1 in 10 Americans Has Struggled With Drug Use: Study

Amanda Chan
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Problems with drug use plague more than 23 million Americans, this new study shows. (Photo: Getty Images)

One in 10 Americans has had a drug problem at some point in his or her lifetime, a new study suggests.

Data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism shows that 10 percent of Americans have had a drug use disorder in their lifetime, and 4 percent of Americans have had a drug use disorder in the last year.

To be diagnosed with a drug use disorder, you must have at least two of 11 symptoms outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), such as withdrawal, lack of control, cravings, and negative effects on personal or professional life. The more symptoms a person has, the greater the severity of the drug use disorder. Drugs include amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, opioids (like oxycodone), sedatives and tranquilizers, marijuana, hallucinogens, and inhalants.

Related: ‘It Felt Like Pure Love’: A Firsthand Look at Heroin’s Insidious Grip on Small Town U.S.A.

The findings, published in JAMA Psychiatry, are based on survey results from 36,000 people. Perhaps the most troubling finding of the study is that the majority of people with a drug use disorder don’t receive help: Just 14 percent of those surveyed who reported a drug use disorder in the last year have received care. (The numbers are only a little bit higher for those who have ever had a drug use disorder, at 25 percent.)

The researchers also found:

  • Drug use is more common among men, single people, and white and Native American people, as well as younger people and those with lower income and education levels.

  • People living in the 13 Western-most states have a higher risk of experiencing a drug use disorder in their lifetimes.

  • People with a drug use disorder are more likely to also have a range of psychiatric disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), personality disorders, or mood or anxiety disorders.

  • People with a drug use disorder are also more likely to have an alcohol or nicotine use disorder.

Related: Heroin Use in US Reaches Epidemic Numbers

“Based on these findings, more than 23 million adults in the United States have struggled with problematic drug use,” George F. Koob, PhD, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, said in a statement. “Given these numbers, and other recent findings about the prevalence and under-treatment of alcohol use disorder in the U.S., it is vitally important that we continue our efforts to understand the underlying causes of drug and alcohol addiction, their relationship to other psychiatric conditions and the most effective forms of treatment.”

The reported number of Americans with an alcohol use disorder is even higher — nearly one-third of Americans experience an alcohol use disorder at some point in their lives, according to a study published earlier this year by the same government organization. Diagnosing an alcohol use disorder is similar to diagnosing a drug use disorder, where you must meet certain symptom criteria.

Read This Next: It’s Official: A Lot of Us Have a Drinking Problem

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