Survey shows underage drinkers get alcohol from adults, younger girls drinking more than boys

A nationwide survey, being released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), shows that more than half of the teens surveyed admitted to underage drinking and 40% of those teens got free alcohol from an adult. Among the youngest teens, girls were found to drink slightly more than boys, consistent with…

Senator Jim Webb Stresses Treatment Over Incarceration

Democrat Senator Jim Webb from Virginia, and potential Vice Presidential candidate for Barack Obama, recently held a meeting on Capitol Hill to “get the facts out” about the ineffectiveness of jailing nonviolent offenders for drug-related offenses rather than treating them for their addiction problem. The hearing of the Joint Economic Committee solicited testimony from prosecutors…

UK Report Estimates Public Cost of Single Drug Addict Over $1.5M

A government report coming out of the United Kingdom estimates that a single drug addict costs taxpayers more than £800,000 (about $1.569 million) over his or her lifetime. Interestingly enough, a female drug addict was estimated to cost £859,000 (about $1.692 million), while a male user cost slightly less at £827,000 ($1.629). The admittedly conservative…

Study Shows Women’s Rate of Alcohol Dependence Climbing

A new study found an increase in alcohol dependence possibly due to American teenagers drinking at earlier ages. In particular, this increase in alcohol dependence seemed to be explained by women drinking at increasingly younger ages throughout time. While researchers saw an increase in earlier drinking and alcohol dependence in men, the changes were much…

Screening and Brief Intervention Billing Codes for Physicians

Screening for a drug or alcohol problem in the doctor’s office seems like a logical and appropriate thing to do. However, only 8.7% of problem drinkers report receiving such screening or advice from their doctors. Physicians now have an incentive to do Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) because this service is now billable: American Medical…