Trends in Substance Use Disorders Among Adults Aged 18 or Older

Trends in Substance Use Disorders Among Adults Aged 18 or Older

TRENDS IN SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS AMONG ADULTS AGED 18 OR OLDER

AUTHORS

Rachel N. Lipari, Ph.D., and Struther L. Van Horn, M.A.

In Brief

• In 2014, approximately 20.2 million adults aged 18 or older had a past year substance use disorder (SUD). Of these adults, 16.3 million had an alcohol use disorder and 6.2 million had an illicit drug use disorder.

• An estimated 2.3 million adults had both an alcohol use disorder and an illicit drug use disorder in the past year. Of the adults with a past year SUD, 4 out of 5 had an alcohol use disorder, nearly 3 out of 10 had an illicit drug use disorder, and 1 out of 9 had both an alcohol use disorder and an illicit drug use disorder.  

• The percentage of adults with a past year SUD in 2014 was similar to the percentages in 2010 to 2013 but was lower than the percentages in 2002 to 2009. This same pattern was seen in trends of adults with both an alcohol use disorder and an illicit drug use disorder.

• In 2014, 2.5 million adults aged 18 or older received treatment for alcohol or illicit drug use at a specialty facility in the past year. This translates to 1.0 percent of the total adult population, or 7.5 percent of adults with a past year SUD, receiving substance use treatment in the past year.