ABSTRACT
The abuse of and dependence upon alcohol and other legal and illegal substances is a pervasive social and economic problem in the United States. The National Comorbidity Study (NCS), a large-scale investigation of over 8,000 survey respondents between the ages of fifteen to fifty-five, estimated that about one in four residents in the United States had experienced some substance abuse or dependence disorder in their lifetime; 11 percent had the disorder within the twelve months prior to the interview. Males had at least double the risk for having a substance abuse problem than females. The lifetime and current prevalence rates for males were 35 percent and 16 percent compared to 18 percent and 7 percent for females. As expected, alcohol abuse was the most prevalent substance abuse problem. Though men had higher rates than women for alcohol and drug problems, the prevalence pattern for both were quite similar (e.g., alcohol problems were higher than drug problems). While individuals use and abuse substances, the consequences that accrue because of their addiction and dependence has an imposing presence over close relationships and society in general. For example, the social and economic costs of substance abuse is estimated at $150 billion a year (Zane and Kim, 1994).
