Women and Substance Use

bulletList of all reports on women

bulletPregnancy, 2005:  Detailed Tables (PDF format), go to tables 7.68 - 7.75)

bulletPregnancy, 2004:  Detailed Tables (HTML format)

bullet Pregnancy, 2002:  Detailed Tables (PDF format, Go to tables 7.54 - 7.61)

bulletWomen, pregnancy, & related issues highlights:

bulletMisuse of prescription drugs by pregnancy status (chapter)     Table

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Reports & Chapters on Women

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Highlights of Short Reports on Prevalence

  • The NSDUH Report: Alcohol Use among Pregnant Women and Recent Mothers: 2002 to 2007    Data from SAMHSA's National Surveys on Drug Use & Health conducted in 2002 through 2007 were used to compare alcohol drinking rates, frequency, and quantity among women aged 15 to 44 divided into three groups: (1) pregnant, (2) recent mother (i.e., had a child within the past 12 months), and (3) all other women in this age group. A stable pattern of drinking was found for all three groups during 2002 to 2007. Combined data from SAMHSA's 2006-2007 National Surveys on Drug Use & Health examined drinking patterns among women aged 15 to 44. Pregnant women (11.6%) were significantly less likely to have used alcohol in the past month than recent mothers (42.1%) or all other women (54.0%). Among current alcohol drinkers, both pregnant women and recent mothers drank alcohol on fewer days than other women (4.9 days for pregnant women, 4.4 days for recent mothers, and 6.1 days for all other women). Pregnant and recent mothers also drank fewer drinks on their drinking days (2.4 drinks for pregnant women, 2.5 drinks for recent mothers, and 3.0 drinks for all other women).  Of concern is the fact that pregnant women aged 15 to 17 were more likely to drink alcohol in the past month than pregnant women in other age groups and they were likely to consume over 3 drinks on the days they drank.
  • The NSDUH Report: Cigarette Use among Pregnant Women and Recent Mothers  Combined data from SAMHSA's 2002 to 2005 National Surveys of Drug Use and Health were examined to compare rates of past month cigarette use among women aged 15 to 44 by pregnancy status and demographic characteristics.   Regardless of pregnancy status, white women were more likely to smoke cigarettes in the past month of the survey than Black or Hispanic women.   Pregnant women (17.3%) and recent mothers (23.8%) were less likely to be current cigarette smokers (smoked in past month) than women who were not recent mothers (30.6%).   Pregnant women who were current cigarette smokers were more likely to report smoking cigarettes during their first trimester (22.9%) than second trimester (14.3%) or third trimester of pregnancy (15.3%).   Younger pregnant women were more likely than their oldest counterparts to smoke cigarettes during their pregnancy: 24.3% of pregnant women aged 15-17 and 27.1% of pregnant women aged 18-25 compared with 10.6% of pregnant women aged 26-44 smoked cigarettes during their pregnancy in the past month of the survey.
  • The NSDUH Report: Substance Use During Pregnancy: 2002 and 2003 Update   Annual averages based on SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use & Health conducted in 2002 and 2003 found that women aged 15 to 44 who were currently pregnant were less likely to currently use an illicit drug, smoke cigarettes, or drink alcohol then either recent mothers or nonpregnant women in this age group.  Pregnant women aged 15 to 25 were more likely to have smoked cigarettes in the past month and to have used an illicit drug during the past month than pregnant women aged 26 to 44. Among pregnant women aged 15 to 44, 9.8% reported drinking alcohol during the past month, 4.1% reported binge alcohol use, and less than 1% reported heavy alcohol use.
  • The NSDUH Report:  Gender Differences in Substance Dependence and Abuse    Based on SAMHSA's 2003 National Survey on Drug Use & Health, males were more likely than females to be dependent on or abusing alcohol or an illicit drug except among the youth aged 12 to 17 where the rates of dependence or abuse were the same (9%) for both males and females. The rate of substance dependence or abuse for those age 50 or older was 4.9% for males and 1.5% for females. Among the age group most likely to use alcohol or illicit drugs (aged 18 to 49) and who were employed full time, the rate of substance dependence or abuse was 15% for males and 8% for females. Among the unemployed, the rate was 23% for males and 12.5% for females. By marital status among those aged 18 to 49: the rate of substance dependence or abuse for those who were married was 10% for males and 4% for females. The rate of substance dependence or abuse among the divorced or separated was 23% for males and 11% for females. Among those never married, the rate of substance dependence or abuse was 24% for males and 16% for females. Among those living with one or more children, the rate of substance dependence or abuse was 11% for males and 5.5% for females.
  •   The NSDUH Report:  Marital Status and Substance Use Among Women   Based on SAMHSA's 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, among women aged 21 to 49, married women were less likely to have used tobacco, engaged in binge alcohol use, or used an illicit drug in the past month compared with women who were divorced or separated, never married, or living with an unmarried partner. Among married women, those with children younger than 18 living in the home were less likely to have used tobacco, engaged in binge alcohol use, or used any illicit drug in the past month than those with no child living in the home. Past month tobacco and illicit drug use were higher among women living with an unmarried partner than among women from other marital status groups.
  • The NSDUH Report:  Pregnancy and Substance Use   In 2002, 3 percent of pregnant women aged 15 to 44 used illicit drugs in the past month, 3 percent reported binge alcohol use, and 17 percent reported smoking cigarettes in the past month.  Among pregnant women aged 15 to 44, whites were more likely to have smoked cigarettes in the past month than blacks or Hispanics.  
  • The NHSDA Report:  Risk of Suicide Among Hispanic Females Aged 12 to 17   In 2000, Hispanic females aged 12 to 17 were at higher risk for suicide than other youths.  Only 32 percent of Hispanic female youths at risk for suicide during the past year, however, received mental health treatment during this same time period.  Hispanic female youths born in the United States were at higher risk than Hispanic female youths born outside the United States.  But rates of suicide risk were similar among Hispanic female youths across regions and ethnic subgroups (e.g., Mexican, Puerto Rican, Central or South American and Cuban). 
  • The NHSDA Report:   Pregnancy and Illicit Drug Use   In 1999, about four percent of the pregnant women and eight percent of women who were not pregnant used an illicit drug in the past month.  Illicit drug-using women, regardless of pregnancy status, were more likely to use marijuana than any other drug. 
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Highlights of Short Reports on Pregnant Women

  • The NSDUH Report: Alcohol Use among Pregnant Women and Recent Mothers: 2002 to 2007    Data from SAMHSA's National Surveys on Drug Use & Health conducted in 2002 through 2007 were used to compare alcohol drinking rates, frequency, and quantity among women aged 15 to 44 divided into three groups: (1) pregnant, (2) recent mother (i.e., had a child within the past 12 months), and (3) all other women in this age group. A stable pattern of drinking was found for all three groups during 2002 to 2007. Combined data from SAMHSA's 2006-2007 National Surveys on Drug Use & Health examined drinking patterns among women aged 15 to 44. Pregnant women (11.6%) were significantly less likely to have used alcohol in the past month than recent mothers (42.1%) or all other women (54.0%). Among current alcohol drinkers, both pregnant women and recent mothers drank alcohol on fewer days than other women (4.9 days for pregnant women, 4.4 days for recent mothers, and 6.1 days for all other women). Pregnant and recent mothers also drank fewer drinks on their drinking days (2.4 drinks for pregnant women, 2.5 drinks for recent mothers, and 3.0 drinks for all other women).  Of concern is the fact that pregnant women aged 15 to 17 were more likely to drink alcohol in the past month than pregnant women in other age groups and they were likely to consume over 3 drinks on the days they drank.
  • The NSDUH Report: Cigarette Use among Pregnant Women and Recent Mothers  Combined data from SAMHSA's 2002 to 2005 National Surveys of Drug Use and Health were examined to compare rates of past month cigarette use among women aged 15 to 44 by pregnancy status and demographic characteristics.   Regardless of pregnancy status, white women were more likely to smoke cigarettes in the past month of the survey than Black or Hispanic women.   Pregnant women (17.3%) and recent mothers (23.8%) were less likely to be current cigarette smokers (smoked in past month) than women who were not recent mothers (30.6%).   Pregnant women who were current cigarette smokers were more likely to report smoking cigarettes during their first trimester (22.9%) than second trimester (14.3%) or third trimester of pregnancy (15.3%).   Younger pregnant women were more likely than their oldest counterparts to smoke cigarettes during their pregnancy: 24.3% of pregnant women aged 15-17 and 27.1% of pregnant women aged 18-25 compared with 10.6% of pregnant women aged 26-44 smoked cigarettes during their pregnancy in the past month of the survey. 
  • The NSDUH Report: Substance Use During Pregnancy: 2002 and 2003 Update   Annual averages based on SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use & Health conducted in 2002 and 2003 found that women aged 15 to 44 who were currently pregnant were less likely to currently use an illicit drug, smoke cigarettes, or drink alcohol then either recent mothers or nonpregnant women in this age group.  Pregnant women aged 15 to 25 were more likely to have smoked cigarettes in the past month and to have used an illicit drug during the past month than pregnant women aged 26 to 44. Among pregnant women aged 15 to 44, 9.8% reported drinking alcohol during the past month, 4.1% reported binge alcohol use, and less than 1% reported heavy alcohol use.
  • The DASIS Report: Pregnant Women in Substance Abuse Treatment: 2002   In 2002, of the 363,000 treatment admissions of women of usual childbearing age (aged 15 to 44 years) for which pregnancy status was recorded in SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), 4% were known to be pregnant when admitted. Compared to nonpregnant admissions, pregnant women aged 15 to 44 entering treatment were more likely to report cocaine/crack (22% vs. 17%), amphetamine/methamphetamine (21% vs. 13%), or marijuana (17% vs. 13%) as their primary substance of abuse and less likely to report alcohol (18% vs. 31%).
  • The NSDUH Report:  Pregnancy and Substance Use   In 2002, 3 percent of pregnant women aged 15 to 44 used illicit drugs in the past month, 3 percent reported binge alcohol use, and 17 percent reported smoking cigarettes in the past month.  Among pregnant women aged 15 to 44, whites were more likely to have smoked cigarettes in the past month than blacks or Hispanics.  
  • The NHSDA Report:    Pregnancy and Illicit Drug Use   In 1999, about four percent of the pregnant women and eight percent of women who were not pregnant used an illicit drug in the past month.  Illicit drug-using women, regardless of pregnancy status, were more likely to use marijuana than any other drug. 
  •   The DASIS Report: Pregnant Women in Substance Abuse Treatment   In 1999, pregnant women aged 15 to 44 were more likely to enter treatment for cocaine abuse  than nonpregnant women of the same age group.  Between 1995 and 1999, the source of referral to substance abuse treatment changed for pregnant women:  Criminal Justice Referrals increased and referrals by Self/Individual or Health Care Providers decreased.
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Highlights of Short Reports on Treatment and Women

  • The NSDUH Report: Substance Use Treatment among Women of Childrearing Age      Combined data from SAMHSA's National Surveys on Drug Use & Health conducted from 2004 to 2006 indicate that an annual average of 6.3 million women (9.4%) aged 18 to 49 needed treatment for a substance use problem.     Of the women aged 18 to 49 who met criteria for needing substance use treatment in the past year, 84.2% neither received it nor perceived the need for substance use treatment. Only 5.5% of women in this age group had a perceived unmet treatment need (i.e., did not receive substance use treatment even though they thought they needed it).    The reasons for not receiving substance use treatment among the women with an unmet treatment need were as follows: 36.1% were not ready to stop using alcohol or illicit drugs, 34.4% could not cover their treatment costs because of no or inadequate health insurance coverage, and 28.9% did not seek substance use treatment because of social stigma.
  • The DASIS Report:  Hispanic Female Admissions in Substance Abuse Treatment, 2005    Female Hispanic admissions comprise about 10% (61,000 admissions) of the female substance abuse treatment admissions reported to SAMHSA's 2005 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). Among female Hispanic admissions in TEDS, 41% were of Mexican origin, 24% were Puerto Rican, 4% were Cuban, and 31% were of other Hispanic origin. Hispanic female admissions were less likely than nonHispanic female substance abuse treatment admissions to report alcohol as their primary drug of abuse (23% vs. 32%). Hispanic female admissions were more likely than nonHispanic female admissions to substance abuse treatment to report stimulants as their primary drug of abuse (21% vs. 12%). The primary drug of abuse differed among the Hispanic origin groups of female admissions: Puerto Ricans (43%) and Cubans (29%) were more likely to report opiates, Mexicans (35%) were more likely to report stimulants, and other Hispanic origins (23%) were more likely to report alcohol as their primary drug of abuse. The average age at admission also varied among the Hispanic groups of female admissions in SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).
  • The DASIS Report:  A Comparison of Female and Male Treatment Admissions: 2002   In 2002, based on SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), females accounted for 30% of substance abuse treatment admissions. The average age at substance abuse treatment admission for female admissions was slightly younger than male admissions (33.3 vs. 34.2 years). Female admissions were more likely than male admissions to be in treatment for opiates or cocaine and less likely to be substance abuse treatment for alcohol or marijuana. The expected source of payment for treatment for female admissions was equally distributed (about 25% each) between self-payment, Medicaid/Medicare, and other government payments. In contrast, the expected source of payment for treatment for male admissions was most frequently self-payment (34%) or other government payments (28%).
  • The DASIS Report: Characteristics of Primary Prescription and Over-the-Counter Treatment Admissions, 2002   Prescription and over the counter (OTC) drugs were the primary substances of abuse for 4% of the 1.9 million treatment admissions reported to SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) in 2002.  An additional 100,000 admissions in 2002 listed prescription or OTC drugs as their secondary or tertiary substances of abuse upon treatment admission. Females comprised a larger proportion of prescription and OTC drug admissions (46%) than they comprised among treatment admissions for all substances (30%) in 2002.
  • The DASIS Report:  Characteristics of Homeless Female Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment, 2002 Of the admissions for whom living arrangement were recorded in SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) in 2002, 13% (171,400) were homeless at the time of admission. Females comprised 20% of the homeless admissions. Compared with all female admissions, the service setting for women who were homeless at time of substance abuse treatment admission was more likely to be detoxification (42% vs. 19%) or residential/rehabilitation (26% vs. 18%) and less likely to be ambulatory settings (32% vs. 63%). Homeless female admissions were more likely than all female admissions to report cocaine/crack (24% vs. 17%) or heroin (21% vs. 16%) as their primary substance of abuse.
  • The DASIS Report: Pregnant Women in Substance Abuse Treatment: 2002   In 2002, of the 363,000 treatment admissions of women of usual childbearing age (aged 15 to 44 years) for which pregnancy status was recorded in SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), 4% were known to be pregnant when admitted. Compared to nonpregnant admissions, pregnant women aged 15 to 44 entering treatment were more likely to report cocaine/crack (22% vs. 17%), amphetamine/methamphetamine (21% vs. 13%), or marijuana (17% vs. 13%) as their primary substance of abuse and less likely to report alcohol (18% vs. 31%).
  •   The DASIS Report:  Marital Status of Women Aged 25-44: 2002 in substance abuse treatment. In 2002, the proportion of female admissions between the ages of 25 and 44 to SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) who were currently married was less than in the general population. About 40% of the female admissions were self and individual referrals to treatment and about 25% were referred by the criminal justice system. Cocaine and opiates were reported as the primary substance of abuse more frequently by female admissions who had never been married and alcohol was reported more frequently by those who had ever been married.
  • The DASIS Report:  Women in Treatment for Smoked Cocaine: 2000   Based on SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), the number of adult women admissions (age 18 and older) to substance abuse treatment for primary use of smoked cocaine (crack) peaked in 1994.  Between 1994 and 2000, both the total number of such admissions and the number of first-time admissions declined.   In 2000, 14 percent of all adult female admissions to substance abuse treatment were for the primary use of crack cocaine.  The average length of crack use was 12 years prior to admission. 
  • The DASIS Report: Facilities Offering Special Programs or Services for Women   Of the substance abuse treatment facilities providing programs or services for women, 63 percent reported providing programs for women only, 56 percent reported services addressing domestic violence, 34 percent provided programs for pregnant or postpartum women, and 16 percent offered on-site child care services. 
  • The DASIS Report: Pregnant Women in Substance Abuse Treatment   In 1999, pregnant women aged 15 to 44 were more likely to enter treatment for cocaine abuse  than nonpregnant women of the same age group.  Between 1995 and 1999, the source of referral to substance abuse treatment changed for pregnant women:  Criminal Justice Referrals increased and referrals by Self/Individual or Health Care Providers decreased. 
  • The DASIS Report:  How Men and Women Enter Substance Abuse Treatment   Women entered the substance abuse treatment system through different avenues than men.  Women were less likely than men to be referred by the criminal justice system and more likely to be referred by community, religious, or governmental organizations/agencies providing social services or by self-help groups. 
  • The DASIS Report:  Women in Substance Treatment   In 1998, there were 23 men admitted to treatment for every 10 women.  Women in substance abuse treatment were more likely to be in treatment for "hard" drugs such as heroin and cocaine and less likely to be in treatment for alcohol abuse or marijuana use. 
  • The DASIS Report:  Women in Treatment for Smoked Cocaine   In 1998, the average adult woman entering treatment for crack cocaine was 34 years old and had first used crack when she was 24.  Over one-third of the adult women entering treatment for crack cocaine abuse were white, five percent were Hispanic, and 61 percent were black.

This page was last updated on December 30, 2008.