Illicit Drug Use - Women in Alabama

Alabama

The use of illicit drugs, including the use of prescription drugs without a doctor's guidance, can be dangerous and have lasting consequences. The adverse effects of drug misuse vary by drug and can include heart attack, stroke, psychosis and death. Substance use can also lead to addiction, which often requires medical or therapeutic intervention. Drug use during pregnancy increases the risk of adverse birth outcomes such as preterm labor, miscarriage and stillbirth. Women are more likely to have chronic pain compared with men; in response, higher and more frequent opioid prescribing contributes to more rapid progression of drug dependence among women. Women are also more likely to relapse after treatment. 

The health consequences of illicit drug use are costly to individuals and society: As of 2023, losses in work-related productivity due to substance use disorder were estimated to be $93 billion. Additionally, between 2018-2019 and 2020-2021, emergency room visits for substance use disorder increased 42% among adults ages 18-34 and 38% among adults age 35 and older.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the prevalence of illicit drug use is higher among:

• Women ages 18-25 compared with women age 26 or older.
• Multiracial and American Indian/Alaska Native people compared with Black, white, Hispanic and Asian people. 
• Lesbian, gay and bisexual people compared with straight people. 

Mental illness and substance use disorders are frequently related, though one can rarely be said to cause the other. More than 1 in 4 individuals with a severe mental health disorder will develop a substance use problem during their lifetime. Additionally, research has found that women who have experienced intimate partner violence have a higher risk of substance use.

Illicit drug use can be prevented and treated. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has screening tools and prevention strategies that health care professionals can use for substance use disorder prevention. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health received funding from Congress for the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative, which supports the development of substance use prevention strategies, nonaddictive pain management methods and treatments for opioid misuse and addiction. 

When prevention is no longer an option, evidence-based treatment programs are available. SAMHSA’s treatment locator can help individuals find state-licensed providers that specialize in substance use disorders. SAMHSA also collects resources on evidence-based practices for treatment facilities and medical practitioners providing substance use disorder treatment and recovery.

Healthy People 2030 has several objectives related to illicit drug use, including:

• Reducing the proportion of adults who used drugs in the past month.
• Reducing drug overdose deaths.
• Reducing the proportion of people who misused prescription drugs in the past year.
• Reducing the number of people who started using heroin in the past year.
• Reducing the proportion of people who used heroin in the past year.
• Reducing the rate of opioid-related emergency department visits.
• Reducing the proportion of women who use illicit opioids during pregnancy. 
• Increasing abstinence from illicit drugs among pregnant women.

Ait-Daoud, Nassima, Derek Blevins, Surbhi Khanna, Sana Sharma, Chrisopher P. Holstege, and Pooja Amin. “Women and Addiction: An Update” 103, no. 4 (July 2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcna.2019.03.002.

Ghimire, Ramesh, Curtis Florence, and Gery Guy. “Productivity Losses From Substance Use Disorder in the U.S. in 2023.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 70, no. 2 (February 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2025.108102.

O’Jiaku-Okorie, Adaeze, Xianghua Yin, and Christine Lucas. “QuickStats: Rate of Emergency Department Visits for Substance Use Disorders Among Adults Aged =18 Years, by Age Group — National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, United States, 2018–2019 and 2020–2021.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 72, no. 39 (September 29, 2023): 1073. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7239a6.