Public Use Files
The NSDUH series, formerly the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, is the leading source of statistical data on alcohol, tobacco, drug use, mental health, and other health-related issues in the United States among the general population.
Due to methodology changes, particularly the addition of web-based interviewing, the 2021 NSDUH data are not comparable to data from previous years. Data from 2020 and/or 2021 should not be pooled or compared with prior years. Methodology updates in 1999 and 2002 also cause complete breaks in comparability. Additionally, questionnaire revisions in 2015 mean that many variables are not comparable between 2015 data and before.
To ensure that individual respondents cannot be identified from their responses, NSDUH public-use files (PUFs) have been treated with a number of disclosure-avoidance methods. Also to protect respondent privacy, some variables are not available, including geographic variables. Estimates generated from PUFs and Restricted Use data files will not be the same due to the disclosure-avoidance methods applied in PUFs.
NSDUH Population Coverage
NSDUH covers the general civilian population aged 12 and older in the United States. Active-duty military, residents of institutions, and people who are homeless but not in shelters are not included in the survey population.
Substance use topics covered include lifetime, past-year, and past-month use, as well as age at first use, substance use treatment history and perceived need for treatment, and substance use disorders. Respondents are also asked about problems resulting from the use of drugs, perceptions of risks, and potentially protective factors such as participation in drug prevention programs.
Along with substance use, NSDUH also covers several mental health topics. These include major depressive episodes, suicidal ideation and attempts, mental illness, and access to and use of mental health care.
For more information, visit the SAMHSA NSDUH Data Website.
Variable Crosswalk Charts
There have been changes to the questionnaire and variable definitions over the years. For those who want to make trends or pool data, it is important that the variable be comparable over the period of interest. These charts list all available variables for each dataset and for each one lists 1) whether it was available in the given year and 2) whether it was comparable to the previous year(s). Crosswalks go back to 2002.
In 2021, due to the addition of web interviewing, a new crosswalk chart was started. Data from 2021 and the years that follow cannot be compared or pooled with earlier years for any variable, so the crosswalk chart will be posted with the 2022 data.
The following variable crosswalk charts are available for public use files:
Restricted Use Files
To access Restricted Use codebooks and crosswalks, please visit the Restricted Use codebook FAQ.