Substance Abuse and Dependence among Women

The NSDUH Report:  Substance Abuse and Dependence among Women

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Highlights:

• SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use & Health defines substance dependence or abuse using criteria specified in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). These criteria include such symptoms as recurrent drug or alcohol use resulting in physical danger, trouble with the law due to drug or alcohol use, increased tolerance to drugs or alcohol, and giving up or reducing other important activities in favor of drug or alcohol use.

• Based on SAMHSA's 2003 National Survey on Drug Use & Health, an estimated 5.9% of women aged 18 or older met criteria for abuse of or dependence on alcohol or an illicit drug in the past year.

• American Indian or Alaska Native women aged 18 or older had higher rates of abuse or or dependence on alcohol or an illicit drug than women aged 18 or older in other racial or ethnic groups.

• Women aged 18 or older who were married had a lower rate of substance (alcohol or illicit drug) abuse or dependence than women of any other marital status.

• Reports on alcohol or drug dependence

  Reports on women

  Other topics

This Short Report, The NSDUH Report:  Substance Abuse and Dependence among Women, is based on SAMHSA's  National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), formerly called the  National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA).  The NSDUH/NHSDA is conducted by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  SAMHSA's survey (NHSDA/NSDUH) is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of drug and alcohol use and abuse in the general U.S. civilian non institutionalized population, age 12 and older.   The NHSDA/NSDUH also provides estimates for drug use by State.

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This page was last updated on July 27, 2006.

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