How Many People Are Addicted to Drugs in the US?

When it comes to drug abuse and addiction, age is an important factor. For example, did you know that people between 18 and 25 years old are the most likely to use addictive substances? Let’s take a closer look at specific age and population demographics for addiction.

Perhaps one of the most interesting facts about substance abuse is that over 90% of those who have developed an addiction started to use drugs or drink alcohol before they turned 18.

In 2017, around 5.1 million Americans age 18 to 25 struggled with a form of substance use disorder. This is about 1 in 7 people and reflects 14.8% of this age group’s population. As for alcohol use disorder, it affected about 10% of the young adult population. That’s about 3.4 million people between the ages 18 and 25 being affected by alcoholism. Meanwhile, or 2.5 million people, or 7.3% of this population, was affected by an illicit drug disorder.

It’s also concerning that heroin use among this population had doubled within the past decade.

But addiction can affect anyone at any age. In fact, back in 2017, there were approximately 992,000 adolescents in the US aged 12 to 17 who suffered from a form of substance use disorder. That accounts for 1 in 25 people within that age group. It was reported around this time that around 741,000 people in this age group suffered from an illicit drug use disorder.

Alcohol use disorder is also common in this age group, with around 443,000 adolescents reportedly struggling with the condition in 2017. That’s about 1.8% of all adolescents.

If it affects the younger population, then it also affects the older demographics. Here are some interesting substance use statistics about people in the US over the age of 26:

An estimated 13.6 million adults over the age of 26 suffered from a substance use disorder in 2017. That’s about 6.4% of this age group.

In terms of illicit drug use, 2% of this age group struggled with drug abuse and addiction. That’s around 4.3 million people. Finally, about 10.6 million US adults over the age of 26 had alcohol problems. That’s around 5% of this age group’s population.

Sadly, even the elderly are not completely safe from drug abuse and addiction. In fact, more than 1 million adults over the age of 65 had a substance use disorder back in 2017. During that same year, about 978,000 elderly people struggled with alcoholism while 93,000 suffered from a drug use disorder.

Interestingly, only two-thirds of the senior citizens over 65 developed alcohol use disorder before that age, meaning even people in this age group are still at risk of developing an addiction. It is entirely possible to develop the problem much later in life.

If we take a look at specific demographics, we can see that more men develop a substance use disorder than women. In 2017, around 9.4% of men over the age of 12 developed the condition while only 5.2% of women got it.

Although men are more likely to abuse these illicit drugs, women are just as likely to develop an addiction if they do abuse them.

In terms of ethnicity and race, American Indians and Alaska Natives over the age of 12 had the highest substance abuse and dependence rate, at 12.8% back in 2017.

White people had a 7.7% substance abuse rate, while African Americans had 6.8%. Hispanics or Latinos had a 6.6% substance abuse rate. As for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, 4.6% of them struggled with substance use disorders.

Meanwhile, Asian Americans had the lowest rate of substance abuse disorder at 3.8%.

As the most commonly abused substance in the US, it’s no surprise that a lot of people suffer from alcohol use disorder or AUD. Just like any other substance, alcohol abuse can cause severely detrimental effects to a person’s physical and mental health. It can even affect their social life, including their career and their relationships with other people. Unfortunately, drinking socially is something that is widely accepted and celebrated in many cultures, including the US. It can be difficult to tell apart someone who just drinks socially and someone who has an actual drinking problem. This is also just one of the reasons why alcoholism usually goes untreated.

Alcohol abuse can be deadly. Each year, alcohol is the cause of 5.3% of deaths around the world. Speaking of worldwide statistics, around 300 million people have an AUD.

But alcohol use disorder also has a heavy impact on the US population. An estimated 30 Americans die every day due to a car accident that can be linked to alcohol consumption. Alcohol poisoning is also common, with an average of 6 people in the US dying every day because of it. An estimated total of 88,000 people in the US die each year as a consequence of alcohol abuse.

The most unfortunate part is that very few people ever receive proper addiction treatment. About 6% of US adults have an alcohol use disorder—that’s around 15 million people—but only 7% of those people get treatment.

If we are talking about specifics, the demographic that is most likely to engage in binge drinking and develop an alcohol problem are men within the 18 to 25 age range.

Opioids are a class of drugs that can block pain signals from your brain. Unfortunately, this also causes euphoria, which makes a person feel good and puts them at risk of getting addicted. While opioids are useful as painkillers, they also pose a high risk for overdose and addiction. Most opioids are controlled substances because of their addictive potential.

While some opioids are prescribed by doctors, some are also sold illegally due to the fact that these are controlled substances. Both prescribed and illegal opioids have caused an increase in overdose deaths in the last two decades. This may have something to do with the fact that opioid painkiller sales have skyrocketed by 300% since 1999.

An estimated 130 people in the US end up dying from an opioid-related overdose every single day. It is unfortunate that this type of drug is commonly prescribed because around 20% to 30% of patients that are given opioid prescriptions end up misusing them. Plus, roughly 10% of those who misuse their opioid prescription end up becoming addicted to them.

This is perhaps why over 2.1 million people in the US have an opioid use disorder.

Interestingly, an estimated 5% of people who misuse opioids or have an opioid use disorder will eventually try heroin; which brings us to our next topic: heroin addiction.

Heroin is a type of opioid that is both incredibly potent and addictive. As such, it is considered an illicit drug. Heroin is illegal as it can pose serious health risks, including overdose which may be fatal. This drug, especially the version that is mixed with the powerful synthetic opioid Fentanyl, is a major contributor to the US opioid epidemic.

Each year, there are over 100,000 new heroin users. An estimated 0.3% of American adults are users of heroin.

People should keep in mind how dangerous this drug is. Overdose death rates are not only a possibility, but they are also more common than you think. Over 28% of fatalities caused by an opioid overdose in 2019 were related to a heroin use disorder. That year, there were 14,019 deaths linked to heroin overdose.

Cocaine is a stimulant that is illegal due to its potential to damage organs, cause respiratory failure, and provoke mental health disorders. Also known as crack, cocaine is highly addictive. There are some cocaine users who reportedly became addicted after their first use.

An estimated 5 million Americans are cocaine users. Cocaine-related deaths are also common. In fact, fatalities linked to cocaine have increased each year since 2013. It was recorded in 2018 that 14,666 deaths were related to cocaine use.

In terms of age demographics, people ages 18 and 25 were the most likely to abuse cocaine.

Commonly known as meth, methamphetamine is a controlled substance that is known for its high potential for abuse, overdose, and addiction. It is an illegal substance that is abused by over 774,000 people in the US. Surprisingly, about 16,000 of these people are between the ages 12 and 17.

Cocaine is highly addictive and it is extremely dangerous for a person’s health. From 2015 to 2019, meth overdose death rates increased almost threefold.

In 2019, the US Drug Enforcement Administration obtained over 117,000 pounds of methamphetamine.

Hallucinogens are a category of mild-altering drugs. This includes PCP, LSD, DMT, psilocybin mushrooms, ketamine, ecstasy, mescaline, and salvia. All of these drugs are illegal due to their potential risk of inducing traumatizing hallucinations. Some of them are also addictive.

In the US, around 1.4 million people are considered regular users of hallucinogens. Out of this statistic, roughly 143,000 are minors between the ages 12 and 17. As of 2020, nearly 8% of all 12th graders had used hallucinogens at least once. Roughly 20 million people in the US have tried LSD.

Inhalants are a collection of gasses, aerosol sprays, and solvents that some people use to get high. Household objects like glue, hair spray, nail polish, and leather cleaner are considered inhalants because they can produce mind-altering effects when inhaled. Some recreational users “huff” these inhalants to experience the high. However, doing so puts them at risk of losing consciousness or even developing an addiction.

Over 23 million people in the US have tried “huffing” an inhalant at least once in their lives. Meanwhile, around 556,000 Americans are regular users of inhalants. But these seemingly harmless household objects can actually be very dangerous. In fact, inhalants contribute to about 15% of deaths by suffocation each year.

Since 1990, drug overdose deaths have more than tripled. But the good news is that it seems to have slowed down recently according to new data published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2022, it was reported that 107,735 people died of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending in July. This is fewer by 2,500 deaths compared to the record reached in March. This marks a 2% drop over the span of four months.

That said, annual death rates related to drug overdoses are still high. The reported record in July is still 25% higher than they were two years ago. It is higher by more than 50% compared to the recorded rates five years ago.

Even the types of drugs involved in fatal overdoses have shifted. Psychostimulants like meth and synthetic opioids like Fentanyl are now involved with more overdose deaths. This was not the case five years ago, according to CDC studies.

This may be due to the fact that meth and Fentanyl are now being used in combination with other substances like cocaine and heroin. More and more people are mixing these drugs to get a more intense high. But the consequence is a higher risk of a fatal overdose. Some of these drugs are dangerous because they slow down your heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, etc. They can do so to the point where the person stops breathing altogether.

While addiction affects many people, not everyone seeks treatment. In 2017, for example, there were around 20.7 million people over the age of 12 who needed treatment for their substance abuse. However, only 4 million people actually received addiction treatment. That’s just 19% of the people who actually needed it.

That same year, of the 18 million people who needed but did not receive proper treatment, only 1 million felt like they needed treatment for their condition. That’s just 5.7% of the people who needed addiction treatment.

For those who want to receive treatment for their addiction, there are plenty of treatment programs and options out there. There are several substance abuse treatment centers in the US that provide a wide range of care options. There are behavioral therapy programs, counseling, medication, medical detox, case management, and many other treatment options. Rehab facilities may vary in terms of the kind of programs they offer. It’s best to look for a rehab center that suits the patient’s specific needs.

There are also plenty of support groups to join. For example, Alcoholics Anonymous or AA has over 120,000 groups in more than 175 countries worldwide. They have more than 2 million members around the world.

In terms of treatment for substance use disorders, the relapse rate sits between 40% and 60%. This means relapse is a common thing, and should not be viewed as a sign of failure. It is just another roadblock in your journey towards lasting recovery. It only means the patient has more work to do. In fact, this relapse rate is similar to the rates of relapse for other chronic diseases like asthma and hypertension.

The important thing to remember is that recovery is possible. Addiction may be a chronic condition, but it is a highly treatable disease.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides plenty of resources about drug abuse and addiction treatment.

Look for a rehab near you today and get started on the road to long-lasting sobriety.

Treatment is an addicted individualʼs best option if they want to recover. Beating an addiction not only requires eliminating the physical dependence, but also addressing the behavioral factors that prevent them from wanting to get better. Simply quitting may not change the psychological aspect of addiction. Some people quit for a while, and then take drugs or alcohol again, only to overdose because they did not detox properly. Recovery involves changing the way the patient feels, thinks, and behaves.