The US is facing a public health crisis relating to substance misuse and addiction. According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 139.8 million Americans aged 12 and over drink alcohol, and 14.8 million of them have an alcohol use disorder, also known as alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction, or alcoholism. Fifty-three million, or 19.4% of people aged 12 and over, have used illegal drugs or misused prescription drugs within the last year. Nearly 60 million people use tobacco.
If alcohol and tobacco are included with illicit drugs,165 million — or 60.2% of Americans aged 12 years or older — currently misuse drugs. Seventy percent of illicit drug users are employed either full or part-time.
