Alcohol's Effects on Health

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Alcohol Treatment in the United States

Updated: January 2025

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Prevalence of Past-Year Alcohol Use Treatment

People Ages 12 and Older

According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 2.3 million people ages 12 and older who had alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the past year (7.9% of people with past-year AUD in this age group) received alcohol use treatment in the past year.1,2 This includes:

  • 1.3 million males ages 12 and older (7.6% of males with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 934,000 females ages 12 and older (7.8% of females with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 113,000 Black or African American people ages 12 and older (3.4% of Black or African American people with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 1.5 million White people ages 12 and older (8.1% of White people with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 97,000 people of two or more races ages 12 and older (11.7% of people of two or more races with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 409,000 Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 and older (8.6% of Hispanic or Latino people with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • Estimates for American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and Asian youth ages 12 and older were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.3
     

Youth Ages 12 to 17

According to the 2023 NSDUH, 73,000 youth ages 12 to 17 who had AUD in the past year (9.7% with past-year AUD in this age group) received alcohol use treatment in the past year.1,2 This includes:

  • 21,000 boys ages 12 to 17 (7.9% of boys with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 42,000 girls ages 12 to 17 (8.7% of girls with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 48,000 White youth ages 12 to 17 (11.0% of White youth with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 10,000 Hispanic or Latino youth ages 12 to 17 (4.7% of Hispanic or Latino youth with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • Estimates for Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and Asian youth ages 12 to 17, as well as those of two or more races, were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.3
     
Less than 10 percent of people with past-year alcohol use disorder receive any treatment. Source: 2023 NSDUH.

Adults Ages 18 and Older

According to the 2023 NSDUH, 2.2 million adults ages 18 and older who had AUD in the past year (7.8% of those with past-year AUD in this age group) received alcohol use treatment in the past year.1,2 This includes:

  • 1.3 million men ages 18 and older (7.6% of men with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 892,000 women ages 18 and older (7.8% of women with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 109,000 Black or African American adults ages 18 and older (3.4% of Black or African American adults with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 1.5 million White adults ages 18 and older (8.1% of White adults with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 97,000 adults of two or more races ages 18 and older (12.1% of adults of two or more races with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • 399,000 Hispanic or Latino adults ages 18 and older (8.8% of Hispanic or Latino adults with past-year AUD in this age group)3
  • Estimates for American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and Asian adults ages 18 and older were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.3
     

People with AUD were more likely to seek care from a primary care provider for an alcohol-related medical problem rather than specifically for drinking too much alcohol.4,5

Medication-Assisted Treatment

People Ages 12 and Older

Among an estimated 28.9 million people ages 12 and older with past-year AUD in 2023, only 1.9% (or 554,000 people in this age group) received medication-assisted treatment for AUD in the past year.6,7,8

Youth Ages 12 to 17

Among an estimated 757,000 youth ages 12 to 17 with past-year AUD in 2023, only 0.3% (or 2,000 people in this age group) received medication-assisted treatment for AUD in the past year.6,7,8

Adults Ages 18 and Older

Among an estimated 28.1 million adults with past-year AUD in 2023, only 2.0% (or 552,000 people in this age group) received medication-assisted treatment for AUD in the past year.6,7,8

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), many (but not all) NSDUH estimates from 2023 are comparable with 2022 and updated 2021 estimates. However, 2021–2023 estimates are not comparable with 2020 or prior years’ estimates. Please see the 2023 NSDUH Frequently Asked Questions and section 2.3.4 of the 2023 Methodological Summary and Definitions report for more details.

References

  1. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ). 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 5.30A – Received substance use treatment in past year: among people aged 12 and older; by age group and past year drug use disorder, past year alcohol use disorder, past year drug and alcohol use disorder, and past year substance use disorder, numbers in thousands, 2022 and 2023. [cited 2024 Aug 6]. Available from: https://samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables 
  2. SAMHSA, CBHSQ. 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 5.30B – Received substance use treatment in past year: among people aged 12 and older; by age group and past year drug use disorder, past year alcohol use disorder, past year drug and alcohol use disorder, and past year substance use disorder, percentages, 2022 and 2023. [cited 2024 Aug 6]. Available from: https://samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables
  3. AUD: having met two or more of the 11 AUD diagnostic criteria according to American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). Alcohol use treatment: treatment through inpatient treatment/counseling, outpatient treatment/counseling, medication-assisted treatment, telehealth treatment, or treatment received in a prison, jail, or juvenile detention center. Population prevalence estimates (%) are weighted by the person-level analysis weight and derived from the CBHSQ 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH-2023-DS0001) public-use file. [cited 2025 Jan 2]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/data-we-collect/nsduh/datafiles
  4. Rehm J, Anderson P, Manthey J, Shield KD, Struzzo P, Wojnar M, Gual A. Alcohol use disorders in primary health care: what do we know and where do we go? Alcohol Alcohol. 2016;51(4):422-7. PubMed PMID: 26574600
  5. O’Connor PG, Nyquist JG, McLellan AT. Integrating addiction medicine into graduate medical education in primary care: the time has come. Ann Intern Med. 2011;154(1):56-9. PubMed PMID: 21200039
  6. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 5.1A – Substance use disorder for specific substances in past year: among people aged 12 and older; by age group, numbers in thousands, 2022 and 2023. [cited 2024 Aug 6]. Available from: https://samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables
  7. SAMHSA, CBHSQ. 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 5.21B – Received medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for alcohol use in past year: among people aged 12 and older; received MAT for alcohol use in past year: among people aged 12 and older with past year alcohol use disorder; by demographic characteristics, percentages, 2022 and 2023. [cited 2024 Aug 6]. Available from: https://samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables
  8. SAMHSA, CBHSQ. 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 5.21A – Received medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for alcohol use in past year: among people aged 12 and older; received MAT for alcohol use in past year: among people aged 12 and older with past year alcohol use disorder; by demographic characteristics, numbers in thousands, 2022 and 2023. [cited 2024 Aug 6]. Available from: https://samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables

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