Statistics & Trends

Opioid addiction has stood at the center of the American drug addiction crisis since the late 1990s when pharmaceutical companies began aggressively promoting opioid painkillers to doctors and patients. But what is the scope of opioid addiction today?

A survey out of New York City found something quite alarming. According to the survey, about 80% of IV drug users in New York City tested positive for fentanyl, but only 18% intended to use that specific drug. These findings showcase the harmful issues of fentanyl being laced into the drug supply, how most addicts don’t go looking for this drug, and how many users end up getting it in their system anyway, almost always without knowing.

Colder and darker climates are associated with heavier alcohol consumption, more frequent instances of alcohol poisoning, and a high risk for alcohol-related car crashes. Not only are people more likely to drink, they are more likely to drink in greater quantities, more often, and in dangerous ways. Inclement weather and poor driving conditions make drunk driving during winter even more dangerous, and the cold weather has the potential to prevent drinkers from being as aware of how much they’ve consumed and the effect the alcohol is having on them.

Research shows winter is the worst season for drug overdoses in states where the temps drop and snow sets in. Cold weather, social isolation, hampered travel, slower emergency response times, and other factors all make this season more dangerous for drug users. All of those factors combined increase the urgency for those who struggle with drug addiction to enter qualified residential drug treatment centers as soon as possible.

It’s not often discussed, but the frequency with which alcohol is consumed and the volume by which it is consumed have both increased considerably in recent years. Further, newly published research suggests a direct connection between increased frequency and volume of consumption and a newly reported increase in alcoholic liver disease fatalities, as such fatalities now represent nearly half of all annual liver-related fatalities.

This article discusses the worrying link between marijuana use and suicide, providing multiple studies and findings that clearly indicate an increased risk. If the public were aware of these risks, would they ever have supported legislation in favor of legalization?

According to a recent study, the use of hallucinogens among young people doubled between 2018 and 2021. The findings indicate a concerning shift in youth drug use trends with far more American adolescents, teens, and young adults experimenting with potent mind-altering hallucinogenic substances than in years prior.

As states increasingly pass laws legalizing marijuana for recreational use, Americans must consider two key issues surrounding such a shift. For one, marijuana legalization in individual states has been connected to increased usage trends among young people in those states.

According to a recent report, illicit ketamine drug busts and seizures by law enforcement skyrocketed by 349% between 2017 and 2022. Ketamine has been in use for years as a tranquilizer medicine for veterinary practices and hospital applications, but now the sedative is a major drug of choice among addicts and recreational drug users.

Drug problems that used to assault our cities have brought their destructive influences to our rural areas. From Wisconsin to Kentucky and Oregon, a new kind of methamphetamine is creating psychosis, schizophrenia, and homelessness. It’s also involved in an increasing number of overdose deaths.

Around 80% to 90% of people who need drug and alcohol addiction treatment do not receive it, and for those who do, it is sometimes inadequate to provide them with the tools they need to overcome their addiction. And in addition to the people who accurately perceive they need treatment, millions more aren’t seeking treatment at all, even though they need it.

There’s much discussion about saving lives from drugs. But what would it take? It’s time to take a good hard look at the steps that would have to be taken to bring about a drug-free nation. The various fronts on which this battle would need to be fought are reviewed and evaluated.

Ketamine has been used recreationally in the U.S. for some time, but only recently have usage rates increased significantly, and only recently has the drug become a major drug of concern. Law enforcement offices are reporting spikes in ketamine busts and seizures, and hospitals are increasingly reporting ketamine chemicals in ER patients.

New research shows about one-third of substance-related auto accidents between two moving vehicles are caused by intoxicated drivers over 70, even though people in that age group do not comprise one-third of all drivers on the road.

Which drugs are being used more frequently by employed Americans? Are the trends in workplace drug use increasing or decreasing? This review of workplace drug tests from Quest Diagnostics tells employers what they need to know.

A new study has shown schools that have a significant percentage of students with prescriptions for ADHD medication also tend to have a higher percentage of students who misuse such drugs.

When the opioid addiction epidemic began in the early-2000s, only about one in ten addicts could find treatment, a disturbingly low figure. Unfortunately, the gap between those who are addicted and never get help and those who suffer from addiction but do get help continues to grow.

A new research paper published by the CDC tracked a 300% increase in overdose deaths caused by fentanyl between 2016 and 2021. According to the study’s authors, this is the single sharpest increase in drug-related deaths in such a short amount of time since America’s addiction epidemic began in the early 2000s.

A European study found that at least one in ten patients receiving ICU treatment for heart complications were active drug users, showing the stark connection between cardiovascular health conditions and drug abuse.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released their provisional count for fatal overdoses in 2022, highlighting that about 6,000 fewer Americans died from drugs in 2022 than in 2021. If the provisional figures are accurate, 2022 will represent the first year that drug-related fatalities dropped since 2018.

Statistically, Generation Z has been consuming less alcohol than Millennials, Gen X, or Baby Boomers. There could be myriad reasons for this, but it would be worthwhile to examine the cultural shift and attempt to isolate some of the reasons why young people consume less alcohol than previous generations...

A recent study found that almost one in five Americans takes sleeping pills, either over the counter or with a prescription. Unfortunately, many types of sleeping meds can be habit-forming, especially when taken in any way other than as prescribed by a doctor or as directed on the packaging.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published their life expectancy data for 2021, and the findings show Americans experienced their second year in a row of a drop in life expectancy. Several leading health and medical institutions, including the CDC and Harvard Health, are now pointing to drug overdoses as a primary contributing factor to the drop in life expectancy.

After trending up and down for decades, LSD use is at its highest level in many years. There are certain distinct causes for this rise—but are any of them valid? Are the effects of this new LSD experimentation likely to be positive or negative?

Research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows about one in eight children live in a household where at least one of their parents regularly abuses drugs and alcohol. Given what is known about the intergenerational nature of addiction, this means at least 12.5% of U.S. youths are at extremely high risk for developing addiction later in life simply as a result of their at-home living situation.

A significant percentage of young people undergo their first exposure to mind-altering drugs by simply consuming leftover medications they found in the family medicine cabinet or elsewhere in the home. Because it is far easier to prevent someone from using drugs than treat addiction once the person is hooked, families should commit to creating substance-free homes.

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest a slight leveling-out in overdose deaths across the U.S. This has led some to believe the worst of the addiction epidemic has passed. Unfortunately, no leveling-out or even a downturn in overdoses will become stable and lasting if effective treatment options are not made available to the 23 million addicts at constant risk of an overdose.

When illicit fentanyl production first became a serious problem in the United States, it was almost entirely a trafficking problem, with the fentanyl being made in Mexico and China and then trafficked to the U.S. But according to recent DEA reports, many clandestine labs have cropped up on U.S. soil, labs which are making the potent synthetic opioid and distributing it locally, especially in the form of counterfeit pills.

During the pandemic, admissions to addiction treatment centers dropped by about 25%. That same year, fatal drug overdoses hit the highest year-over-year increase ever recorded, a 30% spike according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These findings suggest that having access to drug rehab is truly lifesaving.

Even as opioid prescribing rates decline, a few thousand doctors are still responsible for the significant overprescribing of opioids to the broader public. With that in mind, the American people will not overcome the opioid epidemic until all doctors and prescribers agree to adopt more conservative, cautious prescribing guidelines as outlined by the CDC.

Since 2019, there have been 171 verified overdoses in Michigan that were traced back to a non-opioid animal tranquilizer called xylazine. That number is likely an undercount, but it is the most recent number Michigan toxicologists have published. Often without addicts knowing, drug dealers lace the tranquilizer into other drugs to create an extended high. Unfortunately, combining xylazine with other drugs increases users' risk for an overdose.

Decades of scientific efforts have sought to understand why some people become addicted to drugs and others do not. One research paper suggests the issue is far simpler than what many believed. According to the data, anyone and everyone are at risk for drug and alcohol addiction, hence the importance of educating the public about this critical health risk.

Drug addiction affects everyone differently. While such a crisis is unique to the individual, certain demographics face challenges one might not find elsewhere. For example, military veterans who become addicted to drugs and alcohol often feel disinclined to discuss their problems or seek addiction treatment.

A recent study has shown that since 2020, youth harm from drug abuse has skyrocketed. Further, this harm has occurred in a very peculiar way. While overall drug use rates have mostly stayed the same for young adult demographics, the harm from drug use (accidents, injuries, overdoses, and fatalities) has skyrocketed. Primarily because of the types of drugs being used, substance abuse is now far more dangerous for young people than it used to be.

New research has chronicled the alarming rise in methamphetamine-related deaths over the last few years. In the findings, analysts were able to identify where in the U.S., meth-related deaths have been occurring the most. The overwhelming majority of them are happening in rural counties across America. So what has caused the spike in rural methamphetamine overdoses?

Newly published research into youth drug use trends indicates an alarming, unpredicted surge in hallucinogen use. Those who are now hooked will need help getting off such drugs. Further, understanding what prompted the surge will be crucial in preventing more young people from experimenting with mind-altering drugs.

A recent study of 274 people found that adolescent cannabis users were three times more likely to develop severe cannabis addiction than other age groups. While cannabis poses an addiction risk for all people who experiment with it, younger users may be at significantly higher risk.

Alarm bells are ringing across public health and research sectors from the east coast to the west and everywhere in between. Drug-related fatalities continue to rise, with no apparent end in sight. Yet drug overdoses are preventable, and there are effective tools for combating drug addiction.

MDMA usage trends and statistics have shifted over time, presenting public health officials and family members with new challenges in combatting the problem.

Inhalants refer to a broad range of household and industrial chemicals whose volatile vapors or pressurized gases cause a mind-altering effect when breathed through the nose or mouth. Such vapors produce intoxication in a manner not intended by the manufacturer. In fact, many of these substances are actually poisonous to inhale, and they carry warning labels that specifically caution people not to inhale them.

If a drug has the potential to create mind-altering effects in those who use it, then that drug has the potential to cause harm. And while hallucinogenic drugs do not cause the high overdose rates or critical public health crises associated with other narcotics, such substances are still physically and mentally debilitating and overall quite harmful. This article aims to cover basic trends in usage and the statistics surrounding hallucinogen abuse in the United States.

Not all mind-altering substances receive equal attention from the media, policymakers, and public health officials. But any drug has the potential to harm the user, hence the importance of understanding usage trends and statistics for all drugs. This article briefly highlights relevant trends and statistics regarding club drug usage.

New and dangerous trends manifesting in the illicit drug use community reflect a dire need for addicts to seek treatment now.

While the entire world experienced a drop in human life expectancy in the last two years, the drop in the United States was much more pronounced than the global average, leading many experts to believe overdose deaths had an alarming effect on American mortality rates.

Though it is not often mentioned by the media, there is a broader economic cost to the national public health emergency of drug and alcohol addiction. Addiction is expensive, not just for addicts, but for all Americans. Conversely, solving America’s addiction epidemic and returning millions of recovering addicts to the workforce would benefit the economy.

New research shows that adolescent Americans, who had been experiencing a drop in drug use for part of the 21st century, saw their overdose death rate double in just one year, 2020. Experts believe that the recent spike in teen overdose deaths have been driven almost entirely by fentanyl overdoses.

In the late 20th century, tobacco and alcohol companies were caught using marketing techniques to advertise their products to young people. Today, it would appear that cannabis companies are attempting similar strategies to widen their customer base to include a younger demographic.

Researchers at the University of New England found that the rate of opioid-related cardiac arrests has risen dramatically and is now on par with the rate of cardiac arrest from other causes. The research sheds light on yet another major health risk connected to opioid addiction, i.e., the risk for suffering a potentially fatal heart complication.

New information shows that young people are increasingly overdosing on prescription drugs, namely psychotropic medications such as benzodiazepines and prescription stimulants.

Addiction is such a pervasive problem in America that one in eight Americans suffer from this problem. Grasping the extent of the problem is a vital first step to resolving it successfully.

Most of the focus regarding impaired driving goes to drunk driving. But what about drugged driving? What about marijuana-impaired driving?