Death certificates do not always report the specific drugs involved, so death rates could also be underestimated. Through grants and contracts awarded to investigators at research institutions around the country and overseas, as well as through its Intramural Research Program, NIDA addresses the most fundamental and essential questions about substance use. This includes detecting and responding to emerging substance use trends, understanding how drugs work in the brain and body, identifying social determinants of substance use risk and SUDs, and developing and testing new approaches to prevention, treatment, and recovery.
NIDA Research Programs & Activities
For more recent provisional data, please see Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts from NCHS. Timely data related to unintentional and undetermined intent drug overdose deaths by participating jurisdiction is also available from the CDC’s State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS). Similar data related to nonfatal drug overdoses are reported through CDC’s Drug Overdose Surveillance and Epidemiology (DOSE) system.
Most reported substance use among adolescents held steady in 2022
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is primarily caused by severe trauma, not drug use. However, certain substances can trigger dissociative symptoms that mimic aspects of DID. Hallucinogens, stimulants, and depressants can alter perception, cause memory disruptions, or lead to episodes of detachment from reality. While these effects are often temporary, prolonged substance use can make underlying dissociative tendencies more apparent, especially in individuals with a history of trauma. Some examples of Schedule IV drugs are narcotics, muscle relaxants, and commonly prescribed medications for anxiety and depression, such as alprazolam. 10.3 million LGBT+ adults had a substance use disorder and/or mental illness in 2020.
The NSDUH report noted increases in substance abuse disorders and severe thoughts of suicide among affected individuals. The 2023 data continue to document stable or declining trends in the use of illicit drugs among young people over many years. However, importantly, other research has reported a dramatic rise in overdose deaths among teens between 2010 to 2021, which remained elevated well into 2022 according to a NIDA analysis of CDC and Census data. This increase is largely attributed to illicit fentanyl, a potent synthetic drug, contaminating the supply of counterfeit pills made to resemble prescription medications.
Understanding Risk, Strengthening Prevention
- Yet the increases in methamphetamine use and methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) have been much less dramatic.
- It assesses the opioid’s ability to trigger cells to remove opioid receptors from the cell membrane, a process called internalization.
- From February through June 2021, the Monitoring the Future investigators collected 32,260 surveys from students enrolled across 319 public and private schools in the United States.
- Prescription drug misuse remains a critical issue, with nearly 18 million people affected.
- 2010 — NIDA launches its first annual National Drug Facts Week (NDFW), a health observance that inspires dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth.
The Monitoring the Future investigators note that schools opt-in to participate in the survey, and some schools that had historically participated opted-out in the years following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. All participating students took the survey via the web – either on tablets or on a computer – with 98% of respondents taking the survey in-person in school in 2023. Therefore, students with less engagement in school – a known risk factor for drug use – may have been less likely to participate in the survey. Around 84% of adults 35 to 50 reported past-year alcohol use in 2023, which has not significantly changed from the year before or the past five or 10 years.
The National Institute on Drugs and Addiction¹ (NIDA) advances science on substance use and addiction to improve individual and public health. After decades of research, substance use disorder (SUD) is now understood to be a chronic, treatable brain condition. NIDA-funded research has led to effective prevention and treatment approaches, helping millions of Americans lead healthier lives, reduce their overdose risk, and recover from SUD. This analysis also found that prevalence of methamphetamine use disorder among those who did not inject the drug increased 10-fold among Black people from 2015 to 2019, a much steeper increase than among white or Hispanic people. Like frequency of use, methamphetamine use disorder is a measure used to capture escalating methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine use disorder without injection quadrupled in young adults ages 18 to 23, a substantially greater increase than trends and statistics national institute on drug abuse nida in older age groups.
Cannabis and hallucinogen use among adults remained at historic highs in 2023
108-7, the Departments of Labor, HHS, and Education FY 2003 Appropriations Act, continued prior prohibitions on funding of sterile needle and syringe exchange programs and on legalization of Schedule I controlled substances. This study follows more than 11,800 children from ages 9-10 through adolescence into young adulthood. By integrating neuroimaging with genetics, neuropsychological, behavioral, and other health assessments, the study aims to shed light on how substance use and other experiences during adolescence affect brain development and later health outcomes such as drug use and addiction. 2014 — NIDA announces the development of an innovative National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) to monitor emerging nationwide new and emerging drug trends to help public health experts respond quickly. 2012 — A NIDA-supported seminal study demonstrates that scaling up HIV treatment in people who inject drugs results in reductions in community-level viral load and HIV transmission. 2009 — NIDA launches a comprehensive Physicians Outreach Initiative, NIDAMED, which gives medical professionals tools and resources to screen their patients for tobacco, alcohol, illicit, and nonmedical prescription drug use, including an interactive online drug use screening tool.
In 2023, the landscape of substance use in the United States reveals significant trends and shifts. There has been an increase in the reported cases, highlighting a need for continued focus and effective strategies. Trends indicate varying patterns across different age groups and regions, reflecting the evolving nature of substance use. The rise in specific statistics underscores the importance of adapting treatment and prevention efforts to meet changing needs.
- These substances are likely to create physical or psychological dependence, contributing to concurrent mental health conditions such as Any Mental Illness (AMI) and Major Depressive Episode (MDE).
- While these 2023 estimates are not statistically different from those of 2022, they do reflect five- and 10-year increases for both age groups.
- The Monitoring the Future survey is conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.
- Learning from these statistics provides vital insights into better addressing and supporting those affected.
- The Institute studies or supports research on changes in the lab-made drug supply and how these emerging substances work in the brain, as well as their health effects and potential as therapeutic treatments.
What are emerging drugs?
Women are more likely to do drugs with an intimate partner, whereas men more likely to do drugs with other male friends. Mental illness and substance abuse (comorbidity) is relatively common among military veterans. In 2023, 20.4 million or 7.9% of all adults aged 18 and older in the US had both AMI and at least one SUD in the past year. As most hallucinogens have no accepted medical use for treatment in the US, they are illegal. Also known as opioids, narcotics include opium, opium derivatives, and synthetic versions.
The scale, called relative activity versus endocytosis or RAVE measure, calculates how effective different opioids are regulating the signaling of the opioid receptors they activate in the brain. It assesses the opioid’s ability to trigger cells to remove opioid receptors from the cell membrane, a process called internalization. 1975 — NIDA supports the first nationally representative survey of adolescent and young adult substance use and attitudes.
“New psychoactive substances” is a term used to describe lab-made compounds created for research purposes or for illicit drug markets, sometimes by slightly modifying an existing drug in an effort to skirt existing drug laws. The category may include medications created by pharmaceutical companies or researchers that were never meant to reach the public. Like all opioids, nitazenes can slow breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate to dangerously low levels, potentially contributing to overdose.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that around 14.5 million adults struggle with alcohol use disorders. Prescription drug misuse remains a critical issue, with nearly 18 million people affected. Drug abuse and misuse of prescription drugs is generally more prevalent in males than in females. The 2023 survey year was the first time a cohort from the Monitoring the Future study reached 65 years of age; therefore, trends for the 55- to 65-year-old age group are not yet available.
Two scientific studies suggest that irritability, stomach pain, and withdrawal from social interactions may be symptoms of quitting cannabis after ongoing use. The findings suggest that effective treatments to alleviate these symptoms are needed. They also suggest that continued use of cannabis may be an effort to alleviate unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Addiction remains a global challenge, but expanding treatment options, public awareness, and policy responses can help reduce its impact. Addressing addiction effectively requires a combination of medical support, prevention strategies, and societal engagement. Most Schedule IV drugs are prescription medications, some of which have been banned by the Food and Drug Administration.