What are opioids?

Opioids are natural or synthetic chemicals that are used for pain management. Opioids include prescription drugs (such as morphine, codeine, methadone, and oxycodone), synthetic drugs (such as fentanyl and tramadol), and heroin.

​Access a primer on key terms and concepts for understanding the opioid epidemic

What do we know about the increased use and misuse of opioids?

This graphic shows that in 2019 70,630 people died from drug overdose, 10.1 million misused prescription opioids in the past year, and 1.6 million people misused prescription pain relievers for the first time.
Source: https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/statistics/index.html

Why do people misuse opioids?

The most common reason that adults misuse prescription opioids, according to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, is to relieve physical pain. The survey found that other common reasons include a desire to relax, assist with sleep, manage emotions, and increase or decrease the effects of other drugs.  

Read what people say about why they misuse prescription drugs (see page 21) 
Graph showing common reasons for misuse of prescription pain medication, with most common being to relieve pain and second most common to feel good or get high.
Source: SAMHSA, Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States

Prevalence of Opioid Use among Adults with Mental Illnesses

Results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reveal that 11.7 million adults (4.8% of the population) misused opioids in the past year, and 9.8 million adults (4%) had a serious mental illness in the past year. Survey results indicate that approximately 1.5 million adults misused opioids and had a mental illness in the past year. 
This venn diagram shows that there are 9,8 million adults with mental illness, 11.7 million adults who misused opioids in the past year, and 1.5 million who have co-occurring mental illness and opioid addiction
Source: SAMHSA CBHSQ Report, January 25, 2017

Opioid-Related Deaths

Current Responses to the Crisis

States are using many promising strategies to address the opioid crisis. Approaches include increasing access to substance abuse treatments like Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), introducing prescription drug monitoring programs, targeting overdose reversing drugs, improving prescribing practices, and educating patients about non-pharmacological pain management. Many of these strategies are featured below. 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers a comprehensive strategy to combat the opioid crisis. This new strategy promotes groundbreaking research and evidence-informed methods to improve community health and safety. The Strategic Priorities include Primary Prevention, Harm Reduction, and Recovery Support. 
Learn more about HHS's strategic priorities & find additional information about the opioid crisis 
Medicaid is an important tool in addressing the opioid crisis. It provides health care coverage for people who have opioid use disorder, and increases capacity for states to provide treatment and intervention. Medicaid recipients are more likely than those with private coverage or those who are uninsured to successfully receive treatment for substance use disorders. 
​Explore an infographic about Medicaid’s role in addressing the opioid crisis

Watch a SAMHSA video on how stakeholders are partnering for
​opioid addiction prevention

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