Drug Addiction and Abuse Rates After 9-11
The consequences of September 11 caused death and injury to direct victims but also inflicted psychological trauma upon those left behind to pick up the pieces. Rates of drug and alcohol abuse among those who were affected by the terrorist attack are the subject of a great deal of attention. Why? Because they just might reveal a bit more than we knew before about the origins of drug addiction and how our psychological response to trauma, grief, and terror.
In a study conducted just after September 11, 2001 and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, it was found that 29 percent of the 988 Manhattan resident respondents reported a higher rate of alcohol abuse, marijuana abuse, and cigarette smoking. About 25 percent said they drank more after the event, 3 percent reported increased abuse of marijuana, and 10 percent said that they smoked more cigarettes.
Almost 1600 Manhattan residents were surveyed in a 2004 study that was published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. About 18 percent of respondents said that their alcohol abuse had increased since September 11, 2001, 3 percent reported an increased use of marijuana, and 10 percent said that they smoked more cigarettes after the event. Mental health issues like depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and anxiety were also increased among those surveyed. The study implies that the co-occurring drug abuse may have been an attempt to self-medicate these problems – it is noted that six months later a similar survey revealed that reports of mental health problems were lower but drug abuse rates remained the same.
What do these studies mean? Did the terror attacks of September 11 cause a rise in drug and alcohol abuse and addiction? It’s hard to say because the studies available don’t look at whether or not the participants had prior drug and alcohol addictions that resurfaced after the event or if their use of drugs and alcohols was new.
Sandro Galea is an author of the 2004 study, published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. She says: “I think the picture with substance use overall is very complicated. Some studies say there was more use, some say less. I think this is a function of the fact that there are several trajectories.”
This means that one person’s reaction to a trauma event can be completely different from another person’s. Some may seek escape in food, drugs and alcohol, or smoking while others respond by taking action in a way that is meaningful to the situation. In some cases, that can even translate into breaking free from a pre-existing addiction.
In fact, Galea says: “We did find some patterns in our work. My reading is that for every adult for whom a new addiction was created, there is someone who found meaning after 9/11 and stopped using.”
