Almost 30% of Adults Say They Have or a Family Member Has Experienced Opioid Use Disorder

A new poll finds 29% of adults in the United States say they or someone in their family have ever been addicted to opioids, including prescription painkillers and illegal opioids like heroin.

The KFF poll found two-thirds of adults say either they or a family member have been addicted to alcohol or drugs, experienced homelessness due to addiction, or experienced an overdose leading to an emergency room visit, hospitalization or death, HealthDay reports.

Among those who say they or a family member experienced addiction to prescription painkillers, alcohol, or any illegal substance, less than half (46%) report they or their family member got treatment for the addiction.

“These findings are not surprising,” said Robyn Oster, senior research associate of health law and policy at Partnership to End Addiction. “With over 110,000 overdose deaths predicted in 2022 and more than 46 million people reporting having substance use disorder in 2021, it is inevitable that so many people would have family members impacted and be concerned about the mental health and addiction crises. Pervasive stigma and underinvestment have predictably led to a lack of access to needed services.”