Drug Use Statistics in Alabama
Alabama has a population of 5,157,699 people. The most recent data from the 2023-2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that 514,000 people over the age of 12 had abused illegal substances in the past month, around 9.97% of the population. 442,000 reported marijuana use in the past month and 724,000 in the past year.
The report also found that 64,000 Alabama residents had abused cocaine in the past year, 42,000 had abused meth, and 165,000 had abused prescription pain medication. 7,000 people over the age of 18 reported using heroin in the last year. Those reporting opioid misuse including heroin, painkillers, and fentanyl in Alabama totaled 183,000 people.
Alcohol Use in Alabama
Alcohol misuse was also reported in Alabama with 1,769,000 people over the age of 12 saying they had used alcohol in the last month and 904,000 reporting binge drinking. The perceived risk of people over 12 years of age indulging in problematic alcohol use (5 or more drinks twice a week) in a month was 1,928,000 people.
Overdose Deaths in Alabama
In the 12 months ending December 2025, Alabama recorded 868 drug overdose deaths. This is CDC's provisional count and covers overdoses of all intents, including accidental, suicide, homicide and undetermined. That puts the overdose death rate in Alabama at 16.8 per 100,000 people. The most recent available figure for alcohol-induced deaths, which covers 2021, was 639 or 12.7 per 100,000 people.
Addiction Treatment Statistics in Alabama
The NSDUH report also recorded the total number of substance abuse disorders in Alabama and those who currently require treatment. The report found that 700,000 were recorded as having a substance use disorder (SUD) and 429,000 had an alcohol use disorder. 91,000 people were recorded as having an opioid use disorder, including those with painkiller, heroin, and other opioid-based drug use disorders.
The NSDUH report also measures the gap between the people who need substance use treatment and those who actually receive it. It found that 783,000 people in Alabama were classified as needing substance use treatment in the past year, 201,000 received substance use treatment, and 591,000 did not receive the treatment they were classified as needing.
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- CDC NCHS, Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts (2026). https://data.cdc.gov/d/xkb8-kh2a