NCJ Number
204886
Date Published
March 2004
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This document discusses the admissions for detoxification of alcohol and illicit drugs in 2001.
Abstract
Detoxification includes the period of time during which the body’s physiology is adjusting to the absence of alcohol or illicit drugs. In 2001, the 436,000 admissions for detoxification accounted for 25 percent of all substance abuse admissions reported to the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), an annual compilation of data on admissions to publicly funded substance abuse treatment across the Nation. This document focuses on differences between admissions for detoxification and admissions for all other types of substance abuse services. Detoxification admissions were more likely to be for primary abuse of alcohol or opiates than all other admissions. There were lower percentages of primary marijuana, cocaine, and stimulant abuse. Detoxification admissions were more likely to be Hispanic than all other admissions. Detoxification admissions were 75 percent male compared with 68 percent of all other admissions. Detoxification admissions were older than all other admissions, with an average age of 38 compared with an average age of 33 for all other admissions. Detoxification admissions were more likely to be self or individual referrals than all other admissions. Criminal justice referrals accounted for 10 percent of detoxification admissions but 43 percent of all other admissions. Detoxification admissions were more likely to have had five or more previous admissions. Daily use in the month prior to admission was reported by 82 percent of all detoxification admissions. Although 27 percent of both detoxification admissions and all other admissions were unemployed, the two groups differed in other aspects of employment status at the time of admission. 4 endnotes, 5 figures