High Risk Groups for Drug and Alcohol Abuse
April 14, 2008
It is a known fact that certain groups of people are more susceptible to alcohol or drug abuse than others. The following six groups are considered the most susceptible when it comes to alcohol and drug abuse.
1. Adults who are older than 65 years of age – the lack of coordination between health officials and the high number of prescription medicines make this group of individuals very susceptible to alcohol and drug abuse. Oftentimes, the real problem is mistakenly assessed as a symptom of aging. Surprisingly, alcohol abuse is more prevalent than drug abuse.
2. Babies – addiction among infants, as well as death, usually results when the pregnant adult abuses substances during the term of their pregnancies. A malady called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is frequently a problem for babies when the pregnant mother consumes alcohol
3. Children – children that grow up in an environment of parental alcohol and drug abuse, especially where methamphetamines are present are very susceptible to alcohol and drug abuse. Additionally, there are noticeably higher rates of anger, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Learning problems and poor performance in schools are very prevalent among this group, also.
4. Low income families – disabled adults, the homeless, minorities, and minority populations are extremely susceptible to alcohol and drug abuse
5. Teenagers and young adults – nearly 50% of high school seniors nationwide have admitted to having used alcohol or drugs. There is a higher rate of automobile accidents, criminal behavior, high-risk sexual behavior, and injuries when alcohol and drug abuse is evident. Dropout rates and poor performance is also elevated when alcohol and drug abuse exists.
6. Women – women are more likely to have alcohol-related problems (e.g. liver disease) even though they are less likely than men to abuse alcohol. Over two-thirds of all tranquilizers are prescribed for women, hence a higher rate of substance abuse with prescription medicines for women than men. Attempted suicides are four times more likely among women who abuse alcohol versus non-abusers.
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