Addiction is a deadly disease that affects millions of Americans each year. From problems with alcohol addiction to drugs addictions like opioids and cocaine, to co-occurring diseases, many more people are suffering from addiction than you may think. Here are some of the most significant statistics about addiction in America:
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 19.7 million Americans (above the age of 12) suffered from some type of substance abuse disorder in 2017
Also in 2017, 38% of adults battled an illicit drug use disorder
1 out of every 8 American adults suffered from both a drug and alcohol addiction at the same time
8.5 million Americans also suffer from co-occurring disorders, which is the combination of a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder
Deaths from drug overdosage have tripled since 1990 and from 1999 to 2017, more than 700,000 Americans died due to overdose
The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that drug abuse and addiction cost American society more than $740 billion annually in lost workplace productivity, healthcare expenses, and crime-related costs
Statistics on Alcohol Addiction
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Almost 74% of adults suffering from a substance use disorder in 2017 struggled with an alcohol use disorder, which adds up to 14.5 million Americans above the age of 12
Alcohol is the cause of 1 in every 20 deaths and is the third-leading cause of preventable death in the United States
Out of the 15 million people who have an alcohol abuse disorder, only about 7% of them ever receive treatment
More than 50% of the adults in America have a family member or multiple family members that have a drinking problem
Statistics on Drug Addiction
Opioid Addiction
Around 2.1 million American adults struggle from an opioid use disorder
Almost every single day, 130 Americans die from an opioid overdose
Approximately 1 out of every 10 people who try opioids will later become addicted to the substance
Since 1999, there has been a 300% increase of the sale of opioid pain killers
Heroin Addiction
There were about 652,000 people age 12 and older that suffered from a heroin use disorder
1 out of every 4 people who try heroin will become addicted
In 2017, over 15,000 Americans died due to overdosing on heroin
Heroin addiction is also related to abusing other substances as well:
Those with an alcohol addiction are 2 times more likely to be addicted to heroin
Individuals with a marijuana addiction are 3 times more likely to be addicted to heroin
Those addicted to cocaine can be 15 times more likely to be addicted to heroin
Individuals addicted to prescription drugs are up to 40 times more likely to also be addicted to heroin
Cocaine Addiction
There are about 5 million Americans that regularly used cocaine
In 2017, around 1 million Americans over the age of 12 struggled from a cocaine use disorder
Also in 2017, 1 out of every 5 overdose deaths involved cocaine
In between the years 2016 and 2017, there was a 34% increase in cocaine-related overdose deaths
Marijuana Addiction
Around 43% of American adults have admitted to trying marijuana in their lifetime
30-40 million Americans will use marijuana in any given year
Of this, in 2017, there were 4.1 million American adults over the age of 12 that suffered from marijuana use disorder
The vast majority of people who battle marijuana use disorder are between the ages 12 and 25
In 1990, an average batch of marijuana only contained about 4% of THC but in 2017, an average batch of marijuana contained around 12% of THC, making it much more powerful
Statistics on Addiction Treatment
For the 20.7 million American adults who needed treatment for a substance use disorder in 2017, only 4 million people actually received treatment
Over 14,500 specialized substance abuse treatment facilities exist in the United States, providing a wide range of recovery options
There are more than 2 million members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) around the globe
Almost 1 out of every 10 Americans, or 10%, are in recovery from a substance abuse issue