NEW YORK, Oct 23: Possibly driven by a surge in painkiller abuse, the number of drug and alcohol problems diagnosed by US doctors increased by 70 per cent between 2001 and 2009, according to new research. ‘We know that increases in prescription drug use are a big part of what’s going on nationally. I also think – in our study – the availability of effective treatment is a big part of it as well and likely drawing people into care,’ said the study’s lead author Dr. Joseph W. Frank, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. (agencies)