D rug and A lcohol S ervices I nformation S ystem

The DASIS Report

March 2001 April 26, 2002

New and Repeat Admissions

to Substance Abuse
Treatment

R
elapse to substance use after a
In Brief
period of abstinence is a com-
● In 1999, about 40 percent of mon pattern among alcoholics
substance abuse treatment and drug abusers. Many substance abus-
admissions were first ers are readmitted to treatment multiple
treatment episodes and 60 times before they are able to achieve
percent were repeat treatment long-term abstinence.
episodes
The Treatment Episode Data Set
● Alcohol accounted for about
half of new and repeat (TEDS) collects data primarily on the
admissions 1.6 million annual admissions to sub-
stance abuse treatment facilities that
● Abuse of opiates was more receive some public funds. TEDS
common among repeat
records represent admissions rather than
admissions than new
individuals; a person may be admitted to
admissions
treatment more than once in a given
● Age at first use of the primary time period. TEDS data include the
substance varied little among number of prior treatment episodes and
new and repeat treatment the age at first use of the primary sub-
admissions stance (or first alcohol intoxication).

The DASIS Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA.
Additional copies of this report may be downloaded from http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/facts.cfm. Citation of the source is appreciated. Other
reports from the Office of Applied Studies are also available on-line: http://www.DrugAbuseStatistics.samhsa.gov/.
DASIS REPORT: NEW AND REPEAT ADMISSIONS TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT
Figure 1. Primary Substance of Abuse among First-Time Admissions and Repeat Admissions: 1999
First Time in Treatment
Alcohol
Marijuana
Cocaine
Opiates
Stimulants
All Other
Source: 1999 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).
This report compares first-
time, or new, treatment
admissions with readmissions of
persons admitted to treatment 1
to 4 times, and 5 or more times,
before the current episode.
Number of Prior
Treatment Episodes
In 1999, more than 40 percent of
treatment admissions (some
660,000 admissions) were first
treatment episodes (data not
shown). More than 45 percent
(about 730,000 admissions) were
readmissions of people who had
been in treatment 1 to 4 times
previously. Thirteen percent, or
some 200,000, had been in
treatment 5 or more times before
the current episode.
1-4 Previous Admissions
49% 45%
21% 12%
13% 18%
9% 19%
6% 5%
2% 1%
Primary Substance
Alcohol accounted for almost half
of all 1999 new and repeat
admissions (Figure 1). The
proportion of admissions for
opiates was greater with more
treatment episodes; 9 percent of
new treatment admissions were
for opiates compared with 34
percent for those admitted to
treatment 5 or more times before.
The proportion of admissions for
marijuana decreased as the
number of treatment episodes
increased. The proportion of
admissions for cocaine was fairly
constant among new and repeat
admissions.
Age at Admission
There was a strong association
between age and number of prior
treatment episodes for all primary
substances in 1999 (Figure 2).
The association was most marked
for alcohol and marijuana.
April 26, 2002
5 or More
Previous Admissions
48%
4%
12%
34%
1%
1%
For new and repeat admis-
sions, the average age at
admission for alcohol, cocaine,
and opiates was between 35 and
40 years old, and it was 30 years
old for stimulants. The average
age for first-time admissions for
marijuana was 22 years of age
compared with 29 years for
those admitted 5 or more
times previously.
Age at First Use
There was little difference in the
age at which use of the primary
substance began (or first alcohol
intoxication occurred) among
first-time and repeat 1999 treat-
ment admissions (Figure 3).
However, TEDS data indicate
that persons readmitted to treat-
ment after 5 or more previous
admissions first used the problem
substance 6 months to a year
earlier than first-time admissions.
April 26, 2002 DASIS REPORT: NEW AND REPEAT ADMISSIONS TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT

Figure 2. Average Age at Admission among Figure 3. Average Age at First Use or First
First-Time Admissions and Repeat Intoxication among First-Time Admissions and
Admissions, by Primary Substance: 1999 Repeat Admissions, by Primary Substance: 1999

40
40 40
36 36 37
35 35
34 34 35
32
30 31
Age at Admission

30 29 30

Age at First Use

24
22 23 23 22 23 22 22
21 20
20 20 19
16 15
14 16 14 14

10 10

0 0
Alcohol Marijuana Cocaine Opiates Stimulants Alcohol Marijuana Cocaine Opiates Stimulants

First Time in Treatment First Time in Treatment

1-4 Previous Admissions 1-4 Previous Admissions
5 or More Previous Admissions 5 or More Previous Admissions

before first entering treatment ment admissions in 1999, but it

Duration of Use among 1999 admissions, ranging was less important as a referral
In 1999, the average duration of from 8 years for marijuana to 18 source among readmissions (data
use of the primary substance was years for alcohol. not shown). The proportion of
longer among those readmitted to criminal justice referrals was 34
treatment than for first-time percent among readmissions of
admissions (Figure 4). Source of Referral persons admitted for treatment
1 to 4 times and 12 percent
There was considerable The criminal justice system among readmissions of persons
variation in the average duration accounted for a high proportion admitted 5 or more times.
of use of different substances (47 percent) of first-time treat-

The Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS) is an integrated

Figure 4. Average Duration of Use among First- data system maintained by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse
Time Admissions and Repeat Admissions, by and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). One component of
DASIS is the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). TEDS is a compilation of
Primary Substance: 1999 data on the demographic characteristics and substance abuse problems of
those admitted for substance abuse treatment. The information comes
primarily from facilities that receive some public funding. Information on
26 treatment admissions is routinely collected by State administrative systems
25 and then submitted to SAMHSA in a standard format. Approximately 1.6
21 million records are included in TEDS each year. TEDS records represent
20 admissions rather than individuals, as a person may be admitted to
18 treatment more than once.
Years of Use

16 The DASIS Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies,

15 15
13 14 13 SAMHSA; Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Arlington,
12 12 Virginia; and RTI, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
10 11 11
10
10 Information and data for this issue are based on data reported to
8 TEDS through April 16, 2001.
5 Access the latest TEDS reports at:
www.DrugAbuseStatistics.SAMHSA.gov/
Access the latest TEDS public use files at:
0 www.icpsr.umich.edu/SAMHDA/teds.html
Alcohol Marijuana Cocaine Opiates Stimulants
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
First Time in Treatment Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1-4 Previous Admissions Office of Applied Studies
5 or More Previous Admissions www.samhsa.gov