Alcohol and Drug Abuse Statistics (Facts About Addiction)

Quick Facts on Drug Addiction

According to the 2023 United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH):

• 48.5 million (16.7%) Americans (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder in the past year.¹
• 10.2% of Americans 12 and older had an alcohol use disorder in the past year.¹
• About 27.2 million Americans 12 or older (9.7%) reported battling a drug use disorder in the past year.¹
• That same year, 7.5 million (2.7%) of Americans 12 and older struggled with both alcohol and drug use disorders simultaneously.¹
• 20.4 million American adults (7.9%) suffered from both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, or co-occurring disorders in the past year.¹

Causes of Addiction

• Genetics, including the impact of one’s environment on gene expression, account for about 40% to 60% of a person’s risk of addiction.²
• 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.²
• Teenagers and people with mental health disorders are more at risk for drug use and addiction than other populations.²

Drug and alcohol use 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 rehabilitation treatment, and ongoing care. If you’re struggling with an AUD or SUD and are looking for a solution, reach out to one of our admissions navigators.

Addiction Statistics for Specific Population Demographics

Rates of substance use, addiction, and related issues vary by age, gender, ethnicity, and other demographic classifications.

Statistics on Addiction to Specific Substances

Now, let’s take a look at addiction and misuse of specific substances.

Alcohol

• In 2023, an estimated 28.9 million Americans aged 12 and older battled an alcohol use disorder, or 10.2% of this population.¹
• Over half of all American adults have a family history of problem drinking or alcohol addiction.⁹
• Around 10.5% of U.S. children (75 million) live with a parent with alcohol use disorder, based on a 2017 report by SAMHSA.¹⁰
• An estimated 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes annually.⁹
• Alcohol is the 5^th-leading cause of preventable death in the United States.¹¹

Cocaine

According to the 2023 NSDUH:

• About 1.3 million Americans 12 years old or older (0.4%) struggled with a cocaine use disorder in the past year.¹
• 298,000 people aged 12 and older received inpatient treatment for a cocaine use disorder in the past year.¹ 542,000 received outpatient treatment.

Heroin

• About 587,000 people age 12 and older (0.2%) had a past-year heroin use disorder in 2023.¹
• Around 23% of people who use heroin will become addicted to it.⁵
• Based on 2021 data, the yearly number of heroin overdose deaths have tripled since 2010.¹³
• Around 372,000 people surveyed in 2023 received inpatient treatment for heroin use disorder in the past year. 832,000 received outpatient treatment.

Prescription drugs

According to the 2023 NSDUH:

• The most common types of prescription drugs misused in the past year were pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives.¹
• Around 5.3 million people age 12 and older had a past-year substance use disorder involving pain relievers, or about 1.9% of this population.¹
• 2.3 million Americans aged 12 or older (0.8%) had a substance use disorder involving tranquilizers or sedatives within the past 12 months.¹
• 1.7 million of Americans 12 or older (0.6%) suffered from a past-year substance use disorder involving prescription stimulants (e.g., Adderall, Ritalin).¹

Marijuana

According to the 2023 NSDUH:

• 19.2 million (6.8%) Americans aged 12 or older battled a marijuana use disorder in the past year.¹
• 43.6 million Americans (15.4%) aged 12 or older surveyed used marijuana in the past month.
• 479,000 Americans 12 or older received inpatient treatment for marijuana addiction in the past 12 months. 1.7 million received treatment at an outpatient center.¹

Statistics on Addiction Treatment

• In 2023, an estimated 54.2 million people aged 12 and older needed treatment for a substance use disorder in the past year. Only 23% of those received the treatment needed.¹
• Only 1.6 million of the people classified as needing substance use disorder treatment but who did not receive it felt they needed treatment.¹
• In 2023, 40.1% of Americans 12 or older who could not get the treatment they needed in the past year said they did not seek treatment because they thought it was too expensive. 55.9% said they were not ready to cut back or stop using and 37.1% said they didn’t know where to go or how to get treatment (respondents could cite multiple reasons).¹
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has more than 120,000 groups in more than 175 countries around the world, with almost 2 million members.¹³
• The relapse rate for substance use disorders is estimated to be between 40% and 60%. This rate is comparable to rates of relapse for other chronic diseases such as hypertension or asthma.¹⁴
• According to the 2023 NSDUH, 2.3 million Americans 12 years old or older (0.8%) underwent addiction treatment that utilized medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in the past year.¹
• In 2023, around 4.5 million Americans 12 or older (1.6%) received treatment for alcohol use disorder in the past year.

Addiction is considered a highly treatable condition, and recovery is attainable. Of the 30.5 million adults in America who feel they have or have had a substance use problem, around 22 million (73.1%) say they are in recovery.¹

Find Addiction Treatment That Works for You

American Addiction Centers (AAC) operates several facilities across the U.S., providing multiple levels of care and specialized treatment tracks for specific demographics, such as Veterans, LGBTQ+, and more.

Speak to a compassionate admissions navigator, learn more, and begin treatment today. You can also verify your insurance online by using the confidential form.