Hard numbers on a hard drug
April 11, 2011 1:46 PM
Seeking numbers/statistics: outcomes of heroin addiction and how likely are they?
I'm looking for numbers such as: x% of heroin addicts get HIV/AIDS, y% die from overdose, z% achieve long term sobriety, etc. Or the average amount of time it takes for an addict to get clean for real, efficacy of various kinds of intervention, etc. Google hasn't been a ton of help.
I'm looking for numbers such as: x% of heroin addicts get HIV/AIDS, y% die from overdose, z% achieve long term sobriety, etc. Or the average amount of time it takes for an addict to get clean for real, efficacy of various kinds of intervention, etc. Google hasn't been a ton of help.
Insite is a safe injection site in Vancouver, their website has some data although all of it may not be from heroin users. I think studies about the site, which you may be able to find online or through a search of academic journals, may yield some of this info. I know its been a political issue and i'm fairly sure there have been studies on it.
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 1:58 PM on April 11, 2011
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 1:58 PM on April 11, 2011
Oops that should read "may not all be from heroin users."
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 1:59 PM on April 11, 2011
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 1:59 PM on April 11, 2011
If you're looking for global info try this.
We could probably help you better if you could clarify the scope: are you looking for worldwide info, or for info on a particular country?
Are you a student? If so, you should consider asking a reference librarian in your campus library. Also check out Google Scholar, you may not have access to articles listed there but you will be able to read their abstracts.
posted by mareli at 2:06 PM on April 11, 2011
We could probably help you better if you could clarify the scope: are you looking for worldwide info, or for info on a particular country?
Are you a student? If so, you should consider asking a reference librarian in your campus library. Also check out Google Scholar, you may not have access to articles listed there but you will be able to read their abstracts.
posted by mareli at 2:06 PM on April 11, 2011
Here's a meta-analysis of a number of studies from around the world.
posted by milkrate at 2:20 PM on April 11, 2011
posted by milkrate at 2:20 PM on April 11, 2011
Specifically looking for data from the US, more specifically: white, male, working poor, housed (for now), early 20's, living in Connecticut.
mareli: I'm not a student, so I don't have access to journals that way, but Google Scholar is always a resource I forget about!
posted by radioaction at 3:48 PM on April 11, 2011
mareli: I'm not a student, so I don't have access to journals that way, but Google Scholar is always a resource I forget about!
posted by radioaction at 3:48 PM on April 11, 2011
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA)--which is part of HHS--should have some of what you're looking for, in particular their Office of Applied Studies.
Disclaimer: I'm a contractor with a company that does much of the statistical analysis for SAMHSA, so I'm probably a little biased. On the other hand, if you can't find what you're looking for, MeMail and I can ask if that data is available and just not easily searchable.
posted by zombieflanders at 4:52 PM on April 11, 2011
Disclaimer: I'm a contractor with a company that does much of the statistical analysis for SAMHSA, so I'm probably a little biased. On the other hand, if you can't find what you're looking for, MeMail and I can ask if that data is available and just not easily searchable.
posted by zombieflanders at 4:52 PM on April 11, 2011
The numbers you seek are difficult because they vary incredibly by class, country, time, etc. So, you might say, in NYC in the late 1980's, 50% of heroin addicts in the Bronx were HIV positive with something close to accuracy— but once needle exchange started being done and people also began dying, the HIV infection rates fall.
Similarly, you'll find that between 1-4% of heroin addicts tend to die each year of various causes—but that's a pretty large range and it will vary with HIV rates, methadone availability, heroin availability, HIV medication availability, etc.
Try state health department which often keeps such numbers.
Methadone maintenance is definitely the most effective treatment, buprenorphine maintenance second (and probably better to try first because it's less restricted, you can get from regular doctor, not clinic). After that the abstinence treatments are pretty much about the same— and the longer someone keeps trying, the more likely they are to get clean.
On average per treatment admission, 1/3 get better 1/3 get worse and 1/3 stay the same and about 15% will get clean pretty much no matter what is done. Best treatments are kind, empathetic and offer choices: not harsh, humiliating and 12step only, though 12 steps can be good source of social support if you like them.
You might want to check out my book, Recovery Options: The Complete Guide: How You and Your Loved Ones Can Understand and Treat Alcohol and Other Drug Problems. Can get from Amazon, co-written with U Penn's Joe Volpicelli. It lays out a lot on this—sadly, even though it's old, not much has changed other than that bupe is actually now avaiable (and we describe it anyway).
posted by Maias at 11:23 AM on April 13, 2011
Similarly, you'll find that between 1-4% of heroin addicts tend to die each year of various causes—but that's a pretty large range and it will vary with HIV rates, methadone availability, heroin availability, HIV medication availability, etc.
Try state health department which often keeps such numbers.
Methadone maintenance is definitely the most effective treatment, buprenorphine maintenance second (and probably better to try first because it's less restricted, you can get from regular doctor, not clinic). After that the abstinence treatments are pretty much about the same— and the longer someone keeps trying, the more likely they are to get clean.
On average per treatment admission, 1/3 get better 1/3 get worse and 1/3 stay the same and about 15% will get clean pretty much no matter what is done. Best treatments are kind, empathetic and offer choices: not harsh, humiliating and 12step only, though 12 steps can be good source of social support if you like them.
You might want to check out my book, Recovery Options: The Complete Guide: How You and Your Loved Ones Can Understand and Treat Alcohol and Other Drug Problems. Can get from Amazon, co-written with U Penn's Joe Volpicelli. It lays out a lot on this—sadly, even though it's old, not much has changed other than that bupe is actually now avaiable (and we describe it anyway).
posted by Maias at 11:23 AM on April 13, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Jairus at 1:56 PM on April 11, 2011