These drug and alcohol substance abuse statistics include historical survey findings. The year and measurement period matter when interpreting each figure.
National survey / 2024
Explore substance use by age
Percentage of people in each age group reporting use or misuse in the past year, from the 2024 national survey. These are measures of reported behavior, not diagnoses of addiction.
All ages 12+ · 2024 · past year
US civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 12 and older. Categories overlap and must not be added together. Prescription medication misuse combines pain relievers, stimulants, tranquilizers and sedatives used other than as directed; marijuana is reported regardless of state legality. Standard errors describe sampling uncertainty, in percentage points; they are not confidence intervals. Point differences alone do not establish a statistically significant change.
US civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 12 and older.View all chart data and sources
Group / year Percentage Uncertainty Alcohol use 62.0% Standard error: 0.40 percentage points Marijuana use 22.3% Standard error: 0.34 percentage points Prescription medication misuse 4.8% Standard error: 0.14 percentage points Hallucinogen use 3.6% Standard error: 0.13 percentage points Group / year Percentage Uncertainty Alcohol use 16.4% Standard error: 0.53 percentage points Marijuana use 10.4% Standard error: 0.41 percentage points Prescription medication misuse 2.5% Standard error: 0.20 percentage points Hallucinogen use 1.6% Standard error: 0.16 percentage points Group / year Percentage Uncertainty Alcohol use 66.8% Standard error: 0.66 percentage points Marijuana use 35.0% Standard error: 0.64 percentage points Prescription medication misuse 5.8% Standard error: 0.31 percentage points Hallucinogen use 6.8% Standard error: 0.33 percentage points Group / year Percentage Uncertainty Alcohol use 66.5% Standard error: 0.46 percentage points Marijuana use 21.7% Standard error: 0.40 percentage points Prescription medication misuse 4.9% Standard error: 0.17 percentage points Hallucinogen use 3.4% Standard error: 0.16 percentage points
- In 2010, an estimated 7 million people in the US reported nonmedical use of prescription drugs in the past month. See 7 Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse to Look for in a Loved One.
- Past-month nonmedical prescription drug use in 2010 included 5.1 million pain-reliever users, 2.6 million sedative or tranquilizer users, and 1.1 million stimulant users. See 7 Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse to Look for in a Loved One.
- In the 2010 Monitoring the Future survey, 8% of 12th graders reported nonmedical Vicodin use in the past year. See 7 Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse to Look for in a Loved One.
- In 2014, an estimated 1.5 million people aged 12 or older in the US reported cocaine use in the past month, or 0.6% of that population. See 8 Cocaine Withdrawal Symptoms to Watch Out For.
- 40% of those who attend AA meetings drop out within the first year. Appears in 6 Advantages of Christian Rehab Centers
- 80% of people in AA don’t use alcohol again after attending meetings for one year. Appears in 6 Advantages of Christian Rehab Centers
- 18% of people turning to rehab do so because of an addiction to alcohol and at least one drug. Appears in 6 Advantages of Christian Rehab Centers
- People with mood or anxiety disorders are almost 2x as likely to also suffer from a drug disorder. For help with mood or anxiety disorders, check out Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center.
- People with drug disorders are roughly 2x as likely to be diagnosed with mood or anxiety disorders
- NIDA estimates that genetic factors account for 40–60% of vulnerability to substance use disorders. This estimate concerns susceptibility to a disorder, not an individual prediction of relapse.
- In 2022, the injection-drug-use transmission category accounted for 7% of estimated new HIV infections in the US. This measures new infections, not AIDS deaths.