This study estimates that 11.1% of adults in the U.S., translating to 27.5 million people, have had a substance use problem in their lifetime and that 74.8% – 8.3% of the total US adult population – or 20.5 million adults are in recovery or have recovered from this problem.
An estimated 22 million Americans — that includes the three of us — are in recovery from opioid and other addictions. We say “estimated” because states and the federal government don't track recovery like they track addiction rates or overdoses.