2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Results Released

The Substance Abuse and Mental health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released their 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Results, “Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health”, accompanied by two infographics highlighting overall findings as well as findings by race and ethnicity.

The 2023 sample size was 67,679 and used multi-modal collection methods in gathering data from respondents. Conducted by the federal government since 1971, the NSDUH is a primary source of statistical information on self-reported substance use and mental health of the U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized population age 12 or older. 

The NSDUH measures include:

  • Use of illegal drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, and tobacco,
  • Substance use disorder and substance use treatment,
  • Major depressive episodes, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and other symptoms of mental illness, mental health care, and
  • Recovery from substance misuse and mental health issues.

Some trends identified in the 2023 data included:

  • Decrease in people who smoke cigarettes; but an increase in people who are nicotine vaping.
  • Slightly less individuals 12 – 21 are engaging in underage alcohol consumption; the rate of underage binge drinking is relatively the same compared to last year; and the rate of underage heavy alcohol use increased very slightly.
  • 1-in-4 Americans aged 12 and older used illicit drugs in the past year.
  • Nearly 1-in-30 Americans aged 12 and older misused a stimulant in the past year, which includes cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription stimulant misuse.
  • The rate of Opioid misuse and Fentanyl misuse remained relatively unchanged from the previous year.
  • 17.1% of people (48.5 million) had a substance use disorder in the past year, which is relatively unchanged from the previous year.
  • Nearly 1-in-4 adults aged 18 or older had a mental illness in the past year, with 5.7% identifying as having a serious mental illness in the past year.