Addicted: Statistics and Information about Drugs Abuse
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Each year, drug and alcohol addictions affect millions of people, as well as their families and friends. We take you through the sad and shocking drug abuse statistics. See these statistics brought to life as addicts struggle to get clean on Addicted, premiering 8/28 @ 10/9c.
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In the U.S. alone there are 15,183 alcohol-related liver diseases annually and 24,518 alcohol-induced deaths unrelated to accidents or homicides, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcoholism is different from alcohol abuse in that the victim has a physical addiction and cannot refrain from drinking even when it affects their physical and mental health, family and job.
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Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in America. Research shows that marijuana users typically only use the drug occasionally and often don’t use it with other illicit drugs. According to the Drug-Free Alliance, “between 2007 and 2010, the rate of use increased from 5.8 to 6.9 percent.” Another way to look at it: The number of marijuana users rose from 14.4 million to 17.4 in that time.
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The United States is the world’s biggest importer of cocaine, making this substance the third most available drug on high school and college campuses, after marijuana and amphetamines (i.e. Adderall). Today 15,000 Americans die annually as a result of cocaine-related complications.
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Crack is “cocaine hydrochloride powder that has been processed to form a rock crystal that is then usually smoked,” says the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This drug is manufactured because it is cheap and easy to make. To date, 6.2 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried crack-cocaine at least once in the past year.
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Painkillers are the most commonly abused prescription drugs. The United States is the world’s largest consumer of painkillers, absorbing 71% of the world’s oxycodone and 99% of the world’s hydrocodone (what Vicodin is made of). As of 2006, seven million Americans age 12 and over admitted to abusing prescription drugs – the majority of which were painkillers.
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Crystal Meth use occurs most often in rural and urban areas across both genders and predominantly in a younger age group between 18-30 years of age. Crystal Meth is easy to manufacture mostly because all ingredients needed are available over the counter. This drug is also the easiest to relapse from because of its physical, mental and biological effects.
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Heroin is a drug processed from morphine that usually appears as a white or brown powder. This drug can be injected, snorted or smoked. Currently there are over 1.2 million “occasional” heroin users in the U.S., reports the National Institute on Drug Abuse. According to their research, over 200,000 people are considered addicted to the drug.
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