Many inpatient drug rehab counselors are concerned with the swing in treatment admissions and the overall outlook on drugs and the danger contained therein. Prescription drug addiction is reaching epidemic proportions and more people are entering inpatient drug rehabilitation clinics for marijuana addiction than ever before.

Alcohol continues be the number substance abuse problem on average nationwide with 465,573 people entering alcohol treatment in 2009 according the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). This accounted for 23.4% of overall treatment admissions that year. Marijuana addiction and treatment admissions is rapidly gaining ground in many states however.

Missouri inpatient drug rehab and addiction treatment programs starting seeing a shift ten years ago. Current trends indicate more people are smoking weed than drinking alcohol along with increased prescription addiction treatment occurring.  10,474 addicts entered a drug rehab in Missouri in 2000 and that number jumped to over 12,000 in 2010. 10,600 people entered alcohol treatment centers in 2010 while 11,927 sought alcohol treatment in the year 2000.

Prescription drug addiction also saw in increase across the board for inpatient addiction treatment programs. NSDUH's 2009 reports a shocking 141,380 prescription drug addicts entered inpatient drug rehab programs in 2009 which up 400% from 28,448 in 2000.