Proem Health Blog

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week: 15 Noteworthy Facts and Stats

Written by Holly Wilson | Mar 22, 2023

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW) takes place this year from March 20–March 26. As the National Institute on Drug Abuse notes, "NDAFW is an annual, week-long health observance that inspires dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth. NDAFW provides an opportunity to bring together scientists, students, educators, healthcare providers and community partners to help advance the science and address youth drug and alcohol use in communities and nationwide." 

As a company that partners with and supports substance use disorder (SUD) clinics in their efforts to treat those with a SUD and possibly mental illness as well, we at Proem are working to help raise further awareness of this week and its mission.

Facts and Stats About Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Let's take a look at 15 facts and statistics about drug and alcohol addiction.

  1. More than 29 million people ages 12 and older had alcohol use disorder (AUD) in 2021.
  2. Of the 29 million, about 16.6 million were male and 13.0 million were female.
  3. Nearly 900,000 youth ages 12 to 17 had AUD in 2021.
  4. More than 106,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2021.
  5. Deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily fentanyl) caused more than 70,000 overdose deaths reported in 2021. 
  6. In 2019, only about 10% of those with SUD received SUD treatment.
  7. Excessive alcohol use led to more than 140,000 deaths and 3.6 million years of potential life lost each year in the United States from 2015–2019.
  8. AUD shortened the lives of those who died by an average of 26 years. 
  9. Excessive drinking was responsible for 1 in 5 deaths among adults aged 20-49 years. 
  10. As of 2021, approximately 9.2 million adults in the United States had a co-occurring mental illness and SUD.
  11. Of the 20 million adults with SUD in 2017, about 38% also had mental illness.
  12. Among the roughly 42 million adults with mental illness in 2017, more than 18% also had SUD.
  13. More than 52% of people with co-occurring SUD and mental illness in 2017 received neither mental health care nor SUD treatment.
  14. Only about 35% of people with co-occurring disorders in 2017 received mental health care.
  15. Only about 9% of people with co-occurring disorders in 2017 received both mental health care and SUD treatment.

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