs alone, and 3.2 million were dependent on or abused both alcohol and illicit drugs. The illicit drugs with the highest rate of abuse in 2009 were marijuana, pain relievers, and cocaine, at 4.3, 1.9, and 1.1 million, respectively. An increase was seen in pain relieved abuse or dependence from 1.5 million in 2002, with marijuana remaining constant and cocaine decreasing from 1.5 million.1The estimated annual total cost in the U.S. related to substance abuse exceeds $600 billion. This includes productivity, health care, and crime-related costs associated with illicit drugs ($181 billion), tobacco ($193 billion), and alcohol ($235 billion). These estimates do not include the effects on individuals and families related to family dysfunction, employment loss, education, domestic violence, or child abuse. Currently, there are only five drugs approved for the treatment of alcohol and opiate dependence.