First Time Users of Pain-Relievers (1965 - 2003)

Trends in Initiation of Non-Therapeutic Pain-Reliever Use (1965 - 2003)

Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Table 4.10A Numbers (in Thousands) of Persons Who Initiated Nonmedical Use of Pain Relievers in the United States, Their Mean Age at First Use, and Rates of First Use (Per 1,000 Person-Years of Exposure): 1965-2003, Based on 2002-2004 NSDUHs
YEAR NUMBER OF INITIATES (1,000s) MEAN AGE AGE-SPECIFIC RATES1
All Ages Under 18 18 or Older 12-17 18-25
1965 95 33 62 24.9 * *
1966 52 28 24 19.8 1.0 *
1967 128 52 76 19.8 2.3 2.7
1968 224 70 154 19.9 2.9 6.1
1969 296 150 145 19.8 6.4 4.2
1970 367 172 195 19.3 6.6 5.9
1971 404 160 244 19.6 6.7 8.1
1972 358 133 224 19.6 5.4 7.0
1973 431 177 254 19.8 7.3 7.4
1974 456 201 256 19.4 7.7 6.9
1975 495 177 318 20.2 7.1 8.8
1976 443 166 277 20.9 7.0 6.6
1977 491 156 335 20.2 6.5 9.8
1978 457 173 284 19.9 7.2 7.8
1979 526 223 303 20.1 10.0 7.7
1980 509 177 332 21.6 7.8 6.7
1981 488 127 361 21.1 5.8 9.1
1982 460 146 314 21.9 6.5 6.8
1983 594 143 451 22.2 6.6 10.3
1984 506 113 393 24.0 4.9 8.6
1985 540 156 383 21.9 6.9 9.1
1986 562 94 467 24.3 4.5 10.0
1987 625 138 487 24.6 6.2 9.2
1988 538 89 448 24.7 4.3 9.4
1989 612 134 478 24.2 6.6 9.9
1990 557 115 442 23.3 5.5 10.2
1991 604 146 457 23.8 6.9 9.9
1992 777 184 593 24.5 8.3 11.7
1993 694 173 521 23.3 7.6 12.5
1994 932 260 672 24.1 11.2 13.8
1995 917 298 618 23.0 12.5 14.2
1996 1,100 355 744 22.0 14.8 20.4
1997 1,316 430 886 22.1 17.3 24.0
1998 1,548 558 990 22.7 21.9 23.5
1999 1,810 677 1,133 22.4 26.4 27.8
2000 2,268 860 1,408 22.0 34.7 36.3
2001 2,400 1,025 1,375 21.4 41.9 35.0
20022 2,699 1,154 1,545 22.0 47.8 37.5
20033 2,581 1,229 1,352 21.3 51.1 31.6
*Low precision; no estimate reported.
-- Not available.
NOTE: Comparisons between years, particularly between recent estimates and those from 10 or more years prior, should be made with caution due to potential bias from reporting and other sources.
1 The numerator of each rate is the number of persons in the age group who initiated use of the drug in the specified year, while the denominator is the person-time exposure of persons in the age group measured in thousands of years.
2 Estimated using 2003 and 2004 data only.
3 Estimated using 2004 data only.
Source: SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2002, 2003, and 2004.

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