What Are the Population Groups Most Vulnerable to Addiction?

Men vs. Women

• In 2013, adult men in the United States struggled with an alcohol use disorder at rates double those of women, 10.8 million as compared to 5.8 million, NIAAA.

• For boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 17, both genders battle substance use disorders at similar rates, making it the only age bracket that men did not significantly outweigh women, the 2013 NSDUH.

• Close to 70 percent of treatment admissions for substance abuse in 2010 were male, TEDS.

• Men, especially non-Hispanic White men and adults aged 18-39 were the most likely to be involved with injection drug use, such as heroin.

• Men may be more likely to abuse illicit drugs than women, but women may be just as prone to addiction as men when they do abuse them, NIDA.

Ethnicity or Race Considerations

• The 2013 NSDUH reports that American Indians and Alaska natives had the highest rate of substance abuse and dependence at 14.3 percent.

• Approximately 11.3 percent of Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders suffered from substance abuse and dependence in 2013, NSDUH.

• According to NSDUH, Hispanics and whites suffered from drug or alcohol abuse and dependence at similar rates in 2013, around 8.5 percent, while about 7.4 percent of African Americans struggled with it.

• Asians suffered from substance abuse and dependency the least at rates around 4.5 percent, per the 2013 NSDUH.

• A study of undergraduate college students published in the Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse found that whites and Hispanics were more likely to have issues surrounding drug abuse than their Asian and African American counterparts.

Criminal Justice or Employment Status

• Almost twice as many people who are unemployed struggle with addiction than those who are full-time workers, CNN Money reports; around 17 percent of the unemployed and 9 percent of the employed population struggled with a substance use disorder in 2012.

• About half of the population of American prisons and jails suffer from addiction, according to NCAAD.

• Around three-quarters of individuals in a state prison or local jail who suffer from a mental illness also struggle with substance abuse, and the opposite is also true.

Population Groups Most Vulnerable to Addiction

Overall, there was no single commonality or group of commonalities to help pinpoint specific risk factors for addiction. However, there are certain risk factors for addiction that have emerged:

• Genetic predisposition

• Certain brain characteristics that can make someone more vulnerable to addictive substances than the average person

• Psychological factors  (e.g., stress, personality traits like high impulsivity or sensation seeking, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, personality, and other psychiatric disorders)

• Environmental influences (e.g., exposure to physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or trauma, substance use or addiction in the family or among peers, access to an addictive substance; exposure to popular culture references that encourage substance use)

• Starting alcohol, nicotine or other drug use at an early age

What to Do if You Are Struggling with Substance Abuse

If you or a loved one is dealing with substance abuse, including drug abuse or alcohol abuse, there are resources and treatment programs that can help with both addiction and overlapping mental health problems.

If you want to seek treatment for an addiction to prescription medications, illicit drugs, or alcoholism, there are resources to help you. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has a an online treatment locator tool available to help all those seeking help for substance abuse.

FAQs

Who is most at risk for substance abuse?

Individuals with a family history of substance abuse, those with mental health disorders, and those who have experienced trauma are at a higher risk for substance abuse.

How many people are affected by addiction in the US?

In 2022 studies, approximately 20.2 million Americans aged 12 or older were reported to have had a substance use disorder in the last year.

What age groups are most affected by addiction?

Addiction can affect individuals of all age groups, but young adults (18-25 years old) tend to have higher rates of substance use disorders.

How many Americans struggle with addiction?

The number of Americans struggling with addiction can vary, but it’s estimated that millions are affected. However, the exact figure may change over time due to factors such as evolving societal attitudes and improved data collection methods.