Age and Drug Use

Age is an important factor to consider when discussing drug use. The issue of age specifically comes into play with regard to the onset of drug use, an [Page 11]individual's drug use trajectory, and the way drugs affect the body.

The most widely used sources to estimate and monitor America's drug problem are the Monitoring the Future survey and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The Monitoring the Future survey focuses on adolescent drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, while the NSDUH reports on the nationwide prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use among Americans 12 years and older. In 2010, the NSDUH estimated that 22.6 million Americans 12 years and older (about 8.9% of the population) were current illicit drug users. Survey results comparing adolescent alcohol and tobacco use for the years 2002 to 2009 reflect a downward trend, while the overall decline of illicit drug use has leveled off. NSDUH findings indicate that illicit drug use slightly increased compared with 2008. It is noteworthy that the use of marijuana has increased in recent years. Current illicit drug used among older adults has increased significantly in recent years, from 2.7% in 2002 to 5.8% in 2010.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that on average 100 people die each day in the United States as a result of drug use. In 2008, the CDC reported that more than 36,000 people died from drug overdoses (reporting only on illicit drugs) in the United States. Furthermore, according to the CDC, drug overdose death rates in the United States have more than tripled since 1990.

Age of onset is one of the most important factors to consider when discussing drug use because early onset of drug use has consistently shown to correlate with dependency later in life. Many studies indicate that the average user begins drug use between the age of 12 and 13 (usually starting with the use of alcohol, marijuana, or pills) during one's middle school years. The age of onset of drug use differs depending on factors such as culture, history, family life, and personal characteristics of the user. The majority of dependent drug users began using drugs in their adolescent years. Drug use typically peaks during the late teens to early adulthood and then decreases consistently. Studies show that initial involvement with drug use may be a result of peer pressure, drug availability, or other risk factors in an individual's social environment. Additional factors that affect an individual's initial use include prior history of childhood conduct problems and antisocial behavior, association with deviant peers, and parental characteristics such as poor parental monitoring and supervision, which in turn might be a result of parental alcoholism or drug abuse. One reason individuals are more likely to begin using drugs in adolescence is because of the independence experienced for the first time by this age-group. Adolescents spend less time with family and enjoy lower levels of supervision from adults, while at the same time being more influenced by their peers, which has consistently found to be a risk factor for drug use.

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