Alcohol and Drug Use Among Young Adults

Although drug use trends and rates vary from year to year, recent data shows that substance abuse remains a persistent and pressing problem for many young adults. In 2018, there were an estimated 34.1 million young adults (age 18 to 25) in the United States. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than one third of these young adults reported binge drinking (having 5 or more alcoholic drinks in a row) in the past month and about 2 in 5 young adults used an illicit drug in the past year.