Top 15 Facts and Statistics on Drug Abuse

What is Drug Addiction or Substance Use Disorder?

Drug addiction is the chronic compulsive urge to repeatedly take drugs in order to feel well. The drugs affect the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, especially that of dopamine. The major symptoms of drug addiction are violence, increased psychological and physical dependence on the drug, increasing dosage, and frequency of drug use (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Drug addiction (substance use disorder)

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There are several de-addiction treatment options available to minimize the destructive effects of drug addiction. Scientific researches prove that a combination of medications and behavioral therapy along with yoga is one of the best ways to de-addiction in patients (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Exploring Drug De-addiction Treatment in Unani Medicine

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Top Facts on Drug Abuse

Statistics on Drug Abuse

1. 5% of people from non-metropolitan, rural countries used illegal drugs than 20.2% of people in larger metropolitan countries (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Drug Use Among Youth: Facts & Statistics
   
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2. Around 50% of people who are at 12 and older age have used illicit drug at least once (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Drug Abuse Statistics
   
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3. 25.4% of illegal drug users have drug disorder (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Drug Use Among Youth: Facts & Statistics
   
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4. 17% of women and 22% of men used illegal drugs or misused prescription drugs within the last year (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Drug Abuse Statistics
   
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5. In 2021, about 40.7 million Americans aged 12 or older were discovered to have used illegal drugs recently (5^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
   
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6. Over 65% of people aged 12 and above in the US who misuse painkillers obtain them from friends or family (6^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Prevalence of Prescription Pain Medication Use Among Adults: United States, 2015–2018
   
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7. Western states and New England youths are the most likely to have abused drugs (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Drug Use Among Youth: Facts & Statistics
   
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8. Around 270 million people used drugs last year, and about 35 million have drug use disorders (7^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Drugs (psychoactive)
   
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Addiction and Substance Use

9. Drug addiction is an obsessive-compulsive behavior. (8^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Treating Addiction with Severe OCD in the United States
   
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10. Barbiturates, benzodiazepines, opioids, and stimulants are the most commonly abused drugs in the United States, after marijuana (9^✔ ✔Trusted Source
    Misuse of Prescription Drugs Research Report
    
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11. Alcohol is the most often abused substance and it is the 3rdmost common cause of death in the United States (10^✔ ✔Trusted Source
    Knowing the Facts About Drugs & Alcohol
    
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12. The risk of addiction is high when the substance use starts earlier in life (11^✔ ✔Trusted Source
    Fast Facts About Addiction
    
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13. Teenagers and mental health disorder people greater risk for drug use and addiction (12^✔ ✔Trusted Source
    Alcohol and Drug Abuse Statistics (Facts About Addiction)
    
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14. Men are more likely to abuse than women and women may be just as prone to addiction (12^✔ ✔Trusted Source
    Alcohol and Drug Abuse Statistics (Facts About Addiction)
    
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Treatment for Drug Abuse

15. Addiction recovery outcomes can be greatly enhanced by treatments. It customized based on an individual's genetic profile and history of substance misuse (13^✔ ✔Trusted Source
    Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health
    
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