2018 National Drug Alcohol Facts Week, January 22-28, aims to educate teens

The 2018 National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week will take place from Monday, January 22 through Sunday, January 28. Launched in 2010 by scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the week’s goal is to stimulate educational events in communities for teens to learn about the science of drug use and addiction. In 2016, the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) became a partner with NIDA.  

During National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week, the NIDA encourages communities and schools across the United States to question and discuss how drugs and alcohol affect the brain, body, and behaviors.

The NIDA provides online tool kits with event planning suggestions, experts who can participate in the program, and help from NIDA staff. Free materials that are available include the National Drug & Alcohol IQ Challenge quiz and a booklet entitled “Shatter the Myths,” developed specifically for teenagers.

Why celebrate National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week? According to the NIDA, many teens may not be aware of the risks drugs and alcohol pose to their health, success in school, and driving safety. This focus can help give teens scientific facts about drugs and alcohol, so they can make better decisions for themselves and share information with their friends.

Also partnering with the NIDA and NIAA are federal, state, and local partners, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Office of Safe and Healthy Students in the US Department of Education, and the Drug Enforcement Administration in the US Department of Justice.

For more information, go to Learn About NDAFW.

Updated rates of teen alcohol and drug use

Teen use of illicit drugs other than marijuana has held steady at the lowest levels in more than 20 years—at 5.8% among 8th graders, 9.4% among 10th graders, and 13.3% among 12th graders—according to the NIDA’s 2017 Monitoring the Future survey of drug use and attitudes conducted in hundreds of schools throughout the United States.

These rates are down from peaks of 13.1% and 18.4%, seen in 1996 for 8th and 10th graders, respectively, and of 21.6% in 2001 for 12th graders.

Compared to 5 years ago, past-year use of marijuana declined among 10th graders, and was unchanged among 8th and 12th graders. This is the lowest level of use in over 20 years in 8th and 10th graders in 2016. Past-use among 10th graders increased slightly after a decrease in 2016, returning to levels seen in 2014-2015.

Daily marijuana use declined among 8th graders, to 0.7%. But 6% of 12th graders continue to report daily use, corresponding to 1 in 16 high school seniors.

In all grades, the perception of harm and disapproval of marijuana use continues to decrease, with fewer 10th and 12th graders disapproving of regular marijuana use. Only 29% of 12th graders report that regular marijuana use poses a great risk, but disapproval in this age group remains high (64.7%).

According to the survey, in 2016 substances that were at historic low levels of teen use included alcohol, cigarettes, heroin, prescription opioids, MDMA, methamphetamine, amphetamines, and sedatives.

Synthetic marijuana, hallucinogens other than LSD, and over-the counter (OTC) cough and cold medications also showed 5-year declines in the rates of teen use. These same 5-year trends, however, showed an increase in LSD use among high school seniors.

Teens, however, exhibited a general decline in their perceived risk of harm from using a number of substances, as well as a decrease in the disapproval of people who use them. Fewer 8th graders think occasional use of synthetic marijuana or OTC cough and cold medications is harmful compared with surveys from last year and previous years. Similarly, fewer 10th graders perceive a risk of harm in trying inhalants, powder cocaine, and OTC cough and cold medications once or twice. Fewer high school seniors saw the harm in occasional use of cocaine, heroin, or steroids, and also reported a reduced disapproval of trying LSD.

NIDA researchers found no significant declines in teen alcohol use between 2016 and 2017, but the perception of risks of binge drinking significantly decreased in 10th graders.

The number of high school teens who reported ever using alcohol dropped by as much as 60% compared to peak years. Only 23.1% of 8th graders had ever used alcohol, a full 60% decrease from a peak of 55.8% in 1994. In 10th graders, lifetime use dropped by 40%, from 72% in 1997 to 42.2% in 2017. In 12th graders, the survey showed a significant 25% drop in lifetime alcohol use, from 81.7% in 1997 to 61.5%.

These findings are heartening, but a word of caution is in order. Although the rates of teen use of illicit drugs (other than marijuana and LSD), alcohol, cigarettes, and OTC cough and cold medication are at historic lows, there is still room for concern.

Not only has teen use of LSD increased, but the rates of teens’ perceived risk of harm from using a number of substances, as well as disapproval of people who use them, have both decreased. 

Thus, the need for community-sponsored educational events for teens, such as those planned for 2018 National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week that highlight the science of drug use and addiction, may be even greater. Increased teen awareness of the risks drugs and alcohol pose to their health and safety may be even more critical now, based on the NIDA’s 2017 results.