NCJ Number
233636
Date Published
February 2010
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Based on data from the 2004-2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), this study examines substance use and treatment need among non-Hispanic Black or African-American adults (referred to as "Black adults" for this report) ages 18 and over.
Abstract
The NSDUH combined data for 2004-2008 show that rates of past-month alcohol use and binge alcohol use were lower among Black adults ages 18 or older than the national average for adults (44.3 percent compared to 55.2 percent and 21.7 percent compared to 24.5 percent, respectively); however, the rate of past-month illicit drug use was higher among Black adults than the national average (9.5 percent compared to 7.9 percent). The rate of need for treatment for an alcohol-use problem in the past year among Black adults was similar to the national average for adults (7.7percent and 8.1 percent). The rate of need for treatment for an illicit drug-use problem, however, was higher among Blacks than the national average (4.4 percent compared to 2.9 percent). Of the Black adults needing alcohol treatment in the past year, 14.2 percent received treatment at a specialty facility; of those needing illicit-drug treatment, 24 percent received treatment at a specialty facility. Both the rates of treatment for alcohol abuse and illicit drug abuse were higher than the national averages for adults. Older Black Adults (ages 65 and older) had a rate of past-month alcohol use that was considerably lower than the national average for older adults (20.3 percent compared to 38.3 percent); however, their rates of binge alcohol use and past-month illicit drug use did not differ significantly from the national averages. Other data pertain to gender differences in alcohol and drug abuse among Black adults, substance use among uninsured Black adults, and substance use among Black adults living in poverty. 2 tables, 7 figures, and 9 notes