Drug and Alcohol Addiction by Generation: Facts and Statistics

Just as pop culture preferences vary between age groups, trends regarding substance use differ among generations as well. People’s lives—including preferences, challenges, goals, and more—change considerably between early adulthood and older age, and so do patterns of drug and alcohol use.

For example, data from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows that a mental health or substance use disorder during the last year was reported among roughly 40% of adults between ages 26 and 49 but among only 21% of adults aged 50 and older.¹

A multitude of factors may contribute to these differences, such as the developmental stage of people in each age group or even the destigmatization of mental health and substance use issues. Nevertheless, the following content offers a snapshot of some variations in drug and alcohol misuse among the four most populous age groups today: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Gen Z.*

*Reliable substance-use data is rarely parsed into these specific generational age ranges. As such, content includes insights on various age groupings within each generational cohort. Unless otherwise noted, data has been analyzed according to the 5-year groups presented in the 2023 NSDUH that comprisie those 18 years of age and older.

Baby Boomers and Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. The group gets its name from the massive surge in population growth that occurred after World War II. In 2023, Baby Boomers were roughly 59 to 77 years old.²

While this generation rarely takes the top slot in terms of various substance misuse issues, addiction and misuse are still important issues among older adults. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that more than 5,000 people aged 65 and up died of a drug overdose in 2020, and more than 11,000 died of alcohol-related causes that same year. This is especially notable because between 2019 and 2020, alcohol-induced death rates increased by more than 18% among people 65 and up**, perhaps suggesting that Baby Boomers have changed their drinking habits in unhealthy ways.³  

**It’s important to note that the 65 and older age range covers considerably more years than many other NSDUH categories, which often encompass only five years.

Substance Use Disorders and Treatment Among Baby Boomers

Recent research has revealed trends in substance use, diagnosis, and treatment among those aged 60 to 64 and 65 and older.

• Substance Use Disorders—According to survey data from 2022, 3 million people aged 60 to 64 and 3.9 million people aged 65 or older were diagnosed with a substance use disorder (SUD). When you compare 2022 versus 2021 results, SUDs among people in their early 60s was roughly the same. However, the number of those 65 and over with an SUD decreased by about half a million people from 2021 to 2022.⁴
• Alcohol Use Disorders—Roughly 1.8 million people aged 60 to 64 were diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) in 2021. In 2022, that figure dropped to 1.67 million. Similarly, among people aged 65 and older, 2.96 million had an AUD in 2021, and 2.3 million did in 2022.⁴
• Treatment—Almost 1.2 million people aged 60 to 64 and 1.4 million people aged 65 and older received treatment for alcohol or drug use in 2022. The 60 to 64 group outpaced several other NSDUH 5-year age groups not including the 30 to 34, 35 to 39, and 40 to 44 cohorts.⁵

Misuse of Specific Substances: Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers’ use and misuse of some substances may surprise you.

• Marijuana Use—Past-year marijuana use increased significantly between 2021 and 2022 among most age groups including some Baby Boomers, jumping from 2.8 million to 4 million among people aged 60 to 64 and from 3.8 million to 4.7 million in the 65 and older age group.⁶
• Opioid Misuse—In 2022, 747,000 people aged 60 to 64 and 995,000 people aged 65 and older reported past year opioid misuse. Perhaps surprisingly, opioid misuse for the 60 to 64 age range outpaced that of the following age ranges: 21 to 25, 26 to 29, 50 to 54, and 55 to 59.⁷
• Prescription Benzodiazepine Misuse—Of those age 60 to 64, 238,000 people misused prescription benzodiazepines in the past year. This prevalence rate is lower than all other NSDUH 5-year groups except for those age 18 to 20 and 55 to 59.⁸
• Cocaine Use—While cocaine use in the last year is most prevalent among those 21 to 25, prevalence rates for those 60 to 64 may surprise you. Roughly 336,000 people in this age range used cocaine in the last year, a figure higher than that of the following age groups: 45 to 49, 50 to 54, and 55 to 59.⁹
• Methamphetamine Use—Past-year methamphetamine use increased significantly among people aged 60 to 64, from 171,000 in 2021 to 400,000 people in 2022.¹⁰

Generation X Drug and Alcohol Use

Born between 1965 and 1980, members of Generation X were between the ages of 43 and 58 as of 2023.² This age group is smaller than Baby Boomers both in terms of lower birth rate and fewer years in the grouping.

Gen X is known as the “computer generation,” having been born just as life became more technologically advanced.² Currently, Gen Xers are in mid-life, a developmental stage when people often reflect on how their lives are going and perhaps make big changes.

Substance Use Disorders and Treatment Among Gen Xers

The NSDUH offers the following insights regarding substance use, diagnosis, and treatment for Gen Xers in the 45 to 49, 50 to 54, and 55 to 59 age groups.

• Alcohol Use Disorders—When it comes to past-year alcohol use disorders, Generation X breakdowns include: almost 2.2 million people (aged 45 to 49), 2.48 million (aged 50 to 54), and 1.97 million (aged 55 to 59) had an AUD. While the 50 to 54 age group was the highest among the Gen X population, it was lowest among all other 5-year NSDUH age groups except the 45 to 49 grouping.⁴
• Substance Use Disorders—Rates of substance use disorders in the past year increased between 2021 and 2022 in all Gen X categories except the 55 to 59 age group. The increase was most substantial in the 50 to 54 age group, which jumped from 2.9 million in 2021 to 3.6 million in 2022.⁴
• Treatment—Among those 45 to 49, 50 to 54, and 55 to 59, a total of 2.96 million received treatment for drug or alcohol use in the last year. Compared to other NSDUH 5-year age groups, the 55 to 59 age group had the lowest treatment prevalence for all groups except the 26 to 29 age cohort.⁵

Misuse of Specific Substances: Generation X

When it comes to Generation X drug use, prevalence is often moderate to low compared to other groups.

• Marijuana Use—All 5-year NSDUH age groups within Gen X reported increases in past-year marijuana use between 2021 and 2022, with the largest increase—from roughly 3.3 million in 2021 to 4.2 million in 2022—occurring in the 45 to 49 age range.⁶
• Opioid Misuse—Among the NSDUH 5-year age groups, the 50 to 54 grouping had the lowest prevalence of opioid misuse in the last year, comprising 605,000 people.⁷
• Methamphetamine Use—Past-year methamphetamine use seemed to decrease with age among Gen Xers. Users declined from 355,000 people aged 45 to 49, to 252,000 people aged 50 to 54, and finally to 146,000 people aged 55 to 59.¹⁰
• Prescription Benzodiazepine Misuse—Among Gen Xers who misused prescription benzodiazepines in 2022, the 45 to 49 age group showed the greatest prevalence with 311,000 people. Still, this figure was lower than all other NSDUH 5-year age groups except for the 26 to 29 group.⁸

Alcohol and Drug Use Among Millennials

The Millennial generation gets its name from the time period in which they came of age, i.e., around the turn of the 21st century. Members of the Millennial generation were born between 1981 and 1996 and were between 27 and 42 years of age in 2023.²

Millennials are known as a generation that has experienced war or political conflict for most of their lifetimes, was raised with the influence of the internet, and was significantly impacted by the economic challenges of the past decade.²

Substance Use Disorders and Treatment Among Millennials

The NSDUH offers the following insights regarding substance use, diagnosis, and treatment for Millennials in the 26 to 29, 30 to 34, 35 to 39, and 40 to 44 age groups***.

***Note that although they are represented in the aformentioned NSDUH groupings, those aged 26 and 44 are not considered Millennials, a fact that slights distorts the data for categories that include these ages.

• Alcohol Use Disorders—Among the 5-year age groups within the Millennial generation, the 30 to 34 range had the most alcohol used disorders (3.6 million) within the last year. This figure is higher than all other NSDUH 5-year age ranges except for the 21 to 25 range, of which 4.2 million people had an AUD in the last year.⁴
• Substance Use Disorders—Substance use disorders in the last year were also high among Millennials, with the 30 to 34 age group reporting the most cases—specifically 5.66 million—among all 5-year NSDUH age groups except 21 to 25 year olds.⁴
• Treatment—Given the prevalence of substance and alcohol use disorders among the 30 to 34 age group, treatment for drug or alcohol use in the last year was also highest among this age group, with roughly 1.4 million people receiving treatment. In fact, the 30 to 34 year old group outpaced all other 5-year NSDUH groupings for drug or alcohol treatment in 2022.⁵

Misuse of Specific Substances: Millennials

When it comes to Millennials’ use of the following substances, those in the 30 to 34 age group showed higher prevalence of use for at least half of them.

• Marijuana Use—As with many other generations, past year marijuana use increased from 2021 to 2022 among Millennials, with the 30 to 34 age group showing the largest increase, i.e., from 6.45 million in 2021 to 8 million in 2022. This stat is more than double the rate of use for those in the 50 to 54, 55 to 59, and 60 to 64 age groups.⁶
• Opioid Misuse— Opioid misuse among those aged 26 to 29 decreased from 825,000 people in 2021 to 655,000 people in 2022. Within the 30 to 34 year old group, 1 million people reported opioid misuse in the last year. This figure is higher than all other 5-year NSDUH groupings.⁷
• Cocaine Use—Prevalence for cocaine use in the last year was highest among those 21 to 25. However, the 35 to 39 age group came in second highest among NSDUH’s 5 year groupings, accounting for 470,000 reported users.⁹
• Methamphetamine Use—Among all NSDUH 5-year age groups, meth use in the past year was highest among people 30 to 34 years of age (406,000 people). This figure jumped by more than 100,000 compared to 2021 data.¹⁰
• Inhalant Use—Aside from the 21 to 24 age range, the 26 to 29 age range saw the largest number of people who reported using inhalants in 2022, i.e., 249,000.¹¹

Gen Z Drug and Alcohol Use

Generation Z is the youngest generational group to come of age, consisting of people born between 1997 and 2012. Members of Gen Z were aged 11 to 26 in 2023. As such, many have no memory of events that shaped earlier generations, such as the 9/11 attacks or subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.²

Gen Zers have always grown up with access to the internet and a host of technologies, a fact that has shaped their sense of interconnectedness with the world around them.

Substance Use Disorders and Treatment Among Generation Z

The following NSDUH insights cover substance use, diagnosis, and treatment for Generation Z. Comprising those 11 to 26 in 2023, the generation is best represented by the 12 to 17 and 18 to 25 NSDUH groupings, which exceed typical 5-year time spans for other NSDUH cohorts.

• Alcohol Use Disorders—Among those aged 12 to 17, the number of those with an alcohol use disorder decreased from 2021 to 2022, i.e., from 965,000 to 753,000, respectively. However, during that same period, AUDs for the 18 to 25 age group increased from 5.18 million to 5.68 million. Compared to other 5-year NSDUH groupings, the 21 to 25 age group reported the highest number AUDs in 2022, i.e., 4.2 million.⁴
• Substance Use Disorders—Similar to data related to AUDs, substance use disorders between 2021 and 2022 decreased for the 12 to 17 age group and increased for the 18 to 25 age group, with the latter showing an uptick of nearly 1 million (i.e., from 8.76 million to 9.66 million). Compared to other 5-year NSDUH groupings, the 21 to 25 age group reported the highest number SUDs in 2022, i.e., 6.7 million.⁴
• Treatment—Despite the fact that the 21 to 25 age group reported both the highest AUD and SUD prevalence among other 5-year groupings in the NSDUH, only 1 million people in that age group received treatment for drug or alcohol use in 2022. The 30 to 34, 35 to 39, 40 to 44, and 60 to 64 age groups all show higher rates of treatment in 2022.⁵

Misuse of Specific Substances: Gen Z

Gen Z drug use outpaces all other age groups for factors such as prescription benzodiazepine misuse and cocaine use.^8,9

• Marijuana Use—Almost 13.3 million people aged 18 to 25 reported marijuana use in 2022. Among them, 8.8 million in the 21 to 25 age group reported past year use. Compared to 2021, marijuana use for 21 to 25 year olds increased by almost 1 million people compared in 2022, representing the highest prevalence reported among all NSDUH 5-year age groups.⁶
• Opioid Misuse—While opioid use for the entire 18 to 25 age range increased slightly between 2021 and 2022 (from 1.07 million to 1.12 million), use in the 21 to 25 year old group decreased slightly from 732,000 to 708,000.⁷
• Prescription Benzodiazepine Misuse—Between 2021 and 2022, misuse of prescription benzodiazepines decreased in both the 12 to 17 and 18 to 25 age groups. However, 2022 misuse in the 21 to 25 age group was still higher than all other 5-year NSDUH groupings.⁸
• Cocaine Use—Cocaine use in 2022 among those aged 21 to 25—i.e., 1 million individuals—far surpassed all other NSDUH 5-year groupings.⁹
• Methamphetamine Use—Among those age 21 to 25, only 124,000 people reported meth use in the past year. This figure is lower than all other 5-year NSDUH groupings.¹⁰
• Inhalant Use—Inhalant use among 12 to 17 year olds is significant, as 554,000 people reported past year use. Within this group, those 12 to 13 and 14 to 15 reported the most use at 185,00 and 208,000, respectively.¹¹