Almost 12% of adolescents aged 12–17 with a prescription drug use disorder received treatment in the past year, even though 1 in 5 teens with substance use disorder in the U.S. did not receive any specialty care at all. At the same time, the gap between coping with stress and the specific substances being reported is striking, from alcohol and marijuana to opioids and stimulants. Let’s sort through what recent surveys actually capture and what those contrasts might mean for prevention and support.
Key Takeaways
- 17% of high school students reported current marijuana use among students who reported using alcohol (cross-tab estimate not provided directly in CDC table)
- 6.3% of high school students reported binge drinking in the past 30 days in 2023
- In 2023, 6.7% of 12th graders reported using steroids (anabolic) in the past year
- 25.4% of high school students reported current alcohol use in 2021
- 2.5% of high school students reported current cocaine use in 2013
- Between 2011 and 2021, the percentage of high school students who reported current alcohol use decreased from 26.4% to 25.4% (net change shown by endpoint values)
- 3.2% of 12th graders reported using e-cigarettes every day (past 30 days) in 2023
- 0.8% of adolescents aged 12–17 in the U.S. reported past-year prescription drug use disorder in 2023
- In 2022, 8,000 adolescents aged 12–17 were estimated to have a prescription drug use disorder in the U.S.
- 1 in 5 adolescents aged 12–17 with substance use disorder in the U.S. received any specialty treatment in 2022 (estimate)
- In 2023, 12% of adolescents aged 12–17 with a prescription drug use disorder received treatment in the past year (estimate)
Teen substance use remains widespread, with 11.1% using alcohol and 5.7% using marijuana in 2023.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Rates11 stats
01
17% of high school students reported current marijuana use among students who reported using alcohol (cross-tab estimate not provided directly in CDC table)
02
6.3% of high school students reported binge drinking in the past 30 days in 2023
03
In 2023, 6.7% of 12th graders reported using steroids (anabolic) in the past year
04
In 2023, 21.2% of 12th graders reported binge drinking in the past two weeks
05
In 2023, 4.1% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported past-year use of illicit drugs (excluding marijuana) in the U.S.
06
In 2023, 6.9% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported past-year nonmedical use of prescription drugs in the U.S.
07
In 2023, 11.1% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported past-year alcohol use in the U.S.
08
In 2023, 5.7% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported past-year marijuana use in the U.S.
09
In 2023, 1.4% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported past-year inhalant use in the U.S.
10
In 2023, 0.9% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported past-year hallucinogen use in the U.S.
11
In 2023, 0.7% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported past-year methamphetamine use in the U.S.
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
Under the Prevalence Rates category, the data show that in 2023 past-year marijuana use among adolescents was 5.7%, while binge drinking reached 6.3% of high school students in the past 30 days and 21.2% of 12th graders in the past two weeks, indicating that alcohol misuse is more widespread than most other substances.
02 · Category
Trends Over Time3 stats
01
25.4% of high school students reported current alcohol use in 2021
02
2.5% of high school students reported current cocaine use in 2013
03
Between 2011 and 2021, the percentage of high school students who reported current alcohol use decreased from 26.4% to 25.4% (net change shown by endpoint values)
Interpretation
Trends Over Time Interpretation
From the Trends Over Time perspective, current alcohol use among high school students edged down from 26.4% in 2011 to 25.4% in 2021, showing a small but steady decline despite still affecting about a quarter of students.
More related reading
03 · Category
Risk Factors9 stats
01
3.2% of 12th graders reported using e-cigarettes every day (past 30 days) in 2023
02
0.8% of adolescents aged 12–17 in the U.S. reported past-year prescription drug use disorder in 2023
03
In 2022, 8,000 adolescents aged 12–17 were estimated to have a prescription drug use disorder in the U.S.
04
In 2023, 10.5% of students reported using substances to cope with stress (self-report)
05
In 2023, 3.0% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported past-year opioid misuse (nonmedical use of prescription opioids or heroin)
06
In 2023, 2.1% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported past-year use of hallucinogens
07
In 2023, 1.2% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported past-year use of cocaine
08
In 2023, 0.8% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported past-year use of methamphetamine
09
In 2023, 9.5% of adolescents aged 12–17 reported past-year tobacco use
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
For the Risk Factors category, the most striking pattern is that in 2023 10.5% of students said they used substances to cope with stress, which is higher than the rates of several specific substance problems at the same time such as 9.5% reporting past-year tobacco use and 3.0% reporting past-year opioid misuse.
04 · Category
Treatment Need2 stats
01
1 in 5 adolescents aged 12–17 with substance use disorder in the U.S. received any specialty treatment in 2022 (estimate)
02
In 2023, 12% of adolescents aged 12–17 with a prescription drug use disorder received treatment in the past year (estimate)
Interpretation
Treatment Need Interpretation
For the treatment need category, only about 1 in 5 U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 with a substance use disorder got any specialty treatment in 2022, and that low access looks even sharper for prescription drug use where just 12% received treatment in the past year in 2023.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Teenage Substance Abuse Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teenage-substance-abuse-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Teenage Substance Abuse Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/teenage-substance-abuse-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Teenage Substance Abuse Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teenage-substance-abuse-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+21 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)