Many in Need of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Not Receiving It

Findings seen across alcohol, drug, and opioid use disorders

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 8, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A gap persists between the need for and receipt of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment among U.S. individuals, according to a research letter published online Jan. 6 in JAMA Network Open.

Ligang Liu, Pharm.D., from The Ohio State University in Columbus, and colleagues described treatment needs, treatment receipts, perceived needs, and treatment barriers for SUD. The analysis included annual reports for the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2013 to 2023; 657,583 participants).

The researchers found that the prevalence of individuals needing SUD treatment increased from 8.2 percent in 2013 to 17.1 percent in 2023, with prevalence of alcohol use disorder increasing from 6.6 to 10.2 percent and drug use disorder increasing from 2.6 to 9.6 percent. Opioid use disorder prevalence increased from 0.8 percent in 2016 to 2.0 percent in 2023. However, the percentage of participants receiving treatment decreased, overall, from 9.3 percent in 2013 to 6.5 percent in 2020. There was a rebound in SUD treatment rates to 14.9 percent in 2022, with stabilization thereafter. A similar pattern was seen for alcohol use disorder treatment (6.3 percent in 2013, 4.3 percent in 2020, and 7.6 percent in 2022); drug use disorder treatment (13.4 percent in 2013, 7.1 percent in 2020, and 13.1 percent in 2022); and opioid use disorder treatment (11.2 percent in 2020, 22.1 percent in 2021, and 18.3 percent in 2022). Cited reasons for not receiving treatment included reluctance to stop substance use, insufficient health care coverage, lack of awareness about treatment programs, and negative impacts on employment and community perceptions.

“These results call for urgent interventions to bridge the gap between the need for and receipt of SUD treatment,” the authors write.