Featured Research

National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse IX: Teen Dating Practices and Sexual Activity (August, 2004) The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University For nine years, CASA has been surveying attitudes of teens and those who most influence them—parents, teachers, and school principles. For the first time this year CASA sought to determine the relationship between teen dating practices and their risk of involvement with tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs. The research found a strong link between teen sexual behavior and dating and teen risk of smoking, drinking and using illegal drugs.

More than 120,000 Americans die annually from drug and alcohol-related abuse. To better understand and prevent this epidemic, federal, state and private institutions conduct extensive research to uncover wide-ranging scientific and behavioral aspects of drug use and addiction. TheAntiDrug.com relies on this research to bring you the latest and most accurate information available.

We've compiled studies from the nation's leading drug abuse and prevention institutions so you can go straight to the source for the latest findings. Also review the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign Fact Sheets for more hard facts about drugs.

National Survey on Drug Use & Health
(formerly called the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration NSDUH is the primary source of statistical information on substance use and abuse among the U.S. population aged 12 or older . The survey presents national estimates of rates of use, numbers of users, and other measures related to illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco products.

Monitoring the Future Survey
University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Monitoring the Future tracks illicit drug use among 8th , 10th , and 12th graders' and attitudes towards drugs.
The latest 2003 Monitoring the Future survey, showed an 11 percent decline in current marijuana and other illicit drug use over the past two years. The finding translates into 400,000 fewer teen drug users over two years. View the report on the NIDA Web site.

Monitoring the Future
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Monitoring the Future is a long-term study of the behaviors, attitudes and values of American youth and college students. The latest study discovered that while overall illicit drug use remained steady in 2000, use of Ecstasy and steroids increased. Marijuana remains the most widely used drug of 8th, 10th and 12th graders.

Partnership Attitude Tracking Study 2003
Partnership for a Drug-Free America
Trends show a growing anti-marijuana attitude among teens, according to new findings from the 2003 Teens Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), released by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. The findings suggest that teens are becoming increasingly aware of the risks of marijuana and are less likely to start using the drug. The report also shows a significant increase in teen exposure to anti-drug advertising since the inception of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign in 1998.

2003 CASA Survey:
High Stress, Frequent Boredom, Too Much Spending Money -- Triple Threat that Hikes Risk of Teen Substance Abuse
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University This is an annual back-to-school survey which measures teen substance abuse.

Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG)
National Institutes of Health & National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) CEWG is a network of epidemiologists and researchers in the United States that meets biannually to review current and emerging substance abuse patterns. The members present drug abuse indicator data, findings from surveys, and other quantitative information compiled from local, area, State, and Federal sources. Download their most recent report on the NIDA Web site.

Shoveling Up: The Impact of Substance Abuse on State Budgets
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
This study found that states spend approximately 13 percent of their budgets dealing with the effects of drug, alcohol and cigarette abuse -- the same amount they spend on higher education. States spent $81.3 billion dealing with substance abuse in 1998. Of this amount, 96 percent went to clean up the devastation caused by substance abuse; four percent went towards prevention. $24.9 billion of this money went toward coping with the impact of substance abuse on children.