10.8 Million Full-Time Workers Have a Substance Use Disorder


Substance use can have a negative impact on people's lives and careers. It can make keeping jobs more difficult and cause employees to miss work or be injured on the job.1

According to combined 2008 to 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data, adults aged 18 to 64 who were unemployed were more likely than those in other employment groups to have had a past year substance use disorder.2,3 About three fifths of the U.S. population aged 18 to 64 (or 113.1 million persons) are full-time workers. As a result, most adults with substance use disorders are employed full time (55.1 percent).

Because most people with substance use disorders are employed, employers may want to provide their employees with information on identifying and treating alcohol or drug abuse.1 For more information about workplace-based strategies to address substance abuse, please visit http://workplace.samhsa.gov/.

Figure. Past Year Substance Use Disorder (SUD) among Adults Aged 18 to 64, by Employment Status: Annual Averages, 2008 to 2012
This is a or pie chart comparing past year substance use disorder (SUD) among adults aged 18 to 64, by employment status: annual averages, 2008 to 2012. Accessible table located below this figure.

Figure Table. Past Year Substance Use Disorder (SUD) among Adults Aged 18 to 64, by Employment Status: Annual Averages, 2008 to 2012
Employment Status Number of Adults Number with SUD Percent with SUD
Employed Full Time 113 million 10.8 million   9.5%
Employed Part Time   28 million   3.3 million 12.0%
Unemployed   13 million   2.2 million 16.8%
Not in the Labor Force*   37 million   3.3 million   9.0%
* Not in the labor force includes those adults who are neither working nor seeking work


End Notes
1 Slaymaker, V. J. (2012). Occupational impact of drug abuse and addiction. In J. C. Verster, K. Brady, M. Galanter, & P. Conrod (Eds.), Drug abuse and addiction in medical illness (pp. 511–522). New York, NY: Springer.
2 NSDUH defines full-time employment as usually working 35 or more hours per week and working in the past week or having a job despite not working in the past week. Part time employment includes working fewer than 35 hours per week and working in the past week or having a job despite not working in the past week. The unemployed category includes not having a job or being on layoff and looking for work and making specific efforts to find work in the past 30 days. The not in the labor force category includes retired persons, disabled persons, homemakers, students, or other persons not in the labor force.
3 NSDUH asks persons to assess symptoms of substance use disorders involving alcohol or illicit drugs during the past year using criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). It includes such symptoms as withdrawal, tolerance, use in dangerous situations, trouble with the law, and interference in major obligations at work, school, or home during the past year. See American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV) (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Source: National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs), 2008 to 2010 (revised March 2012) and 2011 to 2012. NSDUH is an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a representative sample of the population through face-to-face interviews at their places of residence.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities. The Data Spotlight may be copied without permission. Citation of the source is appreciated. Find this report and those on similar topics online at https://www.samhsa.gov/data/.