Nine Things to Know About Current Opioid Misuse from a New SAMHSA Report

By Clive Riddle, September 15, 2017

The HHS agency  SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) has released a new 86-page report: Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which among other things provides an updated peek at opioid misuse during the past year.

 

Here’s nine things to know from the report:

1. In 2016, approximately 11.8 million people aged 12 or older misused opioids in the past year,         representing 4.4 percent of this population.

2. About 891,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 misused opioids in the past year, representing 3.6 percent of adolescents.

3. About 2.5 million young adults aged 18 to 25 misused opioids in the past year, representing 7.3 percent of young adults.

4. 8.4 million adults aged 26 or older misused opioids in the past year, representing 4.0 percent of this age group.

5. In 2016, approximately 11.5 million people misused prescription pain relievers in the past year, making it the predominant means of opioid misuse.

6. Among people aged 12 or older in 2016 who misused prescription pain relievers in the past year, the most commonly reported reason for their last misuse of a pain reliever was to relieve physical pain (62.3 percent.)

7. 53.0 percent of people who misused pain relievers in the past year reported that they obtained the pain relievers the last time from a friend or relative.

8. Another 36.8 percent of people who misused pain relievers in the past year indicated that they obtained pain relievers the last time through prescription

9. Another 6.0%  people who misused pain relievers in the past year bought the last pain reliever they misused from a drug dealer or stranger.