National Survey on Drug Use & Health

SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use & Health is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use in the general U.S. civilian non institutionalized population, age 12 and older.  

Key points from the study include:

• In 2007, 23.2 million persons aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem (9.4 percent of the persons aged 12 or older).
• Of these, 2.4 million (1.0 percent of persons aged 12 or older and 10.4 percent of those who needed treatment) received treatment at a specialty facility.
• 20.8 million persons (8.4 percent of the population aged 12 or older) needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem but did not receive treatment at a specialty substance addiction facility in the past year.
• Of the 2.4 million people aged 12 or older who received specialty substance use treatment in 2007, 952,000 received treatment for alcohol use only, 728,000 received treatment for illicit drug use only, and 615,000 persons received treatment for both alcohol and illicit drug use.
• In 2007, among persons who received their last or current substance use treatment at a specialty facility in the past year, 53.3 percent reported using their "own savings or earnings" as a source of payment for their most recent specialty treatment, 34.9 percent reported using private health insurance, 26.3 percent reported using public assistance other than Medicaid, 19.7 percent reported using Medicare, 19.6 percent reported using funds from family members, and 18.2 percent reported using Medicaid.

This document is available at www.oas.samhsa.gov/nsduh.htm.