Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a significant variable when going through the process of getting control of one's emotional state and behavior. Everyone Certified in the SR® process is aware of this.
Alcoholism is classified as a disease. This is in large part for insurance purposes. The problem with classifying alcoholism as a disease is it can allow one to more fully dissociate from the disorder. There is a simple question to clarify what alcoholism truly is and this question is… “Does alcoholism require a behavior?” The answer of course is yes. This is why we do not hold the position of alcoholism as a disease. The argument on the other side is the consistent use of alcohol changes the physiology of the brain and therefore it is now a disease.
The question after all this argument is… “What is going to be the best approach to fix the problem? The answer to this question is straight forward for us. One thing all behavior disorders have in common and in particular alcoholism is one’s emotional state. This is what someone who abuses alcohol is trying to do is regulate their emotional state. This is why we state that if your therapist, coach or counselor does not have a means of measuring, monitoring and improving your emotional state you have nowhere to go.
It is important to understand the subconscious can be programmed to link pleasure to anything. The question in regard to the SR® process is… Do you want to have control of your emotional state, behavior and the subconscious programming that determines whether or not you will continue a destructive behavior?
Statistics
Youths Aged 12 to 17
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In 2008, 9.3 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 were current illicit drug users: 6.7 percent used marijuana, 2.9 percent engaged in nonmedical use of prescription-type psychotherapeutics, 1.1 percent used inhalants, 1.0 percent used hallucinogens, and 0.4 percent used cocaine.
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Among youths aged 12 to 17, the types of drugs used in the past month varied by age group. Among 12 or 13 year olds, 1.5 percent used prescription-type drugs nonmedically, 1.2 percent used inhalants, and 1.0 percent used marijuana. Among 14 or 15 year olds, marijuana was the most commonly used drug (5.7 percent), followed by prescription-type drugs used nonmedically (3.0 percent), inhalants (1.3 percent), and hallucinogens (1.0 percent). Marijuana also was the most commonly used drug among 16 or 17 year olds (12.7 percent); it was followed by prescription-type drugs used nonmedically (4.0 percent), hallucinogens (1.6 percent), cocaine (0.7 percent), and inhalants (0.7 percent).
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The overall rate of current illicit drug use remained stable from 2007 to 2008 among youths aged 12 to 17, as did the rates for most specific drugs, except for hallucinogens and the nonmedical use of psychotherapeutics. An increase was seen in the rate of past month hallucinogen use, which went from 0.7 percent in 2007 to 1.0 percent in 2008, driven in part by an increase in Ecstasy use from 0.3 to 0.4 percent. However, the rate of nonmedical use of prescription psychotherapeutic drugs among youths declined from 3.3 percent in 2007 to 2.9 percent in 2008, driven largely by a decrease in the misuse of pain relievers from 2.7 to 2.3 percent.
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From 2002 to 2008, rates of current use among youths aged 12 to 17 declined significantly for illicit drugs overall and for several specific drugs, including marijuana (from 8.2 to 6.7 percent), cocaine (from 0.6 to 0.4 percent), prescription-type drugs used nonmedically (from 4.0 to 2.9 percent), pain relievers (from 3.2 to 2.3 percent), stimulants (from 0.8 to 0.5 percent), and methamphetamine (from 0.3 to 0.1 percent). For illicit drug use overall, the rates were 11.6 percent in 2002, 11.2 percent in 2003, 10.6 percent in 2004, 9.9 percent in 2005, 9.8 percent in 2006, 9.5 percent in 2007, and 9.3 percent in 2008.
- The rate of current marijuana use among youths aged 12 to 17 decreased from 8.2 percent in 2002 to 6.7 percent in 2006 and remained at that level in 2007 and 2008. Significant declines also occurred between 2002 and 2008 for past year marijuana use (from 15.8 to 13.0 percent) and lifetime marijuana use (from 20.6 to 16.5 percent).
Young Adults Aged 18 to 25
Rates of current use of illicit drugs in 2008 were higher for young adults aged 18 to 25 (19.6 percent) than for youths aged 12 to 17 (9.3 percent) and adults aged 26 or older (5.9 percent). Among young adults, 16.5 percent used marijuana in the past month, 5.9 percent used prescription-type drugs nonmedically, 1.7 percent used hallucinogens, and 1.5 percent used cocaine
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From 2007 to 2008, rates of current use among young adults aged 18 to 25 remained stable for illicit drugs overall and each specific drug.
- From 2002 to 2008, there were declines in young adults' past month cocaine use (from 2.0 to 1.5 percent), inhalant use (from 0.5 to 0.3 percent), nonmedical use of stimulants (from 1.3 to 1.1 percent), and methamphetamine use (from 0.6 to 0.2 percent). Over the 7-year period, there were increases in the current use of pain relievers (from 4.1 to 4.6 percent) and LSD (from 0.1 to 0.3 percent).
Adults Aged 26 or Older
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Among adults aged 26 or older, 5.9 percent were current illicit drug users in 2008. In this age group, 4.2 percent used marijuana, and 1.9 percent used prescription-type drugs nonmedically. Less than 1 percent used cocaine (0.7 percent), hallucinogens (0.1 percent), heroin (0.1 percent), and inhalants (0.1 percent). The only significant change between 2007 and 2008 in the rates of past month use among adults in this age group involved crack, which decreased from 0.3 to 0.2 percent. In addition, the rates of past year nonmedical use declined for psychotherapeutic drugs overall (from 4.9 percent in 2007 to 4.4 percent in 2008), sedatives (from 0.3 to 0.2 percent), and methamphetamine (from 0.4 to 0.3 percent). However, increases occurred in lifetime use of hallucinogens (from 14.2 percent in 2007 to 15.2 percent in 2008) and lifetime nonmedical use of pain relievers (from 11.8 to 12.7 percent).
- Among adults aged 50 to 59, the rate of current illicit drug use increased from 2.7 to 4.6 percent between 2002 and 2008 (Figure 2.7). For those aged 50 to 54, the rate increased from 3.4 percent in 2002 to 6.0 percent in 2006, then dropped to 4.3 percent in 2008, not significantly different from the rate in either 2002 or 2006. Among those aged 55 to 59, current illicit drug use showed an increase from 1.9 percent in 2002 to 5.0 percent in 2008. These patterns and trends may partially reflect the aging into these age groups of members of the baby boom cohort, whose rates of illicit drug use have been higher than those of older cohorts.