Drug Addiction Statistics & Facts [2023 Update]

Alcohol and drug addiction are significant public health challenges. They affect not only the person but also their family and community.¹

Here are a few figures to show the extent of drug and alcohol addiction in the U.S.

U.S. Drug Addiction Statistics

Here are some key U.S. drug addiction statistics according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics:¹

• 50% of people 12 and older have used illicit drugs at least once
• Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. since 2000 are at 700,000
• The federal budget for drug control in 2020 was $35 billion

Quick Drug Addiction Statistics

The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics also reports that:^1,2

• As of 2020, 37,309 million Americans aged 12 years and older are current illegal drug users (used within the last 30 days)
• 25.4% of illegal drug users have a drug disorder
• 50% of teenagers have misused a drug at least once
• Marijuana is the most abused substance among Americans

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More Substance Abuse Statistics

Other substance abuse statistics show that:³

• 13% of persons aged 12 years and over used illicit drugs in the past month
• 1.9% of persons aged 12 years and over used a psychotherapeutic drug for nonmedical use in the past month

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Drug Use Demographics

According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, the demographics for drug use are:¹

• 22% of males and 17% of females used illegal drugs or misused prescription drugs within the last year
• 5% of people in non-metropolitan, rural counties used illegal drugs compared to 20.2% of people in larger metropolitan counties
• Drug use is highest among persons between the ages of 18-25, at 39%, compared to persons aged 26-29, at 34%

Drug-Related Deaths

When it comes to drug-related deaths from April 2020 to April 2021, the CDC reports that:⁴

• There were an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States 
• The number of drug overdose deaths reported has increased by 28.5% from the same period the year before
• Estimated overdose deaths from opioids increased to 75,673
• Deaths from synthetic opioids, psychostimulants, cocaine, and natural and semi-synthetic opioids also increased during this period

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Opioid Abuse Statistics  

Key findings from the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics show that:⁵

• Almost 50,000 people die every year from opioid overdose
• Over 10 million people misuse opioids in a year
• Opioids are a factor in at least 7 out of every 10 overdose deaths

While opioid use may be on a decline, additional statistics report:⁵

• 3.10 million people abused opioids in the past month
• 10.07 million people aged 12 years and older abused opioids in 2019
  • This is down 1.5% from 2018 when 10.25 million people abused opioids
• 745,000 people abused heroin last year

Alcohol Abuse Statistics

Among adults in the U.S.: 

• Roughly 25%had at least one heavy drinking day¹³
• Nearly 40% drink in excess¹⁴

Heavy drinking can lead to alcohol use disorder (AUD). It’s a serious chronic condition that: 

• Affects around 16 million people in the U.S¹⁴
• More prevalent among men (12.4%) than women (4.9%)¹⁵
• Most prevalent among 18- to 29-years-olds (16.2%)¹⁵
• Least common among people aged 65 years and older (1.5%)¹⁵

Young people usually drink less than adults. But if they do, they tend to drink more (binge drinking):

• Over 90% of alcohol consumed by young people is through binge drinking¹⁴
• Around 4.2 million young people binge drank at least once in the past month¹⁴
• Around 825,000 young people binge drank five times or more in the past month¹⁴

Barbiturates Abuse Statistics

Here are some key statistics about tranquilizer or sedative misuse:⁶

• Among people aged 12 or older in 2020, 6.2 million people misused tranquilizers or sedatives in the past year
• The percentage was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (3.7% or 1.2 million people)
• Adults aged 26 or older come in second (2.2% or 4.7 million people)
• Tranquilizer or sedative misuse is lowest among adolescents aged 12 to 17 (0.9% or 226,000 people)

The SAMHSA says that statistics about prescription tranquilizers or sedatives are "presented together because prescription drugs in both categories have a common effect on specific activity in the brain." Barbiturates are a kind of prescription sedative. 

Stimulant Abuse Statistics

The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics reports that:⁷

• 4.9 million people over 12 misuse prescription stimulants within 12 months
• 18.4% of the 4.9 million people who misused prescription stimulants were first-time users 
• 50.7% of abusers report using stimulants to stay alert and/or concentrate

Adderall is the most popular drug among stimulant abusers. Statistics show that:^7,1

• 75.8% of stimulant abusers use Adderall
• 614,000 teens aged 12 to 17 have admitted using Adderall for nonmedical reasons at some point
• Adderall abuse leads to almost 1,500 emergency room visits every year

Marijuana Abuse Statistics

Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug among Americans. Here are some key statistics about marijuana use:⁹ 

• 55 million or 16.9% of American adults currently use marijuana
• 45% of Americans have tried marijuana at least once
• 24% of 12th-graders who have used marijuana in the past year (2017) 

High marijuana use is partly related to Americans' beliefs about the drug's safety. Statistics show that:⁹

• 72% of Americans say that regular alcohol use is more of a health risk than the regular use of marijuana
• 76% of the population believe marijuana is less harmful than tobacco
• 67% believe marijuana is less harmful than prescription painkillers

Many American states have also legalized marijuana use. The industry made $10 billion in 2017.⁹ 

Hallucinogen Abuse Statistics

One study from the National Institute of Drug Abuse shows that:^8,16

• In 2021, 8% of young adults reported past-year hallucinogen use
• Hallucinogen use affects more than 5.5 million adults aged 18 and older
• The percentage of users in 2021 represents an all-time high since the category was first surveyed in 1988
• Types of hallucinogens reported by participants included LSD, MDMA, mescaline, peyote, “shrooms” or psilocybin, and PCP
• MDMA misuse showed statistically significant decreases within one year and the past five years. It decreased from 5% in both 2016 and 2020 to 3% in 2021

Drug Abuse and Mental Health Statistics

Long-term drug abuse may affect your mental health. More than one in four adults with serious mental health problems also have substance use problems.¹⁰ 

56.1% of 842,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 with a co-occurring MDE and an illicit drug or alcohol use disorder have received substance use treatment in the past year.¹¹

The most common mental health disorder associated with SUDs are the following:¹²

• Anxiety disorders
• Depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Psychotic illness
• Borderline personality disorder

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