The NSDUH, formerly called the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse or NHSDA, is designed to produce drug and alcohol use incidence and prevalence estimates and report the consequences and patterns of use and abuse in the general U.S. civilian population aged 12 and older. Questions include age at first use, as well as lifetime, annual, and past-month usage for many drugs. The survey also covers substance abuse treatment history and perceived need for treatment, and includes questions from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders that allow diagnostic criteria to be applied. Respondents are also asked about personal and family income sources and amounts, health care access and coverage, illegal activities and arrest record, problems resulting from the use of drugs, perceptions of risks, and needle-sharing. Demographic data include gender, race, age, ethnicity, educational level, job status, income level, veteran status, household composition, and population density.

The NSDUH is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use and abuse and mental disorders in the U.S. civilian, non-institutionalized population, age 12 and older. The survey generates estimates at the National, state, and sub-state levels.