Alcohol and substance abuse and addictions are significant public health concerns that impact thousands of Americans. And with addiction rates on the rise, it is evident that no profession is immune to this issue.
However, certain occupations are particularly susceptible to higher rates of addiction. High job stress, access to prescription medications, and demanding work environments contribute to high rates of substance misuse in these industries.
Here are some statistics about the top ten professions that see the highest addiction-related issues.
Key Takeaways
- Healthcare professionals are susceptible to addiction due to stress, access to prescription drugs, and long working hours. Around 10% of doctors and 20% of nurses struggle with substance abuse.
- Lawyers and judges also have high rates of addiction. Studies show that 20% of attorneys struggle with alcohol, tobacco, and sedatives.
- Restaurant and hospitality workers have some of the highest rates of addiction, with 19.1% abusing drugs and 11.8% binge drinking.
- Arts, entertainment, and recreation professionals are often glamorized for their lifestyles, but addiction is a major problem in this industry as well. Multiple studies report celebrity drug overdose deaths.
- 47.9% of construction workers smoke tobacco, 12.7% use cannabis, and 20.1% consume alcohol. They also have the highest overdose mortality rate.
- Manufacturing workers have a 10.4% substance misuse rate, which exceeds the national average.
- Transportation workers, particularly truck drivers, have high rates of drug use. Specifically, amphetamine use is 21.3% among truck drivers compared to 0.7% in the general population.
- Over 10% of veterans and military personnel in treatment have a substance use disorder, with alcohol being the most commonly misused substance.
- Firefighters also face high rates of alcoholism (29%) and prescription drug misuse (10%) due to stress and emotional strain.
1. Healthcare Professionals
Roughly 5.5% of healthcare workers experience challenges with illegal substance misuse. They resort to substances like marijuana and prescription drugs to unwind after extended hours at hospitals or clinics.
According to USA Today, over 100,000 healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and technicians, nationwide struggle with substance abuse or addiction, primarily centered around narcotics like oxycodone and fentanyl.
Here are some key statistics for physicians and nurses:
Physicians
- Doctors who undergo addiction treatment and are under continuous monitoring demonstrate a lower relapse rate than the general population. A survey indicated that 71% remained abstinent, maintained their medical licenses, and remained employed after five years.
- Research into self-prescribing habits has revealed that 87% of physicians have written prescriptions for themselves.
- More than half (55.3%) of healthcare professionals with painkiller prescriptions have personally issued the prescription.
- At some stage in their lives, 10% of physicians will experience drug or alcohol abuse issues.
Nurses
- The Texas Board of Nursing discovered that roughly one-third of disciplinary measures imposed on nurses in 2010 were linked to drug or alcohol issues.
- According to the Journal of Clinical Nursing, around 20% of nurses battle with substance abuse issues related to drugs or alcohol.
- According to a 2023 study in the Archives of Clinical and Biomedical Research, up to 20% of nurses, particularly those in retirement homes and hospitals, are affected by burnout-related addictions.
- Female nurses are more affected by addiction compared to male nurses.
- Nurses working in pediatrics and emergency departments have over three times higher cannabis, tobacco, and alcohol consumption compared to other nurses. Nurses in psychiatry and oncology smoke tobacco over twice as much as other nurses.
2. Lawyers
You would think drug abuse would be non-existent within the legal fraternity. But the reality is different. Here are some key addiction statistics for lawyers:
- ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation found that nearly 21% of lawyers and others in legal professions were considered problem drinkers.
- Almost half of the lawyers in the same study stated that the drinking issues began within their first 15 years in the industry, including their time in law school.
- The Journal of Addiction Medicine survey of over 12,000 licensed attorneys in 2016 found that 20.6% of participants were involved in alcohol and substance abuse. Among the most prevalent used substances were alcohol, tobacco, and sedatives.
- 9% of attorneys face challenges with prescription drug misuse. This often involves lawyers using these medications to either stay awake longer to finish their work or to aid sleep as a form of stress relief.
3. Restaurant and Hospitality Workers
The key addiction statistics for restaurant and hospitality workers include:
- From 2008 to 2012, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) conducted several surveys to determine addiction rates among individuals aged 18 to 64 in the United States. Among these respondents, hospitality workers were identified at a rate of 19.1% for drug abuse.
- 11.8% of individuals employed in food services admitted to binge drinking within the past month in 2012, while 19.1% acknowledged using illicit drugs during the same period.
- The SAMHSA also identified the restaurant industry as having the highest rate of illicit drug use among 19 industries and ranked it third highest for heavy alcohol consumption.
- A study published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse in 2009 found that 80% of male and 64% of female food service workers participate in risky drinking behaviors that could potentially be harmful.
4. Arts, Entertainment, and Recreational Professionals
Artists are often portrayed as drug abusers. The following statistics might be one reason behind this stereotype:
- In a study published in Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy in 2016, researchers analyzed almost 300 celebrities who died from drug overdoses between 1970 and 2015. Over 50% of drug overdose deaths among celebrities were among those in the arts and entertainment industry. The occupational backgrounds of these individuals are outlined as follows:
- The Office of Justice Program’s analysis of over 200 popular Hollywood movies reveals that in 98% of movies, there were portrayals of illicit drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or over-the-counter or prescription medications.
- A 2013 study in the Drug and Alcohol Review journal examining the autobiographies of rock musicians found that 62% of them included a narrative detailing the artist’s personal experience with addiction.
- According to a 2007 study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, pop and rock stars from Europe and North America exhibited twice the mortality rates compared to the general population. Over a quarter of the participants in the study died due to issues related to drug and alcohol abuse.
5. Construction Workers
Construction workers have a physically demanding job, which might be one reason for the rampant addiction seen in this industry. Here are the key addiction statistics for construction workers:
- According to data from the National Survey on Drug Use conducted by the SAMHSA, approximately 15% of construction workers in the United States are affected by substance abuse disorder.
- SAMHSA states that the construction industry experiences the highest rates of drug and alcohol abuse than any other sector except the hospitality and food service sectors.
- According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report published in August 2023, the construction industry has the highest mortality rate due to overdose. This report, the most extensive investigation by the agency into overdose deaths by occupation, revealed that there were over 162 overdose fatalities per 100,000 construction workers in 2020.
- In a study conducted by the Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene in 2021, it was found that the prevalence of tobacco smoking was 47.9%, cannabis use was 12.7%, and alcohol consumption was 20.1% among construction workers.
- Among those who consumed these substances, the prevalence of dependence or misuse was 68% for tobacco smoking, 70.6% for cannabis, and 63% for alcohol.
6. Manufacturing Professionals
Manufacturing industry addiction statistics include:
- In the manufacturing sector, approximately 10% of workers admit to heavy alcohol consumption, 7.7% acknowledge recent illicit drug use, and 9.1% report drug or alcohol dependency within the past year, based on SAMHSA data from 2012.
- The American manufacturing sector has over 11 million employees. Around 10.4% of these workers misuse substances, a rate much higher than the general population’s 6%.
- From 2009 to 2013, the expenses on prescription opioids within the manufacturing industry surpassed that of any other industrial sector covered by CNA insurance.
7. Transportation Workers
Transportation workers work long hours and are often away from home, which takes a toll on their mental health. Here are the key addiction statistics for this industry:
- The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index industry analysis revealed that Transportation and Warehousing was one of the five sectors that saw double-digit year-over-year rises in their drug positivity rates from 2015 to 2017.
- In a systematic review conducted in 2019, it was found that 27.6% of truck drivers reported using drugs.
- Among truck drivers, the yearly prevalence of amphetamine use in 2019 stands at 21.3%, a stark comparison to the estimated global prevalence of consumption in the general population, which is merely 0.7%.
- The prevalence of cocaine use, at 2.2%, was also higher among truck drivers compared to the general population, where it stands at 0.37%.
- According to a survey conducted by the federal government, rates of substance abuse among various personnel within the transportation industry are as follows:
8. Military Personnel
Military personnel also deal with high addiction rates. Here are some key statistics:
- Over 10% of the veterans receiving care at the U.S. Veteran’s Administration meet the criteria for a substance use disorder diagnosis.
- Marijuana is the primary illicit drug used by veterans, with 3.5% reporting its use, while 1.7% reporting using other illegal drugs within one month.
- Between 2002 and 2009, cannabis use disorders rose by over 50% among veterans receiving treatment within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system.
- Other illicit drugs, such as heroin (10.7%) and cocaine (just over 6%), are also concerning for some veterans, as noted in a government report.
- The 2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey report indicated that nearly 14% of service members were current smokers of cigarettes, with over 7% smoking daily.
- In 2015, 30% of active-duty service members engaged in binge drinking, while more than 5% were classified as heavy drinkers. Just over one-third either exhibited hazardous drinking patterns or met the criteria for alcohol use disorder.
- Over sixty-five percent of veterans entering treatment programs cite alcohol as their most frequently misused substance, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
9. Firefighters
Key addiction statistics for firefighters include:
- According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 29% of firefighters are involved in alcohol abuse, while up to 10% may currently be misusing prescription drugs.
- Among surveyed firefighters in 2012, career firefighters consumed heavy alcohol around 10 days per month. 58% of career firefighters and 40% of volunteer firefighters consumed three or more drinks, with similar percentages reporting binge drinking on alcohol consumption days.
- The rate of binge drinking among female firefighters in 2017 was almost three times higher than that observed among women in the general population.
- In a health assessment study among professional female firefighters, 83.3% had experimented with smoking and 22.2% were current smokers.
- The US Firefighters Association estimates that the fire service experiences a loss of around 1,800 members each year due to smoking-related causes.
10. Miners and Oil Rig Workers
Miners and oil rig workers also deal with concerning addiction rates. Here are the key numbers:
- According to SAMSHA data, individuals employed in the mining sector exhibit the highest rate of heavy alcohol use among all industries (at 17.5%) and a 5% prevalence of recent illicit drug use. Between 2007 and 2012, there was a rise in heavy alcohol use from 16.2% to 17.5%.
- National Safety Council research states roughly 1% of workers in the mining industry suffer from an opioid use disorder, a rate that exceeds the national average.
- In West Virginia, where the coal mining industry employs 2% of the state’s workforce, heroin and opioid overdoses occur at a rate twice the national average.
- According to the National Occupational Mortality Surveillance system data, people employed in the extraction industry (which includes mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction) have the highest mortality rates from natural and semisynthetic opioid-related overdose deaths. They also report the second-highest mortality rates from synthetic opioid-related overdose deaths.
Which Occupation Has the Highest Alcoholism Rate?
The hospitality and food service sector has the highest rate of alcoholism. Workers in this industry face high-stress environments and have easy access to alcohol, which may explain the high alcoholism rate in this sector.
What Is the Most Common Form of Substance Addiction in the US?
Alcohol addiction is the most common form of substance addiction in the US. Its prevalence surpasses that of illicit drugs or prescription medications and affects over 10% of the American total population across various demographics and socio-economic backgrounds.
How Does Substance Abuse among Professionals Affect Workplace Safety?
Substance abuse among professionals can significantly compromise workplace safety, leading to increased accidents and injuries, particularly in high-risk occupations such as construction and transportation. According to the American Psychological Association, impaired judgment and decreased motor coordination caused by substance abuse are major contributors to these safety issues. Industries with high rates of substance use might benefit from targeted safety programs and screening processes detailed in resources like DUI statistics and rates in Indiana.
Additionally, substance abuse can lead to decreased productivity and increased absenteeism, which adversely affect both the workplace environment and the economic performance of a company. For those struggling with addiction, access to comprehensive treatment options such as residential rehab can be a crucial step towards recovery and maintaining workplace safety.
Data Sources
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