The 2025 NSDUH is out. Put the findings in context.

What was released.

SAMHSA released the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health results on July 27, 2026. The agency reported that 44.6 million people aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder in the past year. It also highlighted declines in several substance-use and mental-health indicators among adolescents and young adults across the 2021–2025 period. Read SAMHSA’s release.

The detailed tables provide estimates for specific groups and measures, with statistical tests for applicable comparisons between 2024 and 2025. Explore the 2025 detailed tables.

HQ’s reading: revisit assumptions, then investigate locally.

The release is a reason to review the age and population assumptions behind a center’s strategy. It does not, by itself, justify expanding or shrinking a program, changing a budget, or forecasting a particular census.

A national finding and a center’s recent experience can differ without either being wrong. The center may serve a distinct geography, age range, clinical need, or referral network. An owner needs to understand that relationship before turning a broad trend into an operating decision.

Questions for a leadership review.

• Which populations does the center actually serve, and which are represented in the evidence being cited?
• Does recent inquiry and admission information show a relevant change, or is the apparent trend an anecdote?
• Are changes in source mix, services, or availability affecting what the center sees?
• Does website and educational content accurately describe the program and answer the questions people are bringing to the team?

The productive next step is a short evidence review with a defined question. Keep the source, period, and interpretation together so someone revisiting the decision can follow the reasoning.

Explain the findings and check them against local evidence.

For a center’s own content, a carefully explained finding is more useful than a large prevalence number presented without context. Link to the original evidence, explain the population it describes, and separate that finding from the center’s point of view.

For operations, compare the findings with the information your center already holds. If they suggest a change in who is seeking care or how inquiries are handled, investigate it before deciding whether a new campaign is needed.