April 2017

Overview

Substance abuse (also referred to as substance use disorders) is a set of related conditions associated with the consumption of mind- and behavior-altering substances that have negative behavioral and health outcomes.¹ Substance use disorders (SUDs) affect people from all walks of life and all age groups.² SUDs occur when the recurrent use of alcohol and/or drugs causes clinically and functionally significant impairment, such as health problems, disability, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home.³ The most common SUDs in the United States are those related to alcohol, tobacco, cannabis (marijuana), stimulants, hallucinogens, and opioids.³ In the past year, 20.2 million adults (8.4%) had an SUD.²

Alcohol is the most widely misused substance among America’s youth.⁴ Although consumption of alcohol by anyone under the age of 21 (also known as underage drinking) is illegal, it remains a considerable public health challenge.⁴ In 2016, 7% of 8th graders and 33% of 12th graders drank during the past 30 days, and 3% of 8th graders and 16% of 12th graders binge drank during the past 2 weeks.⁵ In 2015, 20% of youth aged 12 to 20 years reported drinking alcohol and 13% reported binge drinking in the past 30 days.⁶

SUDs have a major impact on individuals, families, and communities. The effects of SUDs are cumulative, significantly contributing to costly social, physical, mental, and public health problems.⁷ Preventing and treating SUDs and related problems in children, adolescents, and young adults are critical to Americans’ behavioral and physical health.⁸

Learn More About Substance Abuse

Leading Health Indicators

Leading Health Indicators (LHIs) are critical health issues that—if tackled appropriately—will dramatically reduce the leading causes of death and preventable illnesses. The Substance Abuse LHIs are:

• Adolescents using alcohol or any illicit drugs during the past 30 days
• Adults engaging in binge drinking during the past 30 days

Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

The rate of alcohol or illicit drug use in the past 30 days among adolescents aged 12–17 years was 14.2% in 2015.^* Rates were higher among adolescents aged 16–17 years (26.8%) and 14–15 years (11.8%) compared to adolescents aged 12–13 years (3.4%).

In 2015, the rate of adults aged 18 years and over who engaged in binge drinking in the past 30 days was 26.9%.^* Several population groups in selected demographic categories had the lowest rate of binge drinking among adults in the past 30 days, including Asian persons, females, those aged 85 and over, those born outside of the U.S., veterans, and widowed persons.

^* The baseline and target for this objective were revised. In 2015, SAMHSA implemented changes to the NSDUH including survey questionnaire, respondent materials, and data collection equipment; as a result data presented in this report are not comparable with data from previous years. For more information, please see:
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-TrendBreak-2015.pdf
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-RedesignChanges-2015.pdf

Who’s Leading the Leading Health Indicators?

Engaging Communities in the Fight against Underage Drinking

In 2013, a research team led by Dr. Kelli Komro from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, in partnership with the Cherokee Nation, set out to implement and evaluate different interventions to prevent youth alcohol use in northeastern Oklahoma. Through the Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol program, Dr. Komro documented a 25% drop in current alcohol use, 24% drop in heavy episodic drinking (5 or more drinks at once), and 22% drop in alcohol-related consequences among young people in targeted communities.

Read the Full Story

Leading Health Indicator Infographic

¹ https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/substance-abuse

² https://www.samhsa.gov/disorders

³ https://www.samhsa.gov/disorders/substance-use

⁴ https://www.samhsa.gov/underage-drinking-topic

⁵ Johnston LD, O’Malley PM, Miech RA, Bachman JG, Schulenberg JE. Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2016: Overview, key findings on adolescent drug use. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan; 2017.

⁶ Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; 2016.

⁷ https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/leading-health-indicators/2020-lhi-topics/Substance-Abuse

⁸ https://www.samhsa.gov/prevention

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