It has been known for many years that the "treatment gap” is massive—that is, among those who need treatment for a substance use disorder, few receive it. In 2011, 21.6 million persons aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem, but only 2.3 million received treatment at a specialty substance abuse facility.
Full Answer
How many people need substance abuse treatment each year?
In 2018, nearly 19 million people aged 12 and older needed substance abuse treatment. 964,000 perceived a need for treatment, 392,000 went on to seek treatment. 946,000 adolescents aged 12-17 needed substance abuse treatment, 159,00 received treatment.
How many Americans receive medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction?
About 1.27 million Americans are receiving medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction. Over 21 million people were identified as needing substance use treatment—meaning less than one-quarter of those who needed it went on to receive it.
How common is substance abuse in the United States?
Substance abuse and addiction affect the lives of millions of individuals and families in the United States. Data from federal agencies shows concerning rates of drug and alcohol abuse among adolescents and adults in 2021.
How many people get addicted to drugs each year?
New users introduced to drug abuse each year Substance First-Time Users Alcohol 4.9 million Marijuana 3.1 million Pain killers 1.9 million Tobacco 1.8 million 4 more rows ...
What percent of people with a substance use disorder actually receive treatment?
Only about 10 percent of people with a substance use disorder receive any type of specialty treatment. Further, over 40 percent of people with a substance use disorder also have a mental health condition, yet fewer than half (48.0 percent) receive treatment for either disorder.
What percentage of individuals with a substance use disorder do not receive treatment?
An estimated 17.7 million adults needed substance use treatment but did not receive specialty treatment, of whom only 4.5 percent (806,000) felt that they needed substance use treatment.
How many people have accessed drug treatment?
The report finds that about 21.7 million or 8.1 percent of people aged 12 or older needed substance use treatment in the past year.
What percentage of people who seek treatment relapse?
Believe it or not, many people fail to remain sober after rehab. In most cases, they haven't reached out for the proper support before falling for triggers. In fact, 85 percent of individuals relapse within a year of treatment, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
What is the percentage of people with a substance use disorder who have a co occurring mental illness?
Of the 20.3 million adults with substance use disorders, 37.9% also had mental illnesses.
How common is substance abuse disorder?
Around 20 million people in the United States suffer from a substance use disorder. A substance use disorder often refers to substances that unnaturally increase dopamine levels in the reward pathway. These substances include prescription painkillers, illicit substances, nicotine or alcohol (alcoholism).
What percentage of the population suffers from addiction?
The study, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, found that about 4 percent of Americans met the criteria for drug use disorder in the past year and about 10 percent have had drug use disorder at some time in their lives.
Has drug use increased in 2021?
The 2021 survey reported significant decreases in use across many substances, including those most commonly used in adolescence – alcohol, marijuana, and vaped nicotine. The 2021 decrease in vaping for both marijuana and tobacco follows sharp increases in use between 2017 and 2019, which then leveled off in 2020.
What are the statistics for relapse?
The statistics indicate that anywhere from 40 to 60 percent of people with addiction will experience a relapse.
What is the relapse rate?
Relapse rate is a measure of the success or failure of a program that treats substance abuse or rehabilitates offenders. Many programs funded by social impact bonds (SIBs) are evaluated on their relapse rates. The returns to SIB investors are directly related to the relapse rates among those served by the programs.
How many people relapse in their first year?
As noted, up to 85% of individuals relapse within their first year of sobriety. The good news is that the longer one is able to maintain their recovery, the better chance they have at sustaining long-term sobriety.
What percentage of veterans have substance abuse?
Mental illness and substance abuse (comorbidity) is relatively common among military veterans. 7% of veterans struggle with illegal drug use compared to 5.3% of the general population in the US over age 18. 80% struggle with alcohol abuse, and 7% have an issue with both alcohol and illegal drugs.
How much did drug abuse cost in 2017?
The Consequences of Drug Abuse. In 2017, the cost of drug abuse in the US was nearly $272 billion, taking into account crime, healthcare needs, lost work productivity and other impacts on society. $193 billion was incurred in overall costs for illegal drugs in addition to $78.5 billion for prescription opioids.
How many opioids were prescribed in 2012?
The national opioid prescription rate peaked in 2012 with over 255 million prescriptions, an average of 81.3 prescriptions per 100 persons. Additionally: In 2015, opioids were still being prescribed at a rate that would medicate every American around the clock (5mg of hydrocodone every 4 hours) for 3 weeks.
How many people use heroin in 2018?
In 2018, 0.3% or 808,000 persons reported using heroin in the past year. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug approved by the FDA as an anesthetic and for pain relief. It is also one of the most abused and dangerous narcotics today. For more information about fentanyl, see our report on fentanyl abuse.
How many cases of opioid poisoning are there?
The most common type of substance exposure reported to poison control centers is illegal or misused prescription opioids, with nearly 284,000 cases of exposure, including: 44% of cases were for children under the age of 5, including 5,300 exposures to heroin and fentanyl.
How many urine samples tested positive for meth?
In 2019, clinics who dealt with primary care, pain management or substance abuse disorders saw drastic increases in urine samples testing positive for potentially fatal drugs: 4% of urine samples tested positive for meth, compared to 1.4% in 2013. 5% of urine samples tested positive for fentanyl compared to 1% in 2013.
What is the front page of DrugAbuseStatistics.org?
The front page of DrugAbuseStatistics.org features the most noteworthy data regarding drug abuse including overdose deaths, addiction by drug type, demographics, mental health, drug abuse treatment programs, and the cost of the War on Drugs.
How many people are addicted to meth?
Overview of meth abuse and addiction rates: An estimated one million people in the United States are addicted to meth or dependent on meth. About 184,000 people reported trying meth for the first time in 2019.
What percentage of high school seniors use drugs?
About 37 percent of all high school seniors reported using illicit drugs (including marijuana, which is legal in some states) in the last year. The perceived harms of drinking and drug use decreased from 2018 to 2019. This includes perceived risks associated with binge drinking, cocaine use, and heroin use.
What percentage of people with opioid addiction use heroin?
Rates that show the link between prescription opioid misuse and heroin addiction: About 80 percent of people who use heroin first misused prescription opioids. An estimated five percent of people with an opioid use disorder will use heroin.
How many people misused stimulants in 2017?
More than one million people misused prescription stimulants, 1.5 million misused tranquilizers, and 271,000 reported misusing prescription sedatives in 2017. In 2017, an estimated 18 million Americans aged 12 and older reporting misusing prescription drugs in the last year.
What are the most common drugs that are misused?
Commonly misused drugs include: alcohol. prescription painkillers. heroin. cocaine. methamphetamine. prescription drugs. marijuana. Addiction can occur in people of all ages, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and gender identities, regardless of income or socioeconomic status.
What is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States?
Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Drug overdose can occur in people addicted to drugs and those who are not. After the number of fatal overdoses across the U.S. fell in 2018, data from 2019 showed a sharp increase, with 2020 estimated to be the deadliest year on record.
How many people over 12 binge drink?
Rates that apply to the type of alcohol use disorder (binge drinking, problem drinking, etc): About 24 percent of people over 12 report binge-drinking in the past month. Nine in 10 adults who binge-drink do not have a severe alcohol use disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
How many people have substance use disorder in 2017?
In 2017, about 9.4% of men and 5.2% of women age 12 and older had a substance use disorder. 7. Men may be more likely to abuse illicit drugs than women, but women may be just as prone to addiction as men when they do abuse them. 8.
What are the statistics on drug use?
Statistics on Drug Addiction 1 According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 19.7 million American adults (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder in 2017. 1 2 Almost 74% of adults suffering from a substance use disorder in 2017 struggled with an alcohol use disorder. 1 3 About 38% of adults in 2017 battled an illicit drug use disorder. 1 4 That same year, 1 out of every 8 adults struggled with both alcohol and drug use disorders simultaneously. 1 5 In 2017, 8.5 million American adults suffered from both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, or co-occurring disorders. 1 6 Drug abuse and addiction cost American society more than $740 billion annually in lost workplace productivity, healthcare expenses, and crime-related costs. 2
What were the most common prescription drugs used in 2017?
The most common types of prescription drugs abused in 2017 were pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives. 7. In 2017, about 1.7 million people age 12 and older had a pain reliever use disorder, or about 0.6% of this population. 1.
What are the factors that increase the risk of addiction?
Environmental factors that may increase a person’s risk of addiction include a chaotic home environment and abuse, parent’s drug use and attitude toward drugs, peer influences, community attitudes toward drugs, and poor academic achievement. 3.
How many adolescents have alcoholism in 2017?
About 443,000 adolescents age 12 to 17 had an alcohol use disorder in 2017, or 1.8% of adolescents. 1. An estimated 741,000 adolescents suffered from an illicit drug use disorder in 2017, or about 3% of this population. 1. Young adults aged 18-25:
Is addiction a treatable disease?
Addiction is considered a highly treatable disease, and recovery is attainable. About 10% of American adults who are at least 18 years old say they are in recovery from an alcohol or drug abuse issue. 20. Statistics on Addiction Treatment.
Is drug abuse scary?
Drug and alcohol abuse can be scary. What’s more frightening is when you’re the one battling a substance use disorder (SUD) or an alcohol use disorder (AUD), and you don’t have a solution to the problem. American Addiction Centers provides 24-hour medical detox, premium treatment, and ongoing care.
How many people are addicted to alcohol?
About 6% of American adults (about 15 million people) have an alcohol use disorder, but only about 7% of Americans who are addicted to alcohol ever receive treatment. Men between the ages of 18 and 25 are most likely to binge drink and become alcoholics.
How many people misuse opioids?
2 million Americans misused prescription opioids for the first time in 2017. About 10% of people who misuse prescription opioids become addicted to opioids. Approximately 2.1 million Americans have an opioid use disorder. About 5% of people with an opioid use disorder will try heroin. Get started on the road to recovery.
Why are opioids dangerous?
Opioids are a class of drugs which block sensations of pain and cause euphoria. They are dangerous because they pose very high risks for addiction and overdose. Opioids are an ingredient in many pain-relieving medications. Since they are controlled substances, drug traffickers also sell them illegally.
How does addiction affect people?
Whether it’s a problem with alcohol, opioids, cocaine, or any other substance, addiction kills thousands of Americans every year and impacts millions of lives. Addiction is a mental disorder which compels someone to repeatedly use substances or engage in behaviors even though they have harmful consequences.
How old are people who are addicted to drugs?
More than 90% of people who have an addiction started to drink alcohol or use drugs before they were 18 years old. Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 are most likely to use addictive drugs.
How many people died from overdosing on drugs in 2017?
From 1999 to 2017, more than 700,000 Americans died from overdosing on a drug. Alcohol and drug addiction cost the U.S. economy over $600 billion every year. In 2017, 34.2 million Americans committed DUI, 21.4 million under the influence of alcohol and 12.8 million under the influence of drugs. About 20% of Americans who have depression ...
Why is it important to know the facts about addiction?
It’s important to know the facts about addiction to better understand how specific substances can impact your life. Most importantly, the statistics on addiction show that if you’re struggling with addiction or you know someone who is, you are certainly not alone. Start the road to recovery. Get a Call.
Drug Use, Abuse & Addiction Statistics, Trends & Data (2021 Update)
Number of People in the U.S. Who Used Selected Illicit Drugs in Their Lifetime (in 1,000)
Illegal and Legal Drug Global Overview
The use of illegal drugs affects 64% of people, which is more than half of the global population. These results are attributed to people who claimed they have used an illegal drug at least once. (Global Drug Survey ID 7468184, 2017)
Prevalence of Drug Use in the U.S
118,524,000 Americans admitted to have used marijuana within their lifetime, which makes it the most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S. (SAMHSA, RTI International ID 61118, 2017)
Recreational Drug Use Statistics
Since its discovery thousands of years ago, marijuana has experienced a classical curse-and-redemption story, but in recent years, we can observe a significant increase in marijuana use in the U.S. The number of people who have used marijuana at least once in their lifetime increased by 13,574,000. (SAMHSA; RTI International ID 61168)
Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics
Most drugs noted a decrease in sales in the 2015-2016 period. Methylphenidate HCl, the most popular prescription drug in the U.S., reached 2.073 billion dollars in sales in 2016, which is 159 million dollars less than in the past year. (The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s National Center for Health Statistics)
Teen Drug Use
4% of U.S. teens admitted to having used an illicit drug within their lifetime in 2017, which is 3% less than in 2004 (36.4%) (Institute for Social Research ID 208420)
Drug-related Deaths
West Virginia noted the highest drug overdose death rate in the U.S. in 2016. Per each 100,000 people, 52 individuals died from a drug overdose. (CDC ID 610864)
How many people needed substance abuse treatment in 2015?
The 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data indicate that 8.1 percent or 21.7 million people aged 12 or older needed substance use treatment in the past year. In 2015, an estimated 2.3 million people aged 12 or older who needed substance use treatment received treatment at a specialty facility in the past year.
How many adolescents do not receive substance abuse treatment?
Of the estimated 1.2 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 who needed but did not receive substance use treatment at a specialty facility in the past year, 17,000 (1.4 percent) perceived a need for substance use treatment.
How is the extent of the unmet substance use need measured?
The extent of the unmet substance use treatment need in the United States is measured by calculating the number of people aged 12 or older who were classified as needing substance use treatment but who did not receive substance use treatment at a specialty facility in the past year. This section focuses on the receipt (or lack of receipt) ...
What is the National Survey on Drug Use and Health?
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual survey of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States aged 12 years or older. NSDUH gathers information on substance use treatment need and service utilization.
What is a substance use disorder?
Substance use disorders (SUDs) represent clinically significant impairment caused by the recurrent use of alcohol or illicit drugs (or both), including health problems, disability, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home. 1 The consequences of SUD can be costly to people and the nation as a whole because they are often associated with negative outcomes, such as involvement with the justice system, 2,3 occurrence of chronic health conditions, 4 and poorer health outcomes. 5