The media play a critical role in shaping perceptions about the risks of substance use. Analysis of the 1,000 most popular songs of 1996 and 1997 showed that 27 percent referred to either alcohol or illicit drugs. Underutilization of Proven Treatment Options Research also shows that only a quarter of individuals who abuse alcohol and illicit drugs get treatment. Recent studies have shown that after 6 months, treatment for alcoholism is successful for 40 to 70 percent of patients, cocaine treatment is successful for 50 to 60 percent, and opiate treatment is successful for 50 to 80 percent, with effectiveness defined as a 50-percent reduction in substance use after 6 months. This research also shows that treatment, even treatment for relapses into substance abuse, is less expensive than incarceration and untreated addiction.
Substance abuse can have an effect from earliest infancy to old age.
Some infants are born already affected by the substances consumed by their mothers during pregnancy. Prenatal exposure to alcohol, drugs, or tobacco in utero has been linked to psychological, cognitive, and physical problems in children. More than 2,000 infants are born every year in the United States with fetal alcohol syndrome, a group of preventable birth defects and developmental disabilities caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy. More than 6,000 children die each year of sudden infant death syndrome and respiratory infections linked to parental smoking and low birth weights associated with a mother's smoking during pregnancy. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton, NJ, is the Nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care.