February 1, 2002   American Indians and Alaska Natives in Substance Abuse Treatment: 1999

In Brief

In 1999, there were about 43,000 American Indian and Alaska Native admissions to publicly funded substance abuse treatment facilities A higher proportion of American Indian/Alaska Native treatment admissions were female (35 percent) than among the total treatment population (30 percent) Among American Indians/Alaska Natives, admissions for alcohol abuse declined by 11 percent between 1994 and 1999, while admissions for illicit drugs increased by 78 percent

American Indians and Alaska Natives made up less than 1 percent of the U.S. population in 1999, yet they accounted for 2.4 percent of all admissions to publicly funded substance abuse treatment facilities.1 Few national surveys collect information on this relatively small population. However, the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), designed to collect information on admissions to publicly funded substance abuse treatment facilities, is large enough to permit analysis of substance abuse among American Indians and Alaska Natives.  In 1999, about 43,000 treatment admissions of American Indians and Alaska Natives were reported to TEDS (Table 1). They came from 48 States and the District of Columbia.2

Primary Substance of Abuse Alcohol was the primary substance of abuse for American Indians and Alaska Natives entering treatment in 1999 (Table 1). It accounted for 62 percent of all American Indian/Alaska Native admissions, whereas alcohol accounted for 46 percent of admissions among the total treatment population (data not shown). The prevelance of primary alcohol abuse among American Indian and Alaska Native admissions was high for both males and females: 66 and 56 percent, respectively.  Marijuana was the most common illicit drug among American Indians and Alaska Natives entering treatment in 1999. It was reported by 12 percent of those admissions, compared to 14 percent of all admissions.

Table 1. American Indian/Alaska Native Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment: 1994 and 1999

Figure 1. Percent of Females Among American Indian/Alaska Native Admissions and All Admissions, by Primary Substance of Abuse: 1999

1994       1999   Total Male Female   Total Male Female Admissions  (Thousands) 39.0 26.7 12.3   43.2 28.2 15.0   Primary Substance (Percent) Alcohol 76.4 80.2 68.2   62.2 65.7 55.6 Marijuana 7.2 7.4 6.9   12.4 13.0 11.4 Opiates 5.3 4.0 8.1   9.0 8.0 10.8 Cocaine 5.2 3.9 8.3   6.4 5.0 8.9 Stimulants 3.0 2.1 4.9   5.4 4.0 8.2 Other 2.8 2.4 3.7   4.7 4.5 5.0 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0   100.0 100.0 100.0

Source: 1999 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).
 

Females in Treatment Compared to the proportion of females among all admissions (30 percent), the proportion of females among American Indian/Alaska Native admissions was higher (35 percent, Figure 1).  American Indian and Alaska Native females were admitted in higher proportions for all major substances of abuse than were females in the total treatment population. The difference was most striking for cocaine admissions, where the proportion of American Indian/Alaska Native females admitted to treatment was 9 percentage points higher than it was for females among the total treatment population.  Trends in Admissions The number of treatment admissions among American Indians and Alaska Natives increased by 11 percent between 1994 and 1999 (Table 1), compared with a 3 percent decrease in admissions among the total treatment population (data not shown).  Among American Indians/Alaska Natives, the number of admissions for alcohol abuse declined from approximately 30,000 in 1994 to 27,000 in 1999, while admissions for illicit drugs increased substantially from approximately 9,000 in 1994 to 16,000 in 1999.  The proportion of American Indian/Alaska Native males admitted to treatment for primary alcohol abuse fell from 80 percent in 1994 to 66 percent in 1999 (Figure 2). The proportion of American Indian/Alaska Native females admitted for primary alcohol abuse declined from 68 percent in 1994 to 56 percent in 1999 (Figure 3).

 

Figure 2. Primary Substance of Abuse Among Male American Indian/Alaska Native Treatment Admissions: 1994 and 1999	Figure 3. Primary Substance of Abuse Among Female American Indian/Alaska Native Treatment Admissions: 1994 and 1999

Source: 1999 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).
 

Figure 4. American Indian/Alaska Native Treatment Admission Rates per 100,000 Persons Aged 12 or Older: 1999	State Admission Rates
	The 1999 U.S. treatment admission rate to publicly funded substance abuse treatment facilities was 719 per 100,000 persons aged 12 or older. For American Indians and Alaska Natives, treatment admission rates were higher than the U.S. rate in a majority of States (Figure 4). American Indian/Alaska Native rates were lower than the U.S. rate in seven States; data were incomplete for five States.
The Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS) is an integrated data system maintained by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). One component of DASIS is the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), a national-level dataset comprising State administrative data from treatment facilities receiving public funds. The TEDS system includes records for some 1.6 million substance abuse treatment admissions annually. TEDS records represent admissions rather than individuals, as a person may be admitted to treatment more than once.  The DASIS Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA; Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Arlington, Virginia; and RTI, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Information and data for this issue are based on data reported to TEDS through April 16, 2001. Access the latest TEDS reports at: www.oas.samhsa.gov/dasis.htm Access the latest TEDS public use files at: http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/SAMHDA-SERIES/00056.xml	End Notes  1Data on admissions to treatment facilities funded solely by the Federal Indian Health Service are not included in this report. This report is limited to facilities receiving State funds (including Federal Block Grant funds).  2Alabama and Connecticut do not collect data on whether clients are American Indians/Alaska Natives.

The DASIS Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report may be downloaded from  

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This page was last updated on December 31, 2008.