Addiction & Recovery Facts
General
Substance addiction is a growing issue in the United States that impacts millions of people and their families.
-
Twenty-three million Americans age 12 or older suffer from alcohol and drug addiction. (1)
-
More than 15 million of those are dependent on alcohol, roughly 4 million are dependent on drugs, the rest are dependent on both. (2)
-
In 2006, nearly 1.8 million Americans were admitted to drug and alcohol treatment facilities.
-
Preliminary data for 2009 from the CDC show the highest percentage in a decade measured for adults who have consumed more than 5 drinks a day (23 percent). (8)
Youth
-
In 2008, 9.3 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 were current illicit drug users. (2)
-
More than 14.5 percent of U.S. kids ages 12 - 17 drink alcohol. (4)
-
Children of alcoholics are four times as likely to develop problems with alcohol. (4)
-
Nearly 17 percent of all children under age 14 in the U.S., and 20 percent of children under 18 live with a parent (or legally responsible adult) who drinks heavily or has an alcohol problem. (3)
There is Hope in Recovery
-
In any given day, over 700,000 Americans seek treatment for alcohol or drug addiction.
-
At least one-third of alcoholics fully recover. (5)
-
Using prescription drugs to combat alcohol dependency, in combination with treatment, boost the recovery success rate to 50 percent. (7)
-
There are an estimated 1.25 million Alcoholics Anonymous members in the U.S. (6)
-
There are more than 25,000 Narcotics Anonymous groups in the world.