March 1, 2002 Black Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment: 1999

In Brief

In 1999, alcohol or cocaine abuse accounted for almost two thirds of the 366,000 Black treatment admissions Black female admissions were more likely to involve treatment for "hard" drugs (e.g., opiates and cocaine) than were Black male admissions From 1994 to 1999, Black admissions to substance abuse treatment decreased by 15 percent

Although non-Hispanic Blacks made up 12 percent of the U.S. population in 1999, this group represented 23 percent of admissions to publicly funded substance abuse treatment facilities in the 1999 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). TEDS reported 366,000 Black admissions to publicly funded substance abuse treatment facilities. "Admissions" represent treatment episodes during the year rather than the number of individuals seeking treatment.

Primary Substance of Abuse In 1999, alcohol and cocaine were the leading primary substances among Blacks entering treatment (Table 1). These two substances accounted for almost two thirds of all Black admissions. Abuse of alcohol was the leading substance problem among Black male admissions (35 percent), followed by cocaine (28 percent) (Figure 1). Among Black female admissions, however, cocaine abuse was the leading substance problem (40 percent), followed by alcohol (27 percent). Marijuana abuse was the third leading substance problem among Black male admissions, accounting for 19 percent. Among Black female admissions, however, opiates (primarily heroin) were the third leading substance, accounting for 18 percent.

Table 1. Black Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment: 1994-1999

Figure 1. Black Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment, by Sex and Primary Substance: 1999

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999             Admissions  (Thousands) 431 425 401 374 382 366   Primary Substance (Percent) Alcohol Total 36.0 35.5 35.4 34.4 33.3 32.6   Alcohol Only 42.8 41.7 41.0 39.5 39.6 39.6   Alcohol with   Secondary Drug 57.2 58.3 59.0 60.5 60.4 60.4 Cocaine 39.4 36.7 35.5 33.6 33.5 31.8 Marijuana 7.9 9.7 11.6 13.8 14.9 15.9 Opiates 12.9 14.3 14.2 14.9 14.7 15.4 Stimulants 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 Other 3.5 3.4 3.0 2.9 3.1 4.0 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

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

Types of Alcohol Abuse Admissions for alcohol abuse consisted of two types-those for persons with alcohol abuse only and those for persons with a secondary drug problem. Treatment admissions for alcohol abuse with a secondary drug problem made up 60 percent of all primary Black alcohol admissions (Table 1) as compared with 43 percent in the total treatment population (data not shown). Smoked Cocaine Blacks admitted to treatment in 1999 for cocaine abuse reported smoking as their method of use in higher proportions than in the total treatment population. The 1999 TEDS data showed that smoked cocaine ("crack") was the method of use for 81 percent of Black male and 86 percent of Black female cocaine admissions, but 71 and 77 percent, respectively, of male and female admissions in the total treatment population (data not shown).

 

The largest numbers of Black treatment admissions were among 30 to 39 year olds for both Black males and Black females in 1999 (Figure 2). In general, the number of admissions increased with age until age 40. With the exception of alcohol abuse among Black males, there were relatively few admissions aged 50 or older.

The age distributions for marijuana and male opiate abuse varied from this pattern: A majority of both Black male and Black female admissions for marijuana abuse were younger than age 30, and the highest numbers of Black male admissions for opiate use were among 40 to 49 year olds.

Figure 2. Black Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment, by Primary Substance, Sex, and Age Group: 1999	Figure 3. Trends in Black Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment, by Primary Substance and Sex: 1994-1999

The criminal justice system was the leading referral source for Black male admissions to treatment in 1999 (40 percent) (data not shown). The leading referral source among Black female admissions in 1999, on the other hand, was self-referral or referral to treatment by a family member or friend (33 percent). The criminal justice system was the referral source for 22 percent of Black female admissions.

Among the total treatment population, the criminal justice system was the source of referral for 37 percent of admissions, and self-referral or referral to treatment by a family member or friend was the source of 33 percent of admissions.

In 1999, there were approximately 366,000 substance abuse treatment admissions for Blacks, representing a steady decline of 15 percent from the 1994 figure of 431,000 admissions (Table 1). During the same time period, treatment admissions for the total treatment population increased by 3 percent (data not shown).

Among Blacks, admissions for male alcohol abuse and both male and female cocaine abuse declined from 1994 to 1999 (Figure 3). Admissions for marijuana abuse, however, increased among both Black males and Black females.

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This page was last updated on December 31, 2008.