Substance Abuse Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What is substance abuse?
Answer: Substance abuse is the use of a mood or behavior-altering substance resulting in significant impairment or distress. It includes the misuse of medications, alcohol or other illegal substances. This abuse can affect a person’s physical health and personal or social functioning. Substance abuse can include regular, excessive, compulsive drinking of alcohol, and the habitual use of illegal drugs.
Question: What are signs of substance abuse?
Answer:
- Failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home
- Repeated absences or poor work performance
- Neglect of children or household
- Driving an automobile or operating a machine when impaired
- Arrests for substance-related disorderly conduct
- Interference with sleeping or eating
- Avoiding people or places
- Outbreaks of temper
- General changes in overall attitude
- Deterioration of physical appearance and grooming
- Wearing of sunglasses at inappropriate times
- Continual wearing of long-sleeved garments particularly in hot weather or reluctance to wear short sleeved attire when appropriate
- Association with known substance abusers
- Unusual borrowing of money from friends, co-workers or parents
- Stealing small items from employer, home or school
- Secretive behavior regarding actions and possessions; poorly concealed attempts to avoid attention and suspicion such as frequent trips to storage rooms, restroom, basement, etc.
Question:
How do I find a substance abuse treatment center in my rural area?
Answer: Talk to your family doctor, your pastor, your local social service agency, or your local mental health center. In addition, there are other places to go:
The SAMHSA’S Substance Abuse Treatment Locator provides comprehensive information about drug and alcohol abuse treatment programs nearest you. Click on your state for treatment facilities and support services in your area.
2-1-1 connects people with important community services and referral agencies in their areas. This is a nationwide program with services varying state-by-state. Many states have implemented 2-1-1, with some operational and others in the planning phase.
The National Hotline Call Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse at 1-800-784-6776 provides accurate information about alcohol and drug abuse and offers alternatives and suggestions to anyone looking for answers and assistance. Staff is on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They provide in-depth information about court orders, family interventions, detox, treatment, rehab programs, insurance and anything that is related to alcohol and drug abuse. Services are free of charge.
Other hotline numbers are –
Alcoholics Anonymous has a website containing phone numbers for groups and meetings in your area.
Narcotics Anonymous at 1-818-733-9999.
National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Service at 1-800-662-4357.
National Youth Crisis Hotline at 1-800-422-4673.
Mother's Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) has a 24 hour help line offering emotional support, guidance, and referrals to victims/survivors of drunk driving at 1-877-6233-4357.
There are also two national suicide prevention toll free telephone services which are available 24 hours a day. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 and the National Hopeline Network at 1-800-784-2433.
Question: Does health insurance pay for substance abuse treatment?
Answer: It is best to contact your insurance plan and ask for a description of what coverage is provided for behavioral health treatments. SAMHSA’S Mental Health Information Center provides information on what mental health and substance abuse services may be covered under insurance.
Question: What can be done to discourage children from using drugs and alcohol?
Answer: Everyone can help educate children on the dangers of illegal drugs and alcohol. In particular, reducing the availability of alcohol, promoting responsible adult behavior, holding adults accountable when providing alcohol to minors, enforcing laws designed to stop drinking among children and adults, and changing social norms about what children see in their homes as well as in the media regarding drugs and alcohol, all lend a hand to this cause.
Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free is an initiative to prevent the use of alcohol by children ages nine to 15. This program provides information for parents, teachers, signs for health care workers to look for, legislative action, reports, and more.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse has numerous websites along with materials for children and teens that may be used with parents and teachers.
The Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center provides services to assist states and local communities in their efforts to combat underage drinking and related problems though enforcement of alcohol laws.
Question: What are illicit drugs?
Answer: Illicit drugs are drugs which are used in an unlawful manner for purposes other than those for which they are indicated or in a manner or in quantities other than directed. They can be over-the-counter medications or prescription medication. Illicit drugs can include sleeping pills, alcohol, heroin, marijuana, narcotics, cocaine, steroids, inhalants, methamphetamine, amphetamines, and hallucinogens.
Question: Why is underage drinking and binge drinking so prevalent in rural communities?
Answer: Binge drinking is defined as drinking five or more drinks at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other on at least one day in the past 30 days. It can also be defined as drinking with the intent of getting drunk, often mixing drinks, drinking as much as possible in a short period of time, and drinking to the point at which one loses control.
According to Underage Drinking in Rural Areas, about 40% percent of youth 12 to 20 years of age reported binge drinking in the past 30 days. This translates into more than 7,000,000 youth. According to the same survey, the study showed that youths aged 12 to 17 who lived in rural areas reported higher rates of binge alcohol use than nonrural youths. The binge drinking rate was 4% among 12 or 13 year old rural youth as compared with 1.6% among nonrural youth of the same age. The same pattern held for youth ages 14 or 15 (12% versus 9%) and for youth ages 16 or 17 (25% versus 21%).
In contrast, the prevalence of alcohol use was lower in rural than nonrural areas for persons aged 18 to 20. Youths aged 12 to 17 who lived in rural areas were less likely to perceive great risk from having four or five drinks of alcohol nearly every day than those who lived in nonrural areas. Youths in rural areas were less likely than youths in nonrural areas to strongly disapprove of someone their own age having one or more drinks nearly every day or to report that their parents would strongly disapprove if he or she were to have one or more drinks nearly every day.
These youth are at high risk for acute negative physical and social consequences due to their alcohol consumption. They are also at increased risk for poor school attendance and grades as well as long-term consequences such as alcohol dependence, and derailed academic and vocational trajectories.
Causes of underage and binge drinking in rural areas can be, but not limited to, economic factors, lack of employment, lack of involvement in school activities, lack of community activities, no parental supervision or parents who drink themselves, being predisposed to alcoholism, media, and peer pressure.
40% of a national sample of pediatricians and family doctors reported that they screened their adolescent patients for alcohol use and only 52% provided alcohol education (Marcell et al. 2002). The situation is worse in rural areas where primary care may be less available and the need to deliver early adolescent prevention services greater.
Question: What effects does substance abuse have on a community?
Answer: Substance abuse causes problems in communities. These problems are -
- Increased crime
- Increased violence, including domestic and child abuse
- Accidents caused by drunk driving
- Increase in out-of-wedlock pregnancies
- Increased dependence on government assistance programs
- Family and social problems
- Deaths due to alcoholism, or overdose from drug use
- Fetal alcohol syndrome in children
- Spread of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, STDs, and Hepatitis C either through sharing of drug paraphernalia or unprotected sex
- Homelessness
- Unemployment
Question: How can communities combat substance abuse?
Answer: There are things communities can do to help control substance abuse. These might include –
- Holding community or town hall meetings
- Inviting speakers to talk to school-aged children
- Inviting parents into schools to meet with teachers
- Working together with law enforcement in your community
- Collaborating with churches in your area
- Forming a community coalition
- Being good role models
Question: Are there disparities in the rates of substance abuse by Native Americans vs. the general rural population?
Answer: Health disparities exist in Native American populations. According to the January 2005 IHS publication, Facts on Indian Health Disparities, compared to the general U.S. population, American Indians and Alaska Natives die at higher rates than other Americans from alcoholism (517%), motor vehicle crashes (203%), unintentional injuries (150%), homicide (87%) and suicide (60%).
For further information including statistics and data, see:
Indian Health Care Improvement Act of 2008
The DASIS Report: American Indian/Alaska Native Treatment Admissions in Rural & Urban Areas: 2000
Medline Plus: Native-American Health
Tribal Health & Human Services Information Guide
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Last revised 08/27/2009
