Data Trends 2024: Substance Use Disorder

In a 2022 national survey, about 1 in 5 Americans who reported alcohol use in the past 30 days were classified as binge drinkers, while about 1 in 4 reported illicit drug use within the past year. About 1 in 6 had an SUD, with most (55.0%) having mild cases, 22.6% having moderate cases, and 22.3% having severe cases.

Veterans are impacted by substance use and SUD at a similar rate compared with civilians. National survey findings indicate no significant difference between veterans and the general population in terms of past-month binge drinking (29.9% vs 23.6%) or illicit drug use (15.5% vs 17.6%).

1.4 million veterans aged ≥ 18 years have co-occurring SUD and mental illnesses. Veterans with mental illness are more likely to have used illicit drugs within the past year than those without mental illness (37.4% vs 17.2%), and veterans diagnosed with serious mental illness are significantly more likely to misuse opioids (10.8%) than those with any mental illness (5.5%) or no mental illness (1.7%).

Although population-wide substance use prevalence does not vary between veterans and civilians, recent studies have identified populations of older veterans that have a history of substance use, as well as current substance use, are significantly higher compared with civilians. Potential explanations for these differences include prevalence of pain, depression, and potentially traumatic events.