The Stats
- The average age of first experimentation with drugs is 13, and for alcohol it is even younger. Drug use has been classified as a major problem for kids as early as fourth grade by the students themselves.
- Alcohol is the most widely used drug in America. It is the third largest cause of death in the United States, second only to heart disease and cancer. Alcohol and tobacco use are a significant "risk factor" in heart disease and cancer. It accounts for over 100,000 deaths per year in this country alone. It is also the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24.
- Alcohol and other drugs contribute to over 50 percent of all suicides and over 50 percent of all violent crimes.
- Over 60 percent of admissions to emergency rooms are either directly or indirectly due to drug or alcohol usage.
- Over 50 percent of all traffic accidents involve the use of drugs or alcohol, with many of these being fatal.
- It is estimated that drugs and alcohol are a factor in at least 80 percent of domestic violence incidents.
- Alcohol and drug use contributes to 60 percent of all sub-standard job performance and at least 40 percent of all industrial accidents.
- Alcohol and drug addiction are treatable. However, it is our most untreated disease in the United States. It is estimated that 35 out of 36 alcoholics never receive treatment of any kind. This number is increased significantly when drug addiction of all kinds is included.
- More than 60 percent of college women who have contracted sexually transmitted diseases, herpes or AIDS were intoxicated at the time of infection.
- 28 percent of all college dropouts are alcohol users.
- Between 1986 and 1996, Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) arrests were highest for 21-year-olds.
- Individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 are involved in more than one-third of all alcohol related traffic accidents.
- 95 percent of all college campus violence is alcohol related.
- More than 40 percent of all college students with academic problems are alcohol users.
Here is a video talking about statics and different things about drugs.