Alcohol Treatment in the United States: Age Groups and Demographic Characteristics
Prevalence of Any Past-Year Alcohol Use Treatment
People Ages 12 and Older
According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 1.4 million people ages 12 and older who had alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the past year (4.6% of people with past-year AUD in this age group) received any alcohol use treatment in the past year.1 This includes:
- 943,000 males ages 12 and older (5.6% of males with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 430,000 females ages 12 and older (3% of females with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 802,000 White people ages 12 and older (4.2% of White people with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 266,000 Black or African American people ages 12 and older (7.5% of Black or African American people with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 43,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 and older (15.9% of American Indian or Alaska Native people with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 8,000 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 and older (5.3% of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 4,000 Asian people ages 12 and older (0.4% of Asian people with past-year AUD in this age group) 1
- 55,000 people of two or more races ages 12 and older (6.6% of people of two or more races with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 195,000 Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 and older (3.8% of Hispanic or Latino people with past-year AUD in this age group)1
Youth Ages 12 to 17
According to the 2021 NSDUH, 39,000 youth ages 12 to 17 who had AUD in the past year (4.4% with past-year AUD in this age group) received any alcohol use treatment in the past year.1 This includes:
- 26,000 boys ages 12 to 17 (8.8% of boys with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 13,000 girls ages 12 to 17 (2.2% of girls with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 28,000 White youth ages 12 to 17 (5.4% of White youth with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 3,000 Black or African American youth ages 12 to 17 (6.4% of Black or African American youth with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 2,000 youth of two or more races ages 12 to 17 (9.6% of youth of two or more races with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 6,000 Hispanic or Latino youth ages 12 to 17 (2.6% of Hispanic or Latino youth with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- Estimates for American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and Asian youth ages 12 to 17 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.1
Adults Ages 18 and Older

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 1.3 million adults ages 18 and older who had AUD in the past year (4.6% of those with past-year AUD in this age group) received any alcohol use treatment in the past year.1 This includes:
- 917,000 men ages 18 and older (5.6% of those with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 417,000 women ages 18 and older (3.4% of those with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 774,000 White adults ages 18 and older (4.2% of those with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 263,000 Black or African American adults ages 18 and older (7.5% of those with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 43,000 American Indian or Alaska Native adults ages 18 and older (16.6% of those with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 8,000 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults ages 18 and older (6.3% of those with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 4,000 Asian adults ages 18 and older (0.4% of those with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 53,000 adults of two or more races ages 18 and older (6.5% of those with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- 188,000 Hispanic or Latino adults ages 18 and older (3.8% of those with past-year AUD in this age group)1
- Among an estimated 14.1 million adults with past-year AUD in 2019, only 1.6% (or 223,000 persons) used evidence-based medications for treating AUD.2
- People with AUD were more likely to seek care from a primary care provider for an alcohol-related medical problem rather than specifically for drinking too much alcohol.3,4