Drug Addiction Facts & Statistics

According to studies gathering drug addiction facts and statistics, America’s problem with drugs has only grown with time. The pervasiveness of drug addiction stems from several factors, including alterations in brain chemistry caused by prescription and street drugs alike, increasing availability of drugs and untreated emotional or psychological conditions that lead to drug experimentation.

Drug Addiction Facts & Statistics in the US

Though drug addiction touches millions of addicted individuals and their families, few realize the widespread effects of drug addiction. From youth drug experimentation and years-long addictions among adults to those whose drug use ends in fatalities, statistics on drug use can be surprising. Here are just a few of the facts and statistics surrounding drug use in the United States.

Nearly 20 percent of United States residents, spanning between the ages of 16 and 59, have experimented illegally with drugs at least once in their lifetimes. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, nearly 20 million Americans 12 and older have engaged in illegal drug use.
Nearly half of American young adults surveyed between the ages of 18 and 21 have experimented with drugs.
Marijuana remains the most commonly abused drug in the nation, with nearly 12 percent of the United States population having engaged in marijuana use.
Drug addiction is responsible for and implicated in nearly 20,000 deaths annually in the United States, according to the Mayo Clinic. In fact, nearly 1,500 individuals addicted to drugs die every week across the country.
Nearly one-quarter of those who experiment with heroin develop a full-blown drug addiction.
Among adults in the United States, just over 2.5 percent admit to recent cocaine abuse.
Drug addiction affects nearly six percent of those residing in the US, with cocaine and amphetamines cited as the two most popular drugs of choice, after marijuana.
More than 500,000 individuals are serving sentences across the country for drug-related offenses.
According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), nearly two million visits to emergency departments across the country involved the use of illegal drugs.

Effective Treatment for Drug Addiction

Once drug addiction has developed, many individuals find themselves unable to cease using drugs without enrollment in a residential addiction recovery program to obtain drug addiction help. For many drug users, psychological treatment and physical detoxification in a sober, supportive environment allows them to finally enter recovery and embark upon a lifetime of sobriety.

According to studies gathering drug addiction facts and statistics, America’s problem with drug has only grown with time. The pervasiveness of drug addiction stems from several factors, including alterations in brain chemistry caused by prescription and street drugs alike, increasing availability of drugs, and untreated emotional or psychological conditions that lead to drug experimentation.

Nearly 20 percent of United States residents, spanning between the ages of 16 and 59, have experimented illegally with drugs at least once in their lifetimes. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, nearly 20 million Americans 12 and older have engaged in illegal drug use.
Nearly half of American young adults surveyed between the ages of 18 and 21 have experimented with drugs.
Marijuana remains the most commonly abused drug in the nation, with nearly 12 percent of the United States population having engaged in marijuana use.
Drug addiction is responsible for and implicated in nearly 20,000 deaths annually in the United States, according to the Mayo Clinic. In fact, nearly 1,500 individuals addicted to drugs die every week across the country.
Nearly one-quarter of those who experiment with heroin develop a full-blown drug addiction.
Among adults in the United States, just over two and a half percent admit to recent cocaine abuse.
Drug addiction affects nearly six percent of those residing in the U.S., with cocaine and amphetamines cited as the two most popular drugs of choice, after marijuana.
More than 500,000 individuals are serving sentences across the country for drug-related offenses.
According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), nearly 2 million visits to emergency departments across the country involved the use of illegal drugs.