Alcohol and Substance Abuse Statistics - Essay Example

Taking a development approach, this paper shall discuss how I and other local agencies would support and involve the local community in improving their health and wellbeing and how I will ensure that any new initiatives are sustainable. According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (2010), alcohol is one of the most common drug substances in the world and that its abuse among the young population has become a major issue in public health. The United States is the number one country where alcohol and illicit drugs are being abused by the young population (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007).

Excessive alcohol consumption is linked with about 75,000 deaths each year and is associated with 41% of all deaths from motor vehicle accidents (CDC, 2004). Other injuries and issues related to alcohol use and abuse have involved unintentional injuries, physical fights, and academic problems. In the long-term, alcohol abuse is linked with liver disease, cancer, as well as psychiatric issues like depression and anxiety (Naimi, et.al., 2003). It is also considered a contributing factor in the spread of HIV/AIDS, and the high rate of infant mortality and morbidity (CDC, 2010).

In the United Kingdom, the UK National Audit Office evaluated the National Health Service response to the increasing levels of alcohol-related diseases and it revealed that hospital admissions for alcohol-specific issues including liver diseases, mental health disorders linked to alcohol, and acute intoxication doubled in number from 1998 to 2008 (BRAHA, 2009). Alcohol-related deaths also doubled within the said time period and in 2009, the National Treatment Agency declared that about 25,000 young individuals under 18 years of age were under alcohol and drug rehabilitation and treatment (BRAHA, 2009).

Reports have been revealed that the incidents of drug and alcohol abuse among the youth population have been decreasing in recent years, however, the overall school-age statistics on drug use are representing an alarming 25% of UK’s school-age children (11-15 years old) experimenting with drugs and alcohol.  These figures are higher than overall European estimates (BRAHA, 2009). They also indicate that alcohol and drug abuse is a common problem in the world, including the United States and the United Kingdom.  These are alarming figures considering the fact that alcohol and drug abuse are habits that lead to other health issues. In the current community setting, alcohol and drug use increased to a significant degree with the population of adolescents increasing in number.