Trends in drug, alcohol, and tobacco use among American youth
Official title: Monitoring the Future: Drug Use and Lifestyles of American Youth
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11312730 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Annual national surveys track substance use and related behaviors among U.S. students and follow groups of graduates into adulthood.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | June 28, 1975 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $6,161,515 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA001411-52 |
| Project ID | NIH-11312730 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are U.S. students in grades 8, 10, or 12 and past high-school graduates who can take part in follow-up surveys as they age.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not U.S. residents, not in the sampled grade/age groups, or whose concerns are unrelated to adolescent substance use are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participating.
What this research studies
You'd be invited to complete a confidential questionnaire if you're in 8th, 10th, or 12th grade, with about 42,000 students surveyed nationwide each year. Groups of high school graduates are then followed with repeat surveys at ages 19, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, and now 65 to learn long-term patterns. The project asks about drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, attitudes, and life transitions to see how use changes with age, historical period, and birth cohort. Findings are compiled into national reports that help shape prevention, education, and public-health policies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work can reveal changing substance-use patterns and risk factors so prevention and treatment programs can better protect adolescents and young adults.
How similar studies have gone: This long-running program has provided reliable national trend data for decades, and similar national surveillance systems have meaningfully informed public health and prevention efforts.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Miech, Richard a — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Miech, Richard a
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.