Survey Snapshot

As part of the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, researchers interviewed almost 70,000 people to determine prevalence rates of use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco in the United States. Here are some of the survey’s findings:

• Almost half of Americans aged 12 and older—approximately 109 million people—reported being current drinkers of alcohol.

• There are about 10.1 million underage drinkers in the U.S., representing approximately 28.5 percent of Americans aged 12 to 20.

• In 2001 an estimated 8.1 million Americans aged 12 and older tried Ecstasy at least once. This number is significantly higher than the 6.5 million lifetime users in 2000.

• Among young adults aged 18 to 25, the rate of any illicit drug use increased between 2000 and 2001 from 15.9 percent to 18.8 percent.