HHS study: Nearly 49 million Americans reported substance use disorder in 2022

Key takeaways:

• Nearly 60% of Americans aged 12 years or older used tobacco, alcohol or illicit drugs or vaped nicotine in the past month.
• More than 13 million adults had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year.

According to new data released by HHS, 48.7 million Americans aged 12 years or older reported a substance use disorder in the past year, including 29.5 million with an alcohol use disorder and 27.2 million with a drug use disorder.

These results are part of the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which revealed how civilian, noninstitutionalized individuals aged 12 years and older in United States self-reported experiences with mental health, substance use and treatment-related behaviors.

“The National Survey on Drug Use and Health provides an annual snapshot of behavioral health nationwide,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in an HHS release. “This data informs knowledge, policy and action, and drives our shared commitment across government, healthcare, industry and community to offer resources and services to those in need.”

Other key findings in the report include:

• More than 59 million adults had any mental illness in the past year.
• Serious thoughts of suicide affected 13.2 million adults, including 3.8 million who made a suicide plan and 1.6 million who attempted suicide.
• Nearly 5 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 years had a major depressive episode, while 3.4 million had serious thoughts of suicide, 1.7 million made any suicide plans and 953,000 attempted suicide.
• Addictive substances also figured prominently in the report, with more than 168 million individuals aged 12 years and older using tobacco products, alcohol or illicit drugs or vaping nicotine in the past month.
• Marijuana was the most used illicit drug, with 61.9 million Americans using it over the past year.

“The data released today is crucial for informing our policies, protocols and understanding of our nation’s health,” Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, PhD, HHS assistant secretary for mental health and substance use and leader of SAMHSA, said in the release. “This important work better situates policy makers, researchers, practitioners and the general public to understand the collective behavioral health needs across the country and anticipate the needs of future generations.”