Finding Out Where Focus Needs to Placed on Addiction

According to reports by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) prescription drug abuse continues to be a serious problem throughout the country. Over the past decade the number of individuals who entered an addiction treatment center to treat addiction for prescription opiates has increased from 8% to 33% of all opiate admissions. This past April the Obama administration put a plan into action that would hopefully help get the problem with prescription drug abuse under control. Part of the plan is to implement state programs that will monitor the number of people who are going to treatment and what they are going to treatment for. The hope is for these reports to allow the government to know what drugs need the most attention when it comes to prevention. The initial studies are showing that even though alcohol abuse leads admissions for addiction treatment, that 44% of people who seek out treatment for alcohol addiction also abuse other drugs. Overall the reports indicate that the need for addiction treatment continues to grow. The Obama administration implementing the monitoring of why individuals end up in treatment will hopefully prove to be a good indicator of where the attention needs to be focused on in the war against drugs. In addition these reports will hopefully make the public aware of what substances are causing the biggest problems. In order to effectively prevent addiction it is essential to know what areas need the most attention. Hopefully these reports can be an important tool in determining that.