BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - There’s a good chance you know someone who’s experienced a substance abuse disorder. A Department of Health and Human Services report found nearly 49 million people had a substance abuse disorder last year, or about 1 in 6 people.
According to the report, the number of people who had some kind of substance abuse disorder increased from about 47 million in 2021 to nearly 49 million in 2022.
The Heartview Foundation, which provides resources for people with addictions, said it served nearly 32,000 people in 2022. Heartview’s Executive Director Kurt Snyder said one of the biggest problems in the community is alcohol abuse, and it seems the stats support that view. The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services said we’re the second-highest binge-drinking state after Wisconsin.
“If you’re 15 or 16 or 17 when you start, the percentages of those people who have life-long problems are higher when you start at an earlier age. And I think that it’s really been shown through the National Institute of Drug Abuse and others that it is a disease of the brain that is, it starts in youth,” Snyder said.
While that’s a pretty significant increase, the number of children between the ages of 12 and 17 who had a substance abuse disorder decreased from about 1.9 million to 1.8 million.
Dr. Shauna Eberhardt, North Dakota’s Department of Health and Human Services’ clinical director, said we also saw a decline in the number of adolescents who had a substance abuse disorder in their recent 2021 state report.
“The impact of substance use disorder is so significant that, no matter what the percentage, we are always striving for lower. But I think that it’s important to recognize that anyone that is indicating that they have a substance use disorder deserves treatment and help,” Dr. Eberhardt said.
Whether the trend continues into 2022, Dr. Eberhardt said the increasing availability of resources for these kinds of disorders likely contributed to the downward trend in North Dakota’s adolescents.
Resources for substance abuse disorders can be found at the Heartview Foundation and the Recovery Talk phone line at 701-291-7901, which is operated 24-7. You can also call 988 if you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts.