Substance Misuse
Substance abuse is an alcohol and drug use disorders —which include misuse, dependence, or addiction to alcohol and/or legal or illegal drugs—remain a major public health problem in the United States. The estimated cost of alcohol and drug use in the United States is more than $600 billion, and includes productivity, health, and crime-related costs.
Fact Sheets
- 10 Guiding Principles Of Recovery
- 13 Principles Of Drug Addiction Treatment
- Affected Families: Helping Families and Children Cope with the Substance Use Disorder of Someone Close
- Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)
- Drug Facts: Xylazine
- Economic Consequences of Substance Use
- El Consumo De Sustancias En Las Mujeres
- Kratom
- Marijuana Concentrates
- Marijuana's Effect on the Brain
- Medication-Assisted Treatment: Methadone
- Overview of Connecticut Cannabis Legislation Law PA 21-1
- Qué Es El Fentanilo?
- Resource Guide for Behavioral Health 2023 in Ukrainian
- Resource Guide for Behavioral Health 2024
- Tips For Talking With A Teen About Drugs
- Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction
- Warning Signs of Alcohol and Substance Misuse
Research & Statistics
- Connecticut Data Collaborative
Users may search by location or topic. Topic selections include: Civic vitality, Demographics, Economy, Health, Education, Housing, and Safety. The Health category includes data sets on mental health, treatment admissions, substance use, mortality, and tobacco use.
- Connecticut SEOW Prevention Data Portal
Search, view, and access 200+ indicators relevant to substance use/misuse, mental health, suicide, gambling, and social determinants of health. Explore 30+ data sets relevant to behavioral health, each with multiple visualization capabilities, downloadable data, and metadata.
- Core Institute (Core Surveys) The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey assess the nature, scope, and consequences of alcohol and other drug use on college campuses.
- Data and Dissemination - SAMHSA
Find data and reports on mental health, substance use treatment, and drug use from sources that include: the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), National Mental Health Services Survey (NMHSS), and more.
- DMHAS Publications and Reports
Includes Annual Statistical Reports and Triennial Reports.
- Hospitalization Statistics - CT Department of Public HealthThis site includes summary data & tables for causes of hospitalization, by age grouping & gender. Includes mental disorders.
- National Survey on Drug Use & Health (NSDUH)The National Survey on Drug Use & Health, formerly called the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, provides national estimates of use, number of users, and other measures related to use of illicit drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and other forms of tobacco by population, ages 12 years and older.
- NIDA Notes This publication covers drug abuse research in the areas of treatment and prevention, epidemiology, neuroscience, behavioral science, health services, and AIDS. The publication reports on research; identifies resources; and promotes communication among clinicians, researchers, administrators, policymakers, and the public.
- Prevention Research CenterIncludes links to research publications, presentations, news, and more.
- PubMed
PubMed comprises more than 20 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.
- Research Data, Measures & Resources - NIDA
Links to various NIDA publications, databases, surveillance, prevention & treatment resources, and more.
- Selected Papers of William L. White The collected papers of William White, author and historian in field of addiction treatment and recovery. The site includes the full text of 200 plus articles, 5 monographs, over 30 recovery tools, 9 book chapters, 3 books, and links to additional books written by White and co-authors over the past forty years. Most documents can be freely downloaded.
- The Connecticut School Health Survey
- The Researched Abuse, Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance (RADARS®) System
The Researched Abuse, Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance (RADARS®) System is a prescription drug abuse, misuse and diversion surveillance system that collects timely product-and geographically-specific data.
- The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
YRBSS monitors health risk behaviors in youth that contribute to leading causes of death, disability and social problems. Monitored behaviors include: tobacco use, diet, physical activity, alcohol and drug use, sexual behavior, and behaviors that contribute to unintentional injury or violence.
- University of Washington - ADAI Bibliographies on Substance Abuse
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute (ADAI) Library at the University of Washington provides a list of bibliographies on substance abuse. The bibliographies include citations to journal articles, books, book chapters, and miscellaneous reports and unpublished documents.
- Young Adult Statewide Survey (YASS)
The Young Adults Statewide Survey (YASS) was a two- phase, social marketing driven behavioral health survey of young adults(18-25).
For more information about the Young Adults Statewide Survey, contact: sussman@uchc.edu
Screening Tools
- Adolescent Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (A-SBIRT) - CT DCF
- Connecticut Screening, Brief Intervention And Referral To Treatment (CT SBIRT) Program
- Measures -University of Rhode Island
- NIDA Screening and Assessment Tools Chart
- SBIRT Screening Tools - The BNI ART Institute, Boston University School of Public Health
- Screening And Assessment - National Center on Substance Abuse And Child Welfare
- Screening and Assessment of Co-Occurring Disorders in the Justice System
- Screening Tools - SAMHSA HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions
- Screening Tools for Adolescent Substance Use - NIDA
- Service to Others in Sobriety (SOS) Questionnaire - Case Western University Helping Others Live Sober
- Substance Use Screening & Assessment Instruments Database - Alcohol And Drug Abuse Institute - University of Washington
Self-Help Groups
- Al-Anon / Alateen Family Groups of Connecticut
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Alcoholics Anonymous - Connecticut
- Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR)
- Connecticut Region of Narcotics Anonymous
- Faces & Voices of Recovery
- Helping Families Help
- Join Rise Be: A Peer-Run Initiative for Young People
- Narcotics Anonymous
- SMART Recovery
- TriCircle Inc Hope After Loss Groups
- Youth Recovery CT
Locate a Treatment Facility
Alcohol and drug use disorders —which include misuse, dependence, or addiction to alcohol and/or legal or illegal drugs—remain a major public health problem in the United States. The estimated cost of alcohol and drug use in the United States is more than $600 billion, and includes productivity, health, and crime-related costs.
How Common Are Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders?
More than 9 percent of the total population age 12 or older met the criteria for substance dependence or abuse in 2002.
An estimated 19.5 million Americans (8.3 percent of the population age 12 or older) were current users of illicit drugs in 2002, meaning they had used an illicit drug at least once during the month prior to being interviewed.
About 54 million Americans in 2002 (nearly 23 percent of the population age 12 or older) said they had participated in binge drinking (5 or more drinks on the same occasion) at least once in the last 30 days. Nearly 16 million said they were heavy drinkers (had 5 or more drinks on the same occasion on at least 5 days during the past month).
Who Is Affected by Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders?
Alcohol and drug use disorders can affect anyone. But those who are particularly vulnerable include people with a co-occurring mental disorder or those who have certain risk factors, including poverty or a family history of alcohol or drug use disorders.
Alcohol and drug use disorders affect not just the people who are in need of treatment, but also their family members (particularly the children of those affected), friends, co-workers, and others who interact with them.
Sources: The National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.