Young adults are drinking and doing more drugs than they used to.
A recent Monitoring the Future report indicates that an increased number of young adults are binge drinking and using drugs like cannabis and psychedelics.
In fact, the study performed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse showed that in 2021, marijuana and hallucinogen use in young adults 19 to 30 years old reached all-time highs. 1
3.2% of survey participants in this age group admitted to using a form of marijuana, while 4.7% admitted to using drugs like LSD, MDMA, mushrooms, and PCP.
As far as alcohol consumption is concerned, binge drinking by young adults returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks in a row, which 32% of surveyed individuals admitted to doing last year.
That number had dropped to 28% in 2020. Also in the report, it is noted that nicotine vaping increased significantly among young adults in 2021 despite leveling off in 2020 during the earlier part of the pandemic.
If you or someone you know is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, you can contact CORE Treatment Services in Manitowoc at 920-663-1035, the Jackie Nitschke Center in Green Bay at 920-435-2093, or CleanSlate in Sheboygan at 920-783-0122.
