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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