Arise from the European Study Task on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) integrated with those from the U.S. Keeping Track Of the Future Survey revealed that American teens have high rates of illicit drug use when compared to European teenagers. Typically, 18 percent of European trainees had actually used an illicit drug in their lifetimes, compared to 35 percent of U.S.Because 1999, the number of drug overdose deaths involving opioids in the U.S. has actually quadrupled, totaling over a half a million fatalities throughout that period. While we now know more than ever about the dangers of substance abuse, it appears that this understanding has actually failed to function as a deterrent.