Education, Income, Addiction
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This study by Sean McCabe, et. al. reveals an interesting dynamic. We tend to look at people with substance abuse problems as occupying the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder. But his findings show just the opposite.
Higher educational levels and higher levels of income are correlated with both a greater chance of developing a substance use disorder, and a lesser likelihood of getting to abstinent remission. The odds ratios aren't insignificant.
The study found that 10% of people with less than a high school education develop a substance use disorder (SUD). a rate of 75% of what would be expected if SUD rates matched population correlates. For high school graduates, rate is 83%. But for people who attended college, the rates of substance abuse exceed their relative proportion of the general population. 58% of people in the US have a college education. This group represents roughly 65% of those with an alcohol or drug problem.
Less Likely to Get Clean and Sober
We converted the odds ratio statistical findings in the study to come up with percentages of people with a prior DSM-V substance use disorder who were abstinent over the previous year. Unfortunately, the statistics aren't good for any of the three groups, but surprisingly, those who didn't graduate from high school were twice as likely to be clean and sober when compared with those people with an alcohol or drug problem who went to college.
Higher Income Correlates with Less Likelihood of Abstinence
The study also found that higher incomes correlated with reduced odds of getting clean and sober. The three income level cohorts measured weren't very broad. It would have been illuminating if they had expanded and included subcategories greater than $40,000 income level.
