Rates of remission from substance use disorder vary by substance, with lifetime cumulative estimates of 83.7% for nicotine, 90.6% for alcohol, 97.2% for cannabis, and 99.2% for cocaine, according to one American study.

Relapse rates also vary: within three years, for those in remission, they are about 20% for cocaine use disorder and more than 50% for alcohol use disorder. About 50% of people with nicotine use disorder relapse in the first year after quitting.⁴  

Government data reveal that between April 2024 and March 2025, 329,646 people aged 18 years and over were in contact with drug and alcohol treatment services compared with 310,863 the year before: 42% were being treated for problems with opiates; 21% for non-opiates, and 30% for alcohol problems.

Just under half – 46% – of the 152,067 people who left treatment in the year 2024–25 did so free from dependence, while 4,273 died while in contact with treatment services that year, 63% of whom had problems with opiates. Of those still in treatment at the end of March 2025:⁸

• around a third (32%) have had more than 4 treatment journeys

• over a quarter (26%) have been in treatment continuously since their treatment started and 60% of those started treatment in 2024 to 2025

• nearly three-quarters (71%) have been in treatment for 5 years or more