Arise from the European Study Task on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) combined with those from the U.S. Keeping Track Of the Future Survey revealed that American teenagers have high rates of illicit drug use when compared to European teenagers. On average, 18 percent of European students had actually used an illicit drug in their life times, compared to 35 percent of U.S.Given that 1999, the variety of drug overdose deaths involving opioids in the U.S. has actually quadrupled, totaling over a half a million deaths throughout that period. While we now understand more than ever about the risks of substance abuse, it appears that this understanding has stopped working to act as a deterrent.