Facts On Addiction To Drugs And Alcohol In America

There are millions of Americans in long-term recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs, improving the lives of individuals, families and communities.

Faces & Voices advocates for a recovery research agenda to provide policymakers, the media and citizens with more information on the pathways that these people have taken on their recovery journeys, as well as their numbers and experiences. Taxpayers have invested millions of dollars in understanding addiction. It is time to understand recovery – so that the 21 million Americans who still need help can experience long-term recovery from addiction.

• Almost two-thirds of Americans have friends or family members who have struggled with addiction.
Source: “What Does America Think about Addiction Prevention and Treatment?” Harvard School of Public Health/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/ICR (2006)

• Over 21 million Americans suffer from addiction or dependence on alcohol and drugs and have yet to experience recovery.
Source: “2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, US Department of Health and Human Services,” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

• Nearly two-thirds of Americans (66%) view addiction as a form of illness and something individuals cannot remedy alone.
Source: “What Does America Think about Addiction Prevention and Treatment?” Harvard School of Public Health/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/ICR (2006)

• One in four people in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction say they have been discriminated against when trying to obtain employment or insurance.
Source: “The Face of Recovery,” Peter D. Hart Research Associates (2001)

• Addiction, left untreated, costs Americans more than 100,000 lives and $400 billion each year.
Source: “Updating Estimates of the Economic Costs of Alcohol Abuse in the United States: Estimates, Updated Methods, and Data,” H. Harwood (2000)

• Every dollar spent on drug treatment in the community is estimated to return $18.52 in benefits to society in terms of reduced incarceration rates and associated crime costs to taxpayers.
Source: “Substance Abuse Treatment and Public Safety,” Justice Policy Institute (2008)