Socio-Economic Issues and Drug Abuse

Socio-economic issues and drug use are linked in a number of ways, but probably not in all the ways that most people would think based upon media concerning drug use. Whatever the causes may be, it's clear that addiction is a clinical disease that can affect any one at any time – regardless of race, economic standing or social background. However, there are a set of specific socio-economic circumstances that make people more susceptible to experiment with and eventually become addicted to drugs. These include poverty, under-education, lack of parental involvement, family addiction history and other individual traits and circumstances. Understanding these factors is critical in order to determine who is most at risk and create treatment programs accordingly. The links between socio-economic status and drug use are well established. According to the Office if Applied Studies, a division on the US Department of Health and Human Services and part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or SAMHSA; "We also show that, regardless of racial/ethnic subgroup, relatively high prevalences of illicit drug use are found among individuals who reside in the West; reside in metropolitan areas with populations greater than 1 million; would use English rather than Spanish in the NHSDA interview; lack health insurance coverage; are unemployed; have 9 to 11 years of schooling; or have never been married. Moreover, regardless of racial/ethnic subgroup, adolescents who dropped out of school or who reside in households with fewer than two biological parents have relatively high prevalences of past-year use of cigarettes, alcohol, and illicit drugs . . ." It is important to note that these data do not show a higher incidence of drug abuse based upon any particular race. Instead, the results compiled by the SAMHSA show that drug abuse is closely linked to conditions involving environmental and social factors. Those who are most at risk of abusing drugs are people from single parent households who are at or below the poverty line and are under-educated and likely under-employed. However, what is particularly interesting to note is that these very conditions that make some people more susceptible than others to drug use occur more frequently in certain ethnic groups. This indicates that these groups are subject to poor educational and occupational opportunities and therefore are more prone to substance abuse. For instance, when compared with the overall US population, Native Americans had very high incidences of alcoholism and addiction, while Asian/Pacific Islanders had very low susceptibility to the same. Regardless of the socio-economic conditions or any other factor that contributes to drug abuse, treatment for addiction is nearly universal and includes long term programs like inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment and day/night programs. Treatment begins with a professional detox program that generally lasts from ten to fourteen days, usually followed immediately by long or intermediate term full-scale addiction treatment that includes various therapies and medication where required. Fortunately, there does not seem to be any relation between socio-economic statuses and relapse. This means that people seeking treatment for drug addiction or alcoholism should choose the program that best meets their particular needs. Just as you won't become an addict just because you belong to a particular race, you also shouldn't treat addiction according to social and economic standing – addiction is a universally human disease and should be treated as such. If you or someone you care about is suffering as a result of a drug addiction, their very lives could depend upon your next step. Take it right now by calling us or clicking on one of the links below. The rest of your life is just waiting to start.

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