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Substance Use

whiskey glass, spoon with white powder, and injection needle
Substance use disorders occur when regular use of alcohol and/or drugs impacts daily functioning, including health problems, disability, and inability to meet important responsibilities at home, work, or school.1

1. Substance Use Disorders, SAMHSA, 4/27/22.

Why It's Important

Many leading causes of death may be at least partially caused by the abuse of drugs. Unintentional injuries, including overdose, and suicide are associated with the use of drugs.

What's Known

The drug overdose epidemic continues to worsen in the U.S. There were more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2022, 76% of which involved an opioid.2

2. Understanding the Opioid Overdose Epidemic, CDC. 11/1/24.

Who's at Risk

Substance use disorder (SUD) can affect people of any race, gender, income level, or social class. Some people may use drugs to help cope with stress and trauma or to help with mental health issues. Some may develop a SUD after taking opioids that are prescribed to them by doctors. In any case, using drugs over time may cause changes in a person's brain, leading to intense cravings and continued use.3

The risk of substance use increases greatly during times of transition. For an adult, a divorce or loss of a job may increase risk. For a teenager, risky times include moving, family divorce, or changing schools.4

Risk factors for drug addiction (severe SUD) include aggressive behavior in childhood, lack of parental supervision, low peer refusal skills, drug experimentation, availability of drugs at school, and community poverty. Teens and people with mental disorders are at greater risk of drug use and addiction than others.5

3. Treatment of Substance Use Disorders. CDC. 4/25/24.
4. Preventing Drug Misuse and Addiction: The Best Strategy. National Institute on Drug Abuse. July 2011.
5. Drug Misuse and Addiction. National Institute on Drug Abuse. July 2011.

How to Reduce Risk

Adolescence is a critical time for preventing drug addiction. Research-based prevention programs can significantly reduce early use of substances.6

The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) program mobilizes community leaders to identify and respond to the drug problems unique to their community and change local community environmental conditions tied to substance use.7 There are currently (FY 2024) 27 DFC Coalitions across New Jersey.8

Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) improve opioid prescribing, inform clinical practice, and protect patients at risk.9

Harm Reduction Centers, also known as Syringe Access Programs, are community-based programs that provide a safe, trauma-informed, non-stigmatizing space for people who use drugs to access sterile syringes, needles, injection equipment, and the life-saving drug naloxone (also known as Narcan), along with education on safer use, overdose prevention, and safe disposal of used equipment.10

Persons who use opioids can reduce the risk of counterfeit pill overdose by only taking pills prescribed to them, being aware that pills bought illegally might contain highly potent drugs, and using fentanyl test strips which can detect the presence of fentanyl in all different kinds of drugs and drug forms.11

6. Preventing Drug Misuse and Addiction: The Best Strategy. CDC. 4/25/24.
7. Drug-Free Communities (DFC). CDC. 10/10/24.
8. Drug-Free Communities Coalitions. CDC. 10/10/24.
9. Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs). CDC. 5/7/24.
10. Harm Reduction Centers. NJ Department of Health. 5/30/24.
11. Preventing Opioid Overdose. CDC. 5/8/24.

How It's Tracked

Substance use in New Jersey is tracked by the New Jersey Department of Human Services' Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services through: Substance use is primarily tracked nationally through:
  • The Drug Overdose Surveillance and Epidemiology (DOSE) system analyzes data from syndromic surveillance systems to rapidly identify outbreaks and provide situational awareness of changes in drug overdose-related emergency department visits at the local, state, and regional level.
  • The State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) provides comprehensive data on unintentional and undetermined intent drug overdose deaths collected from death certificates and medical examiner/coroner reports.
  • The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides nationally representative data on the use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs; substance use disorders; mental health issues; and receipt of substance use and mental health treatment among the civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 12 or older in the United States

Publications

Other Data and Information Resources

In NJSHAD

New Jersey

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services