As for young adults – those 18 to 25 years old – rates of illicit drug use have remained somewhat steady over recent years, with a slight increase in marijuana use, according to the survey.
Illicit drug use among children had remained steady at 10.1 percent from 2009 to 2011, which was a slight increase from years before. Overall, though, use for that age group has dropped in the past decade.
The data was released at the start of September to help kick off National Recovery Month, a government-sponsored promotion of preventing and treating substance abuse and mental health disorders.
“Recovery Month reminds us that the work we do to promote and support recovery has lasting, positive impact on so many individuals, families and communities,” said H. Westley Clark, the director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. “It also reminds us that while we have made great strides, there is still much for us to do.”
The press conference on Wednesday featured young men and women who shared their personal stories of addiction, mental health disorders and now continuing recovery.
They came from all different backgrounds.
Twenty-eight-year-old Daniel LaPointe grew up in suburban New Jersey with a “loving family” that stressed “educational excellence,” he said.