OLYMPIA -- An increasing number of Washington residents are being hospitalized for injuries and illnesses caused by alcohol misuse and dependency, according to an annual report from the Department of Social and Health Services.

The "2008 Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drug Abuse Trends in Washington State" is compiled by the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA) in the Health and Recovery Services Administration in DSHS.

"Alcohol and other drug abuse costs our state $5.2 billion each year – more than the cost of cancer and obesity," said John Taylor, DASA's acting director. But he noted that prevention and treatment services have been able to reduce health care and child welfare costs as well as crime, school dropout rates, and emergency room admissions and hospitalizations.

The annual Trends report provides a snapshot of alcohol and other drug use in the state, and the effectiveness of providing quality prevention, intervention, treatment, and aftercare services to Washington residents.

Other trends cited in the annual report include:

• More than one in 10 Washington 10th and 12th graders used a prescription pain medication to get high in the past 30 days
• Almost one-fifth of 10th and 12th graders reported being drunk or high at school in the past year, risking school failure, drug dependency, and permanent brain damage.
• Washington state has among the highest rates of non-medical use of prescription pain relievers in the nation.
• Adult heavy drinking rates are at their highest point in this decade.
• The number of alcohol-related deaths from car crashes has remained stable, but the number of drugged-driving deaths is rising.
• The number of reported methamphetamine laboratories and dumpsites in Washington State has fallen dramatically.
• Adult admissions to DASA-funded treatment for prescription pain medication have almost quadrupled since 2003.
• The number of military veterans admitted to publicly funded treatment has grown by more than a third since 2002.

"About one in every 10 teens and adults in our state needs chemical dependency treatment," said Taylor. "Helping a friend or family member begin treatment can make all the difference."

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND BACKGROUND:

The new Trends Report can be found online: http://www.dshs.wa.gov/dasa/dasanew.shtml#Trends%20Report. A limited number of printed copies is available from the Washington State Alcohol/Drug Clearinghouse at 1-800-662-9111.

For free information and referrals to treatment, the public can contact the Alcohol and Drug Help Line at 1-800-562-1240. For tips on talking with your kids about alcohol, go to www.StartTalkingNow.org.

Jim Stevenson, Communications Director, HRSA, DSHS 360-725-1915 (Pager: 360-971-4067).

DSHS does not discriminate, and provides equal access to its programs and services for all persons without regard to race, color, gender, religion, creed, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, age, veteran’s status or the presence of any physical, sensory or mental disability.